Chapter 22, Second Update, Tenth and Eleventh Time!

Chapter 22

Exclamations of surprise echoed.

Yan Danqing watched her run in excitedly, and the dark and gloomy prison seemed to become lighter, the joy in her voice permeating the entire cell.

After waiting for a long time, his stiff eyebrows softened, and the corners of his mouth gently lifted.

A pair of eyes followed Ye Xiren as she lit the candles in the dungeon niche, and watched her approach, her face still beaming with smiles despite her exhaustion.

Just as Ye Xiren was about to sit down in front of the iron fence, Yan Danqing pointed to the newly piled-up straw in front of her and reminded her:

"The ground is cold, so we can lay it down first."

Ye Xiren was filled with excitement. She casually pulled out some straw from the pile, not caring who had piled it up, and spread it on the ground before sitting down to catch her rapid breathing.

Yan Danqing noticed the sweat on her forehead and instinctively reached out his hand.

He was still some distance away and couldn't reach Ye Xiren. He moved his fingers and then pulled them back, the chain rattling, and blood continued to spill out.

Ye Xiren pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her sweat while hurriedly saying, "Hey, don't move! You'll get hurt if you move. Don't pull on these chains. Let's wait until they're untied."

Huh?

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but General Yan seems to be more tidy today than yesterday. His messy hair is a little tidied up, and he's sitting closer to the iron fence.

"My name is Ye Xiren, and I am..."

She pursed her dry lips, then continued excitedly:

"I originally intended to take your personal guard, Ma Shan, and ride at full speed to the nearest post station to Nandu. However, I didn't expect that the Yan family army would be so busy during this time. The horse-changing records from several post stations, as well as the witnesses and evidence from within the post stations, were sent to Nandu last night. They are all in Ma Shan's hands, but he still doesn't know who is the safest person to hand them over to..."

Great, it's safest to leave it to her!

Ye Xiren accepted the evidence without hesitation and sent it back to the Ye family. Unfortunately, Ye Pei had already gone to court. She would have to find a way to give it to him next time so that he could take it to the emperor.

Seeing her happy, Yan Danqing smiled as well, "Ma Shan and the others are all very reliable."

“Yes.” Ye Xiren nodded in agreement, praising him generously. “Every time I ask Ma Shan to do something, he does it very well. After you were imprisoned, he split the people who came in two, one part to help you find evidence, and the other part to keep an eye on the Northern Yan delegation.”

Yan's army was trying to save their general. Ye Xiren took out the token, and Ma Shan told her everything in detail.

Yan Danqing shook her head again, her black hair at her temples fluttering slightly. She looked at Ye Xiren with her almond eyes and analyzed for her: "Chizhan Lance is a very cautious person. They came to Nandu under the spotlight. Even if he wants to do something, he won't let anyone notice anything unusual."

Besides, the imperial court isn't completely stupid. There are plenty of smart people in the court. The pro-war faction is on guard, while the pro-peace faction is on good terms. All forces are focused on the Northern Yan delegation and keeping a close eye on Chi Zhanlan Ce. There will be no unusual activity on the surface, otherwise they would definitely be discovered.

Yan Danqing sat up abruptly, staring intently at Ye Xiren, his brows furrowed:

"He spent a fortune buying a lot of things?"

Ye Xiren nodded blankly.

Yan Danqing exhaled, moved his hands and feet, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, and said with a solemn expression: "Miss Ye, I may have to trouble you to make a trip. I need Chi Zhanlan Ce's purchase ledger, as well as the details of the merchants who trade with him."

"Huh?" Ye Xiren was taken aback.

The request came as a surprise, but she nodded obediently and asked, "Let Ma Shan investigate? Can it still be found now?"

She doesn't have much time. She only has one day left. Ye Pei will confess his crime on the third day of the third lunar month. She doesn't even have a day left, and there are so many things to do. Can Ma Shan find out everything in just a few hours?

Ye Xiren did not doubt General Yan's judgment, but she was worried that there would not be enough time.

