The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 450 Xu Ziwu

After his initial excitement subsided, Chen Ze finally managed to calm himself down.

He looked at the person who had come to deliver the message and said, "Quick, let's go, let's go take a look together."

Chen Ze wished he could sprout wings and fly to the border as soon as possible.

His mind was filled with thoughts of finally leaving this awful place. He was willing to go anywhere as long as he could get out of here.

Ruan Yuhu didn't wait long in the carriage before Chen Ze arrived.

"Master, the person has arrived."

Seeing Chen Ze rushing over, the driver turned around and spoke to Ruan Yuhu inside the carriage.

"Yeah, they came pretty quickly."

Ruan Yuhu handed her hand to Ju Ruo and said, "Let's go, it's time for us to make our appearance."

Just as Ju Ruo helped Ruan Yuhu out of the carriage, Chen Ze rushed over, clasped his hands and bowed to Ruan Yuhu, saying, "Your Majesty, your humble servant Chen Ze has come to pay his respects."

The rule here is that whoever comes with a token is their master.

"Okay, let's go, I need to see that person."

Ruan Yuhu didn't say much and went straight to the point.

"Yes, my lord, please follow me."

Chen Ze respectfully stepped aside and led the way for Ruan Yuhu.

Chen Ze led the way, with Ju Ruo supporting Ruan Yuhu as they followed closely behind, and the rest of the group were Ruan Yuhu's people.

After passing through several checkpoints, they arrived at the prison where the former imperial advisor was being held.

Chen Ze stopped and turned to Ruan Yuhu, saying, "My lord, we've arrived."

"Okay, open the door."

Looking at the large iron gate in front of her, Ruan Yuhu couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. It had been more than a decade since she last saw the person inside.

I wonder what that once spirited and arrogant man looks like now.

Chen Ze unlocked the iron gate and stepped aside.

Ruan Yuhu turned and took the food box from Ju Ruo's hand, and instructed, "You don't need to come with me, I can go in by myself."

"Master, let's take two people in."

Ju Ruo was the only one among these people, besides Ruan Yuhu, who had met the former national advisor.

Ju Ruo was well aware of the extent of this former imperial advisor's abilities.

Although that person has been imprisoned here for many years, his skills will not disappear because of it.

Moreover, that person has been imprisoned for so many years, he might have gone mad. If Ruan Yuhu goes alone now, she might be in danger.

"It's nothing, don't worry. I'm just going in to visit an old friend. Don't worry, even if he's gone mad now, he won't hurt me."

Ruan Yuhu dared to say this not because she truly believed that the people inside wouldn't harm her, but because she knew they couldn't.

When the late emperor imprisoned this man here, he poisoned him with a slow-acting poison that could erode the body's internal organs.

If a person takes the medicine and does not receive timely detoxification, the poison will slowly invade their internal organs over time.

Once this poison invades a person's internal organs, that person is basically rendered useless.

Before that person was brought to the emperor's presence, the late emperor had someone drug him.

When he was brought here, the poison had already invaded his entire body.

Therefore, Ruan Yuhu was certain that even if she stood in front of that person now, that person could not harm her in the slightest.

Ruan Yuhu carried the food box and walked through the iron gate.

Upon entering through the iron gate, a gust of cold wind rushed towards them, causing Ruan Yuhu to shiver involuntarily.

Ruan Yuhu straightened her clothes, picked up the food box, and continued walking forward.

By the dim firelight, Ruan Yuhu saw the person chained up.

Ruan Yuhu paused, stunned. She had thought that this person's life here wouldn't be easy, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad.

Hearing footsteps, the man slightly raised his head, squinted at them, and then lowered his head again.

Having lived in darkness for many years, his eyesight had long since deteriorated. Even when he saw Ruan Yuhu in front of him, he could only see a shadow.

"Xu Ziwu, how have you been these past few years?"

Seeing the person who was once so flamboyant and spirited now reduced to this state, Ruan Yuhu felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but feel distressed.

