Niao Ni
Chapter 98: Bullying a Weak Girl in the Heavenly Prison
The two iron gates of the Heavenly Prison opened silently, without the eerie sound of grinding iron that Fan Xian had imagined. The guard on duty carefully checked the waist tag, respectfully invited the two in, and then closed the iron gates from the outside.
Inside the iron gates was a long, downward-sloping tunnel, lit by dim oil lamps on both sides. The stone steps were slightly damp, but there was not a single speck of moss, indicating meticulous maintenance. As they walked down, they saw a guard every so often. These guards looked inconspicuous, but Fan Xian noticed upon closer inspection that they were all fourth-rank or higher.
They walked for an unknown amount of time, and the air became somewhat turbid, blending with the surrounding dim light, making people feel sluggish, as if this place had already detached from the fresh world and reached the ominous realm of the Yellow Springs.
"Please show relevant documents or an imperial edict from the inner palace, Your Excellencies," a jailer with somewhat turbid eyes glanced at Wang Qinian.
Wang Qinian was very respectful to the jailer and handed Fan Xian's waist tag over. The jailer looked very old, the wrinkles on both sides of his cheeks squeezed together like dried earthen ridges after being washed by fine water. He took the waist tag and looked at Wang Qinian with a strange expression: "Little Wang, have you been promoted?"
Wang Qinian respectfully stepped aside, revealing Fan Xian, who was completely enveloped in a gray-black robe, and introduced, "I'm accompanying this lord here today to interrogate a case." The jailer found that he couldn't see the other person's face clearly, but he knew the weight of the waist tag in his hand. He nodded, took a key from the table, opened the door next to him, and gestured for the two to enter.
Fan Xian frowned, wondering if he would have to question Si Lili through the bars later. He didn't want to expose his voice in front of too many people, so he turned around and gestured to Wang Qinian with his eyes.
Wang Qinian smiled and shook his head.
Watching the iron door close behind him, Fan Xian asked curiously, "Why are you afraid of him?" Wang Qinian said with a worried face, "He is the former director of the Seventh Bureau, who has spent his whole life in prison. When he reached the age for external assignment, he actually preferred to come back and continue being a jailer, saying he liked the bloody smell here. How can I not be afraid of such a person?"
Fan Xian shivered, thinking that the Overwatch Council was indeed a den of perverts. He didn't know what his mother was thinking when she spent money to create such a monstrous institution.
According to what they had asked beforehand, the two easily found the prison cell where Si Lili was being held. Looking at the charming woman inside the bars, Fan Xian frowned. A weak woman, imprisoned in such a terrible place, yet sitting calmly and composed, it seemed that the other party must have been a trained agent in Northern Qi. But then he thought that Si Lili was probably not a truly powerful figure; otherwise, she would not have fled the capital, but would have thrown herself into the net, randomly implicating a few important figures and causing unrest in the Qing Kingdom's court.
Fan Xian didn't know that his reasoning was extremely consistent with that of the official who escorted Si Lili back to the capital. He took off the gray robe covering his head, looked at Si Lili, and said gently, "Miss Lili."
Si Lili had known for a while that someone was coming. Just arriving in Kyoto today, someone came to begin the interrogation, so it looked as if they still took her very seriously, so she deliberately put on a look of indifference, but... she did not expect it to be Young Master Fan!
"Young Master Fan?" Si Lili was incredibly surprised, but she forcibly suppressed the sound of her exclamation.
"Miss Si, it has been more than a month since our farewell at Zuixian Residence. I really didn't expect to meet again under such circumstances." When they were sharing a bed, her fingers were fragrant and greasy, and their tongues were intertwined. He had never imagined that this woman was actually an agent of Northern Qi.
Si Lili didn't know what she was thinking, and her face darkened. She said, "I never imagined that Young Master Fan would be so deeply hidden."
Fan Xian sighed quietly, "The slender jade bamboo sways at the head of the Yi River, the wind is suitable for a clear night, the dew is suitable for autumn. Moreover, let a celestial steed stand beside it, and it will be the best in the world. I thought that even if you and I were just occasional fellow travelers on a journey, we could be considered extremely destined. I really don't understand why you would be so cruel as to poison me."
This poem was written by Qian Weiyan of the previous life about thinking of cranes and bamboo, and it speaks of being refined and detached from the world. Fan Xian believed that since Si Lili had a reputation throughout the capital and was known as a talented woman, living under the affectionate gaze of everyone, she should have some refinement in her bones. He deliberately sighed at this time, intending to weaken the female spy's resolve. Unexpectedly, Si Lili slowly lowered her head, seemingly unmoved.
Fan Xian sighed again, "You are inherently beautiful, why become a thief?"
