Chapter Thirty-Three

"I see," Wang Ping seemed to understand. "No wonder you told me not to worry about the Tianzihao business."

"Oh, if it weren't for me, you would have gotten into trouble sooner or later," Zhao Cai glanced at Wang Ping with a vague look. "I told you to look down on me before, but now you know the benefits of having a good brain, right?"

"Yes, yes, it's amazing that you have a good brain," Wang Ping said helplessly, spreading his hands. He did feel that Zhao Cai was a little weak physically, but he definitely didn't mean to look down on her. "Then, Zhao Dacongming, tell me, does the jailer really have any tricks up his sleeve?"

After hearing Wang Ping's apology, Zhao Cai was satisfied. He recalled the prison boss's drunken remarks in the past. "Prison boss Zhang has a terrible drinking habit, but he always likes to let us jailers buy him a drink. As the saying goes, truth comes out when drunk. There must be something in his nonsense... I remember just two days ago, he said that he was valued by the nobles above him, and from now on he wouldn't have to worry about the expressions of those three people..."

"It's really strange to think about it this way," Zhao Cai felt something was wrong. "The four jailers have always been at loggerheads with each other, but they dare not do anything or frame us in prison. Maybe... someone is secretly..." watching us.

Thinking of this, Zhao Cai was shocked. He looked around vigilantly, but could not see anything. He could only signal Wang Ping with his eyes and write the words on his hand.

Someone is watching.

"!!!" Wang Ping was also shocked. Although he had done nothing wrong, anyone being monitored by an unknown person would break out in a cold sweat. Moreover, could he really have done nothing wrong? Helping Hui Xin escape would be disobeying the prison boss's orders. If the person secretly was the prison boss's accomplice, wouldn't this escape be heard?

"Then let's..." Wang Ping realized something was wrong and remembered that he had already mentioned that Hui Xin was going to run away. If someone in the dark heard it, it would be wrong to be secretive. So he asked openly, "Can Hui Xin still leave?"

Zhao Cai also cooperated, "I think there is no other way. Forget it, brother, let her accept her fate." His fingers wrote on Wang Ping's hand: Let's talk about it after we get out.

Wang Ping nodded, as if he had given up, let out a long sigh, and then lowered his head in silence.

*

*

There was no conversation that night. Wen Weili never waited for Wang Ping to come over. She guessed that things were not going well over there.

But Wen Weili didn't care too much. Although she asked Wang Ping and others for help, Wen Weili didn't rely on them much. These two were just ordinary jailers. Even if they knew that there was a hidden force in the imperial prison, they couldn't do anything. It was just a test. She trusted the information found by Yin Yi more.

When Wen Weili saw Aunt Zhou coming over in the morning, Huixin's attitude became cold and she didn't even say hello to Aunt Zhou.

"Miss Hui Xin..." Aunt Zhou greeted with a smile, but was met with a cold reception from Hui Xin. She felt a surge of resentment. What kind of strange temper does she have?! She was fine just the other night, how could she have become so completely different overnight?

"Auntie Zhou, huh," Hui Xin sneered, "If I had known you couldn't protect your men, why would I have caused so much trouble? But Wang Dayong's gossips, how could they have brought me trouble!"

"What?" Aunt Zhou was startled. Looking at Miss Hui Xin's cold face, she realized something and her expression changed. "Did you get angry with that death row warden?"

"More than that!" After saying that, Hui Xin turned around and left.

Aunt Zhou slowly frowned, already having some suspicions in her mind. She shouted at Hui Xin's departing figure, "Don't be afraid, young lady. I'll go get you justice right away!"

Aunt Zhou's hurried footsteps made a "tapping" sound on the stone slabs, as if they could really change things.

But Wen Weili knew that it was impossible. Not to mention that people of high status like Zhang the prisoner always regarded it as a big deal, even from Zhang the prisoner's nonchalant attitude, he did not regard this as a big deal. Perhaps he even thought it was a good thing.

After returning to the mansion, Yin Yi reported that he had used his identity as a jailer to go deep into the imperial prison, investigated as much as possible, and collected important information. This made Wen Weili very excited, as she had great faith in the ability of the hidden guard.

The secret guard trained by Duanmu Huaixin himself did not disappoint Wen Weili. Even when he was under surveillance, he played the role of jailer very well and found out very critical information.

"My lord, I was not stopped, nor did I feel monitored, in the underground cell, the torture chamber, the jailer's cell, the jailer's duty room, or the jailer's cell. However, my actions were stopped fifty meters away from the top cell. The person first stopped me, and then warned me that if it happened again, I would be killed on the spot." After Yin Yi finished his report, he lowered his head and waited for Wen Weili's order.

"There's none in other places..." Wen Weili felt that it was expected and reasonable. In this way, the power in the imperial prison might not be under the control of the warden, at least he would not order it around as easily as he did with ordinary jailers.

Since this force is centered around the Tianzi cell, can we assume that if problems arise in both the Dizi and Tianzi cells at the same time, these people will prioritize resolving the Tianzi cell's issues?

No, we can't be sure yet. We must try it first and then take action after we have accurate information. If we act rashly, not only will we fail to rescue Zhiyun, but we will also lose the secret guards.

Wen Weili had a plan in mind, so he called the best guard and arranged for them to pretend to break into the prison.

The leading group sneaked in from the Di unit, showed their movement near the Tian unit, and then attacked the innermost part of the Tian unit to see the reaction of the people in the dark. If they came to chase them, some people would continue to attack the Tian unit, showing an attitude of being ready to die, while another small group would walk out of the Di unit cell and leave in a scattered manner.

