It is just a trip to the Ministry of Punishments for questioning, it will be fine!
Along the way, Mei Gongxue kept repeating this sentence to herself internally.
After stepping down from the carriage, she thought she could face it with a calm mind.
Yet when those bailiffs in official robes walked past her, she still trembled slightly as if startled.
Mei Gongxue deliberately found a spot bathed in sunlight to sit down, making herself look less fearful, and waited quietly.
Soon, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside.
Mei Gongxue's hands instinctively tightened their grip on the armrests of the chair.
"Miss Mei is quite punctual!" The man's voice remained unhurried.
Forcing herself to stay calm, Mei Gongxue stood up and said, "Lord Zhou!"
A tall, thin man walked in, his official robes swaying gently with his stride.
It felt as though Mei Gongxue could even smell the stench of blood on him!
"Why keep your head down?" Zhou Fu teased, "We haven't seen each other in days, didn't you miss me?"
Mei Gongxue took a deep breath, mustered up her courage, and raised her head to look at him.
Zhou Fu's complexion was very pale, but by no means a healthy, translucent white; it was a bloodless pallor.
His slender eyebrows arched slightly, and his deep gaze held an alluring aura as he looked at people with a faint smile.
Yet Mei Gongxue knew what manner of cruel soul was locked within this seemingly harmless exterior.
She also noticed that, sure enough, there was a striking bloody gash on his face.
Someone came over to serve tea, but she watched as he waved his hand, dismissing all the attendants.
Mei Gongxue instantly tensed up, only now noticing that he was actually holding a pair of finger-squeezing clamps, casually playing with them as they jingled.
Hearing the sound, Mei Gongxue turned pale, feeling as though that familiar pain was once again shooting through her fingers.
"Why did Lord Zhou summon me here today? Is there still something you wish to ask?"
She desperately tried to control the tremor in her voice, hoping to leave as soon as the questioning was over.
Noticing her expression, Zhou Fu casually tossed the clamps onto the table. "Miss Mei should be more familiar with this thing than anyone else, but unfortunately, not everyone has the good fortune to survive it like you did! There were a total of fifty-six people detained in the Zhao Estate initially, and only forty-three are still alive now."
"Yet Miss Mei is the only one who received an imperial pardon to be released from prison, so there are still a few things I need to confirm with you! Eight months ago, after Zhao Zhang returned from Binzhou, he shut himself up in the estate for more than a month. Do you recall anything unusual during that time?"
Mei Gongxue was aware of this matter.
Back then, after returning from Binzhou, Zhao Zhang realized the general trend was against him and decided to leave himself a way out.
The money he had extorted through corruption must have been hidden away during that period.
Not wanting to conceal anything, Mei Gongxue wracked her brains trying to remember, but still shook her head. "During that month, his temper was extremely violent. He locked himself in his room every day, and whenever he saw me, he would either curse or beat me."
Zhou Fu raised an eyebrow. "Beat you? How did he beat you?"
Biting her lip, Mei Gongxue tried her best to endure the discomfort. "He would hit me with whatever was at hand—tea, inkstones... Once, he even used a branding iron..."
Hearing this, Zhou Fu lifted his eyes, looking at Mei Gongxue with a trace of scrutiny. "Really?"
Suddenly, Mei Gongxue snapped, "How many times do I have to say this!"
She had already given every interrogator an honest and meticulously detailed account. Why did they keep asking her over and over again? Why torture her?
She truly did not want to relive those humiliating days ever again!
Looking slightly surprised, Zhou Fu nevertheless consoled her with great patience, "Miss Mei, don't get excited. I'm just doing my job."
With a sudden bang, Mei Gongxue stood up and said coldly, "If there is no other official business, I am leaving."
Resting his chin on his hand, Zhou Fu watched her. "The official business is indeed finished..."
Mei Gongxue was eager to leave immediately.
"...but there is still some personal business we haven't discussed!"
Startled, Mei Gongxue replied in a cold, stiff voice, "What personal business could possibly exist between you and me?"
Crossing his legs gracefully, Zhou Fu picked up his tea again. "You are truly forgetful, Miss. Do you not remember the engagement between the two of us?"
Mei Gongxue spun around abruptly. "What nonsense are you talking about? My father never agreed to that back then!"
Her father had opposed this match precisely because he refused it, and then took the initiative to go to the battlefield, only to be framed by others.
Subconsciously rejecting any mention of these past events, she turned on her heel and strode away without looking back.
Zhou Fu watched her leave, his dark, deep gaze devoid of the slightest emotional fluctuation.
When his subordinate walked in, he couldn't help saying, "My lord, it seems this Miss Mei truly knows nothing. We've tried both the soft approach and the hard one!"
Yet Zhou Fu's gaze, sharp as two icy blades, stared fixedly at the direction in which Mei Gongxue had departed.
He focused on her as if she were a piece of prey, quietly waiting for the optimal moment to hunt.
Resolutely, he commanded, "No, the clues must lie with her. Send men to keep an eye on her!"
...
Meanwhile, Mei Gongxue hurried outside, her mind in complete disarray.
In truth, there had indeed been a betrothal of sorts between her and Zhou Fu.
However, that union involved far too many political interests, and her father had refused it.
Afterward, her father died in battle, and she was forced into a marriage with the Zhao Estate, after which no one ever mentioned her engagement to Zhou Fu again.
Even she herself had almost forgotten about it!
Yet just now, why had Zhou Fu suddenly brought it up? What did it mean?
Could it be that he still refused to let her go?
Finally, in a daze, Mei Gongxue made her way out of the Ministry of Punishments.
The moment she raised her head, she spotted a familiar figure standing by her carriage.
Recognizing him, Mei Gongxue immediately walked over and grabbed his hand as if seeking salvation:
"Brother Yunchu, I..."
Seeing the anxious look on her face, Ji Yunchu felt as though he had been transported back three years. He immediately pressed, "Don't panic. What happened?"
On that day three years ago, Mei Gongxue had come to him in the exact same manner, saying she did not want to marry that damned eunuch in her sister's place.
Back then he had truly been powerless, but things were different now—he had power and influence.
As long as Mei Gongxue spoke up, no matter what it was, he would definitely find a way to help her!
Yet the next second, Mei Gongxue froze. She abruptly pulled her hand back, her voice returning to its calm composure:
"I am sorry, General Ji. I was out of line!"
The detachment in her tone could not have been more obvious.
Hearing that title of "General Ji" made Ji Yunchu feel a stifling ache in his chest, as if everything that had just happened were merely an illusion.
Feeling somewhat awkward, given the vast disparity in their current statuses and the fact that they were now people from two different worlds, Mei Gongxue wanted to apologize for her rashness.
However, Ji Yunchu suddenly took a step forward, directly closing the distance between them, and said with his usual expression:
"My carriage is broken. Please give Miss Mei the courtesy of a ride!"