High-class maid

As night fell, Song Wenyang, dressed in black, quietly arrived at the government office, where the Second Prince, also dressed in black, was already waiting.

"I'm late, Brother Rong, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Song Wenyang hurriedly apologized when he saw the Second Prince waiting for him.

"Brother Song, there's no need to be so polite. I just arrived. Let's go in quickly so no one sees us." With that, he led the way inside.

Song Wenyang followed the Second Prince, winding through the government offices and taking shortcuts to enter the dungeon. Inside, the dungeon was pitch black and reeked of blood. The prisoners lay half-dead on the cold ground, lifeless.

"These are all ordinary prisoners. Those who committed crimes, like Duan Laohu, are all in here," the Second Prince explained.

Song Wenyang nodded, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the Second Prince, and said, "I'll trouble you to lead the way, Brother Rong."

The two walked to the innermost part of the dungeon. Just when Song Wenyang thought they had reached the end, the Second Prince turned a mechanism on the wall, and the wall in front of them moved slightly, revealing a staircase in front of them.

"Go ahead, Duan Laohu is inside," the Second Prince said.

"Thank you, Brother Rong." After saying this, Song Wenyang turned around and went into the stairwell of the dark room without looking back.

"Aren't you afraid I'll lock you up?" The Second Prince felt a surge of emotion upon seeing how much the man trusted him without hesitation.

"I believe in Brother Rong's character!" Song Wenyang's strong voice came from the dark room.

The second prince smiled and shook his head, resignedly sitting on the ground, quietly waiting for Song Wenyang to come out. He no longer had any of the noble and dignified demeanor of a prince.

Following the dim light, Song Wenyang walked a few steps into the dark room. The room was small, and the tiger was covered in wounds, clearly indicating that the government had tortured him. His feet and hands were covered in iron chains.

Duan Laohu had heard the sound as soon as the door to the dark room opened, but he didn't open his eyes. Now, no one was worth opening his eyes to.

"My name is Song Wenyang. I had no choice but to visit Mr. Duan so late at night. Please forgive my rudeness," Song Wenyang said to himself, knowing that Mr. Duan was not asleep.

Duan Laohu slowly opened his eyes. It wasn't that no one had ever seen him in the dark room, but everyone treated him like a prisoner and was very rude to him. He wanted to see who was being so polite to him.

The boy in front of him was clearly only fifteen or sixteen years old, but he was much taller than his peers. He wore a black coat and looked at him with deep eyes, showing no fear of him, a bandit who had killed without hesitation.

Duan Laohu became curious about him and asked, "Who are you? What do you want with me? Who brought you in?" His voice was dry and unpleasant because he hadn't drunk water or spoken for many days.

"I am the eldest son of the Song family, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud in the capital. I have heard that you know a lot about the affairs of the martial arts world, so I have come to ask you to answer a few questions," Song Wenyang said respectfully.

Duan Laohu's expression had already turned serious when he heard that he was the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and now that he said he was the eldest son of the Song family, he could not hide his excitement.

"Is your mother's surname Jin? Is your maternal grandfather's family from Jinling?" Duan Laohu asked.

Although Song Wenyang didn't know why he was so agitated, he nodded and waited cautiously for him to continue.

"What a coincidence! No, it's a curse! No, it's a cursed fate! I never imagined that more than ten years later, I would be able to meet his son."

Duan Laohu murmured to himself, then, remembering Song Wenyang's purpose for coming, he sat up straight and asked...

"Speak, what do you want to ask me?"

"I would like to ask about the cause of my mother's death." Song Wenyang didn't mince words and directly stated the purpose of his visit.

“I, Duan Laohu, have always been honest and trustworthy in my dealings with people. Since I have accepted hush money from others, I cannot tell you anything. However, I can tell you the details of that day.”

"Please speak!" Seeing the other party's response, Song Wenyang's suspicion that his mother had been murdered grew stronger, so he asked impatiently.

"I only remember that a lame servant gave me three hundred taels of silver and told me to gather all the doctors in the capital on that day and not to make house calls for anyone, especially the Song family in the capital."

"I originally thought it was a conflict between large families, but when I heard the news of Madam Song's sudden death the next day, I realized that someone had deliberately harmed her." Duan Laohu said with a sigh.

"Indeed... my mother was murdered..." Song Wenyang seemed to have all his energy drained away, and instantly collapsed into despair.

"This is also my fault. When I was begging, your mother sent someone to give me a few taels of silver and told me to find a place to live a good life. But I didn't listen to her and went further and further away. I never thought that such a kind-hearted person like her would be framed!"

Duan Laohu was heartbroken, recalling how years ago he had been dejected on the street, and Jin had given him a few taels of silver, telling him that one should not live in the past. But if it weren't for his stubbornness...

"Do you know why my mother died suddenly? My father always said that my mother's health had been poor since she gave birth to me, and I always thought it was because of me."

Song Wenyang squatted on the ground in anguish, like an unwanted child.

"How could that be? After your mother gave me a few taels of silver that day, I've been keeping an eye on Madam Song. She's incredibly healthy, and even men can't beat her in horse racing. How could it be because of you?" Duan Laohu retorted without even thinking.

“I’m poisoned now too, but I was caught early and am taking sedatives to suppress it. Do you think I’m like my mother?” Song Wenyang asked.

"What?! You've been poisoned too? She's not even sparing you?" Duan Laohu was shocked.

"You know who it is, right? Tell me that person's name, and I promise I won't tell anyone!" Song Wenyang seized on Duan Laohu's slip of the tongue and said excitedly.

"Enough, enough, what a tragic fate! I'll only tell you two things. First, the person who poisoned you is both far away and right in front of you; it must be the person you trust most. Don't even think about it if it's someone you don't trust! Second, what you've been poisoned with isn't poison, but a Gu."

"Gu? The person who can use Gu is thousands of miles away from the capital. How could there be Gu in the capital? No wonder I've searched for famous doctors everywhere but they couldn't cure the poison in my body." Song Wenyang laughed self-deprecatingly.

“Over the years, most of the money I’ve received for my services has come from cases where the parties involved were enemies. But what happened to your mother is clearly a complete murder! That’s all I can tell you. Figure out the rest yourself…” Duan Laohu finished speaking and then closed his eyes again.

"Thank you for speaking up for me, senior! Don't worry, I've made arrangements for your two remaining brothers. They will live under assumed names and be just ordinary farmers in the Great Qin Dynasty," Song Wenyang said.

Duan Laohu suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes filled with surprise, emotion, and disbelief.