Nirvana In Fire

Just as the hardworking Mei Changsu was sitting deep in thought under the flower trellis, the carriage carrying Meng Zhi and Xia Dong quickly made its way to Sky Prison. When they arrived at its main gate, everything seemed as calm as before. As the Commander General of the Imperial Guard, Meng Zhi often visited prisoners like Xia Jiang and Xia Dong and others of similar rank, so most of the prison’s duty guards recognized him. Someone immediately came forward to greet him, politely leading him and the cloaked Xia Dong through “the road to hell” and into the female prison.

When they arrived before the Zhu Zihao cell, the old jailer unlocked the door, nodded his head and withdrew. After Meng Zhi had taken a good look around him, he opened the cell door, bent down and walked with Xia Dong through the low hanging door, their eyes sweeping the room.

As expected, the prison cell was empty, and there was no trace of Gong Yu. Both of them exchanged a brief meaningful glance, then quickly retreated outwards. As expected, as soon as they arrived at the exit at the end of the corridor, the figure of a man with a face that was as deep as water blocked their way. Cai Quan, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice.

When they came face to face in that narrow corridor, the air around them seemed to freeze for an instant, the surrounding atmosphere dark and silent. Cai Quan fixed his burning gaze on the disguised Xia Dong for a very long time, then he sneered and said, “Forgive my clumsy eyes. I can’t recognize your distinguished self. Will you reveal your true identity to me?”

With an awkward expression on his face, Meng Zhi stepped forward and said, “There’s a reason for Meng mou’s actions that Cai da ren isn’t aware of yet. Please stay calm and don’t jump to conclusions.”

Cai Quan said impassively, “Alright. I will stay calm. Then please explain, Commander Meng.”

“Actually…..actually, it’s like this….” As everyone knows, Meng Zhi wasn’t very good with words, and at this moment, he felt even more painfully awkward, his words seemingly vague and evasive. He started a few times but nothing came out.

“Forget it, Commander Meng.” Xia Dong wiped off the disguise on her face, revealing her face. “Just tell the truth. You’re already being put on the spot. What else can you do besides telling the truth?”

“Xia Dong?” Cai Quan’s pupils narrowed, the fog in his mind becoming more dense. He had received the secret note today, hurried to Sky Prison to personally investigate it, and was furious when he found out that the person in the prison cell was indeed not Xia Dong. After dragging her to the interrogation room and rigorously interrogating her for a long time, he still got no answers, and just when he was getting really frustrated, the old jailer rushed over to report that Meng Zhi had showed up. He didn’t even have time to think about it, hurrying over quickly to block his way, and now, besides Meng Zhi, Xia Dong herself was here, making him even more confused.

“Why is Commander Meng still hesitating?” Xia Dong ignored Cai Quan’s scrutinizing eyes and sneered, “Cai da ren is the one who’s trying to get to the heart of the matter now. It’s not that you’re not trying to save his face. His Highness cannot fault you afterwards.”

“His Highness?” Cai Quan’s eyebrows trembled slightly. “Who are you referring to?”

“Who else can order the Commander General of the Imperial Guard around?” said Xia Dong with a slight smile, “Cai da ren is someone who cannot tolerate not being able to get to the root of a matter, which is why you are listening calmly for Commander Meng’s explanation. It’s because you think that this matter defies common sense, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. I’m very baffled.” Cai Quan looked directly into Meng Zhi’s eyes, “You had obviously replaced Xia Dong and removed her from the prison. I interrogated the false prisoner just now and she didn’t confess that it had anything to do with you. I can’t figure out why you’ve now brought the real prisoner back. As they say, if something defies common sense, it would more often than not have its own reasons. If Commander Meng can provide a plausible explanation, there’s no harm for this lower ranked officer to listen to it.”

Meng Zhi rubbed his eyebrows, his expression still a little hesitant. Xia Dong suddenly looked up and laughed, “It looks like the Commander General is still afraid that His Highness would blame him. Then let me explain. Maybe I’ll explain it better. Cai da ren might as well listen.”

