Chapter 801

Sun Xin dreamed back to the Sanjing Villa, but this time he was the one reduced to a plaything, tormented by a crowd of ghosts, both known and unknown.

Terrified beyond measure, he lost control of his bowels, yet he held firm—even if terrified to death, he clenched his teeth and said nothing.

Not only Xiao Hong and Sister Hong Yan, but even Pan Yun, Xue Shao, and Seeing Wu Zhihong looked at him with new respect, their interest in the secret deepening.

"What secret could make him endure such torment without speaking?" Pan Yun asked in confusion: "Even if he colluded with sea pirates, given his rank, the worst he'd face is losing his head—whether he dies now or later, isn't it all the same?"

Xue Shao pondered: "Could the crime he committed implicate his entire family?"

Seeing Wu Zhihong's heart leapt: "Or even his three clans?"

The three exchanged glances: "Perhaps the ones they colluded with weren't just sea pirates—no, not just sea pirates, but Japanese pirates too?"

Colluding with sea pirates and Japanese pirates—just one character different—carries entirely different charges.

For the former, punishments vary by circumstance: demotion, dismissal, imprisonment, exile; the worst is beheading. If evidence proves they orchestrated the ambush and massacre of the envoy mission, it could implicate three clans;

But considering this matter might involve the Sun family and reach the Empress Dowager.

Pan Yun was certain this could not be proven.

But for the latter, regardless of severity, the founding Emperor's decree mandates implicate three clans.

Pan Yun disliked the practice of collective punishment, especially punishing three clans for one person's crime.

His parents and wife and children—he could accept that; at least they'd shared some of his fortune. But his brothers and his wife's parents and siblings—how innocent were they?

In families with many siblings, his wife's relatives might never have even met him—and yet they'd be beheaded by association. How unjust.

But the truth must still be uncovered.

Including the case of the ambush on the envoy at sea—even if no charges could be brought, the truth must be found.

Aside from the Sun family, the Prince of Lu, and the powerful gentry led by the Chen family—who else was involved?

"It seems intimidation won't work—even the Embroidered Uniform Guard here is powerless," Pan Yun said: "Since intimidation fails, let's try bribery?"

Seeing Wu Zhihong and Xue Shao exchanged glances, their expressions grim.

Pan Yun frowned: "What's wrong? Can't you offer even a single favor? You're officials, after all..."

Xue Shao said: "It's not that we're unwilling—we simply can't."

He added: "I currently hold no official position. County Magistrate Wu..."

Seeing Wu Zhihong immediately interjected: "I'm just a county magistrate. Even if I promised to protect his family's lives, he wouldn't believe me."

Pan Yun listened, stroking his chin in thought: "Then tell me—would he believe me?"

Seeing Wu Zhihong looked utterly speechless, while Xue Shao grew thoughtful: "You've stood against Wang Zhen, have some ties to the Emperor, and are close to the Zhou Wang and the Yunnan Mu Fu. Perhaps you could speak with him."

Beside them, Seeing Wu Zhihong stared in shock, eyes wide at Pan Yun: "What?"

Is Pan Yun really that powerful?

Isn't she just a Daoist Priest from Long Hushan?

Xue Shao glanced at Seeing Wu Zhihong: "Ordinary officials wouldn't know these things. But as the Prince of Lu's Chief Secretary and his confidant, he must have heard whispers about the Xue Pan wrongful case, and about your journey to Yunnan to treat Young Master Mu."

A cascade of secrets crashed down; Seeing Wu Zhihong's head spun. Pan Yun, bolstered by Xue Shao's praise, said: "Then let's try?"

Xue Shao nodded: "We can try—but we still need an opportunity."

Pan Yun frowned: "Yes, bribery alone won't work—we must add intimidation. A balance of mercy and force is the way. At this moment, if the Prince of Lu moved against his family, and we appeared out of nowhere to save them..."

Seeing Wu Zhihong swallowed hard, uncertainly asking: "Are you hinting that I should hire someone to impersonate Prince of Lu's men and attack his family?"

Pan Yun tilted her head: "Did I say that?"

She hadn't said it outright—but the meaning was clear.

Seeing Wu Zhihong sighed, and seriously began to consider it.

Xue Shao stood quietly to the side, waiting to offer strategy—when Xiao Hong drifted out and said to them: "I remember."

All three had been simulating the feasibility of impersonating Prince of Lu's men to capture Sun Xin's family. Hearing this, they froze: "What?"

Xiao Hong's face was solemn: "I remember now. I died because I overheard them talking."

Xiao Hong was never weak or easily bullied. Even after her father sold her to Wan Chun Pavilion, even after she submitted to countless men and endured unbearable suffering, she never accepted her fate—and she harbored hatred.

She never believed being sold to Wan Chun Pavilion was her due. So she hated her father—not like the other girls in the pavilion, who forgot their wounds and used their blood-stained earnings to support the relatives who came knocking.

If they never loved you to begin with, how could you expect love to reignite after they hurt you?

To expect them to care for you in old age, when you're faded and useless—those girls in the pavilion were truly naive.

Family cannot be relied upon. The guests who came to the pavilion with sweet words were even less trustworthy.

The only one you can truly rely on in this world is yourself. Perhaps, just perhaps, your sisters might be trusted.

So in the Sanjing Villa, after enduring inhuman torment, she didn't die—she pulled herself back to life, filled with hatred toward Sun Xin, Jiang Fangzheng, and Yang Ji for what they'd done to her.

She crawled out of hell, staggering toward the light, and just by the window, she overheard their conversation.

"They thought I'd passed out, so they let their guard down," Xiao Hong stood beneath the shade of a tree, dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting her face in shifting shadows: "Yang Ji said he had a shipment he wanted to send to the South Seas. He asked Jiang Fangzheng to open the door, to warn the Japanese pirates on the sea so his ship could pass."

Pan Yun and the other two exchanged glances, a chill running through them. They listened intently.

A heavy cloud drifted over, blotting out the sun. The entire courtyard plunged into shadow.

A bitter wind howled; Xiao Hong's vision blurred. In a daze, she felt as if she'd returned to that afternoon.

She wore only a thin outer robe. Her body was covered in whip marks and burn scars. Blood trickled down her thighs. She was drenched in blood.

She leaned against the wall, slowly dragging herself out the door, gripping the railing as she shuffled forward. She thought: If I can just leave this courtyard, find that Zhao man, and get him to take me home—I'll repay this vengeance someday!

After only a few steps, she reached the study window. It stood half-open. She could see the three men seated together.

All three wore only a single garment. Dark clouds loomed overhead, as if a torrential downpour would break at any moment. They sat in shadow; she could barely make out their faces—only their voices gave them away.

Jiang Fangzheng's voice was low and languid: "The Japanese pirates' appetites have grown too large. I can't control them as easily anymore. I think they still listen more to the Crown Prince's orders."