Imperial guards found letters in the room of Zhao Wuyan and his wife Liu Yuchi at the Zhao residence. These were correspondence between Liu Yuchi and Zhao Yu. Hong Ling, the head maid who served Liu Yuchi in earlier years, married Zhao Yu and controlled him, using him to accomplish things they found inconvenient.
This included colluding with the Zhuyu Gang and plotting assassinations.
Zhao Wuyan and Liu Yuchi were not separated but confined together. The cries and curses that had filled their ears had faded with time. The prison at night held a chilling aura. Zhao Wuyan looked at his wife huddled in the corner and sighed, "Madam, now that things have come to this, is there anything you wish to tell me?"
Liu Yuchi gazed at the man who had walked beside her for over a decade.
Frost had appeared at his temples, and wrinkles had etched themselves around his eyes. Yet, his upright posture had not bent even slightly. But now, as if his spirit had been drained, his back was hunched.
Liu Yuchi turned her head away, unwilling to meet his gaze. She bit her lip, suppressing the surge of guilt and bitterness in her heart.
Zhao Wuyan sighed again, "In fact, I knew everything!"
He continued, "Or rather, I had a vague idea."
"The birds you fed, they are called Corpse Sparrows, aren't they?"
Liu Yuchi's eyes widened abruptly. She turned to look at him, her voice trembling with disbelief and shock, "You knew?"
Zhao Wuyan nodded, then shook his head.
"After being transferred back to the capital from Yuzhou Commandery, about three years ago, I first noticed you waking up in the middle of the night to feed a bird. Initially, I thought you were simply unaccustomed to leaving Yuzhou Commandery abruptly and couldn't sleep well at night. But later, I realized that the bird came every half a month, always late at night. And each time, you would use soil from the potted plants by the bedside to feed it. So, when you weren't around, I took some of the soil."
"Huan Cai Pavilion not only has maidens but also holds auctions on the twenty-eighth of every month. Therefore, from the middle to the end of the month, there would be appraisers..."
"They see, understand, and know more about the quality of things. I just wanted to try my luck. I never expected to get an answer."
Zhao Wuyan paused for a moment before continuing, "The soil was mixed with powder made from dried Gu insects, used to feed Corpse Sparrows. Corpse Sparrows are sparrows whose bodies are invaded by Gu insects after death. They look no different from normal sparrows. However, Corpse Sparrow masters can control individuals who have the seed insects within their bodies by feeding the mother insect powder to the Corpse Sparrows."
"Are you from Miao Jiang?"
"Or rather, Mother-in-law, you are a remnant of Miao Jiang, aren't you?"
Zhao Wuyan looked at Liu Yuchi.
Liu Yuchi did not answer, only tears streaming down her face. She choked out, "Since you knew everything, why, why?"
"You are my wife."
"I thought you wouldn't do anything foolish."
"It's my fault. I should have watched you more closely. If I had..."
Zhao Wuyan did not blame his wife; instead, he felt a deep sense of guilt. He bore all the crimes committed by his wife upon himself. He even felt that it would have been better to expose his wife earlier or even send her to prison sooner, rather than letting her commit such a capital offense.
"No, it wasn't. It was me, it was me, it's all my fault," Liu Yuchi sobbed uncontrollably.
Zhao Wuyan embraced her, saying nothing further. He simply looked up and stroked her hair, his fingers gently untangling the knots in her messy ends. "It's alright, it's alright. On the road to the underworld, I'll be with you..." His voice faltered slightly, and the iron-willed man couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with sorrow. "It's just a pity for Zhao Er. He's only just come of age, and now he has to, has to..." He couldn't continue.
Their son, Zhao Er, was barely twenty years old and had his whole life ahead of him. But now, because of them, he could no longer live in this world. From the day he was born until today, his father had never praised him, always being incredibly strict with him. His greatest regret in life was not being able to praise him face-to-face, even once.
"No, Zhao Er, no..."
Liu Yuchi suddenly pushed Zhao Wuyan away and, like a madwoman, ran to the prison gate. Gripping the wooden bars, she shouted outwards, "I confess, I will confess everything. My husband and my child have nothing to do with this. I want to see His Majesty, I want to see His Majesty."
Zhao Wuyan looked up at Liu Yuchi's retreating figure. A strange smile flickered across his face, cast in shadow. The eyes that had once held deep affection were now replaced by coldness, a profound chill swirling within them.
...
Liu Yuchi's mother, Luo Wen, was one of those who had escaped.
Her marriage to Liu Yi was not entirely a scheme. She had indeed been saved by Liu Yi. However, later, someone found her and used Liu Yi's life as a threat, forcing her to place a Gu insect into Liu Yuchi, who was still an infant.
Over the years, Miao Jiang had controlled the entire Yuzhou Commandery through her mother.
"What did you say?" Ji Hong was enraged, clearly having not expected Yuzhou Commandery to become a stronghold for the remnants of Miao Jiang.
Yuzhou Commandery, being coastal and with well-connected waterways, meant that if the remnants of Miao Jiang controlled it, they essentially controlled maritime trade. Moreover, Lou Country, a vassal island nation of Linyuan, was just across the sea from Yuzhou Commandery. Ji Hong did not believe that the remnants of Miao Jiang had not infiltrated Lou Country. According to Liu Yuchi's account, Miao Jiang had interfered with Yuzhou Commandery thirty years ago. In these thirty years, to what extent had they developed?
The thought that Linyuan's maritime trade hub was now controlled by the remnants of Miao Jiang made Ji Hong unable to suppress his killing intent, wishing he could have the remnant of Miao Jiang before him executed by slow slicing immediately!
"Your Majesty, everything was done by this minister's wife alone. My husband and son have absolutely nothing to do with it. They... they are also victims." Liu Yuchi said with a choked voice, "To protect my son, I placed a Gu on my husband."
"A love Gu!"
"As long as I die, the Gu insect in my husband will die. I implore Your Majesty, implore Your Majesty, considering my husband's loyalty and that my husband and son are also victims, to spare their lives."
Liu Yuchi knelt and begged for mercy, her head striking the ground forcefully, drawing blood.
Ji Hong looked down at the grief-stricken Liu Yuchi pleading for mercy, but his mind was on the entire Yuzhou Commandery. Compared to Yuzhou Commandery, Zhao Wuyan's loyalty was no longer that important.
"I can spare Zhao Wuyan, spare Zhao Zhao, and even spare you."
"Your Majesty!"
Liu Yuchi's head snapped up, a fervent light in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Ji Hong stared at her, his voice sharp and sinister, each word enunciated distinctly, "Exchange the lives of the remnants of Miao Jiang throughout Yuzhou Commandery for the lives of your husband and son."