Upon hearing someone call his real name, Xu Ziwu abruptly raised his head and stared intently at Ruan Yuhu in front of him.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

Xu Ziwu's voice was filled with a sense of weakness and impending death.

"I am Ruan Yuhu, do you still remember me?"

Ruan Yuhu walked over to Xu Ziwu, placed the food box in his hand on the stone table in front of him, and took out the food inside one by one and arranged it on the stone table.

"Miss Ruan, Miss Ruan, Miss Ruan."

Xu Ziwu kept repeating the name he used to call Ruan Yuhu.

"Miss Ruan, what brings you here?"

Xu Ziwu was surprised and saddened. If the person who came was indeed Ruan Yuhu, it meant that the person might no longer be alive.

Although he had a grudge against that person, he still cherishes the kindness that person showed him and has never forgotten it.

"He, he, he..."

Xu Ziwu hesitated for a long time, but still couldn't get the question he wanted to ask out.

"He passed away seven years ago, and now the emperor of Yunli is his son, Li Rui."

Ruan Yuhu knew what Xu Ziwu wanted to ask, so she answered him.

"He's already dead."

Although Xu Ziwu already had the answer in his heart before asking, he still couldn't help feeling disappointed and sad when his guess was confirmed.

"Yes, he died of old age and peacefully."

Faced with Xu Ziwu now, Ruan Yuhu simply couldn't bring herself to speak and reveal the true cause of the late emperor's death.

All Ruan Yuhu can do now is deceive him and give him some comfort.

Xu Ziwu lowered his head again and stopped talking.

Ruan Yuhu glanced at Xu Ziwu and said, "Everyone has to go down this path eventually. Fortunately, he didn't suffer too much when he died."

"You don't need to be too sad about this anymore. Anyway, we'll both be walking this path from now on. After we die, we can go down to the underworld to see him."

Ruan Yuhu had absolutely no expectation of meeting the late emperor after her death.

The beginning of her life's suffering all stemmed from the late emperor. When he was alive, she and he had already grown to loathe each other, and after his death, she never wanted to see him again.

Xu Ziwu kept his head down and remained silent; he was clearly still reeling from the confirmation he had just received.

Ruan Yuhu laid out the food, walked up to Xu Ziwu, and said, "I'll unlock the chains binding you. Let's sit down, have a proper meal, and have a chat, shall we?"

Xu Ziwu looked up at Ruan Yuhu and did not object to her suggestion. He probably already guessed why Ruan Yuhu had come.

He has been imprisoned here for years and has suffered endless torment. Living has been nothing but endless torture and pain for him. Now, death is the greatest relief for him.

But without that person's orders, he wouldn't even have had a chance to die.

Now that Ruan Yuhu has arrived, although she is not here to take his life, he can ask her to help him fulfill this wish after his request is met.

After untying Xu Ziwu's chains, Ruan Yuhu helped him to sit down at the stone table, and then she went to sit opposite him.

"These are all foods you used to like. I brought them from the palace. However, after the journey, they have been sitting for a while and may not taste as good as they used to."

Ruan Yuhu picked up a piece of hibiscus hawthorn cake, put it in the small dish she had brought, and placed it in front of Xu Ziwu.

Xu Ziwu's lips curled into a slight sneer as he said, "Given my current situation, I'm already lucky to have anything to eat. How could I possibly have the right to be picky?"

After saying this, he fumbled for his chopsticks, picked up the hawthorn cake from the small dish, and savored it carefully.

This used to be his favorite food. I have to say, the chefs' skills are truly exceptional. This hibiscus hawthorn cake tastes as delicious as ever.

It's quite remarkable that after all these years, Ruan Yuhu still remembers that he loves to eat this hibiscus hawthorn cake.

This sentiment is more precious to him than anything else right now.

"Eat slowly, there are also chestnut pastries, red bean buns, fresh cheese, puff pastry... lots of things you like to eat."

"In addition, there's your favorite Luohua Bai tea. I brought two large jugs with me this time, enough for you to drink."