“You’re a criminal. I will not believe you.”

“Believe it or not, listen first before deciding. Cai da ren is a recognized expert in solving crimes. Even the most flawless confessions are unable to escape da ren’s discerning eye. So why be stingy and deprive me this time?”

Cai Quan looked at her intensely for a long time, and finally nodded his head. “Alright, carry on.”

Xia Dong smiled slightly and half rose in a polite bow. Her tone was relaxed as she said, “It’s a fact that Meng Zhi sent me back to the prison and got caught by da ren. But he wasn’t the one who secretly stole me away from the prison. That’s also a fact.”

Cai Quan raised his eyebrows, “Such empty words are cheap.”

“Although Sky Prison is heavily guarded, I’m not the only one who can escape from it. Cai da ren once admitted to letting someone else escape and was severely punished for it, so I’m sure you remember it well?”

Cai Quan understood that she was referring to Xia Jiang’s escape, and his expression became even more gloomy.

“If someone could help my shifu to escape, naturally I would be able to escape too. Furthermore, I’m cleverer than him. To bring someone in and leave her behind, keeping you in the dark for almost a month. Such a strategy, doesn’t Cai da ren think it’s worthy of praise?” Xia Dong chuckled, paying no attention to Cai Quan, who looked like he was about to erupt. “Are you not going to praise me? Even if you don’t, it doesn’t matter. In any case, there’s nothing to be proud of. Not long after I escaped, I was captured again.”

“What you mean is….he was the one who caught you?” Cai Quan looked Meng Zhi up and down from the corner of his eyes, obviously not convinced.

“Commander Meng is at the forefront of the imperial defence. How would he have found the time to capture me?” Xia Dong’s mouth curled slightly downwards, “Someone else caught me. Commander Meng is just sending me back.”

“It doesn’t matter who captured you. You should have been brought directly to the ministry office, not brought back here with such secrecy,” Cai Quan gazed at Meng Zhi as if his eyes were like knives wanting to slice him in two. “Such strange behaviour should also have a similarly strange reason?”

“Cai da ren is very forgetful,” Xia Dong smiled and leisurely stroked the long hair by her ear. “Do you remember what His Majesty wrote in his punishment order after my shifu escaped from prison?”

Cai Quan’s heart suddenly trembled. The words “If he fails again, this will be considered a first level crime and he will be removed from his position and handled accordingly” flashed across his mind, and his throat tightened.

“The person who caught me was a subordinate of the prince who is the new master of the Eastern Palace. It was only natural that I was presented to him the moment I was apprehended,” Xia Dong’s twinkling eyes looked directly into Cai Quan’s eyes, “Cai Quan da ren is probably well aware of how much this prince values you. If I was publicly brought back, it’s tantamount to saying that the Ministry of Justice not only lost another prisoner, but also took a long time to discover that a prisoner went missing. If these charges are brought against you, even if someone pleas for leniency on your behalf, even if you are not removed from your position, a demotion is inevitable. As it turns out, someone is not willing to let you be demoted. Which is why Commander Meng has to be inconvenienced, to bring me back to Sky Prison in such secrecy to keep this matter under cover…..”

Emotions warred on Cai Quan’s face. He gritted his teeth and deliberated for a long while. Then his eyes narrowed again, and he asked with a stern voice, “If, according to you, you had been recaptured after someone helped you escape, then it should please you to see the misunderstanding between Commander Meng and myself. Why have you spoken in his defence?”

Xia Dong smiled miserably, raised her chin and let out a long sigh, “Because my position has changed…..”

“Position?”

