Because the Overwatch Council was directly under the command of the Emperor, the Kingdom of Qing's Celestial Prison was not in the Ministry of Justice, nor was it in the Supreme Court. Instead, it was here, where serious criminals were kept, and security was particularly tight. The Celestial Prison was not far from the Overwatch Council, just around the corner. If anything happened, they could immediately provide assistance. Wang Qinian, at least on the surface, was no longer a member of the Overwatch Council. But with the token in Fan Xian's hand, the two of them easily gained the trust of the guards and entered the Celestial Prison.
The two iron doors of the Celestial Prison opened without a sound, without the eerie grinding sound that Fan Xian had imagined. The guards carefully examined the tokens, then respectfully invited the two of them in, and closed the iron doors from the outside.
Behind the iron doors was a long corridor leading downward, lit by dim oil lamps on both sides. The stone steps were slightly slippery, but there was not a speck of moss on them. It seemed that they had been carefully taken care of. As they walked down, they saw a guard every few steps. They looked unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, Fan Xian found that they were all at least of the fourth level.
After walking for an unknown period of time, the air became a little turbid. It blended with the turbid lights in the surroundings, causing one's senses to become a little sluggish. It was as if this place had already broken away from the fresh and clean mortal world, and had already reached the Yellow Springs Evil Land.
"Sir, please show us the relevant documents or edicts from the inner palace." A muddied jailer glanced at Wang Qinian.
Wang Qinian was very respectful to the jailer, and handed over Fan Xian's token. The head jailer looked very old. The wrinkles on both sides of his cheeks had been squeezed into ridges. He took the waist tag and looked at Wang Qinian with a strange expression. "Little Wang, you've been promoted?"
Wang Qinian respectfully stepped to the side, revealing Fan Xian, who was completely covered in a gray robe. "Today, I accompanied this sir to the trial." The jailer realized that he could not see their faces clearly, but he knew the weight of the token in his hand. He nodded, took out a key from the table, opened the door next to him, and waved for the two of them to enter.
Fan Xian frowned, wondering if he would have to ask Si Lili through the bars. He did not want to expose his voice in front of too many people, so he turned around and gave Wang Qinian a look.
Wang Qinian smiled and shook his head.
Seeing the metal door close behind him, Fan Xian asked curiously, "Why are you afraid of him?" Wang Qinian frowned and said, "He was the former head of the Seventh Bureau. He spent his entire life in prison. When it was time for him to be released, he would rather come back and continue to be a jailer. He said he liked the smell of blood here. Tell me, how could I not be afraid of such a person?"
Fan Xian shivered and thought to himself that the Overwatch Council was indeed a nest of freaks. Back then, his mother had paid for such a monstrous organization. He really didn't know what she was thinking.
Following their previous directions, the two of them easily found the cell where Si Lili was being held. Looking at the beautiful woman behind the bars, Fan Xian frowned. A weak woman locked up in such a frightening place, yet her sitting posture and expression remained calm. It seemed that she had been trained in Northern Qi. But then he immediately thought that Si Lili was not a truly powerful figure. Otherwise, she would not have fled the capital at the beginning. Instead, she would have walked right into the trap and carelessly attacked a few important figures, making the Qing court uneasy every day.
Fan Xian did not know that his reasoning was exactly the same as that of the official who had escorted Si Lili back to the capital. He took off the gray robe covering his head and looked at Si Lili. "Miss Lili," he said gently.
Si Lili had long known that someone was coming. She had just arrived in the capital today, and someone had already come to interrogate her. It seemed that she was very important, so she deliberately put on an indifferent expression. But … she had not expected it to be Master Fan!
"Master Fan?" Si Lili was astonished, but she forced herself not to cry out.
"Miss Si, it has been over a month since we parted at the Drunken Immortal Tavern. I did not expect to see you again, under such circumstances." Thinking back to when they had shared the same bed, their fingers full of sweetness and tongues entwined, he had never imagined that this woman was a spy from Northern Qi.
Si Lili seemed to have thought of something, and her face darkened. "I did not expect Master Fan to be so unfathomable."
Fan Xian sighed faintly. "The thin jade rustles at the head of the river, the wind is clear and the dew at night is autumn. The immortal steed stands by the side, all first-rate in the world. I had thought that even if you and I had only coincidentally met on a reverse journey, it could still be considered fate. I really do not understand why you would have the heart to do such a cruel thing to me. "
This poem had been written by Qian Weiyan in his previous life. To Zhu Sihe, it was about being virtuous and free from vulgarity. Fan Xian thought that since Si Lili was famous in the capital, and had always been known as a talented woman, and had always lived under the loving gazes of the people, she should have been virtuous and virtuous in her bones. At this moment, he deliberately sighed in order to weaken this female spy's will. Unexpectedly, Si Lili slowly lowered her head, as if she had not been touched.
