Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with a Chronicle of Tragic Love

Yingtian Prefecture Prison.

The damp, musty air seeped into the very bones of the person.

The crossbeams are covered in rust.

Liu Rushi's wrists were chained with heavy iron chains, and she was suspended in mid-air below the beam.

Her face, usually adorned with exquisite makeup, was now deathly pale and haggard.

A few stray strands of hair clung to his sweat-dampened forehead, his lips were dry and chapped, but his eyes remained as bright as if they were filled with cold stars.

Outside the prison gate.

Qian Chou stood with his hands behind his back, his brocade official robes spotless.

His gaze was deep and fixed on Liu Rushi in the prison.

In the prison, Hong Chengchou, now with a different name, was pacing back and forth around Liu Rushi.

His gaze was sticky and lewd, sweeping from Liu Rushi's pale face to her shoulders, which were deformed by the iron chains, and further down, filled with undisguised obscenity.

This story begins at Huai Shang Yun Lou.

When Qian Chou captured Liu Rushi that day, his first thought was to throw her into the Eastern Depot's prison.

The Eastern Depot was his territory, equipped with all kinds of torture instruments and with eyes and ears everywhere. He could interrogate people however he wanted, and do whatever he wanted, all while keeping it completely under wraps.

But as soon as he delivered his message, Wei Xian, the head of the Eastern Depot, bluntly rejected it with the words "not in accordance with the rules."

Wei Xian's words were very clear.

Liu Rushi was the most beautiful courtesan in Qinhuai, and half of the literati in Jiangnan fawned over her. If she were to rashly enter the Eastern Depot's prison, she would surely give others ammunition to criticize her and provide her political enemies with leverage.

Qian Chou was at a loss.

They could only take people and escort Liu Rushi to the Yingtian Prefecture prison, where she was imprisoned.

The prison in Yingtian Prefecture and the prison in the Eastern Depot were worlds apart.

The Eastern Depot was their own home; once the doors were closed, they could hold the sky up even if it collapsed.

But this prison in Yingtian Prefecture was crowded with people and eyes watching it.

Any slightly outrageous action would spread throughout the streets and alleys of Yingtian Prefecture the next day, and might even reach the Emperor.

There are naturally far fewer things that can be done.

Qian Chou coughed softly.

Her clear, crisp voice pierced the deathly silence of the cell.

"Master Liu, you came from a humble background, and it is no easy feat for you to have risen to the position of the most beautiful courtesan in Qinhuai today."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the imposing aura of someone steeped in officialdom.

"To have survived in this world to this extent, besides being skilled in both sex and arts, it would be absolutely impossible without a sharp mind."

"To be honest, it was not my intention to capture you and bring you to this prison today. I also know that although the Bao Yansi Golden Elixir came from Huai Shang Yun Lou, it is not something you alone can do to get it into Ningguo Mansion."

"There must be an inside man."

Qian Chou paused at this point.

He raised his hand, his well-defined fingers tapping lightly on the wooden pillar of the cell.

Tap, tap, tap.

The muffled sound spread through the empty cell, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Master Liu, why make things difficult for yourself?"

"Give me the name of that person, and I'll let you go back."

"Go back to your Huai Shang Yun Lou, continue being the most beautiful courtesan on the Qin Huai River, and no one will dare to bother you again."

Liu Rushi scoffed.

Of course she knew what answer Qian Chou wanted.

She also knew that as long as she let go and said that name, she could immediately get out of this dark and gloomy prison.

But the question is, why should we give it to him?

Back then, on the summit of Plum Blossom Mountain, even with Qing soldiers' knives at her neck, she never bowed her head.

Now that I'm in this prison in Yingtian Prefecture, chained up, what difference does it make?

She slowly lowered her head.

He didn't look at Qian Chou outside the prison gate, nor did he say a word to him.

Qian Chou talked to himself for a long time, his throat was almost dry, but he still didn't get a single word of response from Liu Rushi.

The calmness on his face gradually faded.

His gaze gradually turned cold.

"If you refuse a toast, you'll have to drink a penalty cup."

He left those words behind, gave a cold snort, and turned to walk outside.

"Chou'er, I'm leaving him to you."

Hong Chou immediately bowed and clasped his hands in front of him, bowing respectfully.

"Respectfully seeing off Father."

His voice was respectful and utterly flawless.

But in his lowered eyes, an undisguised lewd light instantly shone through.

He only slowly straightened up after Qian Chou's footsteps had completely disappeared at the end of the corridor.

