Since entering the imperial prison, Liu Jie was severely tortured. For a period of time, he was not able to be interrogated because the jailers were interrogating officials. Then he was tortured for more than ten days in a row.

But he remained silent.

"What are you talking about?" Jiang Kang'an changed the subject. "Have you prepared everything you need to go to Nan Gu?"

Jiang Wenjing: "...Isn't there still some time left?"

Speaking of this, Jiang Zhiyu paused: "Yes, second brother, starting from tomorrow, you have to stay in Xu's house for a while."

Jiang Kangan and Jiang Wenjing also stopped in their tracks, their hearts suddenly hanging in the air.

Zhiyu rarely speaks like this. Could it be that if something happens that endangers Jiang Wenjing's life, Zhiyu will let him go home to protect him?

The two men looked serious, holding their breath waiting for Jiang Zhiyu to speak or to hear her thoughts.

Then, Jiang Zhiyu said, "There are too many Nan Gu insects. You must undergo training as well."

After these words were spoken, both of them felt relieved.

Jiang Wenjing was even more brazen: "Oh, what did I think you were going to say? That's it? I've been through a lot of assassination attempts in the Mobei military camp, and my vigilance is definitely higher than that of my elder brother and uncle."

"You're quite confident. I also think you'll finish earlier than the other two!"

Jiang Kangan: “…”

Hearing Jiang Zhiyu say this, Jiang Wenjing became even more excited. Zhiyu believed so much that he could be better than his elder brother, so he would never let her down!

It’s just a test, come on!

Jiang Kangan sighed softly and patted Jiang Wenjing on the shoulder: "Young man."

Jiang Wenjing looked at him in confusion.

…

On a moonless night with dark clouds, the air is damp and heavy, like a huge rock pressing on one's heart.

Someone ran quickly across the puddles on the ground, splashing water.

"Your Highness, this is terrible! Liu Jie has escaped from the Imperial Prison!"

…

Inside the imperial prison, Jiang Kang'an looked at the broken prison door with a gloomy expression. Xing Maozhi was beside him, with the same expression as him.

The three jailers in charge of guarding the prison were kneeling on the ground, their backs covered with whip marks, obviously they had been severely punished.

"What happened? How did he get away?"

Xiao Lingyu walked in quickly from outside and looked at Jiang Kangan with a frown.

"Your Highness," Xing Maozhi stepped forward, bowing, "These idiots were on duty today. According to him, they thought there weren't many people left in the prison, and no one would be so daring as to attempt a prison break, so they snuck out to buy some wine."

"After three rounds of drinking, several people fell unconscious on the table. Until one of them woke up from a dream, he saw this scene."

Xiao Lingyu's face became terribly gloomy as he listened to him.

"How did you manage to be the Minister of Justice? You brought out these ignorant fools! Don't you know how important Liu Jie is?"

Xing Maozhi was scolded by him and could only bend down and apologize.

"Your Highness, the most urgent task is to find the prison burglar. He chose this moment specifically because of the rain. The rain will wash away any traces. If we delay any further, I'm afraid we'll have no clues left."

Jiang Kang'an stopped them, avoiding Xing Maozhi's grateful eyes, and pointed at the three jailers: "Why did you choose to drink today instead of earlier or later? I suspect someone among them tipped off the gang. Take them away and torture them severely!"

The other jailers quickly tied up the three men.

Xiao Lingyu also knew that what Jiang Kangan said was right. He suppressed his anger and observed the traces on the ground.

"The prison door was smashed with an axe, and so were the shackles," Xiao Lingyu pointed at the cuts and showed them to Jiang Kang'an: "A man with great martial arts skills who used an axe as a weapon..."

"Your Highness, perhaps you don't usually use an axe as a weapon. It's just that the axe is more powerful than a knife or sword."

Xiao Lingyu's eyelashes fluttered: "You have a point."

After searching for a while, we found nothing except the clue about the axe.

Several people looked solemn.

He turned his eyes to Xing Maozhi and said in a very cold voice: "Liu Jie hasn't said a word since he entered prison?"

"Your Highness, yes."

Xiao Lingyu sighed lightly, closed his eyes, and opened them after a long while: "Let's go to the emperor and apologize first."

No one objected to this.

…

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. The emperor sat there without saying a word. The room was completely silent.

The wind outside the yard seemed to blow into the house, making it so cold that it made people feel chilled.

Xiao Lingyu, Jiang Kang'an, and Xing Maozhi knelt in a row.

After nearly half a cup of tea, the emperor finally spoke quietly, "Everyone, get up! He just ran away. If we can catch him once, we can certainly catch him a second time."

The second time, it is easy to say, but it is actually not easy.

The first time, because Prince Yu was the bait, Liu Jie would come no matter what, so they set a trap and just waited for him to fall into the net.

The second time, Liu Jie was on guard and had no bait, so how could he catch it?

These four words lingered in everyone's mind.

The emperor tapped his fingertips on the table. "What do you think? Can Prince Yu's corpse be used as bait again?"

Everyone was horrified and looked at him in surprise.

"It was just a joke, but you two are reacting so strongly." The emperor laughed out loud. "I don't blame you for your tense faces, as if I'm going to do something to you."

The three of them looked at each other and curled their lips tentatively.

"It's raining hard. Go back home and get some rest tonight. We'll check again tomorrow. Whether we find the person or not is not important. The important thing is to figure out how to catch him the second time."

After receiving the emperor's assurance, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"However," the emperor's eyes fell on Xing Maozhi, "as the Minister of Justice, you have neglected your duties so much, I will still punish you."

"I'll fine you half a year's salary, and I'll keep you under strict supervision from now on. If you do it again, I won't let you off so easily."

It’s just a fine of half a year’s salary, and you don’t even have to suffer any physical pain!

Xing Maozhi was overjoyed and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I am willing to accept the punishment."

…

Even after coming out of the imperial study, Xing Maozhi still felt as if he was in a dream. He raised the corner of his mouth slightly and prepared to get on the carriage under the umbrella held by his subordinates, but a black shadow flashed by in his peripheral vision.

Xing Mao paused in his carriage and looked over carefully.

Raindrops as big as beans hit the ground, making it difficult to see the figure. The subordinate holding the umbrella saw that he did not move and asked in confusion, "Sir?"

Xing Maozhi lowered his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. Then he got into the carriage and said, "Let's go to Xu's house."

The carriage was shaking, and Jiang Kang'an's mind flashed back to the scene of the imperial prison. He then heard the coachman outside say, "Sir, it seems like Lord Xing's carriage has been following us."

Jiang Kangan opened his thin lips and said, "Don't worry about it, just let him follow."

"yes."

Arriving at the Xu residence, the rain gradually subsided. The carriage stopped, but Jiang Kangan didn't move. Only when he heard a sound did he lift the curtain and asked in surprise, "Master Xing, what's going on?"