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Chapter 1745 Prison Break

On the bluestone slabs in front of the Dali Temple, Zhuang Shiyang paced back and forth, his official boots making a messy sound.

Zhou Ruyin's knuckles turned white as she gripped the handkerchief, and the gold-embroidered peony pattern was distorted by sweat.

Zhuang Shiyang and Zhou Ruyin waited anxiously at the entrance of Dali Temple, because today marked the end of Zhuang Yuchi's three-day public shaming session.

In the distance came the clattering sound of chains dragging on the ground. Zhuang Yuchi, disheveled and dirty, was escorted out by yamen runners. His once brocade robes were now covered with straw and stains.

"Chi-ge'er!" Zhou Ruyin rushed forward, but was pulled back by her husband.

Zhuang Shiyang's face turned ashen: "Isn't this embarrassing enough?"

He glanced at the onlookers and lowered his voice, saying, "We'll talk about it when we get back to the manor."

Fu Yunxi stood on the high steps, his black official robes fluttering in the morning breeze.

He watched the departing figure of the dealer and felt that this seemingly ordinary dealer was the key.

Of course, Fu Yunxi secretly guessed that the Zhuang family would probably not have a peaceful night.

The clerk leaned closer and whispered, "Sir, Yang Ping is already waiting at the tavern in the east of the city."

Fu Yunxi's gaze swept over the red figure that flashed by at the street corner. "Keep an eye on him! Especially that guy named Chai Jing."

"Yes, sir. But I have a question, and I'm not sure if I should ask it?"

"what?"

"The Danzhou massacre had such a huge impact, why are you focusing on a little girl?"

"Intuition! I feel that Zhuang Hanyan is definitely not simple. Although Danzhou was definitely the work of pirates, have you ever thought about why they would massacre the city?"

"Sir, is that why you believe Zhuang Hanyan is the key?"

"Yes! How is that Earl Zhongqin, whom I asked you to have someone keep an eye on?"

"My lord, this Earl of Zhongqin is exceptionally low-key. He usually stays at the Sanwei Academy and only interacts with those scholars."

"Yes, don't let your guard down! Keep an eye on them."

"Yes! Sir."

……

Inside Songhe Hall, Grandma Zhuang held her grandson, tears streaming down her face.

However, Zhuang Yuchi suddenly pushed away her grandmother, Madam Wei, and pointed at Zhuang Hanyan, who was standing quietly by the screen, her eyes bloodshot: "It's her! She came to my room that night!"

The candlelight in the room flickered suddenly.

"..." At this moment, everyone in the room turned to look at Zhuang Hanyan.

"What are you doing in your brother's room in the middle of the night?" Zhuang Yushan asked in a shrill voice.

The jade bracelet on her wrist struck the coffee table with a crisp sound.

Zhuang Hanyan slowly took out an oil paper package from her sleeve: "The day the kitchen made osmanthus cake, I was thinking of my brother's hard work in studying, it was a good intention, but I didn't expect it to cause Yu Chi to misunderstand."

Then she turned to look at the maid at the door again, "Cui'er can testify that I was turned away, but I brought the pastries back exactly as they were."

"Nonsense!" Zhuang Yuchi suddenly sprang to her feet, smashing her teacup on the ground and splashing scalding water. "You're clearly here to switch my test questions!"

"Enough!" Zhuang Shiyang slammed his hand on the table and stood up, only to see Zhuang Hanyan already rolling up her sleeves.

On the girl's slender arms, old and new scars were intertwined, the most shocking of which was a knife scar that stretched from her wrist bone to her elbow, resembling a ferocious centipede.

At this moment, Zhuang Hanyan suddenly looked up and stared directly at her father, Zhuang Shiyang, "Father, do you know that at the tavern that day, my elder brother said in public that he wanted to give me to Young Master You?"

"What? Yu Chi, did you say that?"

"I……"

"You bitch!" Zhou Ruyin suddenly pounced, her gilded armor aimed straight for Zhuang Hanyan's face.

"Snapped!"

