Chapter 115 Prison

Before the garden was full of flowers, a person crawling on the ground stared with eyes full of anger, a rotting, smelly cloth stuffed in their throat, making "ooh-ooh" noises.

Knowing about this man's shady dealings, the hot-blooded Qi Nian was furious. Seeing that he was not behaving himself, he kicked the man's barely concealed body and cursed, "Behave yourself and don't get any bad ideas!"

The large, soft quilts covered the girls' figures, occasionally revealing their thin arms, which were mostly skin and bone with little flesh visible. The girls were all put into the carriage, and then hurriedly taken to the Princess's residence to have the physician examine them.

Tian Mu, who was bound by his hands and pressed to the ground, had never suffered such humiliation before. Even a group of lowly people dared to point fingers at him.

It's all that bitch's fault.

She is not a delicate flower clinging to her husband at all; she is a vicious and wicked devil!

Tian Mu remembered that he was in the middle of a great mood and was about to make a move when his body suddenly stiffened and he could not move.

The person in front of him stopped acting. The fear and apprehension that had been on their face vanished completely. Their expressionless, beautiful face appeared somewhat cold in the absence of sunlight, as if the person in front of him was not a villain who had tried to humiliate him, but a piece of trash that could be found anywhere.

Even though his body was frozen in place for some unknown reason, it was definitely related to him. Realizing his disadvantage, Tian Mu immediately changed his tune: "I was just joking with Madam Zhen. Madam and Brother Jia are deeply in love, how could I possibly do anything to offend Madam? It's just that I've been having some troubles lately, and I would like to ask Madam for help. If Madam is willing to lend a hand, I will reward her handsomely. I'm sure Brother Jia will praise Madam when he sees her bring back gold, after all, who doesn't love gold?"

"..." Those inorganic eyes slid slowly across the two of them as they spoke of their deep affection, finally settling on him. Just when Tian Mu thought he had been persuaded, he retorted, "This is fraud. You're lying to me."

No matter how eloquently Tian Mu spoke later, Jiang Xi adhered to the principle of "bad people say bad things, don't listen to bad things," letting it go in one ear and out the other.

He didn't want to "lose both Ah Ji and his army," so when Ah Ji wasn't around, Jiang Xi would make decisions without trusting anyone's word.

While a blanket approach might lead to misunderstandings about some good people, it ensures that you won't be deceived.

Seeing his unmoved appearance, even Tian Mu, with his good temper, could not bear it. Moreover, this person was the lowest of the low, whom he despised the most. Tian Mu had been trying to persuade him for so long, which had already exceeded his tolerance. Seeing that he was not swayed by gentle words, Tian Mu changed his attitude and threatened and intimidated him to untie the hands and feet that were placed on his body.

Jiang Xi suddenly smiled: "No, instead of talking about me, let's find a way to suppress it? If it rises any higher, it'll probably explode, right?"

He had to leave quickly before it exploded, lest he come into contact with something disgusting.

Tian Mu understood everything Zhen Qiushui said. His virility had recently been diminished, and he only responded to Zhen Qiushui; this was all orchestrated by him in secret!

A profound sense of absurdity welled up within him, and Tian Mu shouted angrily, "You adulterous couple! How dare you play tricks on me!"

Jiang Xi pondered for a moment and then refuted half of his statement: "My husband is not treacherous."

Hearing the commotion outside, Jiang Xi realized that A Ji had brought people over.

Fearing that Tian Mu would disrupt their plans, he picked up a tattered piece of cloth from a corner and stuffed it into Tian Mu's mouth. He then used water from the teapot to wash the dirt off his hands and casually ruffled his collar and hair.

Remembering what Aji had said, Jiang Xi stood up, still keeping his distance. This time, he no longer used a high-pitched voice and said with a smile, "Lord Tian, ​​a rotten needle can't be considered a great instrument or a skilled woman. Since you're so confident in your bedroom skills, I suppose your wives must have had a hard time putting on an act for you?"

