Second Young Master Xu’s days were unbearable. He had never known such suffering in his life, finding prison and hell to be much the same. After being interrogated once more by the county magistrate and thrown back into the cell, his heart sank to the bottom. He actually wished the magistrate would interrogate him more, as facing a group of ill-intentioned people was far more difficult.
"Second Young Master Xu was interrogated again? He definitely didn't confess, otherwise, how could he be in the same cell as us? He would have been sent to the death row cell," one of the filthy prisoners, leaning against the wall, said nonchalantly.
"It's only a matter of time. We may be ruthless, but we wouldn't harm our own family. You guys don't know, do you? The reason he’s here is because he killed his own brother," another prisoner, with a blade of grass in his mouth, sneered.
"I didn't. The magistrate hasn't made a final ruling yet," Second Young Master Xu said weakly. If there was anyone he hated most now, it was Mei Ping. He regretted not having dealt with her years ago when she was confined to the back courtyard. As for killing his elder brother, he truly had no regrets. If he hadn't left, he would never have had a chance to prosper. However, upon hearing others speak the truth of the matter, he wished to salvage some of his reputation.
"Oh, still refusing to admit it? Do you know what happened to those who were stubborn and refused to admit before?" another prisoner slowly approached him, luring him in.
The stench from the man assaulted Second Young Master Xu. He tried to step back, his body covered in injuries, and any movement made him wince in pain. However, he was genuinely curious about the question they posed, wondering if the magistrate would let him go if he held firm.
Seeing his silence, the man let out a cold laugh, "You don't think that if you don't confess, things will just go away, do you? You're too naive. Many people have occupied this cell before, and then they disappeared one by one. In fact, they had the same idea as you, but they were tortured to death. The authorities declared it a suicide due to guilt, and their bodies were wrapped in a tattered mat and thrown into the mass grave, only to be devoured by wild dogs at night."
Although Second Young Master Xu appeared unmoved on the surface, he involuntarily swallowed and stuttered his defense, "I'm different from them. I've been wrongly accused."
"Doesn't everyone who comes in say the same thing?" He then looked at the other prisoners, "Why don't we make a bet? Let's bet on when he'll die in this cell."
The others chimed in enthusiastically, "That's a good idea. What's the stake?"
"The stake is that whoever wins doesn't have to clean the privy for three months," one of them roared with laughter.
The crowd immediately became animated. Second Young Master Xu felt a sense of despair. So many people were cursing his death right in front of him, treating him as if he didn't exist, and his protests were ignored.
At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. Was he destined to never leave this cell? He felt an urge to cry without tears.
Then he pricked up his ears, listening to them describe the miserable fates of those who had been in this cell before. The more he listened, the more anxious he became. Others were wrongly accused and died here, yet he had actually committed the deeds. Could he possibly walk out? He couldn't help but ask himself.
The next day, the county magistrate delivered a heavy blow. "Don't think that just because you don't confess, everything will be fine. The reason I only interrogated you the other day and didn't resort to torture was because your injuries hadn't healed, and I didn't want you to die in prison. Now that you're a bit better, starting today, we're going to teach you a lesson. Come, let's take him to our torture chamber first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the yamen runners, with trembling Second Young Master Xu in tow, followed the county magistrate through layers of iron gates into a sealed chamber. The moment he entered, he nearly fell to his knees in terror. He clearly saw two yamen runners dispassionately slice off one man's tongue. The man convulsed in pain, unable to utter a sound, only a guttural noise reaching his ears, sounding like a demonic chant that nearly drove him mad.
Further inside, he saw several more yamen runners driving large iron chains through a man's shoulder blades as if they were hammering nails. He unconsciously touched his own, unable to imagine the pain.
Next, he heard a yamen runner, while whipping a bound prisoner, use a red-hot iron to brand him. The victim let out cries of agony. Second Young Master Xu clearly saw wisps of smoke rising from where the iron touched his skin, and finally, he smelled the scent of roasted meat.
...
When he was dragged out, he was like a puddle of mud, completely devoid of spirit. The thought of what he was about to endure made him instantly feel that the county magistrate had been too kind to him in the preceding days.
The county magistrate looked at him with a half-smile, "I think you're not being good. After so long, you still haven't confessed. I'll give you one last chance. If you don't confess tomorrow, we'll inflict all the punishments you saw today upon you. I just don't know if you'll survive it."
When Second Young Master Xu was dragged back to the cell, he was in a daze, his mind filled with the scenes he had just witnessed. He didn't even react when others bullied him.
Coincidentally, during his tenure as county magistrate, he had never known about such a place within the county yamen. Upon entering, he was also astonished. However, thinking of the prisoners held within, he felt they deserved their fate. They dared to travel from beyond the passes to their small region to spy on the Heavenly Dynasty's military intelligence. This was a perfect opportunity to scare him.
Early the next morning, as soon as Second Young Master Xu was brought before the county magistrate, he immediately broke down in tears and confessed, "I beg your honor to spare my life. The reason I dealt with my elder brother is because when I was young, he was naughty and climbed a tree. He lost his grip and fell. My instinct was to save him, but I didn't expect my arm to be disabled as a result, making me unable to even participate in the imperial examinations. As for my parents, they didn't dote on me to begin with, and this time they completely abandoned me. Why? I am not reconciled."
This was the first time in many years that Second Young Master Xu had shown his emotions in front of an outsider. He recalled his lack of favor since childhood, and after his hand became unable to write for extended periods, his tutor gently advised him to withdraw. His parents always looked at him with pity, and subsequently doted on his elder brother even more. He had wept silently countless nights, but no one cared.
It could be said that his life had been ruined by his elder brother. Originally, he was a source of pride in his tutor's eyes, with a bright future. After all, he was a Xiu Cai at a young age. Unfortunately, he had lost everything because of him.
Every time he saw the pity in his elder brother's eyes, it felt like a mockery. What made it even more unbearable was that he had known Wu Lian'er earlier. Her innocent charm had caught his eye, but because of his disability, the Wu family chose his elder brother. Every time he saw them living in marital bliss, it felt like a knife twisting in his heart.
Although he later discovered that Wu Lian'er was not worth his love, the hatred had already accumulated to a point where he desperately wanted to get rid of her.