TGCFNM -Chapter 369 She Ran Into an Acquaintance

As soon as Chu Ling arrived at the Dali Temple prison, she spotted a familiar face. Smiling brightly, she waved in greeting.

“How’s the medicine working?”

“Much better. Thank you, Lord Chu,” the head warden replied with a slight bow.

Chu Ling smiled. “No need to thank me.” She then strolled forward on her own. “Let’s use the same cell as last time. It looks cleaner.”

Lu Shi turned to glance at the somewhat silent Hong Shiyuan beside him. “Hong Shiyuan, you really know how to make trouble for me!”

Hong Shiyuan gave an awkward smile. “My lord’s intentions are good.”

“If it weren’t for him investigating this case, I wouldn’t have been persuaded by you,” Lu Shi said as he also walked forward.

By this time, Chu Ling had already reached the cell door. Before the warden could even act, she deftly pried open the lock with a silver needle and stepped inside—then calmly locked it again from within.

With a soft click, Chu Ling released her hand in satisfaction. When she looked up, she saw three stunned faces staring at her.

The warden silently cupped his hands in farewell and left with the keys.

Hong Shiyuan strode up to the cell. “My lord! Where did you learn to pick locks like that?”

“Uh…” Chu Ling’s eyes darted as she tried to think of an excuse, but when she met Lord Lu’s sharp gaze, she gave up and answered honestly, “My master taught me.”

Bai Su nodded. She had indeed taught her well.

Hong Shiyuan closed his eyes briefly, leaning against the cell door. After steadying himself, he asked, “My lord, tell me—what are you planning to do next?”

Lu Shi stepped forward, studying Chu Ling carefully. Based on the bits of information Hong Shiyuan had shared earlier, he could already guess his plan.

“She deliberately got herself thrown into prison and can unlock a cell so easily. The next step—wouldn’t that be escaping?”

Chu Ling gave an embarrassed smile and looked to Uncle Hong for help.

Still somewhat unwilling to believe it, Hong Shiyuan asked directly, “My lord, are you planning to break out of prison? Out of the Dali Temple prison?”

Chu Ling glanced at Lu Shi and reluctantly nodded.

“I want to lure someone in. I need to get that so-called Painting Sage, Xu Shiyin, into this cell. It’s part of the plan.” Clinging to the cell door, she looked pitiful. “There must be someone backing Canghua Tower. Xu Shiyin is definitely a key figure among them. If we want to wipe them all out in one sweep, we’ll have to take a risk.”

After hearing this, Hong Shiyuan felt she had a point. He turned to Lu Shi. “It does seem like this is the only way to avoid alerting them.”

Lu Shi looked at him with a complicated expression. “…He’s not trying to catch them all in one go. He knows perfectly well that he can’t touch the real power behind them, so he’s using this chain of schemes to deliberately make the matter blow up.”

Hong Shiyuan blinked in surprise. “Is that so?”

“In a normal investigation, if he suspected the courtesan deaths, he could gather evidence and submit it to the prefectural office. Failing that, he could use your connections to pass the evidence to me. As Minister of Dali Temple, I could seal the brothel, arrest the madam, detain Xu Shiyin for interrogation, and once questioned, the case could be closed. Wouldn’t that be much simpler?” Lu Shi said.

Hong Shiyuan slowly turned to look at Chu Ling. “My lord?”

Chu Ling rolled her eyes upward. “Then why have so many courtesans died without anyone ever opening a case? Does anyone really believe that nonsense about paintings of beauties stealing souls and killing people? It’s just because they’re from brothels, so no one bothers.”

Hong Shiyuan rubbed his temples, then looked at Lu Shi again. “Well… my lord isn’t wrong either. If no one’s willing to handle it, what else can he do? Of course he has to make it big before anyone will pay attention.”

Lu Shi gave a slight nod. “You’re right. And the reason this case was never officially filed is rather ridiculous—no one reported it.”

Chu Ling abruptly turned to look at him. “No one reported it? What about the families of those courtesans?”

Lu Shi shook his head faintly. “Some are still in Sin Street. Some have already left the capital. But no one filed a report.”

Chu Ling felt it was absurd. The daughters of those families had risked everything, becoming courtesans to save their households—only to die within seven days. After their deaths, did their families not even dare to ask a single question?

“I want to go to Sin Street,” Chu Ling suddenly said.

Lu Shi shook his head. “You can’t. That place isn’t accessible. If you’re wondering why those people didn’t report it, I can tell you… because one person has already died. If they reported it and the investigation continued, the entire family wouldn’t survive. That’s the reason.”

Chu Ling opened her mouth but couldn’t say a single word.

“The one behind all this… has influence reaching the heavens?” she murmured softly.

“And what if they do?” Lu Shi replied. “Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to poke a hole in the sky?” He sighed lightly. “I arrested you under the pretext that the Canghua Tower rat case might be connected to you. So when I release you, it will also be under the conclusion of that case. You’d better come up with a proper explanation yourself.”

Chu Ling grabbed the prison bars. “I already have one. Once Canghua Tower collapses, I’ll say I risked myself to investigate its suspicious dealings. Now that the Canghua Tower case is closed, I can finally be at ease.”

Lu Shi: “……”

Hong Shiyuan choked on his saliva and coughed, then hurriedly pulled Lu Shi away.

Only after they exited the prison did Hong Shiyuan apologize. “I owe you one for this.”

“He’ll sooner or later poke so many holes in the sky it’ll turn into a sieve,” Lu Shi said with a faint shake of his head before walking off.

Hong Shiyuan hurried after him. “But his intentions are good. Didn’t you say so yourself? He’s just a slightly reckless good person…”

“He dares to act so fearlessly—that’s one thing. But someone must be guiding him from behind. That’s how he’s able to use existing connections to dive deep into the situation and still withdraw safely… He’s not simple,” Lu Shi said.

Hong Shiyuan froze. Someone behind him? Who?

—

After they left, Chu Ling leaned against the cell door and slid down to sit on the ground.

Ghost Scholar sat cross-legged, looking at her. “Since Lord Lu has said this much, the matter is settled. Next comes the arrest. Before we arrived, I observed that the fallen leaves in the trees had all flipped over from the wind. I estimate Xu Shiyin will drink tonight.”

Chu Ling counted on her fingers, calculating the timing. “The wine Steward Liu prepared, plus the extra ingredient Su He added—so the medicine’s effect will definitely be strong. And if his hands grow cold and stiff while painting, that’ll be troublesome. So he’ll probably drink after dinner…”

“Prison guard! Prison guard!” Chu Ling called out loudly.

The head warden came over with his keys and looked at her.

Chu Ling narrowed her eyes and looked at him with an innocent expression. “Around the time after you’ve finished dinner, come remind me. I need to step out for a bit.”

Head Warden: “……All right.”

Chu Ling thanked him and told him to go back and rest.

Ghost Scholar looked at her. “All the lines that needed to be laid are already in place. Now we just need to pull them tight and drag out everyone involved.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Very soon!”