White Fence Dream

Chapter 290 Deserted
With the announcement of the new emperor, the uneasy atmosphere in the capital dissipated.

Although officials were still being investigated, there was no bloodbath like the execution of Empress Jiang. Moreover, the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Jingzhao Prefecture were not responsible for the arrest and interrogation.

Although being caught and questioned is scary, at least you won't be framed.

And this is indeed the case. Some officials who were arrested were released after three to five days.

In addition, the houses of the Li and Shangguan families that were surrounded were indeed searched, but the seals on the Dongyang Marquis' Mansion were removed. Although Zhou Jingyun has not been released yet, they said the case is still under investigation, but it has been found that his family members are not involved.

From this we can see that this time the turmoil in the court will not be as haphazard as in the previous ones where the entire family would be exterminated and three or nine clans would be implicated.

After all, Zhang Ze was arrested.

Seeing this situation, the people were not only not afraid, but even privately celebrated the good of this turmoil in the court.

In early autumn, the capital city gradually returned to its bustle.

The Supervisory Office became deserted in early autumn.

Because he was not involved in the investigation, and because many officials here were arrested in connection with the Zhang Ze case, the yamen was deserted and there were few people, the cells were empty, and even the jailers could not be seen until mealtime.

There was dead silence in the dark cell, even the alternation of day and night seemed to have stopped.

When the sound of footsteps was heard in the stagnation, Zhou Jingyun, who was sitting on the bed, opened his eyes. In the dim cell that was dark regardless of day or night, the dim lights on the wall were shaking, and his vision became more blurred, like the rippling surface of a lake. The next moment, someone was walking towards him on the lake.

Her dress fluttered and her figure was graceful, just like a lilac flower floating on the water.

Suddenly seeing this scene in this dark cell, I must have been dreaming or seeing a ghost. How could a normal person not be dazed?

Zhou Jingyun thought to himself, fortunately he has gotten used to it.

"Didn't you come here yesterday?" he said, with a hint of blame.

Bai Li put down the food box in his hand and said, "I know. I didn't plan to come here today. I was going to see the Madam, but I went to the Marquis' Mansion. The Madam is eating mutton rice balls. I thought you would like it, so I brought you one too."

Zhou Jingyun watched Bai Li put out the tableware from the food box and said, "Mother likes to eat this." He smiled again, "She thinks of eating this, it seems that mother is in a good mood."

After saying that, he looked at Bai Li and thanked him sincerely.

"Thanks a lot."

That day when he was captured and saw Bai Li coming, although he stopped Bai Li from approaching him and did not allow her to stop him from being captured, after he was captured, Bai Li did not leave, but went to the Marquis' Mansion.

That night, Bai Li came to the prison cell of the Supervisory Board to tell him about the situation at home.

"Don't worry. I have told my wife the whole story. His Majesty is angry now and will not care. When we investigate later, we will find out that you were forced."

"When I went there, the lady was still in good spirits. She even had the energy to scold you, saying that she knew this would happen sooner or later."

"I asked Chunyue to talk to my aunt, so that she wouldn't be worried at home because she doesn't know what's going on."

Then he told the wife of the Marquis of Dongyang about his condition in the cell. He was locked up in the Supervisory Court, but there was no torture, and he was waiting for questioning to verify his testimony.

She ran back and forth, conveying the message and asking all of them not to rush.

Isn't she anxious too?

Ten days later, there was finally good news that made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

The emperor abdicated and Li Yu became the new emperor.

The seal on the Marquis's mansion was removed and he regained his freedom.

Bai Li came to tell him the first thing yesterday, and went to the Marquis' Mansion again today to tell him the latest situation.

"The Marquis left the mansion and went to the other courtyard that day. Madam asked the kitchen staff to buy fresh vegetables and meat early in the morning, and told the family to eat and drink to replenish their energy from the fear and anxiety of the past few days."

That’s why we have fresh mutton rice balls.

Zhou Jingyun listened and sighed: "It's me who caused them trouble."

Although the seals on the house have been removed, he is locked in a cell, and his family must still be worried.

Bai Li served him the rice and handed it to him: "You need to wait a little longer. The investigation of cases in the Ministry of Justice is very slow."

"I know, don't be anxious." Zhou Jingyun said, taking the bowl and chopsticks.

Bai Li laughed: "You are the one living in the cell, so you advised me not to worry."

"When something happens, the people who care about me are the most anxious." Zhou Jingyun said, looking at her.

Bai Li also glanced at him and said, "That's because you did that because of me."

