Chapter 134: Song Fuyao’s Past

Later that afternoon, Lu Yang returned to the Imperial Prison.

The announcement at the Gate of Heavenly Peace had already become the subject of countless conversations throughout the Imperial Capital. Even within the prison, the guards and officials were discussing the coming succession.

Some were speculating about the Crown Prince’s policies, and some were wondering whether the change in the throne would affect their positions and prospects.

However, before long, the atmosphere returned to its usual leisurely pace.

They were merely errand runners hired by the Imperial Court, not even considered sub-officials like the Prison Wardens.

The changes happening at the top of the dynasty would hardly affect their daily lives.

Lu Yang thought so too.

The abdication of the Emperor was certainly a major event, but until the new Emperor actually ascended the throne, there was little reason to speculate about matters beyond his control.

After finishing his duties, he received the food he had ordered at the entrance of the Imperial Prison and headed towards Song Fuyao’s cell.

The woman was sitting quietly inside.

When she heard his footsteps, she raised her head and glanced at him through the iron bars.

"Dog official, what are you doing here again?"

Lu Yang ignored her greeting and placed a portion of food near the entrance of her cell, pushing it inside.

Song Fuyao glanced at the food.

There was rice, vegetables, and a piece of chicken.

She raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What? Have you finally decided to poison me?"

"If I wanted to poison you, I wouldn’t need to waste such good food." Lu Yang retorted, uncorking his wine gourd.

"How arrogant. Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you’re an official?" Song Fuyao said.

Lu Yang pulled a stool towards the cell and sat down.

"Considering that you’re currently in prison, I think it’s rather obvious that I can do whatever I want within the limits of my authority."

Song Fuyao glared at him, "Dog official!"

Lu Yang smiled faintly and began eating his own portion.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Song Fuyao eventually picked up the chicken and began eating, while Lu Yang calmly finished his meal.

Only after they had eaten for some time did he casually mention the announcement from earlier that day.

"The Emperor has decided to abdicate."

Song Fuyao’s hand paused as she slowly raised her head.

"What?"

"The current Emperor has ruled for a hundred years. This morning, the Imperial Court announced that he will pass the throne to the Crown Prince. The enthronement ceremony will take place two months from now."

Lu Yang took another bite of food before continuing.

"When the new Emperor ascends the throne, there will probably be a general amnesty. Your case has been postponed indefinitely, so you should be released by then."

He had mentioned it rather casually.

After all, Song Fuyao had been imprisoned for years, and there was no indication that anyone intended to revisit her case.

Unless someone intervened, she would probably have remained in the Imperial Prison until the next opportunity for a general amnesty. Now, that opportunity was approaching.

However, Song Fuyao did not respond.

She lowered her head and continued nibbling at the chicken, her expression difficult to read.

Lu Yang glanced at her but did not press the matter.

He had expected her to react more strongly, perhaps by cursing the Imperial Court or declaring that she would never accept the Emperor’s mercy.

Instead, she remained silent.

After a while, she suddenly spoke.

"I was born into a small cultivation clan in a county town."

Lu Yang’s chopsticks paused briefly, his gaze turning towards her.

Song Fuyao continued speaking without meeting his eyes.

"My family wasn’t particularly powerful. We only had a few cultivators who had reached the middle stages of Body Tempering Realm, and our clan possessed little influence beyond the county."

She took another bite of chicken.

"But I was different."

At this point, a faint trace of pride appeared in her voice.

"I was the only daughter of the clan head, and my cultivation talent was considered exceptional. When I was ten, I had already reached the Third Stage of Body Tempering Realm."

Lu Yang listened quietly.

Reaching the Third Stage of Body Tempering Realm at ten was indeed impressive.

In an ordinary county town, such talent could easily attract the attention of stronger families or even cultivation sects.

If she had continued cultivating under suitable conditions, reaching the Spirit Awakening Realm was almost a certainty.