Zhuang Shiyang's slap landed heavily on Zhou Ruyin's face.

Her nine-petaled crown slipped off askew, revealing an old scar on her forehead.

That was when she was attacked by Zhuang Shiyang with an inkstone after she orchestrated Ruan Xiwen's miscarriage.

“Aunt Zhou, look at the good children you’ve raised!” Zhuang Shiyang’s voice trembled. “You and your son have ruined the Zhuang family’s century-old reputation.”

"Waaah... Why is my husband complaining about us?"

“Father is wrong,” Zhuang Hanyan interrupted softly. “It was you, not my brother, who destroyed the Zhuang family.”

"What? Han Yan, have you gone mad?"

Zhuang Hanyan bent down and picked up Zhou Ruyin's hairpin, saying, "Just like this hairpin, no matter how many pearls it's inlaid with, it can't hide the rusty iron inside. If it weren't for your indulgence as the head of the family, how could Aunt Zhou and her two children have ended up like this?"

"Hmph! Qiaoling, you're all traitors! I think you're all my family's nemesis."

"..."

……

As night fell, Zhou Ruyin came to Zhuang Hanyan's courtyard alone.

A chessboard has been set up on the stone table, with black and white chess pieces scattered like stars.

"Third Miss, you have quite the refined taste." Zhou Ruyin sat down opposite her, picking up a black chess piece with her fingertips.

Zhuang Hanyan, playing white, made her move: "Auntie, are you here to play chess or to negotiate?"

"I heard you started learning chess from a fortune teller in Danzhou when you were five years old?" Zhou Ruyin suddenly placed a black piece on the "center" position. "What a pity! If Madam Ruan hadn't sent you away back then, you would definitely be the most honored legitimate daughter of the Zhuang family."

"Click."

White stones cut off Black's large group of stones.

Zhuang Hanyan chuckled: "Does Auntie know why I was able to win?"

"..."

Then Zhuang Hanyan suddenly overturned the chess basket beside her, and dozens of black pieces clattered and rolled down the stone steps. "Because you always focus on my moves, but forget to look at your own retreat."

Zhou Ruyin's expression changed drastically.

At this moment, her hand, hidden in her sleeve, trembled slightly. There was a secret letter that Yang Ping had just sent, which detailed the autopsy results of the couple in Danzhou.

"The sacrificial ceremony will be held in three days." Zhou Ruyin forced herself to stand up. "The old lady wants you to personally offer sacrifices to the memorial tablets of your adoptive parents."

The night wind swirled up fallen leaves, and Zhuang Hanyan watched Zhou Ruyin's departing figure, her heart burning with boundless rage.

……

On the day of the sacrificial ceremony, incense smoke filled the ancestral hall.

Zhuang Hanyan, dressed in a plain white sacrificial robe, walked towards the offering table under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Suddenly, Zhou Ruyin stopped her: "Wait a minute."

She waved towards the door, "Bring them in."

A ragged young girl was pushed in; it was Lang'er, who had been expelled from the manor half a year ago for theft.

"I saw it with my own eyes!" Lang'er knelt down with a thud, pointing at Zhuang Hanyan and screaming, "She poisoned my adoptive parents with arsenic! Their fingernails were all torn apart before they died!"

The whole hall was in an uproar.

Just as Zhuang Shiyang was about to reprimand him, Zhou Ruyin presented the document: "The list of corpses from the Danzhou government office. Please take a look."

The pages rustled, and the words "died from poisoning" were written in large cinnabar characters on them.

Zhuang Hanyan suddenly laughed: "Auntie, you've got it wrong, haven't you? Do you know that fabricating evidence is a heinous crime?"

"Nonsense!" Lang'er said with certainty, "I personally went to Danzhou to collect all this evidence."

"Ridiculous! Danzhou has already been massacred by pirates. How could a woman like you possibly gather evidence?"

"I……"

"quiet!"

At this moment, Lord Yan, dressed in a scarlet robe, barged in with his constables.

He glanced at the list of corpses and said coldly, "Miss Zhuang, come with me."

