Chapter Six: The Penalty of Darkness

It is said that the Dali Temple is a place where human tragedies are forged.

Wu An was a man of considerable courage. After Di Renjie had him over for a cup of tea in the back office of the government building, he led him straight to a place resembling a dungeon.

Torches illuminated the narrow passageway, where moss clung to the damp shadows. Low moans drifted from every direction, sounding like starving ghosts wandering in hell. Wu An observed his surroundings; he felt little fear of such places. Having witnessed rivers of blood on the battlefield, he had grown indifferent to the misery of men.

He looked toward Di Renjie from time to time. The latter, holding a torch himself, led the way, descending another level before stopping in front of a cell door.

Wu An and Di Renjie had never spoken before this. Di Renjie seemed disinclined to display any mercy or majesty; in a way, his attitude resembled that of the Empress—he was fond of "skipping steps."

"A while back, an official committed a crime. His wife knows the truth but refuses to confess." Di Renjie spoke calmly from the side. "Neither the Ministry of Justice nor the Dali Temple has been able to make her talk. Her status is somewhat unique; she is innocent of any crime herself, and there are people above protecting her, so she cannot be subjected to torture."

What did that mean?

Wu An thought silently. Was this a hint that if he didn't want to be locked up and tortured in the future, he had better find a rock-solid patron? It was said that historically, Di Renjie possessed the character of a gentleman, but this seemed somewhat at odds with that reputation.

Unexpectedly, Di Renjie asked, "Do you have a way to make someone like this speak?"

Wu An could not fathom the underlying meaning of Di Renjie’s words, so he pondered for a moment and asked, "May I go in and see her?"

"You want to go in?" Di Renjie frowned slightly. He ordered a jailer to fetch the keys, but as he opened the door, he specifically cautioned, "You must not be disrespectful to her."

The cell door opened. Wu An did not smell any foul, nameless odors; instead, a faint scent of damp rot greeted him. By the light of the torch, he saw a woman dressed in high-quality fabric curled up in the corner. Her hair was somewhat disheveled but of fine quality, and her features were quite striking. She appeared to be in her twenties, already a married woman. Her clothes were tidy, confirming she had indeed not been tortured.

Hearing the noise, she timidly lifted her head, looking terrified. The cell was clean, containing nothing but the woman and a simple "bed" for sleeping.

Wu An knew nothing of torture, but he could see that this woman was clearly timid. If the jailers had intimidated her even slightly, she should have spilled the beans, right?

"People above have decreed that forced confessions and torture are strictly forbidden, so we have no choice but to wait for her to speak voluntarily," Di Renjie said softly from the side.

Wu An took the torch from him and, without looking at the wretched-looking woman again, shone it around the narrow cell.

"I have heard that you, Master Di, resolve cases as easily as a flowing stream. Is there truly nothing you can do?"

Di Renjie smiled. "The word 'status' weighs more than a thousand catties."

Wu An replied, "I have a way to make her confess."

As soon as these words left his lips, the woman curled on the ground looked at him with sudden terror. Imagining herself being subjected to extrajudicial torture by this young man, her body began to tremble.

One of the jailers chimed in, "That's a bold claim."

Di Renjie observed the "guilty" young man with interest. He had already heard about the events that had occurred at the frontier. If nothing went wrong, the influence Li Jingxuan maintained in the imperial court would be enough to crush this little bug. A little bug—how much could it possibly struggle?

"Water," Wu An answered crisply. If Shangguan Wan'er were standing here, she would have realized that the submissive demeanor Wu An showed her was merely an act.

The jailer did not move, but at a wave of Di Renjie's hand, he went to fetch a cup of water.

"Not enough."

Helplessly, the jailer rolled his eyes and, with a companion, brought over a full bucket of water, a wooden dipper floating inside. They placed the bucket before the woman, and Wu An gestured for them to stand back outside the door. Di Renjie stood outside as well, watching these inexplicable demands and movements with growing curiosity.

As for the woman inside, Di Renjie was indeed at a loss, but that did not mean he would be stuck forever; he simply wanted to use this opportunity to test the young man.

Wu An squatted before the woman and asked softly, "How long have you been locked up here?"

The woman looked at his handsome yet slightly sinister face, subconsciously lowered her head, and whispered, "Over a day."

Wu An stood up, walked to the bucket, and scooped up a ladle of water. Di Renjie instinctively thought he was going to douse her and prepared to intervene, but instead, Wu An simply poured the water back into the bucket.

*Splash...*

The sound of water echoed in the cell, piercingly sharp. The woman looked up at him uneasily, her eyes showing a flicker of pleading.

*Splash...*

Wu An repeated the action of scooping and pouring without expression. The woman tried to stand up, but her legs seemed to have turned to jelly; she pressed her knees tightly together and finally begged with a tearful voice, "I'll tell... I'll confess everything!"

A peculiar odor suddenly wafted through the air.

The two jailers standing outside exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. The woman had been a real headache for the past two days. After all, the higher-ups demanded results but forbade torture—it was like trying to cook a meal without rice! Could this young man be a master specifically invited by Master Di, someone who knew magic?

Di Renjie remained silent. Listening to the woman's sobbing inside, he finally commanded, "Take her to write her confession."

The two jailers left, leaving only Di Renjie and Wu An standing face to face in the cell.

Di Renjie frowned, enduring the acidic smell in the air, and could not help but ask, "What did you just do?"

"Since this woman is a noble lady, she must be accustomed to a life of luxury. Even if she is timid by nature, she knows the gravity of the situation. If she knows there are people outside protecting her, she only needs to keep her mouth shut."

Before Wu An could finish, Di Renjie nodded slightly, signaling him to get to the point.

"Then why did you do that..." He pointed to the bucket.

Wu An coughed. "When you lock up prisoners, do you not provide a chamber pot?"

"A chamber pot... what is that?" Di Renjie asked.

"A commode."

A flicker of realization dawned in Di Renjie’s eyes. Wu An added, "After holding it for a day and a night, anyone would be unable to resist when they hear the sound of water."

"And precisely because she is a noble lady, she could never bear to urinate in front of several men..."

"Enough, you need not say more." Di Renjie stopped Wu An's dangerous remarks. He felt this young man was very clever, though his line of thinking was somewhat unconventional. It was so brilliant it made his scalp tingle.

"I have something I wish to discuss with you."

"I am all ears."

Di Renjie walked out of the cell, looked at him, and said calmly, "I can help you take down Li Jingxuan."