Chapter 3 – Trying to Silence Me?

After having lunch in the mess hall of the Jinyiwei Command Headquarters, Mu Nanjin was approached by one of Captain Liu’s men.

“Mu Nanjin, Captain Liu wants you to head to the Left Document Courtyard, Room A-1.”

The Document Courtyard was where the Deputy Commanders, Colonels, and Captains handled official business, and it was divided into left and right sections.

The Left Courtyard was under the supervision of Deputy Commander Kan Chaoyan. Among his many subordinates were Captain Liu and Tang Jingrui.

Since Mu Nanjin had been brought into the Jinyiwei by Tang Jingrui, she naturally belonged to the Left Courtyard.

When she arrived outside Room A-1 of the Left Courtyard, two Seventh-Rank Squad Leaders standing guard stopped her from entering.

Mu Nanjin lifted her gaze—it was Zhuang Yanfeng and Du Zan, who had long served at Tang Jingrui’s side.

Both men owed Tang Jingrui their lives; he had once saved them from certain death. To them, Tang Jingrui was practically a second father, someone they respected deeply.

That was precisely why they despised Mu Nanjin to the core. In their eyes, she had endlessly pestered Tang Jingrui, forcing him to take assignments in distant regions just to avoid her.

“Mu Nanjin, how dare a mere unranked Jinyiwei barge into the Document Courtyard? Get out of here before the Deputy Commander sees you!”

Zhuang Yanfeng angrily shoved her shoulder. Unexpectedly, the girl didn’t even budge an inch.

He blinked in surprise. He was a Fourth-Rank martial artist—yet he couldn’t move a seemingly frail girl? What kind of sorcery was this?

Refusing to believe it, Zhuang Yanfeng pushed again, harder this time, but Mu Nanjin still stood firm as a mountain.

He turned to Du Zan, only to see his companion staring intently at Mu Nanjin’s flying fish robe.

“Mu Nanjin, you’ve got some nerve! You dare to steal and wear an Ordinary Jinyiwei’s flying fish uniform just to sneak into the Document Courtyard? If someone finds out, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough to save you! You might not care about your life, but don’t drag Tang Jingrui down with you!”

Mu Nanjin lazily swept her eyes around the area and said, “Captain Liu told me to come.”

“You think we’d still believe you? Let me warn you one last time—if you don’t leave now, we’ll throw you out ourselves. And don’t think we’ll go easy just because you’re a girl.”

In the past, Mu Nanjin had lied to them far too many times. Zhuang Yanfeng and Du Zan no longer believed a single word she said.

“Squad Leader Zhuang, Squad Leader Du—she’s here because I summoned her.”

After waiting quite a while and not seeing Mu Nanjin arrive, Captain Liu had come out to look for her. When he saw her being blocked outside, he hurried forward and stood protectively in front of her.

Zhuang Yanfeng’s expression darkened. “Captain Liu, you know perfectly well that she harbors improper thoughts about Tang Jingrui, yet you still dare to bring her here? Are you not afraid Tang Jingrui will punish you? And that uniform—did you give it to her yourself?”

Captain Liu sighed helplessly. “You two don’t know. While you and Tang Jingrui were away on official duty these past two weeks, Mu Nanjin was promoted to Ordinary Jinyiwei of the Ninth Rank.”

“Ninth Rank? That girl was promoted?” Zhuang Yanfeng and Du Zan stared at him in disbelief. “Who approved her promotion? Was it your recommendation?”

“It was His Majesty’s.”

“His Majesty!?” Both men were utterly stunned, thinking Captain Liu was pulling their leg.

“I’m taking Mu Nanjin to see Deputy Commander Kan. We’ll talk later after your shift ends.” He turned to her. “Mu Nanjin, come with me.”

After they entered Room A-1, Captain Liu shut the door behind them. He then pulled a landscape painting on the wall—suddenly, the floorboards in the center of the room slid open with a rumbling sound, revealing a dark passageway.

“Mu Nanjin, Lord Kan wants you to learn how we interrogate prisoners.”

Mu Nanjin raised a brow in surprise. “He wants me to learn interrogation? Why would Deputy Commander Kan pick me, of all people?”