"!" At this moment, Tian Mu's heart was filled with shock, not only because he was furious at the content of the man's words, but also because of this man, this man was a genuine man!

Even though his voice was clear, crisp, and gentle, it couldn't hide the fact that he was a man.

This isn't Madam Zhen at all; he's a man. He's been deceived by them from beginning to end. They're after him!

"Waaaaah! Ughhhhh!!"

Jiang Xiqu seemed unable to understand the hostility in his eyes, and added, "However, you don't need to worry about whether the rotten needle is effective or not. The poison you've been exposed to will only cause it to gradually shrink until it disappears."

"I was originally thinking of just cutting it off, but I was afraid that the adults would find out, so I changed the method. The adults will not be able to harm other people in the future, so it can be considered a rare good thing."

The resentment in Tian Mu's eyes was almost tangible, and the gagged mouth forced him to swallow the most offensive insults.

The venomous man before her, shy and timid, clutched his handkerchief tightly, looked up at the window, and then reverted to Zhen Qiushui's voice: "This is my wife's idea. She is very clever. If you want to thank someone, thank her."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a bright shout came from outside the park:

"Qiu Shui—are you there? Qiu Shui—"

"Changtian—I'm here—" Jiang Xi replied excitedly, holding the handkerchief to her eyes, pretending to cry, and ran out sobbing, calling out as she ran, "Changtian—I'm here—"

As for Tian Mu, whom he defeated?

He didn't care at all; he could finally see Ah Ji again.

The beautiful young woman, her hair disheveled and her hairpins askew, leaned against her husband's broad arms, sobbing. She seemed to have been wronged terribly, unable to utter a complete sentence, only weeping and calling out her husband's name.

Actually, Shang Yuji was worried that he would say something wrong and be discovered. The more he said, the more mistakes he would make, so it was better not to say anything. As for the details of the matter, the magical people of Da'an would add some fantastical, mysterious, heartbreaking, or thrilling storylines to it.

Sometimes, having your imagination is a good thing.

Shang Yuji merely comforted his devastated wife, saying a few words such as, "It was my poor choice of friends that led you astray," and "I'm sorry you've suffered so much..."

After several days of fermentation, the circulating story has become that she went to save Jiang Xi, braved the mountains of knives and seas of fire set up by the evil madman Tian Mu, and with the steel body given to her by the people, she was not afraid of any dangers and went through many hardships to reach Tian's lair, destroy his foundation, and rescue her beloved who had been kidnapped.

There are even more outrageous versions, but the emperor's critical illness must come first.

Although crouching in a corner makes it easier to find out what's going on, unfortunately, the palace is not an easy place to raid.

Shang Yuji could guess with a simple calculation that there would be a "master of the palace" in the imperial palace. They would usually appear as eunuchs, loyal to the emperor and highly skilled in martial arts. She just didn't know if there were any similar "domesticated" masters in the Da'an Imperial Palace.

They shouldn't get involved in the mess in the palace; they should just trust the eldest princess.

It's certainly not good to kick someone when they're down and mock them, but since the target is Tian Mu, Shang Yuji has to get involved.

After he went to prison, the Jia family returned to normal. There was no need to put on a show of being a loving family for Tian Mu as before. It was enough to go back to the original titles and each of them wear a pseudonym.

Apart from Shang Jiang and the other two, who remained largely unchanged.

Given that they were going to the prison that night to mock Tian Mu, they changed back into their old clothes, hoping to provoke him into anger.

Upon arriving at the prison, they presented their identification. The clerk, unfazed by such sights, led the two to the cells where serious offenders were held, saying as they walked:

“You’re a bit late. The five girls who were accompanied by guards got their revenge on the thief before you did, so he probably won’t be able to do much.”

Although it's wrong for individuals to resort to vigilante justice because of personal grudges, they are the victims after all. The Princess is in charge of this matter, and since His Highness has agreed to let them in, he, a mere official, can't do much to stop them. Didn't you see that the officials in the Ministry of Justice didn't stop them either? Even if the sky falls, there's always your superior to hold it up.