“Yes. The purpose of my escape from prison was different from my shifu’s. As long as I haven’t killed that Chiyan traitor who caused my husband’s death with my own hands, I will not be at peace. That’s why I wanted to escape, to look for shifu, to ask him where he had hidden Wei Zheng, but I didn’t expect that shifu hadn’t managed to find him. Then I fell into the hands of the subordinate formerly from Prince Jing’s mansion, and was brought before His Highness the Crown Prince.” Xia Dong’s gaze drifted, and her voice grew softer, “In the Eastern Palace, HIs Highness told me about an old matter that he had long since investigated thoroughly, and as a result, I was convinced. I began to wonder if my hatred all these years were misplaced….Xia Dong is not an indecisive person. Since I had already decided to believe His Highness, I promised him that I would return to Sky Prison to wait for the truth to be revealed, so of course I wouldn’t want you to misunderstand Commander Meng and continue to stay silent, but whether or not Cai da ren believes my words or not is beyond my control.”

Cai Quan’s eyes shifted, his expression still as reserved as before. “What did His Highness tell you to change your attitude so completely?”

Xia Dong smiled faintly and said in a low voice, “Cai da ren, the old case that I was referring to, can you not guess what it is? Forgive my directness, but this matter is too important, too heavy. It’s better for you to forget what you have heard. You really shouldn’t ask further.”

Cai Quan suddenly recalled what he had discussed with Shen Zhui in the carriage that day, recalled the reign of terror from thirteen years ago and tightened his lips.

Meng Zhi, who had been listening silently by the side, stepped forward at this moment and said, “Cai da ren, even though we don’t know each other very well, I’ve always admired da ren’s upright and outstanding nature. But the Da Liang of my generation seems to be showing signs of decline, greatly lacking in good officials like yourself to aid in its restoration. Since His Highness of the Eastern Palace values you so much that he would ensure your protection, why does da ren have to be so rigid and inflexible. Wouldn’t that be unworthy of his good intentions?”

Cai Quan lowered his gaze, as if he was deliberating. Xia Dong and Meng Zhi didn’t say more, giving him space to think it over himself. After quite a while, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice lifted his gaze once again and said with a solemn expression, “If everything you have said is true, then who was the one who sent the arrow to tip me off?”

His words really took the both of them by surprise. Xia Dong and Meng Zhi exclaimed simultaneously, not bothering to hide it.

“An arrow that tipped you off?” said Meng Zhi in astonishment. “Those of us with His Highness who are aware of this situation are very discreet. Furthermore, I’m delivering her back, not taking her out, so even though it goes against the law, it’s not a big matter. Who would tip you off?”

“The informer accused you of exchanging the criminal and didn’t mention that you would send her back…..” Cai Quan spoke as he pondered this, “Maybe someone knew that Xia Dong had escaped, and also knew that Commander Meng visited the Sky Prison often under imperial orders, and combining the two together, wrote the secret note. It was only natural for me to investigate after receiving the letter, and after investigating, find that Xia Dong had actually been replaced. There aren’t many who pass through the Sky Prison so it was easy to make Commander Meng the prime suspect. It’s just that they hadn’t anticipated that the runaway Xia Dong would actually be brought back today in secrecy….”

Xia Dong chuckled and said, “Commander Meng, it sounds like you were the primary target. Think properly, what enemies might you have?”

“Speaking of which,” Cai Quan, who was still rigorous in handling the matter, turned his gaze back to Xia Dong and said, “I’m afraid you’ll still have to explain how you escaped back then.”

“Are you looking to fix any loopholes in the Sky Prison?” Xia Dong’s smile was relaxed, “Actually it’s very simple. The inner prison jailer does not keep watch all the time. We only needed to identify one who loves his drink and arrange for someone to invite him for drinks. After we got him drunk, we exchanged his clothings and disguised someone as him. As soon as the sky turned dark and the light was dusky, the imposter entered the prison. Since all that the guard on duty saw was the old jailer, he didn’t investigate further, thus making entry a possibility…..”

Cai Quan snorted coldly, “But there are two keys. For it to work, two jailers must unlock the door simultaneously.”