Captain Liu recited the excuse he’d come up with earlier that morning. “Recently, His Majesty’s plan to hold the Imperial Examinations for women has been met with fierce opposition from the court officials. The Emperor now wants to prove that women can be just as capable as men. You, as a female Jinyiwei—even if you’re only Ninth Rank—can set an example. If you do well, it’ll silence those ministers and show them women are not inferior. This is your chance to shine. Don’t disappoint His Majesty or Lord Kan. If you handle this well, you might even earn another promotion.”

As he finished, Captain Liu silently praised himself. What a perfect story—even he was almost convinced.

Mu Nanjin had spent the past half month on duty at Tai Jin Hall, so she naturally knew about the uproar over the female Imperial Examinations. Most ministers opposed it, believing that “a woman’s virtue lies in her lack of talent.” They insisted women were inferior in every way and should stay home to serve their husbands, raise children, and honor their in-laws. For them, a woman appearing in public was an act of disgrace.

Such outdated thinking made Mu Nanjin itch to slap those ministers across the face.

She stared at the pitch-black tunnel.

【It’s that dark in there… are they trying to silence me?】

Captain Liu: “…”

Of course they weren’t trying to silence her.

Deputy Commander Kan’s true intention was to use Mu Nanjin’s ability to hear people’s inner thoughts to extract confessions from criminals. But whether it would actually work remained to be seen—that’s why he wanted to test it first.

“Hurry up,” Captain Liu urged. “Lord Kan and the others are waiting in the dark prison. Don’t waste time. Oh, and Tang Jingrui is there too.”

The moment Mu Nanjin heard that Tang Jingrui was in the dark prison, she felt a headache coming on.

【Great. Now everyone thinks I have a crush on Tang Jingrui. At this rate, I’ll never get married. I need to find a way to make it clear I’m not interested in him. Maybe if I turn around and leave right now, Captain Liu will stop thinking I’m still hung up on Tang Jingrui.】

“…”

Captain Liu was exhausted just listening to her inner grumbling. He didn’t bother explaining further and simply shoved her into the passageway.

As the entrance sealed behind them, one lantern after another ignited, illuminating the tunnel ahead.

Captain Liu, worried she might be frightened by what awaited them, warned her in advance. “Mu Nanjin, the prisoners inside have all been tortured. The smell of blood might make you uncomfortable, but I assure you—they won’t harm you.”

“Oh.” Mu Nanjin’s tone was indifferent.

She had seen more corpses in her life than she could count—why would a bit of blood bother her?

Half a cup of tea’s time later, they reached the end of the passage.

A massive wooden door stood before them, guarded by over a hundred Jinyiwei, each one a Seventh-Rank martial artist or higher.

Anyone who thought about storming the prison had better think twice—these guards alone could cut them down before they took a step further.

After verifying Captain Liu’s identity, the guards opened the door, and a wave of thick, nauseating blood stench hit them.

Miserable groans and blood-curdling screams echoed from every corner.

Captain Liu glanced at Mu Nanjin, and when he saw she wasn’t the least bit shaken, he finally relaxed.

The most dangerous criminals were held in the lowest level of the dark prison. They had to pass through multiple security checks before reaching it—by the time they arrived, two quarters of an hour had passed.

Then, the sound of an argument drifted out from inside.

Deputy Commander Deng Xingchao’s angry voice roared, “Do as I said! Put him to the torture! I don’t believe he’ll keep his mouth shut after that!”

Tang Jingrui retorted, “This man’s identity is clearly unusual. Unless absolutely necessary, we shouldn’t use torture.”

“Humph! I outrank you, Tang Jingrui. You should follow my orders!”

Deputy Commander Kan Chaoyan spoke calmly, “I think Jingrui is right.”

“What? Tang Jingrui is right? What good does that do us if he can’t make the prisoner talk? Don’t forget—His Majesty’s deadline is approaching. If we can’t get a confession soon, we’ll all be demoted! I, for one, refuse to lose my rank. Chen Liangli, Jiang Buzhi—open the cell and start the interrogation!”

“Yes, sir.” Deng Xingchao’s men moved to unlock the cell.

“Stop!” Tang Jingrui stepped forward and pushed them aside.

Deng Xingchao glared. “What’s the meaning of this, Tang Jingrui?”

Tang Jingrui’s expression darkened. “I don’t approve of resorting to torture so easily. Forced confessions only lead to wrongful cases. In the long run, such methods will stain the Jinyiwei’s name.”

“You—!”

Kan Chaoyan looked toward the entrance. “They’re here.”

Deng Xingchao frowned. “Who’s here?”

“Captain Liu and Mu Nanjin.”