Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Just About to Flirt, and Got Caught

When Zhi Wan was brought to the interrogation room, several people were seated inside: the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the Temple Director, the Assessor, the Chief Clerk, and the Director.

They were reasonably polite to her and asked some routine questions, which the Chief Clerk recorded in a register.

After the questioning, she was led out and taken to a room to rest.

The room was very neat, furnished with a bed and fresh linens.

"This is where the Temple Minister rests when he’s handling official duties. You don’t need to worry, miss."

The government official who brought her over explained when he saw her hesitation.

Hearing this, Zhi Wan did feel a bit more at ease. "Thank you."

The government official shook his head. "If you need anything, miss, just let me know. I’ll be waiting outside."

"Thank you," Zhi Wan said sincerely.

"You’re welcome, miss." After pouring her a cup of tea, the government official left, closing the door behind him.

Zhi Wan looked around the room.

Knowing this was where her cousin usually worked and rested put her somewhat at ease.

She drank some tea and sat down on the edge of the bed.

After all the turmoil that morning, she was exhausted. She couldn’t help but lean against the bedpost, planning to rest for a bit.

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, there was a sudden knock on the door.

She jolted awake.

It took her a long moment of staring at the unfamiliar room before she came to her senses, got up, and opened the door.

"What took you so long?" a woman’s dissatisfied voice came from outside.

"Princess Chang Le?" Zhi Wan exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her visitor.

"Why are you shouting? I’m not deaf," Princess Chang Le said, shooting her a look.

Zhi Wan said sheepishly, "I was just so surprised."

"What’s there to be surprised about? It was Shen Longjin who was worried about you. He insisted on coming," Princess Chang Le said, crossing her arms and glancing sideways with a smirk.

Zhi Wan paused, only then noticing Shen Longjin standing to one side.

Shen Longjin had an odd expression on his face.

He glanced at Princess Chang Le but didn’t say anything to contradict her.

"You two can talk. I’ll wait for Her Highness outside." After saying this, Shen Longjin handed the food container to Princess Chang Le and promptly turned to leave.

"Shen Longjin, did I say you could leave?" Princess Chang Le called out, displeased.

Whether he didn’t hear or was simply ignoring her, Shen Longjin didn’t even turn his head and quickly vanished from their sight.

"Thank you for coming to see me, Your Highness," Zhi Wan said, looking touched.

"I told you, it was Shen Longjin who was worried," Princess Chang Le said, looking a little awkward.

Zhi Wan smiled but didn’t call her out on it. She took the princess’s arm and said, "Would you like to come in and sit for a while, Your Highness?"

Princess Chang Le said, "Since I’m already here, of course I’ll sit for a bit." With that, she followed Zhi Wan inside.

"Shen Longjin was worried you wouldn’t like the food here, so he had his servants make some dishes and asked me to bring them to you." Princess Chang Le set the food container on the table, then took out the dishes one by one and arranged them.

Zhi Wan’s eyes welled with tears as she looked at the hot meal on the table.

She hadn’t expected Princess Chang Le to visit her after everything that had happened, let alone bring her food.

’Even though the Princess said Shen Longjin was worried about her, she knew better. She had no connection to Shen Longjin, so why would he be worried about her?’

’It was obviously the Princess herself who was concerned, but she was just using Shen Longjin’s name as an excuse.’

"What are you crying for?" Princess Chang Le frowned.

"I’m not crying. I’m just too happy," Zhi Wan said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She picked up her chopsticks and began stuffing her face with rice.

"You’re locked up in the Ministry of Justice and you can still be happy. I really have to admire you." Princess Chang Le chided, but she picked up a clean pair of chopsticks and added some food to Zhi Wan’s bowl. "Don’t just eat plain rice. Try some of these dishes."

"I know," Zhi Wan mumbled, trying to hide the choke in her voice.

Princess Chang Le pretended not to notice. She ladled some soup into a bowl and placed it in front of her.

Then she stood up and looked around the room. "Oh, by the way, when I arrived, I saw Ouyang Zhenzhu being stopped at the gate by the Ministry of Justice officials. She’s very worried about you. She even brought you pastries. She begged me to bring her inside, but I found her annoying, so I didn’t. Then she asked me to at least bring the pastries for you, but they looked coarse, so I didn’t bring those in either. She’s probably outside crying her eyes out right now."

Listening to Princess Chang Le’s rambling, the rims of Zhi Wan’s eyes turned red.

"Your Highness, when you leave, could you please tell Zhenzhu not to worry about me? I’m doing fine."

Hearing this, Princess Chang Le gave her a look, seeming to want to say something but holding back.

Seeing her expression, Zhi Wan’s heart sank. She asked, "Has... has something happened outside?"

Princess Chang Le couldn’t bring herself to tell her, afraid she would let her imagination run wild. "Do you think your cousin is the Minister of the Ministry of Justice for nothing? He’ll definitely keep you safe, don’t worry. You just focus on eating and drinking in here. I’ll have someone deliver your three meals a day on time."

’From her words, Zhi Wan knew something must have happened outside—something bad for her. Otherwise, with Zhenzhu’s connection to Ouyang Lei, there was no way she’d be prevented from even coming in to see her.’ 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

’It must be because the case has become difficult, and even Ouyang Lei has to avoid showing favoritism.’

She nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Your Highness."

"Also, the Ministry of Justice will be holding a hearing tomorrow. You’ll be brought in for questioning," Princess Chang Le added after a pause.

Zhi Wan was already prepared for this. "Mm, I’ll be ready."

"Alright, it’s getting late. You should get some sleep so you have the energy for tomorrow. I’ll be there to support you." Seeing that Zhi Wan was almost done eating, Princess Chang Le didn’t linger. She left a small jar of ointment, picked up the food container, and left.

Zhi Wan picked up the small jar and opened it. There were signs that some of the ointment had been used; it was the same jar her cousin had used to treat the wound on her neck that day.

’Her cousin must have asked Princess Chang Le to give this to her.’

Not long after, a government official brought her a basin of hot water to wash up with.

Whether the government official forgot or not, he hadn’t brought her a washcloth.

Her gaze fell on the washcloth draped over the stand—her cousin’s. She paused for a moment before taking it down, soaking it in the water, and wringing it out. She wiped her face and neck, then applied more ointment to the injury there.

Although her heart was heavy with Princess Chang Le’s words, she still got into bed to rest.

The bedding carried the scent of cedarwood from her cousin. The familiar smell was comforting, and perhaps because she was so tired, she soon fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Princess Chang Le had just stepped out of the Ministry of Justice when she was stopped by Ouyang Zhenzhu, who had been waiting there.

"Your Highness, is Wanwan alright?"

Seeing her tear-streaked face, Princess Chang Le was amused. "Zhi Wan is much tougher than you are. The person at the center of all this isn’t even crying, yet here you are, a blubbering mess. Real impressive."

Ouyang Zhenzhu hastily wiped the tears from her face. "I’m not crying! I just got some sand in my eye, that’s all."

"Is that right? Sand in your eye. Well, that explains it," Princess Chang Le said, deliberately drawing out her words.

Ouyang Zhenzhu could tell the princess was teasing her. She pouted but didn’t retort.

Seeing this, Princess Chang Le stopped teasing her and turned to get into her carriage.

She saw Shen Longjin inside, leaning back and reading a book. She deliberately sidled up to him, intending to tease him a little. But just as her hand touched his face, the curtain was abruptly thrown open, and Ouyang Zhenzhu scrambled inside.