If the people in the dark prioritized dealing with the guards charging towards the Tianzihao, it would mean their suspicions were correct. Once they were stopped, they would signal the other guards to rescue Zhiyun. If they treated all the sudden attacks with the utmost seriousness, even dispatching personnel to hunt down those who fled elsewhere, then they would need to change their strategy and have everyone leave.

Wen Weili acts as an insider in the kitchen. Once there are secret guards who cannot escape or are surrounded, she will make a noise to attract attention and allow the secret guards to escape. As long as they don't actually kidnap people from prison, but just want to shake off the pursuers, the secret guards can still do it.

If those people were guarding the No. 1 cell, they would definitely strengthen the security of the No. 1 cell, and now would be the best time to take Zhiyun away.

Wen Weili was cooking in the kitchen as a cook. She had both fire starters and oil, so she poured oil on the edge of the room and set it on fire. There was always water in the cell, which was enough to put out a small fire and prevent it from burning the prisoners' rooms.

But the purpose of disrupting the other party's vision has been achieved. Not only can the secret guard take Zhiyun away successfully, but the identity of Miss Hui Xin can also be eliminated.

Although there were fire-making equipment in the kitchen of the imperial prison, Wen Weili was worried that if an emergency occurred, he would be too late, or that someone would have watched the kitchen first, thus restricting his movements. So he decided to carry a fire starter and a small pot of oil with him so that he could use it temporarily.

After making a plan, Wen Weili went to the imperial prison as usual to prepare cooking. She met Aunt Zhou in the prison kitchen, and she looked very worried.

"Um, Miss Huixin..." Aunt Zhou called out to Wen Weili.

Although Wen Weili knew the outcome, Hui Xin didn't. She smiled slightly and looked at Aunt Zhou expectantly, "Aunt Zhou, has the jailer made a promise?"

"This..." Aunt Zhou felt even more guilty when she saw Miss Hui Xin's rare, earnest gaze. "I was wrong. I, I really thought too highly of myself..."

Even though she was hesitant, Hui Xin understood what Aunt Zhou meant. She felt both sad and angry. "If I had known this! If I had known this!"

Although she was lamenting, Hui Xin did not say anything harsh. After all, it was meaningless to find out who was right or wrong. In the imperial prison, the jailer was the boss. Aunt Zhou seemed to have some face because she had been working there for a long time, but as long as the jailer turned against her, she could do nothing.

Miss Hui Xin walked into the imperial prison with tired steps. Aunt Zhou looked at her and sighed even more in her heart. What a good girl, with good looks, good temperament and good skills, but she ended up in Wang Dayong's hands. I'm afraid he would throw her at home after playing with her, or maybe he would remember to play with her again or sell her. It was such a pity.

"Auntie Zhou," Miss Hui Xin walked back. She knew she couldn't escape and was extremely desperate, but she still forced a smile at Auntie Zhou, "Anyway, thank you very much..."

Listening to Miss Hui Xin's sincere gratitude amidst her pain, Aunt Zhou's heart was moved, and she uttered a few words of advice, "My dear girl, don't act so obedient in Dayong's house in the future. You must first disobey him and prevent him from succeeding. Then he will naturally revolve around you, but he will also deliberately give you the cold shoulder. If you can't bear it anymore, just give in, cook some dishes, and slowly win his heart over. Even if he succeeds later..."

"Enough!" Hui Xin was sensitive and sensed something was wrong. She didn't want to listen anymore. She trembled, "Don't... don't say anymore." If she continued, she would be like a clown, being played around by others. Not only was she unaware, she was even full of gratitude.

Aunt Zhou couldn't stop talking about the means used by the women in the backyard to compete for favor, until Hui Xin's angry roar made her stunned, and then she realized that she had gone too far.

Seeing Hui Xin's heartbroken eyes, Aunt Zhou sighed sincerely, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have said too much. Look, it made you even more miserable before you die. Isn't this even more pitiful?"

Aunt Zhou's frivolous attitude angered Hui Xin. She was already feeling desperate because of the misfortune she had perceived, and Aunt Zhou's sympathy at this moment was like the last straw that completely crushed her.

"Auntie Zhou," Hui Xin was on the verge of collapse. She no longer tried to deceive herself, but instead sought an answer. "You...you tell me, did you two set this up together? Tell me!!"

"Yes, but what can we do?" Aunt Zhou asked Hui Xin with a smile, "Do you think you can escape?"

Yes, where could she escape to? Hui Xin finally saw the road ahead clearly. It was dark, with no light at all. She had no choice but to accept her fate and wept bitterly on the ground.

"Ah, crying your eyes out won't be beautiful," Aunt Zhou advised. "Do as I say. At least you can live in Dayong's home for a while. Otherwise, tsk tsk tsk, you might die."

Hui Xin was still crying, but she stubbornly refused, "Don't even think about it! I would rather die than cook for him!"

"Alas, why bother?" Aunt Zhou knew Hui Xin hadn't completely accepted her fate, so she cleared away the tinderbox and other items in the kitchen to prevent Hui Xin from getting burned along with her. She then closed the kitchen door and locked it. "Good girl, I'll beg you to stay here for one night. Tomorrow morning, I'll ask Dayong to take you to the village and enroll you in his family."

It sounds good, but if a self-combed girl returns to her native place, she can only become a slave in Wang Dayong's house and be rubbed by him for the rest of her life! Hui Xin cried louder and louder, as if she really wanted to cry herself blind, crying like she didn't want to die.