As Zhuang Hanyan was being taken away, she caught a glimpse of Fu Yunxi standing in the shadow of a pillar.

Just then, Chai Jing went to pursue and kill Yang Ping.

However, Yang Ping's bracelet contained a hidden mechanism, allowing him to escape. Chai Jing pursued closely but quickly lost track of Yang Ping.

Just as Yang Ping was secretly pleased, a beautiful woman suddenly appeared and blocked his way, but the long sword in her hand made his heart skip a beat.

"Yang Ping?"

"You...who are you?"

"The one who took your life."

"Don't kill me! I know you must have been sent by Zhuang Hanyan. I can help you identify Aunt Zhou. It was Aunt Zhou who secretly instructed me to do all this."

"Hmph! No need."

"what……"

With a "sizzle," the long sword in the beautiful woman's hand flew out of its sheath and directly slashed Yang Ping's carotid artery.

Yang Ping, with wide eyes, ended his life, which had been like that of a clown.

...In the Dali Temple dungeon, Zhuang Hanyan was chained to a rack.

Lord Yan approached with the branding iron in hand: "Third Miss, confess! Otherwise you'll suffer."

"What kind of confession does Your Excellency want?" Zhuang Hanyan looked up, blood dripping from her chin. "To say I murdered my parents? Or that I was the leader of pirates?"

Lord Yan's hand trembled, and the branding iron almost slipped from his grasp.

After failing to kill Yang Ping, Chai Jing was worried about Zhuang Hanyan's safety and came to Fu Yunxi's residence to inquire, unaware that Fu Yunxi was already waiting there.

"I think you must know about Zhuang Hanyan's adoptive parents in Danzhou."

"Fu Yunxi, you're a fucking lunatic! Why are you targeting a girl who survived? Is it just because Zhuang Hanyan is weak and easy to bully?"

"Hmph! If there were no inside help, I don't believe the pirates could have landed so easily."

"Among so many coastal areas, Danzhou wasn't the only one to suffer from pirate attacks. Why haven't we seen you, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, working so hard?"

"It's different! Only Danzhou was massacred."

"Fu Yunxi, let me remind you, if you don't court death, you won't die."

"Tonight, Zhuang Hanyan will endure twelve forms of torture."

"what?"

"The Dali Temple isn't ruled by me alone! Most people just want the case closed as soon as possible."

“Fu Yunxi, I am willing to pretend to be the murderer and confess to save Zhuang Hanyan, but please do not tell Zhuang Hanyan about this.”

"why?"

"It's simple! Because I don't want her to be sad."

"..."

……

Having made up his mind, Chai Jing once again recalled what happened back then.

Raindrops pierced the sea like silver needles, and Chai Jing floated in the dark water.

The screams from that night still echoed in her ears, and amidst the raging flames, the pirate ship that had raised her for fifteen years was sinking.

She paddled numbly, no longer feeling the pain from the arrow wound in her right shoulder.

"It would be better to die..." she thought, letting another wave engulf her.

When his fingers touched the rough gravel, Chai Jing thought he had arrived in the underworld.

Until a cold hand touched her forehead.

"Still alive?"

Chai Jing suddenly opened her eyes and met a pair of amber eyes.

Under the moonlight, a ragged girl was leaning down to look at her.

"Don't... touch me..." Chai Jing instinctively reached for his waist, only to find that the dagger was already gone.

The girl laughed, revealing two sharp canine teeth: "My name is Zhuang Hanyan. Everyone calls me Barefoot Ghost."

Chai Jing then noticed that the girl's bare feet were covered with old and new scars, and there was a bright red birthmark on the sole of her right foot.

She suddenly remembered the sea legends that pirates often told: those who encounter the Barefoot Ghost will not live past midnight.

"Kill me if you must." Chai Jing closed his eyes.

The cold metal suddenly pressed against my wrist.

She was startled to find Zhuang Hanyan untying her shoelaces.

"Borrow me a shoe." The girl said, deftly taking off Chai Jing's left boot and putting it on her own foot, then tossing the other shoe back into her arms. "We're even now."

