If you force me to take the blame, I'll spend a day in jail and gain a year's worth of spi

At the end of the passageway was a prison cell that had been transformed into something almost luxurious.

The ground was covered with soft, thick animal hides, making no sound when you stepped on them.

The precious rosewood table and chairs exuded a faint fragrance, and several rare spiritual plants adorned the corners, emitting a soft glow.

A strange, calming fragrance filled the air, completely out of place in the eerie atmosphere of the prison.

Qin Xuehua, Zhang Wanning, Zhang Heng, and Jiang Luohan were roughly shoved by the black-armored guards.

The shackles dragged on the floor, scraping against the smooth surface and shattering the tranquility of the place.

Almost instinctively, their gazes immediately fell upon the figure in the center of the cell, subtly surrounded by the crowd, sitting in the main position.

Then, their breathing stopped simultaneously.

On the main seat, a figure in a blue robe leaned casually against the soft couch, looking relaxed.

The man had a young face and a faint air of aloofness between his brows. He was toying with a warm jade teacup in his hand, seemingly unconcerned about their intrusion.

That figure, that face...

Why does it look so familiar?

Qin Xuehua's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints, and her heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, almost stopping its beating.

A bone-chilling coldness shot up her spine to the top of her head, leaving her limbs stiff and cold.

He then shook his head violently, thinking he was seeing things.

Zhang Wanning gasped for breath, as if someone had grabbed her throat.

She abruptly covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and a sense of absurdity.

No, it's impossible.

That's absolutely impossible; you must be seeing things.

Zhang Heng was struck as if by lightning, his whole body jolted violently.

His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as he stared intently at the person on the soft couch, his expression frozen in a twisted horror and disbelief.

Hallucination, this must be a hallucination.

The Zhang family members all thought they were seeing things and dared not admit the facts before them.

Although Jiang Luohan had suspected it beforehand, her heart still started pounding uncontrollably when she witnessed this scene.

But then, an indescribable surge of joy and anticipation overwhelmed her.

It really was him, it really was him. He has truly become a big shot that even the royal family has to curry favor with.

She could barely control her facial expressions; the corners of her mouth involuntarily wanted to turn up, and her body trembled slightly with excitement.

However, what shocked them to the point of near collapse was not only Zhang Yu himself, who held the top position.

On either side of the soft couch stood three distinguished young men in python robes—Prince Jing, Prince Qi, and Prince Rui.

These three princes, who wielded immense power in the Wei Kingdom and were usually beyond their reach, were now standing on either side of them like guards or attendants.

The three princes looked at Zhang Yu on the soft couch with a subtle sense of awe and...respect.

Slightly behind the three princes were Xiao Sheng and Xiao Yun, two members of the imperial family.

These two arrogant and spoiled young men were now carefully carrying teapots and fruit platters, serving him attentively, just like two perfect lackeys.

Furthermore, they spotted a figure in the crowd who should never have been there—Du Jun, the president of the Wei Kingdom branch of the Alchemist Guild.

This alchemy master, whose status was so high that even the Emperor of Wei had to show him deference, stood aside with a peaceful smile on his face.

Beside Du Jun was a green-clad girl with her arms crossed and an ethereal air.

Although I don't know the girl, she can stand side by side with Du Jun with a calm expression, so her identity must be extraordinary.

He could command the obeisance of three princes, command the service of members of the royal family, and command the personal accompaniment of the president of the Alchemist Guild…

That would require an incredible amount of energy.

"Gentlemen, it's only been a few days. The Yong'an Marquis's mansion has actually gone so far as to coerce merchants and force them to buy and sell. This has truly broadened my horizons."

That sound...

Qin Xuehua, Zhang Wanning, and Zhang Heng trembled violently, their necks turning extremely slowly and stiffly, like rusty machines, their gazes refocusing on the soft couch.

This time, they saw it clearly and heard it perfectly.

That face, those eyebrows, those eyes, that faint, mocking curve at the corner of his mouth... who else could it be but Zhang Yu?

Boom—!

It was as if thunderclaps from the heavens were exploding in their minds.

All wishful thinking, all self-deception, all sense of absurdity, were crushed by the merciless reality at this moment.