For a small clan, she represented the possibility of rising above its circumstances and the hope of establishing a more prosperous future.

Song Fuyao was silent for a moment before continuing, her voice becoming noticeably colder.

"But when I was thirteen, everything changed. The County Magistrate accused my father of tax fraud and deceiving the Emperor. He claimed that my family had concealed its income, evaded the taxes owed to the Imperial Court, and falsified its records to enrich itself."

Lu Yang’s expression changed slightly.

Tax fraud was a serious offense in Great Qian, particularly when a case involved accusations of deliberately deceiving the Emperor.

Depending on the circumstances, the punishment could be extremely severe.

Song Fuyao continued speaking.

"My father denied everything. He submitted the clan’s records, presented witnesses, and asked for an investigation."

She laughed softly, a trace of bitterness in her voice.

"But the County Magistrate had already decided the outcome. He needed someone to take the blame for his own affairs. My father had refused to cooperate with him in the past, so our family became the perfect target."

Lu Yang remained silent as she spoke.

"The investigation was a farce. The witnesses who spoke in my father’s favor were threatened, the records we submitted were dismissed as fabricated, and the evidence against us was accepted without question."

Song Fuyao lowered her gaze slightly.

"In the end, my father was convicted and executed."

For a moment, the only sound inside the cell was the distant movement of guards.

"My family fell apart soon afterwards. Some members abandoned the clan to save themselves and some were implicated in the case, while those who remained lost their livelihoods and were forced to leave the county."

She paused briefly before saying.

"By the time I understood what was happening, there was almost nothing left."

Lu Yang looked at her quietly, not knowing what to say.

He knew that Song Fuyao’s imprisonment was connected to her repeated interference in government affairs across several counties.

However, he had never learned the full reason behind her actions.

Now, he finally understood.

She was not just an unruly young cultivator who enjoyed challenging the authorities, but had once possessed a family, a home, and a future she believed she could build through her own efforts.

Then, in a short period of time, everything was taken away from her, and that too by a government official who used the authority entrusted to him to destroy an innocent family.

"After that," Song Fuyao continued, "I tried to seek justice."

Her lips curled into a bitter smile.

"I submitted petitions, searched for officials willing to investigate the case, and even tried to find someone in the prefecture who could overturn the verdict."

She shook her head slightly.

"Do you know what they told me?"

Lu Yang did not answer, waiting for her to continue.

"They said the case has already concluded, and the County Magistrate followed the proper procedures. They also said that I was a young girl who couldn’t accept her father’s guilt."

Song Fuyao’s voice was calm, but the hatred contained within was unmistakable.

"And when I continued making trouble, they began treating me as a criminal."

She finally looked up at Lu Yang.

"Tell me, dog official, what was I supposed to do?"

Lu Yang met her gaze without speaking.

Song Fuyao shook her head again, a mocking smile on her face.

"I was thirteen, had just watched my father die, and everyone who was supposed to uphold justice told me there was nothing wrong with what happened."

She looked down at the remaining food, her voice becoming quieter.

"Eventually, I stopped trying to convince them. If they refused to listen, I would make enough trouble that they couldn’t ignore me."

That was how she spent the following years.

She interfered with government affairs, disrupted the activities of officials, and repeatedly challenged the authorities across several counties.

She had been arrested before, but her cultivation and resourcefulness allowed her to escape local prisons more than once.

Eventually, however, she was recognized near the Imperial Capital and transferred to the Imperial Prison.

Five years had passed since then.

Five years of confinement, uncertainty, and an unresolved case, and now, she was being told that she might finally be released because a new Emperor was about to ascend the throne.

Song Fuyao lowered her head and continued eating.

"I hate this dynasty."

Her voice was almost inaudible.

"I hate the Imperial Court, I hate the officials who use their authority to destroy people, and I hate everyone who continues supporting this rotten system while pretending that everything is fine and prosperous. A new Emperor won’t change anything."