Volume One, Chapter 12: The Bitter Consequences of Recklessness

The moment he arrived, the bruised and battered prison guards immediately came forward to complain, “Lord Zhou, this Mei Changgong has trespassed into the prison, defying authority! He is utterly lawless!”

The man blocking Mei Changgong was none other than Zhou Fu, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Justice.

The guards had only been performing their duties, but Mei Changgong’s actions today were clearly driven by personal vendetta, which infuriated them to no end. They grumbled and cursed in disarray.

The prison’s stone walls echoed every sound, creating a chaotic uproar.

Zhou Fu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he commanded softly, “Silence!”

At once, the surroundings fell silent.

Zhou Fu turned to face Mei Changgong, whose arrogance remained unshaken, and his expression darkened. “The prisoners held here have all been approved by the Ministry of Justice. This is entirely lawful. The prison is a place of utmost security; it is not a place where a mere warrior like you, Third Lord, can act with impunity!”

Mei Changgong shot him a disdainful glance. “It was you, wasn’t it? You were the one who ordered my sister to be whipped, weren’t you?”

With that, he swung his whip and lashed out.

Though enraged, Mei Changgong had already exchanged blows briefly with Zhou Fu moments earlier and knew he was skilled. He expected Zhou Fu to dodge this strike.

To his surprise, Zhou Fu stood his ground unmoving. With a sharp crack, the whip struck his face, leaving a clear mark.

“Sir, are you alright?” the guards exclaimed in shock.

Mei Changgong was startled but quickly recovered, furious. “Did you do that on purpose?”

Zhou Fu raised a hand to touch the wound on his face, then licked the blood from his fingertip leisurely. “Third Lord, you are bold indeed. Not only did you trespass into the prison, but you also assaulted a government official. Aren’t you afraid I’ll report your noble family to His Majesty?”

A chill ran through Mei Changgong. This was serious. Scuffling with common guards was one thing, but assaulting an official was entirely different.

If the Censorate found out, it would become a major scandal.

He was somewhat familiar with Zhou Fu, a notorious strict official known for his severity. Zhou Fu had a longstanding feud with Zhao Zhang and had been personally appointed by the Emperor six months ago to investigate Zhao Zhang’s corruption and bribery.

Though Zhao Zhang was eventually punished, nearly eighty percent of the wealth he amassed remained unaccounted for.

Interrogating Zhao’s relatives was entirely lawful in the pursuit of this missing fortune.

Mei Gongxue, already married into the Zhao household, had been detained as part of this investigation.

Mei Changgong now regretted coming, but his heart burned with fury. The thought that their noble family’s daughter had been forced to marry a scoundrel like Zhao Zhang and suffered humiliation, only to be implicated further, was unbearable.

He took a deep breath, struggling to rein in his anger. “Zhou Fu, I acted rashly today. PunI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.