"That was my own choice. It has nothing to do with you." Zhou Jingyun interrupted her. "I chose to do this. I have to bear the consequences myself. I can't blame anyone else."

Bai Li was about to say something, but suddenly smiled again: "That's right, there's no need for you and me to be divided like this."

It means that she and he are the same. Zhou Jingyun also smiled and did not continue the topic. He gestured to Bai Li: "You should also serve a bowl of rice." He smiled and said, "Mother didn't let you eat, right?"

Bai Li curled her lips and said, "No, he was just being sarcastic to me, saying that he couldn't afford to entertain the Queen."

Zhou Jingyun smiled and pointed at the food box: "Although I'm not treating you, the food box contains enough for two people."

Bai Li smiled and said, "Madam has a sharp tongue but a soft heart."

Zhou Jingyun watched her fill the rice and eat it. He couldn't help but laugh, "It seems like the Queen didn't have enough to eat in the palace."

Bai Li raised his head and said, "What Queen? You know it's fake."

Isn't that a joke? Lady Dongyanghou can tease her about this, but he can't? Zhou Jingyun thought to himself, looking at Bai Li frowning, he smiled, stretched out his hand to her lips, and wiped away the rice grains that fell in a hurry to speak with his fingers.

"I know," he said, and repeated, "I know."

The fingers touching his lips suddenly, Bai Li paused, looking at Zhou Jingyun who was slightly closer because of his hand.

When the finger touched the corner of his mouth, Zhou Jingyun came back to his senses and was stunned.

But when their eyes met, the atmosphere in the dim cell became strange.

In order to break the weirdness, they both spoke at the same time.

"That"

But as soon as they opened their mouths, they stopped again, as if they didn't know what to say.

This opening seemed even more bizarre.

Bai Li suddenly smiled, his bright eyes sparkling in the darkness.

“Is there any more on my face?” she asked.

Zhou Jingyun paused and then slid his finger, which was still on the corner of Bai Li's mouth, gently across her face and then withdrew it.

"No more." He said with a smile.

Bai Li curled his lips, lowered his head and ate with big mouthfuls.

Zhou Jingyun didn't say anything else and just lowered his head to eat.

The cell fell silent again, the light flickering softly in the dark night.

There was a rustling sound in the cell and someone was shaking the bars hard.

"Zhou Jingyun, Zhou Jingyun."

Zhou Jingyun, who was lying on the bed, did not open his eyes and hummed: "Zhang Ze, if you need anything, just shout for the jailer."

In the cell next door, Zhang Ze stood up by the railing, his eyes gleaming in the darkness: "The Queen is here, right? The Queen has been here, right?"

Zhou Jingyun said calmly: "Zhang Ze, your queen Bai Ying is dead." Zhang Ze sneered: "She is not my queen at all, Zhou Jingyun, you know who I'm talking about!"

He looked around carefully and sniffed hard.

"The Queen must be here."

"I smell it. It smells so good."

"The Queen must have come more than once."

"Why, why doesn't the Queen see me?"

He shook the bars hard, and the lock of the cell door rattled, his voice growing angrier.

"I have done so much for the Queen, why doesn't the Queen come to see me!"

Zhou Jingyun sat up suddenly and shouted, "Zhang Ze, no matter which queen it is, she is dead."

Zhang Ze sneered: "The queen is not dead, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Is what you saw real?" Zhou Jingyun said, standing up and walking over, looking at him through the railing, "Zhang Ze, you are just lost in the maze."

"Zhou Jingyun, you say that, haven't you ever seen her?" Zhang Ze said.

Zhou Jingyun nodded: "Yes, I have seen it, but people can't help but have hallucinations because of obsession. What's true is true, and what's false is false. I won't take hallucinations as reality."

Zhang Ze grabbed the railing and looked at him fiercely: "It's you! If you didn't think about the queen, the queen wouldn't appear. Why don't you die? I have testified that you colluded with Bai Ying to kill the queen, why doesn't His Majesty kill you!"

Zhou Jingyun smiled and said, "Will His Majesty believe what a villain like you says?" Then he turned and walked towards the bed. "Don't have any more delusions. A dead person is dead. A bad thing is a bad thing. Who are you doing this for? You are only doing this for yourself."

"Of course I did it for the queen. The queen saw it all, so I am alive now." Zhang Ze said, then looked around and laughed, "I know, it was the queen who saved me and kept me alive. The queen - the queen -"

he shouted loudly.

"I will live well and do things for you."

