Volume One, Chapter 14: The Forgotten Betrothal

Page 1/3

It’s just a trip to the Ministry of Justice for questioning, it’s nothing to worry about!

Along the way, Mei Gongxue kept repeating this phrase silently to herself.

After getting off the carriage, she thought she could face it calmly.

But when the officials in their uniforms passed by, she trembled slightly, startled.

Mei Gongxue deliberately found a sunny spot to sit, trying to appear less fearful, and waited quietly.

Soon, footsteps echoed outside.

Her hand instinctively clenched the armrest of the chair.

“Miss Mei, you’re punctual as always!” The man’s voice was slow and deliberate as before.

Forcing herself to stay calm, Mei Gongxue stood up and said, “Lord Zhou!”

A tall, slender man entered, his official robe swaying gently with his steps.

Mei Gongxue felt as if she could smell the bloodstains on him!

“Why do you keep your head down?” Zhou Fu teased. “It’s been days since we last met, don’t you miss me?”

Taking a deep breath, Mei Gongxue mustered her courage and looked up at him.

Zhou Fu’s face was pale—not the healthy kind of pale, but a lifeless whiteness.

His thin eyebrows arched slightly, and his deep eyes held a half-smile, half-mocking gaze with a hint of seductive charm.

But Mei Gongxue knew all too well the cruelty hidden beneath this seemingly harmless exterior.

She also noticed a striking fresh wound on his face.

When a servant came to serve tea, he waved them away, dismissing all unnecessary personnel.

Mei Gongxue tensed, then noticed he was fiddling with a pair of iron clamps in his hand, the metal clinking sharply.

The sound triggered a familiar pain in her fingers, and her face turned pale.

“Lord Zhou, is there anything else you wish to ask of me today?”

She suppressed the trembling in her voice, hoping to finish quickly and leave.

Zhou Fu noticed her expression and casually placed the clamps on the table.

“Miss Mei, you must be more familiar with this than anyone else, but sadly, not everyone was as lucky as you to survive! The Zhao residence originally held fifty-six prisoners; only forty-three remain alive.”

“But you are the only one pardoned by His Majesty and released. Therefore, there are still some matters I need to confirm with you. Eight months ago, after Zhao Zhang returned from Binzhou, he shut himself indoors for more than a month. Do you recall any abnormalities during that time?”

Mei Gongxue knew about this.

Page 2/3

When Zhao Zhang returned from Binzhou, he realized the situation was hopeless and decided to leave himself a way out.

The money he embezzled was likely hidden during that period.

Mei Gongxue had no intention to conceal anything and tried to recall, yet she shook her head.

“In that month, he was very irritable. He locked himself in the room every day. Whenever he saw me, he either scolded or beat me.”

Zhou Fu raised an eyebrow. “Beaten? In what way?”

Biting her lip, Mei Gongxue struggled to suppress her discomfort. “He used whatever was at hand—tea, an inkstone… once, he even used a branding iron…”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Fu looked up, his gaze probing. “Really?”

Mei Gongxue suddenly grew agitated. “How many times have I already told you?”

She had been honest and detailed with every interrogator, so why keep asking? Why torment her?

She truly did not want to relive those shameful days!

Zhou Fu was slightly surprised but patiently soothed, “Miss Mei, please don’t get upset. I’m simply doing my official duty.”

Mei Gongxue suddenly stood up with a bang, her tone cold and sharp: “If there is no other official business, then I will take my leave.”

Zhou Fu rested his chin on his hand, watching her. “The official business is indeed finished…”

Mei Gongxue was about to leave in a hurry.

“…but there is still some personal matter left unsaid.”

Mei Gongxue froze and replied coldly, “What personal matter could possibly be between you and me?”

Zhou Fu crossed his legs elegantly and sipped his tea. “Miss, you truly are forgetful. Don’t you remember the betrothal between us?”

Mei Gongxue abruptly turned around. “What nonsense are you talking about? My father never agreed to that marriage!”

Back then, her father’s refusal to consent was why he went off to the battlefield, where he was later framed.

Subconsciously rejecting these old memories, she strode away without looking back.

Zhou Fu watched her leave, his deep, cold eyes emotionless.

When his subordinate entered, he muttered, “My lord, it seems Miss Mei knows nothing. We tried all methods, soft and hard!”

Yet Zhou Fu’s gaze was like two sharp ice knives, fixed on the direction Mei Gongxue had gone.

Focused as if watching prey, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Decisively, he said, “No, the clue must be with her. Assign someone to keep close watch!”

...

Page 3/3

Meanwhile, Mei Gongxue hurried out, her mind a tangled mess.

In truth, she and Zhou Fu did have a betrothal.

But that marriage was entangled with too many political interests, and her father disapproved.

Then her father died in battle, and she was forced to marry into the Zhao household.

After that, no one ever mentioned the betrothal again.

She had tried to forget it herself!

Yet just now, why did Zhou Fu suddenly bring it up? What did he mean?

Did he refuse to let her go?

Finally, Mei Gongxue stumbled out of the Ministry of Justice.

Looking up, she saw a familiar figure standing beside her carriage.

Seeing it was him, she immediately approached, clutching his hand in a plea for help.

“Brother Yun Chu, I…”

Ji Yun Chu, noticing her anxious expression, felt as if time had rewound three years, and immediately asked, “Don’t worry, what happened?”

Three years ago, Mei Gongxue came to him just like this, saying she didn’t want to marry that dead eunuch for her sister.

At the time, he was truly powerless, but now it was different—he was influential and powerful.

As long as Mei Gongxue asked, he would find a way to help, no matter what!

But in the next moment, her expression froze. She pulled her hand away and spoke calmly again:

“Sorry, General Ji, I was rude!”

The distance in her tone was unmistakable.

Hearing the title “General Ji,” Ji Yun Chu felt a heaviness in his heart, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

Mei Gongxue felt awkward—they were now worlds apart in status—and she was about to apologize for her rashness.

But Ji Yun Chu suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between them, his expression unchanged:

“My carriage broke down. Please, Miss Mei, could you give me a ride?”