Fan Xian sighed again. "You are a beautiful woman, yet you have become a thief."
Si Lili smiled sweetly. She was indeed as beautiful as orchids. "For you to enter this prison to see me, I presume your identity is not simple. We all serve our masters, so what need is there to say?"
...
...
Fan Xian had finished sighing with his deadly poem, but it had been of no use. He smiled bitterly, thinking that not every woman could be so easily intoxicated by such a scene. He had been a little too absurd. He steadied his mind, and a small medicine bottle appeared in his hand.
He threw the bottle in and said coldly, "This is poison. Someone will come to extort a confession. If you don't want to suffer, swallow it yourself." The small medicine bottle rolled on the hay and stopped next to Si Lili. Si Lili picked up the small porcelain bottle and held it tightly. She had never imagined that the gentle and amiable Fan Xian would, in the blink of an eye, become a demon tempting her to die.
If she had wanted to die, she would not have fled the capital in the first place.
Fan Xian had calculated this. He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Since you want to kill me, should I still cherish you? Your thinking is too absurd and laughable. Since I have pointed out a path for you to suffer less, why don't you thank me? How can someone so afraid of death be worthy of being a spy? "
Si Lili gritted her teeth in anger. She raised her head, full of hatred. Her deep eyes pierced through her slightly messy hair and stared at Fan Xian's face.
Fan Xian's face was calm. "There's no need to talk about risking one's life. Actually, you are not stupid. You know that even if you confess to the high-ranking officials of the court who colluded with Northern Qi, you will still die in the end, so you might as well grit your teeth and not say anything. "
Si Lili suddenly felt that Fan Xian's voice was getting further and further away, softer and softer, but also more and more terrifying.
"I am not a person of the court. I simply want to find that person and get my revenge. "
"I am willing to make a deal with you."
"Other than believing me, you have no other choice," Fan Xian said lightly.
Fan Xian said lightly, but his tone was incomparably sinister. His voice grew lower and lower, as if he was talking to himself. "I am a person who does not mind using torture on women because you wanted to kill me first. At the same time, I am a feminist. I believe that in a battle of life and death, men and women are equal. "
After all, he had been digging graves since he was a child. His elegant appearance could not completely hide the gloominess and terror that occasionally erupted from his bones. Wang Qinian silently left to get the prison head to open the door, and at the same time, to prepare the relevant instruments of torture.
...
...
The screams of countless weak women rang out in the dark and gloomy prison.
After a long time, Fan Xian frowned slightly and looked at Si Lili, who had fainted on a pile of hay. He looked at her bloody fingers, without a trace of emotion on his face. On the other hand, Wang Qinian, who had been silent all this time, felt a little strange. He could not believe that such an elegant and refined young master could remain so calm after witnessing such a terrifying scene of torture. He really did not know how much coldness Fan Xian hid under his gentle face.
"For torture to be effective, it would take at least five days." Wang Qinian swallowed with some difficulty and explained in a low voice, "This Si Lili in front of us is clearly a novice, which is why she was able to force some information out of you. But in the end, she is still someone who has been trained. Once a secret that must be kept is involved, and she cannot bear the physical pain, she will naturally faint."
By the time the terrifying prison head arrived, Fan Xian had already hidden his face under his gray robe. The head jailer began to pack up the instruments of torture. As he did so, he shook his head and said, "Young Sir, torture is also a form of knowledge. If you want to get the answer in just an hour, it is an insult to us professionals."
Fan Xian was momentarily annoyed. He turned to the side to let the prison head leave. Watching him walk away, he said to Wang Qinian with a bitter smile, "It seems that it is better to leave this to the professionals. We will wait for news in a few days. With the defenses here, I don't think anyone has the ability to sneak in and silence us." Just as he was about to leave, Si Lili slowly woke up. She touched the wound on her finger and screamed in pain. Her lips and hands, which usually played with strings on the pleasure boat, had been destroyed today. Her lips could only make pitiful sounds.
Fan Xian paused for a moment and turned to look at her through the bars.
Si Lili bit her lower lip. Her face was pale, and cold sweat had already soaked her hair. Her eyes were like those of a wounded lioness. She stared fiercely at Fan Xian's face, as if she wanted to imprint his face into her mind.
Fan Xian stood silently and looked at her. Wang Qinian tactfully took the initiative to put some distance between them.
"Put away the medicine I gave you just now. Next time, if you really can't stand the torture, take it." Fan Xian used death to test her for the second time. His tone was very indifferent.
Si Lili could no longer hold back her tears. She looked at him with hatred in her eyes.
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