Zhang Yu, it really is Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu, whom they regarded as trash, discarded like worn-out shoes, and even forced to take the blame.

Zhang Yu, who was obsequious and only knew how to please the Marquis's family.

Zhang Yu, whom they thought had been trampled into the mud and would never be able to rise again.

He... he was actually the "Young Master Zhang" who made three princes bow down, had the president of the Alchemist Guild accompany him, and whose name struck fear into the hearts of the entire royal family.

He sat arrogantly on the soft couch that symbolized his supreme status, looking down at them like stray dogs with the same disdainful gaze one would give an ant.

"impossible--!!!"

A heart-wrenching roar, filled with extreme horror, fear, absurdity, and madness, suddenly shattered the deathly silence.

It was Zhang Heng.

He struggled suddenly, trying to lunge forward, but was held down firmly by the guards behind him.

His eyes were bloodshot and his facial muscles were contorted wildly.

He stared intently at Zhang Yu on the soft couch, as if he wanted to devour him alive with his gaze, or as if he wanted to confirm that everything before him was just a nightmare.

"Impossible, how could you possibly be Young Master Zhang?"

Who are you? Who exactly are you?

You are an imposter, you must be an imposter.

"That good-for-nothing Zhang Yu, how could he possibly be here? How could he possibly be Young Master Zhang?"

He roared hoarsely, his voice distorted by extreme fear and disbelief, like the howl of a dying beast.

He cannot accept it, absolutely cannot accept it.

That useless older brother whom he had trampled underfoot and bullied at will since childhood, that ant whom he regarded as someone he could crush at will.

How could he possibly transform himself into someone he needs to look up to, or even fear?

This is harder than killing him.

This is even harder to accept than asking him to die immediately.

Qin Xuehua also snapped back to her senses. The color had completely drained from her face, her lips trembled, and she pointed at Zhang Yu, her voice shaking uncontrollably:

"You...you...Yu'er?"

No...you are not Yu'er.

Who exactly are you?

Why are you impersonating my son?

My son...where is he?

She preferred to believe that the imposing young master Zhang sitting in the main seat was an imposter rather than accept the truth.

Because acknowledging that fact would mean that all the contempt, mistreatment, and even the final coercion to take the blame she had endured over the past decade would have become the most ridiculous and foolish joke in the world.

It means that she personally pushed an unimaginable treasure out the door, and even wished she could stomp on it a few times.

Zhang Wanning collapsed to the ground, her face streaked with tears and mud.

She looked at Zhang Yu, her eyes vacant, and murmured to herself:

"Impossible... This is impossible..."

You are not Zhang Yu... Zhang Yu is a good-for-nothing... He is a good-for-nothing who only knows how to please us...

How could he possibly be Young Master Zhang... It's an illusion... It must be an illusion...

She shook her head frantically, trying to shake the nightmarish scene before her mind.

Only Jiang Luohan, after the initial shock, had an even more fervent light burst forth in her eyes.

Her mind raced, and her expression shifted instantly.

Her initial shock quickly transformed into a mixture of grievance and surprise, and she straightened up slightly, looking at Zhang Yu with her eyes, which appeared even more "pitiful" after being washed by the rain.

She saw his red lips slightly parted, about to speak, using her most skillful, delicate demeanor to utter the long-awaited "Brother Yu"...

However, Zhang Yu, who was on the soft couch, didn't even glance at her.

His gaze calmly swept over Zhang Heng, who seemed to be going crazy, over Qin Xuehua, who was deceiving herself, and over Zhang Wanning, who was collapsing and limp.

Finally, the gaze fell upon Jiang Luohan's deliberately pitiful face.

That gaze was calm and undisturbed, as deep as an ancient well.

There was no hatred, no anger, not even the slightest ripple.

There was only a chilling indifference, and a faint hint of mockery, like watching a clown jumping around.

That one glance froze Jiang Luohan's tender feelings and carefully prepared lines in her throat.

A chill, even more biting than the one she had felt in the rain, suddenly swept through her entire body.

Why is the way he looks at me like that?

Shouldn't it be pity, shouldn't it be a soft heart?

Why is it... indifference?

And that mockery...

For the first time, Jiang Luohan felt a sliver of doubt and a chilling fear regarding her seemingly certain guess.

Could it be that he's still angry with me?