Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Borrowing Strength

Su Wei had just finished interrogating Ye Heng. He wondered if Ye Heng already knew that they hadn’t found any hard evidence to prove he murdered Ye Zheng. At this point, Ye Heng was adamantly refusing to confess.

According to procedure, if nothing else was found, the case would have to be closed.

Although Ye Heng had committed several crimes, none were punishable by death. With someone meddling behind the scenes to save his life, it wasn’t impossible that he would be spared.

Su Wei was vexed by this. Seeing Ye Chutang now, he felt a fresh pang of guilt, and his tone softened considerably.

"Miss Ye, your injuries haven’t yet healed. Why have you come here?"

Ye Chutang paused. "I have something important to discuss. I must see my Second Uncle."

Su Wei’s brow furrowed.

"That... I’m afraid that will be difficult."

His Majesty is paying close attention to Ye Heng’s case, so we dare not show the slightest negligence. The security is naturally much stricter as a result.

Let alone you, even Ye Heng’s immediate family would be denied entry. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Hesitation flickered across Ye Chutang’s face.

Su Wei asked again, "What business is so urgent that you must see him now?"

He truly couldn’t understand why Ye Chutang would show up here.

"If you need something done, perhaps I can handle it for you."

After a moment of silence, Ye Chutang said, "Lord Su, you may not know this, but my cousin, Ye Mingze, fell suddenly ill last night and has passed away."

Su Wei was startled. "You mean Ye Mingze? How could—"

’This is so sudden!’

"Yes. Because that part of the estate is still sealed off, it’s very inconvenient to manage things. But this is such a major event. If I don’t inform my Second Uncle, I fear there will be regrets in the future."

In just a few sentences, she had made her purpose clear.

Su Wei stroked his beard, pondering for a moment before saying, "It must be hard for you, thinking of these matters at a time like this... Tell you what, I’ll go back and relay the message to Ye Heng for you. However... he is still in custody, so I’m afraid he won’t be able to return home."

’It doesn’t matter one bit whether he goes back or not.’

’As long as the news gets to him, that’s all that matters.’

Ye Chutang nodded her thanks. "Then I must trouble you. Please also tell my Second Uncle not to worry about anything on the outside. I will take care of Mingze’s funeral arrangements and will be sure to do my utmost."

Su Wei nodded. "Your injuries have yet to heal, but you must busy yourself with these things. It’s a heavy burden for you."

A slight smile touched the corners of Ye Chutang’s lips, her expression gentle and serene.

"Not at all. It’s what I ought to do."

...

After watching Su Wei turn and walk away, Ye Chutang retracted her gaze and returned to her carriage.

The servant was surprised to see her. "Second Miss, how are you back so soon?"

’Could it be... she wasn’t able to get inside to see him? Then again, that’s the Heavenly Prison. It’s not a place one can just walk into.’

Ye Chutang gave a slight nod. "I didn’t go in. However, I ran into Lord Su from the Ministry of Justice and asked him to relay the message for me."

’Lord Su?’

’That could only be the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Su Wei! A third-rank official of the imperial court!’

The servant grew excited. "What a coincidence! They say Lord Su is incredibly strict. I never would have thought he’d agree to help!"

Ye Chutang smiled.

’Su Wei has been rushing between the same few places for days. Judging by his anxious expression when he visited the Dingbei Marquis Mansion yesterday, I knew the case had stalled.’

’Given his personality, he wouldn’t give up easily, so he was bound to come and conduct the interrogation himself today.’

’Of course, I knew I couldn’t get into the Heavenly Prison, and I had no intention of seeing Ye Heng’s face as he stubbornly denied the charges.’

’All I had to do was show up at the gates, "coincidentally" run into Su Wei, and ask him to relay the message for me.’

’Even if Ye Heng was filled with towering rage, he’d have nowhere to vent it.’

’Yes, as long as I know he’s miserable, I can rest easy.’

"Back to the mansion."