The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 67

The cell was dark and damp, and Qian Zhen was filled with fear and anxiety.

Qian Lai reached out with trembling hands to touch Qian Zhen’s face. When his fingers brushed against a wound, Qian Zhen winced in pain, gasping and turning his head away.

“Father, it hurts,” Qian Zhen whimpered.

Qian Lai clenched his suspended hand into a fist, feeling a sharp pain in his heart. “Don’t worry, I will get you out of here.”

“Father, hurry! I can’t take their beatings anymore!” Qian Zhen pleaded.

Qian Lai was confused. “You’ve already taken the blame for the Third Young Master of Duke. Why are you still being punished in prison?”

Qian Zhen cried, “How would I know? Every morning, they whip me. I don’t know why.”

Hearing this, Qian Lai felt as if his heart was being flogged too. Unable to bear listening or watching any longer, he took a deep breath. “I will definitely get you out.”

With that, he turned and hurried away, afraid that if he didn’t leave now, he wouldn’t have the strength to walk out.

Outside the prison, Qian Lai walked aimlessly through the bustling streets of the capital. The capital was prosperous and lively, with people coming and going, but Qian Lai moved forward, dazed. After an unknown amount of time, he finally stopped. He found himself standing next to an old pagoda tree at the gate of Duke.

The mansion’s gate was wide open. The Third Young Master of Duke was standing at the entrance, smiling and seeing off some prominent guests from the capital. Through the wide-open gate, he could see the mansion bustling with red lanterns, preparing for the upcoming festival. The scene made Qian Lai’s eyes sting with unshed tears.

He took a deep breath, stepped out of the tree’s shadow, and walked towards the gate of Duke.

“Uncle, take care. I’ll send the little radishes you like to your residence early tomorrow morning,” the Third Young Master said with a polite smile to the departing guest. The guest smiled without speaking, warmly patting the Third Young Master’s shoulder before stepping into a spacious sedan chair.

As the sedan chair left, the Third Young Master’s smile quickly faded. Exhausted, he sighed heavily, “Finally, the last guest is gone.”

These tasks usually fell to the heir, but since the heir was ill, the responsibility had fallen to him. Turning to head back into the mansion, he heard a voice call out to him.

“Third Young Master…” Qian Lai’s voice was hoarse as he raised his hand to call out.

The Third Young Master stopped and turned. “Who are you?”

Qian Lai oversaw the gold mine for the Duke’s Estate, and his son was a classmate of the Third Young Master, but he usually only dealt with the Duked the heir. Though he had seen the Third Young Master before, the Third Young Master didn’t recognize him.

Taking a difficult breath, Qian Lai said, “I am Qian…”

He had intended to say he was Qian Zhen’s father, but something flashed through his mind, making him change his words. “I am a person assigned by the Duke to handle matters in Yuzhou. There’s an urgent issue, and I need to report to the Duke.”

Without changing his expression, Qian Lai spoke slowly. The Third Young Master looked Qian Lai up and down, impatiently saying, “Wait here.”

With that, he turned and went back into the mansion. As soon as the Third Young Master went in, the servant at the gate slammed it shut. Qian Lai stood there, feeling the cold wind pierce his bones. His son was still in prison. The real culprit was still living freely, as if nothing had happened. His legs wobbled, and he nearly fell but managed to steady himself by holding onto the stone lion at the gate.

Just as he was lost in his sorrow, the small side door creaked open. The steward of Duke poked his head out, “Qian Lai, this way.”

Upon hearing his name, Qian Lai looked over, took several deep breaths to steady himself, and walked forward. From the gate to the Duke’s study, the steward remained silent but walked quickly. The Duke was pacing anxiously in his study. As soon as Qian Lai entered, the Duke asked, “What’s happened?”

The steward had already withdrawn and closed the door. Qian Lai could still smell the alcohol on the Duke. Suppressing the stabbing pain in his heart, Qian Lai bowed and reported, “The gold mine on Linglong Mountain in Yuzhou has been discovered.”

Upon hearing this, the Duke’s face instantly turned pale, “What?”

“A hunter used too much gunpowder to blow up a tiger’s den, causing a big commotion that alerted the Yuzhou magistrate. When the magistrate investigated, he discovered the gold mine.”

The Duke nearly fainted. How could someone be so foolish as to blow up a tiger’s den? Were they insane?

Wait… Something wasn’t right!

He had stationed people near the mine entrance to ensure no one would discover it. Even if someone tried to blow up a tiger’s den, his men should have prevented it. How did the hunter manage to do it? And even if the den was blown up, how did the magistrate find out? Were all his men dead?

“When did this happen?” the Duke demanded.

Qian Lai replied, “About four or five days ago.”

The Duke’s face darkened as he paced. Four or five days… Four or five days ago, his son had suddenly gone missing. A bad feeling washed over the Duke, making him nearly lose his balance. Steadying himself against a table, the Duke looked at Qian Lai, his eyes narrowed, filled with cold suspicion.

“The gold mine was discovered. How did you find out?”

A chill ran through Qian Lai’s heart. The Duke was suspecting him. How dare he!

“Right after the explosion, someone you had stationed at the base of the mountain came to my shop with the news. I rushed to Linglong Mountain and happened to meet Magistrate Zhao, who was escorting the miners down.”

The Duke’s eyebrows knitted together, his eyes suddenly filled with urgency. “Escorting the miners down? Was there anyone else?” Even his voice trembled with suppressed anxiety.

Qian Lai felt puzzled. When the Duke heard about the mine’s discovery, he wasn’t as agitated as he was now… Shouldn’t he have been worried from the start?

Pushing down his doubts, Qian Lai said, “There was also the overseer you appointed, Liu Da. It all happened so quickly that I ordered his assassination and immediately set out to inform you.”

The Duke stared at Qian Lai. “Why didn’t you try to delay the magistrate and then send someone to inform me?”

Qian Lai bowed deeper. “It was such a significant event. I couldn’t hold them back. If I hadn’t interfered, Magistrate Zhao might not have linked it to you, but if I had, it could have backfired. I dared not take the risk.”

The Duke squinted at Qian Lai, his expression unreadable. The air in the study grew thick with tension.

After a long silence, the Duke suddenly asked, “Did you know your son was imprisoned?”