Chapter 801
Remember
Sun Xin dreamt of returning to the Mitsui Villa, but this time he was the one who became a plaything, tormented by a group of ghosts and monsters, both familiar and unfamiliar.
Terrified, he lost control of his bladder, but he managed to hold on, clenching his teeth and remaining silent even as he was scared to death.
Not only Xiao Hong and Hong Yan, but also Pan Yun, Xue Shao, and Wu Zhihong looked at him with new respect and became even more interested in that secret.
"What secret could make him suffer like this without opening his mouth?" Pan Yun asked in confusion. "Even if he colluded with pirates, with his official position, at worst he would lose his head. Isn't dying sooner or later the same as dying?"
Xue Shao seemed to be deep in thought: "Could the crime committed implicate the entire family?"
Wu Zhihong's heart skipped a beat: "Or perhaps the entire family be implicated?"
The three exchanged a glance: "Perhaps they're not just colluding with sea pirates, no, it should be said that they're not only sea pirates, but also Japanese pirates?"
Colluding with pirates and Japanese pirates—the difference of just one word makes a world of difference in the charges.
Depending on the circumstances, the former could result in demotion, dismissal, imprisonment, or exile, with the most severe punishment being beheading. If evidence was found to prove that they colluded with pirates to ambush the mission, their entire family would be implicated.
However, considering that this matter may be related to the Sun family and involve the Empress Dowager.
Pan Yun is certain that this matter cannot be proven.
The latter, regardless of the severity of the situation, was ordered by Emperor Taizu Gao to exterminate three generations of his family.
Pan Yun disliked the practice of punishing relatives, especially the idea of implicating three entire families for the mistake of one person.
His parents, wife, and children were one thing, at least they enjoyed some happiness following him, but his brothers and his wife's parents and brothers, how innocent were they?
Those with many siblings might not have even met their wives' relatives, yet they were implicated and beheaded—how unjust!
But the truth still needs to be investigated.
Even if those responsible cannot be brought to justice in the case of the interception of the mission at sea, the truth must be uncovered.
Besides the Sun family, Prince Lu, and the powerful gentry led by the Chen family, who was the other person?
“It seems that coercion won’t work. Even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard were here, they would be helpless,” Pan Yun said. “Since coercion won’t work, why not try bribery?”
Wu Zhihong and Xue Shao exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat bitter.
Pan Yun couldn't stand it anymore: "What? You can't even offer a little something? You're supposed to be officials..."
Xue Shao said, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but that I can't give it."
He said, "I currently hold no official position, not even that of Magistrate Wu..."
Wu Zhihong immediately replied, "I'm just a county magistrate. Even if I said I could save his family's lives, he wouldn't believe me."
Upon hearing this, Pan Yun stroked her chin and pondered, "Then do you think he will believe me?"
Wu Zhihong looked puzzled, while Xue Shao seemed to be deep in thought: "You are able to go against Wang Zhen, have some connections with His Majesty, and have a deep relationship with Prince Zhou and the Mu family of Yunnan. Perhaps we can have a talk."
Wu Zhihong, standing beside her, stared at Pan Yun with wide eyes, looking utterly astonished: "What?"
Is Pan Yun really that amazing?
Isn't she a Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain?
Xue Shao glanced at Wu Zhihong and said, "Ordinary officials don't know about these things, but as the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Lu and a confidant of the Prince of Lu, he should have heard about everything, whether it was the Xue Pan wrongful case or the trip to Yunnan to treat Young Master Mu."
A barrage of secrets left Wu Zhihong dizzy and disoriented. Pan Yun, emboldened by Xue Shao's flattery, asked, "Shall we give it a try?"
Xue Shao nodded: "We can give it a try, but we still need a catalyst."
Pan Jun frowned: "Yes, bribery alone won't work, we also need to add coercion. A combination of kindness and force is the best approach. If the Prince of Lu were to attack his family at this time, we could just swoop in and save them."
Wu Zhihong swallowed hard and asked uncertainly, "Is Master Pan implying that I should find someone to impersonate someone from the Prince of Lu's mansion and attack his family?"
Pan Jun tilted her head and asked, "Did I say that?"
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the meaning is quite clear.
Wu Zhihong sighed and began to seriously consider it.
Xue Shao stood quietly to the side, waiting for them to offer advice. Just then, Xiao Hong floated out and said to them, "I remember now."
The three of them were mentally simulating the feasibility of impersonating people from the Prince of Lu's mansion to capture Sun Xin's family when they suddenly heard this and were stunned for a moment: "What?"
Xiao Hong said with a serious face, "I remember now, I will die because I overheard their conversation."
Xiao Hong was never a weak or easily bullied person. Even though she was sold to Wan Chun Lou by her father, and even though she had to submit to various people and was forced to endure a lot of pain, she never accepted her fate and even harbored resentment.
She never felt that being sold to Wanchunlou was her due, so she resented her father instead of being like the other sisters in the brothel who forgot their pain once the wound healed and turned around to use their hard-earned money to support the relatives who came to their door.
If they didn't love each other in the first place, how could they expect to rekindle their love after hurting each other?
The women in the building are incredibly naive to expect them to take care of them in their old age and when they are no longer useful.
Relatives can't be relied on, and those guests who come to the brothel to whisper sweet nothings are even less reliable.
In this world, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself; perhaps you can still have faith in your sisters.
So at the Mitsui Villa, after suffering inhuman torment, she did not die, but instead came back to life, harboring resentment towards Sun Xin, Jiang Fangzheng, and Yang Ji, who had inflicted pain on her.
She crawled out of hell and staggered toward the sunlight, only to overhear three people talking by the window.
“They thought I had passed out, so they weren’t on guard,” Xiao Hong said, standing in the shade of the tree, the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, making her face appear indistinct. “Yang Ji said he had a shipment of goods that he wanted to send to Southeast Asia, and asked Jiang Fangzheng to make an exception and talk to the Japanese pirates at sea so that his ship could pass through.”
Pan Yun and the other two exchanged glances, their expressions slightly tense, and listened attentively.
A thick, dark cloud drifted in, obscuring the sun and casting shadows over the entire courtyard.
The cold wind was biting, and Xiao Hong's vision was a little blurry. In a daze, she seemed to have returned to that afternoon.
She was only wearing a thin outer robe, and her body was covered with whip marks and burn marks. Blood flowed down her thighs, and she was covered in blood.
She leaned against the wall and slowly walked out of the room, moving slowly while holding onto the railing. She thought that as long as she got out of this courtyard, found the man surnamed Zhao, and had him take her back, she would definitely avenge this grudge in the future!
She hadn't walked far when she reached the study window, which was half-open, and she could see the three people sitting together.
The three of them were only wearing one piece of clothing. Dark clouds loomed overhead, as if a torrential downpour was about to begin. They sat in the shadows, and she could barely see their faces, only recognizing them by their voices.
Jiang Fangzheng's voice was low and languid as he said indifferently, "Those Japanese pirates have become too greedy. I can't really command them anymore. I think they're more obedient to the young master." (End of Chapter)