Cang Lan Dao - Chapter 33.2

Chapter 33.2
Listen to me, and I’ll let you kill him —

Zhu Que greeted him and bowed respectfully towards Xie Heng, “Young Master, I’ve brought the person.”

Luo Wanqing listened to them and stepped forward, kneeling on one knee, respectfully saying, “Greetings to Young Master.”

“Hm.” Xie Heng answered faintly and directly said, “Explain.”

Luo Wanqing didn’t expect Xie Heng to be so direct. He didn’t ask more questions and concluded that it was her last night.

Luo Wanqing was afraid to answer for a moment, fearful that if Xie Heng asked about something else, she would expose herself without fighting.

When Xie Heng saw her silence, he knew what she was thinking and raised his eyes, “Why did you go to the mountain without a call last night?”

“I–” Luo Wanqing’s heart was beating fast. She didn’t hide her nervousness; she lowered her head and said through clenched teeth, “I came for Third Prince.”

This answer seemed unexpected to everyone present, even Xie Heng. He raised his eyes, seemingly puzzled, and frowned, “Li Guiyu?”

“Yes.” Luo Wanqing answered truthfully.

Xie Heng rubbed his teacup and stared at her. His eyes seemed to be a clear mirror that could see through everything, and he calmly said, “Tell me truthfully.”

“Someone entrusted me to watch Li Guiyu, so I asked someone to keep an eye on him. Last night, he traveled in the middle of the night, and the person who helped me watch him informed me a little late. When I hurriedly rushed over, I found he had come to the Inspection Department.”

“To chase his whereabouts, you went up the mountain despite the ban?” Xie Heng understood what she meant.

“Yes,” Luo Wanqing hurriedly explained, “But I was incompetent. Many mechanisms were on the mountain, so I came too late and did not hear anything.”

Hearing this, Xie Heng let out a soft ‘heh,’ Luo Wanqing couldn’t tell if he mocked her or something else.

Zhu Que snorted lightly, “It’s your capability if you can go up the mountain. What’s the modesty about?”

Luo Wanqing didn’t dare speak. Xie Heng thought about it and continued, “Staring at the Third Prince is a matter of staking your life. Who can make you risk your life?”

“I–” Luo Wanqing hesitated, seeming to feel that she was speaking absurdly, but she still said softly, “A briefly-encounter friend. She saved me. There’s no harm in risking my life to repay this favor. ”

“Does she have a grudge against Li Guiyu?” Xie Heng inquired carelessly, seemingly not believing what she said. “Even though The Third Prince has been in exile for a long time, he has always had an excellent reputation. What kind of friend do you have that can have a grudge against him?”

“She is just a boudoir lady, insignificant. Compared with the Third Prince, she is not enough to talk about. But the grace of saving a life repaid with the extermination,” Luo Wanqing raised her head and looked at Xie Heng: “This is a blood feud.”

When Xie Heng heard this, his tea-drinking action paused. He raised his head and frowned as he spoke, “Who is your friend?”

“The day I entered the Inspection Department, I heard about her death.” Luo Wanqing looked at Xie Heng calmly, “Her name is Luo Wanqing.”

Everyone around them paused, and Xie Heng stared into her eyes for a long time. He laughed softly. He stood up and walked barefoot down the long corridor to her. “Liu Xiniang, do you know what I hate most in life?”

He looked at her with downcast eyes, and just by standing like this, Luo Wanqing felt an invisible pressure pressing down from the top of her head. It was as if he knew everything and couldn’t tolerate a single lie.

Luo Wanqing controlled her racing heartbeat and calmly said, “I don’t know.”

“I hate it when people try to be smart. I’ll give you one last chance.” Xie Heng’s gaze deepened. “Tell the truth.”

“I am telling the truth!” Luo Wanqing raised her eyes as she tried to contain every muscle that attempted to express her emotions in every breath she took. The person before her was like a fierce tiger staring at her, a god of judgment. Her opponent would swoop in and bite her throat if she made any slip-ups. She perfectly controlled all her emotions, completely forgetting her identity, playing the role of the Liu Xiniang who stood up for her friend, revealing anger and saying: ”It is indeed a sin for me to eavesdrop on Young Master’s conversation. But is it wrong if I’m avenging my friend? Why did you refuse to believe it and must think that I intend to inflict harm?”

These words caused Xie Heng to pause and stare at the person in front of him with lowered eyes, and for a moment, he was somewhat unable to recognize truth from falsehood.

“What about the Feng Yu Pavilion?” Xie Heng coldly pursued. “On the second night of entering the Inspection Department, you sneaked out in the middle of the night and came into contact with people from the Feng Yu Pavilion. Why?”

“I traveled in the middle of the night to retrieve a previously mortgaged horse at the medical center.” When Luo Wanqing heard this, she knew Cui Heng had reported the whole thing. Still, she immediately denied it, “I encountered the Feng Yu Pavilion’s people chasing after me in the middle of the night and had exchanged blows, but I did not have a personal relationship.”

“Then you shake off Cui Heng and go outside ……”

“It was to find Li Guiyu, “I found Zhang Yiran to keep an eye out for me.” Luo Wanqing interrupted Xie Heng and kowtowed to the ground, “Young Master, what I said is true in every sense. I hope that you will be clear about it.”

These words caused Xie Heng to pause, and the people present looked at each other in disbelief.

Xie Heng stared at her. The person in front of him was tight-lipped. If not tortured, he wouldn’t advance further.

But torture — She even survived molding bones; he might not be able to squeeze out the truth even if he wasted her and cut her up. The two sides confronted each other, and the scene fell into silence.

A moment later, Xie Heng called out, “Qing Ya.”

Upon hearing this, Qing Ya realized what Xie Heng meant. He laughed softly and took the dossier from the side, saying gently, “Then, according to Agent Liu, this friend of yours is that eldest young lady of the Luo family, Luo Wanqing, right?”

“Yes.” Luo Wanqing answered. Her voice was hoarse, “It’s her.”

“Based on the information, Agent Liu is a salt peddler, and Miss Luo is a noble lady. How did you two get to know each other?” Qing Ya unfolded the dossier and asked gently.

Luo Wanqing lowered her eyes and calmly told her and Zhang Jiuran’s story, “We’re in the same cell in Yangzhou Prison. When I clashed with Wang Qiniang, it just so happened that she didn’t get along with her too, so she helped me out, and we got to know each other.”

She answered while Qing Ya asked. Qing Ya asked very carefully, every detail, every word. He asked on one side and made notes on the other, and by the time he reached the end, Qing Ya was frowning and looking at Luo Wanqing.

Xie Heng glanced at Qing Ya, who hesitated for a moment before slowly saying: ”There is no perfect lie in the world. Everything is traceable, Miss Liu. The things that you said can be verified. You are in the Inspection Department, so you should know our means.” Qing Ya persuaded her, seemingly for her sake, “If you tell the truth now, Young Master can still have some leeway. If you tell the truth after we verify it, you won’t be able to go back to death row prison and can only go to the imperial prison.”

Hearing the word ‘Imperial Prison,’ Luo Wanqing’s mind suddenly flew to the hanging human skin. Her heart chilled, but her face didn’t change, only saying, “Please investigate thoroughly.”

Xie Heng didn’t make a sound. He fiddled with the strings of Thousand Machines beads on his hand, seemingly thinking about something. Everyone was waiting for him to open his mouth, but no one dared speak out rashly.