Deadlock

Everyone had already anticipated this outcome in their hearts.

Yet, when it truly fell upon them, it remained difficult to accept.

As soon as the steward spoke, someone collapsed to the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face, begging hoarsely, "Steward Feng, it has nothing to do with me, it really has nothing to do with me!"

"Take them away!"

The steward did not give them a chance to argue, simply waving his hand to signal.

The private soldiers brought by the Feng Family were all trained experts, the blades at their waists gleaming with a cold light.

No one dared to act rashly, forced to silently accept the steward's arrangements.

Chen Ye quietly slowed his pace, shifting through the crowd until he stopped beside one of Feng Yanwu's personal guards.

This guard was the one who had fetched spring water for Feng Yanwu earlier; he was currently dazed, still trapped in a state of shock and confusion.

Chen Ye did not look at him, speaking in a low voice as if talking to himself, "There was something wrong with the teacup by the Third Young Master's side."

The guard turned his head abruptly.

"Don't look at me." Chen Ye's voice dropped even lower as he continued, "Someone is cleaning up the evidence; the person who poisoned him is likely from the mansion. Before the matter is cleared up, those items cannot be taken away, or we will all die."

The guard opened his mouth, but before he could make a sound, Chen Ye had already brushed past him, merging back into the crowd and walking to the side of Zuo Dongxi.

The guard froze for a heartbeat, then turned around and returned to the carriage to stand guard, preventing anyone from approaching the vehicle.

He was Feng Yanwu's personal guard; with his master dead, he could hardly escape the charge of dereliction of duty.

Now that he was standing guard by the remains, no one could say anything against it.

Chen Ye stood in the crowd, catching a glimpse through several guards of that man stepping back from the carriage without a sound, his hand seemingly clutching something.

He withdrew his gaze, making no further moves.

He had done what he could.

The rest would have to wait until they returned to the Capital City.

The journey from the countryside back to the Capital City took the better part of a day.

By the time the convoy arrived outside the city gates, the sky had turned completely dark.

The city gates were shut tight.

At this hour, unless the imperial court had an urgent eight-hundred-mile dispatch, no one could force the gates open.

The group was forced to remain stranded outside the city.

Everyone had to wait until dawn in the bleak night wind, none daring to flee.

The next day, as soon as the city gates opened, the procession hurried toward the Feng Mansion.

"Leader Zuo, once we enter the Feng Family, how will they deal with us?" Chen Ye walked to Zuo Dongxi's side and asked in a low voice.

Zuo Dongxi looked dejected. "The Feng Family is a century-old clan; if such a scandal spreads, it will become a laughingstock for the entire family. They will certainly seal the news and handle it internally."

Chen Ye frowned.

Given their situation, if they were truly locked in the Feng Family's private prison, it would be a dead end.

If sent to the Court Commandant, although the procedures might be murky, there would at least be basic interrogation protocols and the possibility of a public trial—a thin layer of rules to abide by.

But once locked in the Feng Family's private prison, the Feng Family could deal with them however they pleased; whoever they wanted dead would have to die.

Chen Ye asked again, "Inside the Feng Mansion, do you have anyone who can help pass a message?"

Zuo Dongxi looked him over and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"I have some clues and want to gamble for a way to survive."

A flash of surprise crossed Zuo Dongxi's eyes as he pressed, "What method?"

Chen Ye did not answer.

Zuo Dongxi was silent for a moment before whispering, "There is one person. If I am locked in the Feng Family's private prison, that person might come to visit."

The facts were exactly as Zuo Dongxi had anticipated.

After the Feng Family received the news, they immediately sealed off the interior and exterior, not letting anyone outside know.

This matter concerned the century-old reputation of the Feng Family and must not be leaked.

Chen Ye and the others were escorted into the Feng Mansion and taken directly to a side room behind the ancestral hall.

From the outside, it looked like an ordinary side room for storing sundries; pushing the door open, one was met with the smell of camphor wood and dampness.

In the corner of the wall were piled dust-covered cushions and a few faded chests.

The Feng family members moved the innermost chest, and a heavy iron plate was revealed on the floor.

Two burly men stepped forward, exerting all their strength to pry it open.

A gust of cold, gloomy wind surged up from the underground.

A stone staircase, wide enough for only one person to pass, extended downward and vanished into the darkness.

"Get in!"

Everyone was shoved inside one by one.

After the last person was pushed in, the iron plate overhead slammed shut with a loud clang.

The final sliver of daylight vanished completely.

In its place were only the scattered oil lamps of the dungeon, their weak flames flickering and casting long, hazy, yellowish shadows.

The Feng Family dungeon was deeper and wider than imagined.

It was not just a single room, but an entire row of cells.

The space was divided into two distinct areas.

The outer section was filled with torture implements, while the inner side was reserved for holding prisoners.

The two were separated by a row of iron bars.

The cells were only ten feet deep and four feet wide.

The walls and floors were covered in dark brown stains, and the air was thick with the stench of rot and dampness.

Everyone was shoved into separate cells.

Chen Ye and Zuo Dongxi were locked up together.

Once the cell door was locked, the steward led his men away, leaving only a single private soldier to stand guard.

By now, even Zuo Dongxi, who had seen his fair share of storms, slumped to the floor as if his bones had been pulled out.

His voice was hoarse as he said to Chen Ye, "This matter—the Feng Family isn't trying to find the killer at all; they're looking for someone to take the fall. You and I are, in all likelihood, the scapegoats."

He finally understood everything now.

Why would the Feng Family, for such a critical matter, specifically choose someone like him with gang connections?

Because people like him from the underworld were the easiest to frame with charges of "murder for money and colluding with outsiders."

It was practically staring them in the face.

Even if they didn't need a scapegoat, the Feng Family could easily keep two nobodies like them locked up until they died just to suppress the situation and keep the news from leaking.

Chen Ye had naturally considered this possibility as well.

He was in an even worse position than Zuo Dongxi.

Even if the Feng Family did nothing and just kept him locked up, he would still die.

This was a death trap.

Chen Ye didn't respond; he closed his eyes in the darkness, continuing to replay the details from the carriage in his mind.

Time was running out.

He had to find a member of the Feng Family who could be trusted and who wanted to find the killer most, all before the Feng Family made their final decision.

He pondered for a moment before asking, "Did Feng Yanwu have a family?"

Zuo Dongxi was stunned, not knowing why he would ask such a thing at a time like this.

"Third Young Master Feng was already married. He wed a daughter of the Zhou Family and had two legitimate sons; the eldest is already five and has begun his schooling."

"That's good." Hearing this, Chen Ye let out a silent sigh of relief and continued, "Find a way to get a message to Third Young Master Feng's widow. Tell her that I know who the killer is and that I need to meet with her."

Zuo Dongxi shot up, staring at him intensely. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly realizing the danger, he hurriedly sat back down, nearly losing his composure.

"Who is it?"