As the candlelight flickered, Yan Danqing's eyes seemed to be two flames. He decisively shook his head: "Ma Shan can't find it, and we can't find it all now. Take my private order to Yu Yin Lou. The people in the court must have the account books. Have them make a copy for you."

The officials in the imperial court who held the account books couldn't see the problems; he needed to review them personally.

Ye Xiren nodded again.

It seems that the person secretly helping Yan Danqing is an official of the imperial court, and of a high rank, who is very good at obtaining information.

Then, without warning, she suddenly pulled a dagger from her sleeve. "Luckily I was prepared. I never expected that hitting my head against a wall would hurt more than being beheaded..."

She was so clever; she brought a knife with her beforehand.

Ye Xiren closed his eyes, having already decisively stabbed himself, his hand froze in mid-air, silent...

-

"I...I'm called Ye Xiren, I'm..."

Yan Danqing pointed to the taller pile of straw in front of him. Ye Xiren skillfully pulled it out, sat down, put the heavy veil aside, and continued to recount the "previous events".

Because I was too tired, I spoke in fits and starts.

After she finished speaking, she took out a water pouch from her sleeve and gulped it down. The clear water flowed over her dry throat, relieving her discomfort.

Comfortable!

Indeed, thorough preparation is still necessary.

"Take a look at this ledger. It shows everything about what we bought and the merchants' backgrounds. The messenger from Jade Silver Shop said that the master has reviewed the ledger and there are no problems." Ye Xiren put away her water pouch, pointed to the register, and said, a few strands of her wet hair sticking up playfully.

Yan Danqing struggled to look away from those few strands of hair and lowered her head to look at the account book.

Suddenly, a rat darted out.

Before Ye Xiren could react or even see clearly, Yan Danqing had already grabbed the mouse with lightning speed. With a flick of his finger, the struggling mouse stopped breathing. Everything happened in an instant.

Ye Xiren: "?"

Seeing her frown, Yan Danqing removed the mouse and placed it under a pile of straw, covering it completely. She said softly, "It's alright now."

Ye Xiren's brows remained furrowed.

Yan Danqing lowered his eyes. Was he that afraid of rats? But these rats were running around everywhere in the dungeon, and they would dart out from time to time. He was trapped here and couldn't move, so he couldn't catch them all.

Ye Xiren stared intently at the blood seeping from the person in front of her, her face full of disapproval: "Why are you moving around again?"

Look at all that blood. This guy is really fearless of pain. Why bleed for a rat?

Yan Danqing was slightly taken aback. "You're afraid of mice."

Ye Xiren waved her hand dismissively, her tone light: "It's just a rat. I'm scared, but I'll get used to it after a while. Don't move around anymore. I'm even more scared of your injuries."

Why?

How did General Yan know she was afraid of mice? And why does General Yan seem even neater and better looking than last time?

Yan Danqing lowered his eyes. He hadn't expected that Ye Xiren's frown was more out of concern for his injury than fear of mice, which left him with mixed feelings.

"How did you find it?" Ye Xiren leaned closer.

Yan Danqing took a deep breath to gather her thoughts and circled a few names on the list for her to see. "Miss Ye, have Ma Shan investigate these people."

"Are there problems with these people?" Ye Xiren was startled.

"We'll know once we investigate." General Yan's eyes were somewhat cold, and it was clear that his use of "investigate" was not a friendly gesture.

Ye Xiren: "..."

She skillfully drew the knife, took a deep breath, and prepared to kill herself again; she was truly used to "dying."

This time, Yan Danqing stopped him very quickly: "Wait."

After saying that, he reached out his hand to Ye Xiren. The chains rattled and all the chains were pulled up. The shackles were covered in blood. His hands, with their distinct knuckles and slightly bulging veins, were stained with blood. He wiped his hands clean on his clothes and placed them behind Ye Xiren's head.

Ye Xiren: "!!!"

Her face flushed red, and before she could even awkwardly move away, everything went black... and she was gone.

It doesn't hurt at all!

He was sitting so close to me, I could almost touch him!

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Author's Note: Second update! Red envelopes are still dropping in the comments!