Jun You Ji Fou

Chapter 13

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"You don't need to know," the man replied, standing in front of the window, gazing at the seamless blend of sky and water in Qujiang.

"Bringing in so much gunpowder, only to store it and neither sell nor move it, are you waiting for someone to come after me?" he said through clenched teeth. "Are you planning to sacrifice me?"

The man suddenly laughed, turned around, and looked at him. "Even if I didn't do this, how long could you hold on? And your wife, how long could she last?"

Tan Jing suddenly woke up with a start. Sitting up, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and felt the weight on his wrist; the sound of iron chains accompanied his movements. Below him was the slightly damp straw. Looking at his own pale prison uniform, he paused, his memories before fainting slowly coming back to him.

Everything had happened too quickly for him to react. All he remembered was Su Shiyu's smile before he lost consciousness, leaving only a soreness in the back of his neck.

The current situation was clear at a glance. He lowered his head and let out a bitter laugh.

"You're awake?" a gentle voice sounded.

Tan Jing's heart skipped a beat. He looked up to see someone tall and dignified leaning against the wall, looking at him through the bars of the cell door.

"Your Excellency the Censor has impressive skills, truly hidden deep," Tan Jing said coldly.

"Flattery," was the reply.

"With the evidence at hand, why doesn't Your Excellency the Censor close the case instead of coming to such an ominous place?" Tan Jing asked.

"I came to see you," Su Shiyu said.

Tan Jing laughed coldly. "I don't think there's anything about me worth your visit."

"I remember when you first entered service, you were full of ambition, willing to die for the people and the country," Su Shiyu looked at the man in the dark cell, his appearance disheveled, "And now you've ended up like this."

"You might be disappointed, Your Excellency," Tan Jing said casually, sitting on the ground. "Past and present, even at the moment of death, I have no regrets about anything I've done. That includes serving the country, smuggling, murder, and causing harm."

"That sounds quite contradictory," Su Shiyu stated flatly.

"It's quite simple," Tan Jing lowered his eyes and said. "Your Excellency the Censor probably knows that my wife fell into an ice pit. After she was rescued, she developed a high fever that eventually left her mentally impaired. Since then, she has suffered from a chronic illness, causing her to smash things, hurt others, and even harm herself uncontrollably during her episodes. There's no cure for her condition, only continuous medication to alleviate her pain."

"Is that why you've resorted to smuggling and amassing wealth through official ships?"

"In the capital, my position seems glamorous, envied by many. Yet, the cost of her medicine is like trying to douse a fire with a cup of water. How could I stand by and watch her suffer to death?" Tan Jing said with a bitter smile. "If I can't even protect her, how can I care about the lives of the common people?"

"If your wife knew what you've done for her, she'd probably rather die than see you take such a wrong path," Su Shiyu said.

"She will never understand all this," Tan Jing, looking at the bite marks and scars on his wrist, softened his tone. "It took me a year for her to recognize me again, and another two to teach her my name. Once, during an episode, my hand was bleeding profusely from stopping her. After she came to, she held my hand, crying without being able to say anything, just kept calling my name, over and over." Tan Jing paused, swallowing his emotions, and looked up at Su Shiyu, "If you were in my place, could you bear to see her suffer?"