The people in the cell were in a terrible state, their throats were panting like broken bellows, they were breathing very heavily and very slowly, and they were having great difficulty breathing.

Before he went to prison, he had only abrasions and scratches. Now, in addition to the injuries from the trial, he has many new knife wounds, which have torn his clothes into strips.

The knife wound looked gruesome, but in reality, the knife hadn't penetrated very far. Indeed, the five girls rescued in the flower garden were so thin and frail that even holding a knife was difficult for them; one can only imagine how much effort it must have taken to pierce his flesh.

As your gaze moves downwards, especially to the part he's most proud of, which is cut into tiny pieces with varying degrees of force, you can vaguely see the long flesh hanging on it.

If Jiang Xi's actions were a chemical castration, rendering him infertile, then the girls' anger was a physical castration, directly cutting him off.

It was the eldest princess's arrangement to send the girls, who had temporarily regained their strength, to the prison. Even the guards accompanying the girls were there to hold Tian Mu down to prevent him from fighting back and hurting them.

This was the "reward" that the eldest princess had promised them if they cooperated well.

Hearing the noise outside the cell again, Tian Mu instinctively shrank back. His terrible experience not long ago made him realize that he was no longer the great general Tian who was surrounded by admirers. Even the lowly people who used to have to bow down to him could now ride on his head, pull his hair and slam him to the ground, and stab him with knives.

At that moment, he had to admit that he was terrified by their hateful eyes and feared that he would die at their hands that day.

It was only by the timely intervention of the guards that he was spared, saying that he needed to be left alive to escape.

The pain in his body had not subsided, and no one was there to treat him; the persistent pain tormented his body and mind.

But it doesn't matter. Given his importance to the Second Prince, the Second Prince will definitely find a way to get him out of there. It's just killing a few commoners to satisfy personal desires. The lives of commoners don't matter. Which of the powerful and wealthy doesn't have blood on their hands? He is just one of them.

He clung to the illusion that he could make a comeback after getting out, until he heard noises outside the cell.

Tian Mu was terrified, like a frightened bird. Could it be that they had returned?

When he finally saw who was outside the cell, a surge of rage rose within him, making his eyes bloodshot:

"Jia Changtian! Cough cough, Zhen Qiushui—"

Shang Yuji, now dressed as a girl, said with a smile, "Oh, Lord Tian, ​​I won't hide it from you now. My name is Shang Qiushui, and my husband's name is Jiang Changtian."

He realized that Jia Changtian's Jia was a fake! The Jia family had been a complete fraud from beginning to end!

"You've been plotting against me from the very beginning?!"

The cell door remained closed. Shang Yuji approached the door and asked in a low voice, "How strange. Is it only the adults who can scheme against us, but we can't scheme against you?"

"How did you know? I hid it very well, no one could have found it..."

"My lord, you are too kind. Once something is done, it will leave a trace. As for how it was discovered? You can assume that the wronged girls told me. If one dares to do something, one should be willing to accept the consequences."

"No, no! That's not how it should be!"

He lay prone on the ground, moving his arms closer to the cell door, ignoring the weeds and pebbles scraping against his body, and pleaded:

“Brother Jia… no, Miss Shang, I beg you, I have never laid a hand on you. We had a pleasant conversation in the manor and hit it off immediately. There is no misunderstanding between us. I know I was wrong… please, please tell the Princess to let me go.”

Because it was inconvenient for her to see him while he was lying on the ground so close, Shang Yuji squatted down, and Jiang Xi behind her squatted down as well.

The former was all smiles, looking kind and easy to talk to, while the latter had a cold face, seemingly unaffected by the filth of the prison and his words, like a jade statue, quietly following behind her.

With a beaming smile, Miss Shang's voice was clear and melodious: "What are you saying, sir? You didn't lay a hand on me because I was playing the role of my husband, Jia Changtian. You gained my trust in order to gain Zhen Qiushui's trust. Didn't you deceive other girls in the same way before, sir?"

"You failed with me, not because you didn't want to."