As he spoke, he paced back and forth in the cell, his voice joyful, sometimes laughing, sometimes muttering to himself.

Zhou Jingyun sat beside the bed and looked at him. This was not the first time that Zhang Ze had done this. When he was transferred here from the Ministry of Justice's prison, Zhang Ze was already here.

Zhang Ze was in a coma most of the time, and occasionally woke up. When he woke up, he seemed to be awake, recognized him, and knew what happened, but he didn't seem to be awake, because -

"Ah! Who is this!"

Zhang Ze's somewhat frightened shout suddenly came from next door.

Zhou Jingyun looked over and saw him stop, looking at a corner with his body tensed. It seemed that there was someone in the corner, but in fact there was no one in the dim light.

Zhang Ze clenched his fists, walked over slowly, leaned over to take a look, and then his voice was no longer one of fear, but a sneer.

"Mr. Gao, what do you want to do?"

He seemed to be talking to someone in the corner and then laughed.

"Seeking revenge on me? Am I afraid of you? Yes, I killed your whole family, so what? It's your bad luck——"

As he spoke, he swung his hand violently, as if pulling out a knife.

"I can kill you once, and I can kill you twice!"

As he spoke, he swung his knife and the light flickered. Zhang Ze stood there with an arrogant look on his face, looking around the cell.

"Ghosts and monsters, am I afraid of you? I, Zhang Ze, am not a coward!"

He held his empty waist and paced in the cell, sometimes hacking and killing, sometimes sitting on the ground and laughing heartily, as if he was accepting everyone's praise.

Zhou Jingyun watched quietly. Zhang Ze could no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy.

Compared to reality, he might prefer to live in fantasy.

"You——" Zhang Ze, who was sitting on the ground, suddenly froze, looked in one direction, and said hesitantly, "Dad?"

As he spoke, he stood up, frowning with displeasure.

"What are you here for?"

He said this and threw his hands away in disgust.

"Don't pull me, I'm busy."

"Your legs hurt? If your legs hurt, lie down and don't move. The pain will go away if you lie down."

"It's no big deal that you lost a leg. You could live like this with both legs intact, but it's different now."

"Dad, I, your son, will go to Beijing to serve as an official, and then rise to the top. By then, I will be rich, powerful, and majestic."

"Let go, don't pull my clothes, Dad, you——"

As he spoke, Zhang Ze suddenly reached out and grabbed his neck, his face ashen.

"You're strangling me, let go—"

He struggled as if someone was climbing on top of him. He swung his body around, but couldn't shake off the person who was strangling him. Until he could no longer speak, he coughed and fell to the ground.

Zhou Jingyun quickly stood up and walked over. Could it be that Zhang Ze strangled himself?

Bai Li said that Zhu Shan was immersed in a dream and killed himself.

He looked at Zhang Ze who was lying motionless on the ground. Just as he was about to call for help, Zhang Ze's stiff body twitched, and he curled up, murmured incoherently.

still alive.

I don’t know what kind of dream I’m immersed in.

Zhou Jingyun shook his head. Living in a fantasy might not necessarily be a good life.

He turned around and touched the marks on the wall. Although there was no distinction between day and night in the cell, Bai Li would carve a mark every time he came.
Since he arrived in this cell, Bai Li would visit him every day.

So he knew clearly that today was today, and when today passed, tomorrow and Bai Li would come together.

Zhou Jingyun smiled slightly, and the next moment his sight flickered, and he saw a figure sitting beside the bed.

The figure gradually became clearer.

The man was holding a teapot and pouring tea into the cup on the table.

The tea is clear, and the aroma of tea and candles is mixed together.

"Your Highness," Xuan Yangzi said, "Since you are in my temple, please try my tea."

Zhou Jingyun looked at him, his body stiffened instantly, and he took a step forward to grab the teacup, but Xuan Yangzi blocked his hand first.

"Sir, tea is for drinking," he said, "don't always think about throwing it in someone's face."

Zhou Jingyun held Xuan Yangzi's wrist. He felt that he was trying very hard, but he could not feel any strength.
Ah Li said that he couldn't feel pain or strength in his dreams.

He fell asleep.

why?
Such a big incident happened in the palace before, and he watched over Xuan Yangzi for a whole day, but Xuan Yangzi didn't even enter his dream. Now that the emperor has abdicated and the King of Chu has ascended the throne, everything has settled. Why did Xuan Yangzi——

Zhou Jingyun held Xuan Yangzi's wrist tightly.

"What happened in the palace?"

What happened to Ah Li?
Has something happened to Ah Li?