“Who said so? It’s also possible if one jailer holds two keys.” Xia Dong’s reply was as light as a feather, “Keys cannot be taken out of Sky Prison, which is why the first entry was for the purpose of making a mold of the key, nothing else. The drunk jailer suspected nothing after waking up. After a few days, we targeted a second jailer and applied the same strategy.”

“And you found another jailer who loves his drink?”

“Even if he wasn’t one who loves his drink, it’s not a problem. A rap on the back of his head produces the same effect as getting drunk.” Xia Dong was so focused on what she was saying that she didn’t notice as Cai Quan’s expression grew darker. “Of course, when entering as the second jailer, we had to bring along the substitute prisoner. This was a little more challenging but it wasn’t impossible to find a pretext, for example, saying that the false jailer was bringing a friend in to visit a prisoner or something like that. Because it’s taking someone in, not out, the guard on duty would let him through as a favour. By this time, the false jailer had two keys in his hands, so he could take advantage of the darkness within the prison to unlock the cell door, make an exchange and bring me out. As long as the guard on duty at the gate didn’t realize that the person that was brought in and out were two different persons, the operation was a success. If, after waking up, the jailer who was hit on the head felt that something was amiss, he wouldn’t necessarily think it had anything to do with Sky Prison. Furthermore, there are so many prisoners in Sky Prison, and nobody was missing, so why would he cause a commotion trying to locate the problem? If he was lucky, things would remain as they were, and if he wasn’t, then at least it would be noticed only the next day. In any case, I had already left, so why bother?”

“So you escaped. Then what about the person who stood in for you?” Cai Quan snorted coldly (again), “How is that Gong Yu from Miaoyin Hall related to you?”

“Cai da ren,” said Xia Dong as she pushed back the hair on her forehead, “Did you know that Xuanjing Bureau has its own spies?”

The muscles on Cai Quan’s cheeks suddenly twitched. “Gong Yu is one of your spies?”

“That’s right. The identity of all Xuanjing Bureau spies are kept secret. Other than the Director and the spies’ contact persons, nobody else knows who they are. I had once saved Gong Yu’s life before, so she is willing to do anything for me. She’s a most useful spy.”

“No wonder,” muttered Cai Quan to himself, “A musician….the head constable said that she actually possessed martial arts skill and wasn’t someone who was weak….”

Meng Zhi took the opportunity to say, “Cai da ren, since Xia Dong is back, the real prisoner was not lost so this matter can remain concealed. I don’t think there’s any need to further interrogate Gong Yu, since she is after all just one of Xuanjing Bureau’s subordinates, so let me handle it. If she remains with the Ministry of Justice, it might cause you more trouble.”

Cai Quan didn’t respond immediately. He calmed himself down, considering in detail what the both of them had said from beginning to end. Not finding any loopholes, he grunted “Ng” and said, “Alright. After Xia Dong returns to her cell, I will hand Gong Yu over to you.”

Xia Dong smiled nonchalantly, followed behind a warden assigned by Cai Quan, and entered the prison cell without looking back. Cai Quan couldn’t help worrying and personally went in to make sure she was well shackled. Then after strictly admonishing her again, he stepped out and sent someone to fetch Gong Yu.

Perhaps because she hadn’t been under interrogation for a long period, or perhaps because Cai Quan wasn’t one to abuse instruments of torture, Gong Yu was merely dishevelled and grimy in appearance, nothing more. There were no obvious traces of maltreatment on her. After looking at her, though his face didn’t reveal it, he felt very relieved.

After wrapping the young woman tightly from head to toe in the cloak previously worn by Xia Dong, Meng Zhi turned towards Cai Quan, took his leave and walked out with Gong Yu. Just as he was about to walk out of the gate, Cai Quan suddenly called out from behind, “Wait a moment.” Meng Zhi’s heart jumped. He paused in his steps and slowly turned around, holding his breath.

“Commander Meng, please convey my gratitude to His Highness.” said the Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice with a faint smile.