While Chai Jing was still in a daze, Zhuang Hanyan had already turned and walked into the depths of the reef.

The sea breeze carried her last words: "The tide is coming in; if you don't want to die, catch up."

Before the excruciating pain caused Chai Jing to faint again, she saw the girl who called herself "Barefoot Ghost" collecting rainwater in a broken earthenware pot she had picked up.

When Chai Jing woke up again, her lips were pressed against a rough ceramic bowl.

The sweet water flowed into her throat, and she swallowed it greedily, only to realize that Zhuang Hanyan had emptied her water pouch.

"Why... did you save me?" Chai Jing's voice was hoarse.

"Your shoes are nice. Better than walking barefoot on mountain trails."

Chai Jing then saw his surroundings clearly. It was a damp cave, with the entrance covered by thorns and brambles.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps, casting spiderweb-like shadows on the bruises on Zhuang Hanyan's collarbone.

“My name is Chai Jing,” she suddenly said. “I have no parents and no home.”

Zhuang Hanyan raised her head, moonlight shimmering in her eyes: "I don't have any either."

Chai Jing noticed a half-moldy pancake in the corner and suddenly understood something.

As dawn broke, Chai Jing was awakened by a rustling sound.

Zhuang Hanyan was dividing the last bit of dry food in half when she saw that she had woken up, and casually tossed one half to her.

"After we finish eating, we'll go our separate ways." The girl's tone was relaxed, but her eyes were fixed on the dagger at Chai Jing's waist.

Chai Jing didn't say anything, but simply broke his half of the pancake in half again and pushed the larger piece back.

The two ate in silence, while the cries of seagulls echoed from outside the cave.

Looking at Zhuang Hanyan in front of him, Chai Jing suddenly said as if possessed, "Come with me! I know a fishing boat."

"I want to go back to the farm! Back to the place that threw me out."

"Are you crazy? They want you dead!"

"That's why we're going back. Let's see who's so afraid of a barefoot ghost."

The argument continued until sunset.

In the end, Chai Jing was defeated.

"Wait until I'm done with my business," Zhuang Hanyan whispered in her ear, "then we'll go see the sea together."

"Okay! It's a deal."

……

In the dungeon of Dali Temple, Chai Jing was suspended in mid-air by iron chains.

"Speak! Was the murder in Danzhou instigated by Zhuang Hanyan?" Lord Yan roared, grabbing her hair.

Chai Jing looked through the blood mist at the torture instruments on the wall and suddenly smiled.

She remembered that morning by the sea, when Zhuang Hanyan fed her the last mouthful of water.

"Sir, I did it all by myself."

"Humph! Courting death."

Just then, a group of men in black suddenly appeared, holding strange objects, and charged toward the Dali Temple dungeon.

"Halt! This is the Dali Temple."

"Bang bang bang..."

The response from the Dali Temple yamen runners was a deep, mysterious voice, like the sound of firecrackers being set off during the Lunar New Year.

Lord Yan and the others who were interrogating Chai Jing in the dungeon also heard the commotion. Just as they were about to come out to check the situation, the area outside the dungeon was already a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Lord Yan, his expression fierce but his heart pounding, glared at the men in black before him and demanded, "What are you doing? Do you know that breaking into a prison is a serious crime?"

"Sir, we've heard that the Dali Temple is looking for us?"

"You...you are the pirates who massacred the city of Danzhou?"

"Correct! But there's no reward."

"..."

With a "bang," Lord Yan's head was shattered into a rotten watermelon.

Chai Jing, who was awaiting punishment, was also dumbfounded. "Jiang... Jiang Si?"

"It's me! Come with us! You're saved." The masked man in black immediately unlocked the chains binding Chai Jing.

"Who exactly is your master?" Chai Jing, who had been rescued, was filled with shock and disbelief.

However, Jiang Si looked at Chai Jing with a half-smile, "Want to know?"

"Ah."

"Then join us in becoming our master's slaves."

"This……"