He turned around and walked step by step toward Liu Rushi.

"Master Liu, you heard it too. Father ordered me to 'pry open' your mouth properly."

"Do you want to suffer some physical pain, or—"

Hong Chou didn't finish his sentence.

But his outstretched hand said it all.

That hand, greasy and sweaty, reached straight towards Liu Rushi's beautifully shaped chin.

"Bah! You dare call yourself a scholar!"

Liu Rushi suddenly shouted angrily.

His voice was weak and hoarse.

When the yamen runners of Yingtian Prefecture arrested her, they only thought she was a weak woman and a female prisoner, so they did not lock her feet.

This oversight gave her the opportunity to retaliate.

Hong Chou's hand hadn't even touched her face yet.

There was a muffled "thump".

He didn't even see Liu Rushi's movements clearly; he only felt a heart-wrenching pain in his lower abdomen.

He felt as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer, and instantly curled up like a shrimp.

He clutched his stomach, staggering backward in excruciating pain.

His back slammed hard against the cold prison bars with a loud crash that shook the bars.

"You?"

Liu Rushi's eyes were filled with disdain.

"As fellow graduates of Chongzheng Academy, you are far inferior to Jiao Lang!"

Hong Chou was in so much pain that his face turned pale, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he opened his mouth but couldn't say a word for a long time.

After a long while, he slid down the railing and the excruciating pain subsided.

He raised his head, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Liu Rushi was venomous.

"Liu Rushi! What are you pretending to be, this virtuous and chaste woman?!"

He roared, his voice distorted with rage.

"She's just a whore from the brothels, so what if she's the most beautiful courtesan on the Qinhuai River?"

"Jiao Lang? You dare mention Jiao Si again?"

"You really think that poor, pedantic scholar can save you? Let me tell you, he can't even save himself!"

"Now that I've taken Qian Chou as my father, I'm a favorite of Eunuch Wei of the Eastern Depot. In the entire Yingtian Prefecture, who doesn't give us some face?"

"He's just a powerless and insignificant scholar. Even if he has some talent, what can he use to fight us? His pen?"

"I advise you to be smart! Tell me the name of your mole, and if you serve me well, maybe I can plead with my godfather and spare your life!"

"If you dare to keep your mouth shut, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"In this Yingtianfu prison, there are plenty of ways to make you wish you were dead!"

"At that time, not only you, but even Jiao Si, whom you've been longing for, will lose his head along with you!"

"I'll ruin his reputation so badly that he won't even be allowed to enter Chongzheng Academy. In Yingtian Prefecture, he'll be worse than a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy!"

Hong Chou's harsh words grew more and more insidious with each one.

He thought that threatening Jiao Si would always hit this woman's weak spot.

But Liu Rushi showed no fear whatsoever.

"You? You think you're worthy to lay a finger on Jiao Lang?"

"I, Liu Rushi, have lived for over twenty years. What storms haven't I weathered?"

"Back then, when I was on the top of Plum Blossom Mountain, a steel knife was held to my neck, but I didn't even flinch."

"You think you can make me speak with such underhanded tactics?"

"Show me what you've got."

"If I even frown or cry out in pain, I don't deserve to have grown up on the banks of the Qinhuai River!"

"You think I'll support you? You think I'll bow down? You're dreaming!"

Hong Chou was completely enraged.

He snorted angrily, turned around abruptly, and roared towards the cell door, "Men! Bring all the torture instruments in!"

Soon, two jailers carried in a wooden box.

The box was opened, and a chilling light instantly filled the entire cell.

Whips stained with dried blood, iron clamps with sharp teeth, branding irons glowing red-hot, and countless other instruments of torture whose names are unknown.

The cold gleam of the iron reflected on Liu Rushi's pale face.

But her eyes remained calm.

He showed not a trace of fear, and didn't even blink.

-----------------

Night fell.

In the long corridor of the Yingtianfu prison, only a few dim yellow lanterns swayed in the draft.

Two masked men arrived silently at the entrance to the death row cell where Liu Rushi was being held.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

The two jailers on guard instantly tensed up, drew their swords at their waists, and shouted sternly to stop them.

"This is a serious criminal personally selected by Lord Qian; no one is allowed to visit him! All unauthorized personnel, please leave immediately!"

The masked man walking in front did not speak.

He simply raised his hand slowly and took out a token from his pocket.

The black background with gold lettering, bearing the emblem of the Prince of Beijing's residence, gleamed with a cold, hard light under the dim lamplight.