Si Lili smiled charmingly, truly a beauty like an orchid: "Young Master can enter this prison to see me, so his identity must not be simple. Everyone is serving their respective masters, why say more?"
...
...
Fan Xian exhausted his poems and sighs, but to no avail. He smiled wryly, thinking that not every woman is easily intoxicated by this kind of scene. He was being too absurd. He stabilized his mind slightly, and a small medicine bottle appeared in his hand.
He threw the small medicine bottle inside and said coldly, "This is poison. Someone will come to force a confession eventually. If you don't want to suffer alive, swallow it yourself." The small medicine bottle rolled twice on the dry grass and stopped beside Si Lili. Si Lili picked up the small porcelain bottle and gripped it tightly. She had never imagined that Young Master Fan, who was so gentle and amiable before, would turn into a demon tempting her to death in the blink of an eye.
If she was willing to die, she wouldn't have fled Kyoto in the first place.
Fan Xian was certain of this point. Looking into her eyes, he said softly, "Since you wanted to kill me, should I still cherish you? Your idea is too absurd and ridiculous. Since I have shown you a path to suffer less, why don't you thank me? How can someone so afraid of death be worthy of being a spy?"
Si Lili gritted her teeth in anger and raised her head full of hatred, her deep eyes piercing through her slightly disheveled hair, staring at Fan Xian's face.
Fan Xian's face was calm: "Don't say too much about sacrificing yourself for a noble cause. Actually, you are not a stupid person. You know that even if you confess the high-ranking officials in the court who are colluding with Northern Qi, you will still inevitably die in the end, so you simply grit your teeth and say nothing."
Si Lili suddenly felt that Young Master Fan's voice was getting farther and farther away, lighter and lighter, yet more and more terrifying.
"I am not a member of the court. I simply want to find that person and take revenge."
"I am willing to make a deal with you."
"Besides trusting me, you have no other way to go."
Fan Xian said indifferently, but his words were incredibly cold, and his voice was getting lower and lower, as if he were talking to himself: "I am someone who doesn't mind using torture on women, because you thought about killing me first. At the same time, I am a feminist, believing that in the struggle between life and death, men and women are inherently equal."
After all, he had been digging graves since he was a child. The superficial elegance and detachment could not completely conceal the occasional outbreaks of gloom and terror in his bones. Wang Qinian silently left to have the jailer open the door and prepare all the relevant instruments of torture.
...
...
Countless cries of a weak woman rang out in the deep Heavenly Prison!
After a long time, Fan Xian frowned slightly, looking at Si Lili, who had fainted on the pile of dry grass, and at her bloody fingers, his face without a trace of emotion. On the other hand, Wang Qinian, who had been silent all along, felt something was amiss. He really couldn't imagine that such an elegant and detached young master could remain so calm after seeing the terrifying scene of torture. He really didn't know how much unknown ruthlessness was hidden under the gentleness on Master Fan's face.
"Torture to be effective, at least needs a five-day process." Wang Qinian swallowed a mouthful of saliva with some difficulty and explained in a low voice, "The current Si Lili is obviously a novice, so she was forced by the master to reveal some information, but after all, she is a trained person. Once it involves secrets that must be kept and she cannot bear the physical pain, she will naturally faint."
When the terrifying jailer came, Fan Xian had already hidden his face under the gray robe. The jailer began to collect the instruments of torture, shaking his head as he collected them, and said, "This young master, torture is also a skill. You want to ask everything within half an hour, which is in itself an insult to us professionals."
Fan Xian was momentarily annoyed. He stepped aside to let the jailer leave, and after watching him walk away, he opened his mouth and said to Wang Qinian with a wry smile, "It seems that it's better to leave it to the professionals. We'll come back in a few days to wait for news. I think the defense here should prevent anyone from being able to sneak in and silence her." Just as he was about to leave, Si Lili slowly woke up. Touching the wound on her finger, she screamed in pain. The lips and hands that used to pluck strings and sing songs on the flower boat were now ruined. Her lips could only utter miserable sounds.
Fan Xian paused slightly and looked at her through the bars.
Si Lili bit her lower lip, her face pale, and cold sweat had already soaked her hair. Her eyes, like those of a wounded lioness, stared fiercely at Fan Xian's face, as if she wanted to remember every detail of his appearance.
Fan Xian just stood there silently looking at her. Wang Qinian wisely took the lead and moved a distance away.
"Keep the medicine bottle I gave you earlier. If you really can't bear the torture next time, just eat it." Fan Xian tested the other party with death for the second time, his tone very indifferent.
Si Lili finally couldn't help but cry at this time, looking at him with hatred, her eyes full of resentment.