Watching Xu Ziwu eat, Ruan Yuhu felt inexplicably sad.

The person in front of me should have been a chosen one, but because of his greed, he not only ruined his promising future and caused his family to be destroyed, but also trapped himself in this dark and hopeless place.

It's really wrong of him. If he were given another chance, I wonder if he would regret his madness and stubbornness back then.

Seeing that Xu Ziwu had finished eating the hibiscus hawthorn cake, Ruan Yuhu quickly prepared other food for him.

In addition, he didn't forget to put the fallen petals he had brought in a bowl and hand it to Xu Ziwu.

Xu Ziwu took the Luohua Bai wine handed to him by Ruan Yuhu and drank it all in one gulp.

It's not that he doesn't get to drink the fallen flowers for free here; it's just that he can't drink them on ordinary days. He can only have a little bit during the New Year, and even then, it's not enough to satisfy him.

To be able to have such a good drink before dying, I can say I have no regrets about dying.

After drinking heartily, Xu Ziwu put down his wine bowl and said, "Another bowl, please!"

Ruan Yuhu didn't say anything, and poured him a full bowl of Luohua Bai.

Without saying a word, Xu Ziwu downed his drink in one gulp. Now that he had had his fill, he started eating, disregarding his image and grabbing food with his hands.

Ruan Yuhu didn't say much; she just quietly looked at Xu Ziwu.

A moment later, Xu Ziwu finished eating and drinking, and he reached out to wipe the food residue left on his mouth.

Ruan Yuhu promptly handed over a handkerchief, which Xu Ziwu took and carefully wiped his mouth and face.

Only then did he speak, "Miss Ruan, you didn't come all this way just to see this old man, did you?"

"We've eaten and drunk, so please tell us what's on your mind."

We're all smart people, so it's best to speak frankly and directly. There's really no need to go to any trouble or play any tricks.

Ruan Yuhu smiled and said, "Besides visiting you, I did come here today to ask you some questions."

"The matter I am asking concerns the future of Yunli, so please tell me the truth."

"I can offer you something very important in exchange."

"And once I know what I want to know, I can help you escape like a cicada shedding its shell, fake your death and leave this place, giving you your freedom."

Ruan Yuhu knew very well what kind of person Xu Ziwu was; he always needed others to make an equal exchange for him in everything he did.

It has to be said that the conditions proposed by Ruan Yuhu were extremely tempting for Xu Ziwu at this point.

But freedom has lost all meaning for Xu Ziwu now.

His family was all killed because of his stubbornness back then. Even if he is now free, without his family by his side, he is nothing more than a pitiful old man.

“Miss Ruan, please ask whatever you want, but I have other conditions in exchange.”

"Don't worry, it won't be anything that will put you in a difficult position. My terms are a piece of cake for you."

Ruan Yuhu smiled and looked down. If Xu Ziwu knew what he was going to tell him, he wouldn't make any more demands.

"Okay, deal."

"Then Miss Ruan, please begin your questions. If I know something that I know, I will certainly answer it without reservation, and I will answer it without exhausting my knowledge."

What Xu Ziwu once held dear is now utterly worthless to him.

It's a good thing that he was able to share with others before he died, since it's better to say those things out loud than to take them to the grave.

Xu Ziwu has been in this dark and gloomy place for long enough. This much time is enough for him to calm down and figure out many things.

Back then, he was arrogant because he believed he could foresee destiny and was a chosen one of heaven, so he did things entirely according to his own will and didn't care about anyone else.

Let alone others, even the late emperor had to be mindful of his mood when dealing with him.

So in that environment, he naturally developed a spoiled, stubborn, and opinionated personality, looking down on everyone and insisting on doing whatever he wanted.

It was precisely because of his personality that he ended up in such a state, and even his family members lost their lives because of it.

Looking back now, I realize how incredibly arrogant I was back then. Since ancient times, there has been a clear distinction between rulers and subjects, yet I still thought of being friends with the king and negotiating with him.