Standoff (Part 1)
Zhou Yanzhi hurried across the courtyard, and before he could even step into the gate, Su Feng's loud and piercing laughter reached his ears.
"Hahahaha, I really can't take it anymore! Just thinking about how arrogantly he tried to remove your mask, and then 'snap,' I just froze right there..."
"He probably never imagined that the person he had been following all this way was not Xiao Jiangsheng at all, but you, Qi Minghua. He also never imagined that our famous Head of the Academy, Qi, could not only heal people, but also disguise himself."
"Hahahaha, that old man must be cursing our ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart!"
"Minghua, Minghua, why aren't you laughing?"
Immediately afterwards, Qi Minghua's completely calm voice came: "I'm not naturally fond of smiling."
"Alright," Su Feng's voice was full of mockery, "Then I'll have to reluctantly laugh along with yours! Hahahaha..."
Hearing Su Feng's unrestrained laughter, Zhou Yanzhi's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Then, he slightly turned to the side, brushed aside the water bucket hanging from the rafters, wiped the wet stains on the ground with the hem of his indigo robe, and stepped into the room.
The room was brightly lit, and the evening breeze swept in, causing the light and shadows to sway and flicker, projecting the three figures onto the wall.
Qi Minghua was still wearing his black outfit and was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, rubbing his temples. Su Feng, standing next to him, was laughing so hard that he was slumped over the table next to him, his shoulders shaking as if he were out of breath.
Seeing Zhou Yanzhi walk in, Su Feng's eyes lit up, and she rushed over, clutching her stomach which was aching from laughing: "Ce'an, you've finally arrived! I heard that old man took fifty lashes? I have to say, you really went easy on him!"
Hearing him repeatedly address the "Jade-faced Scholar General" Zhang Mingyuan as "old man," Zhou Yanzhi coughed lightly, trying to suppress the urge to smile.
"Alright, Yunyun, stop laughing. Let's get down to business." He pressed Su Feng's shoulders and made him sit down, then pulled up a chair for himself. Turning to Qi Minghua, who had opened her eyes at some point, his expression turned serious: "Minghua, what exactly happened in the palace? You and General Xiao...?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Minghua immediately put down his hand, took out a bright yellow silk scroll from his bosom, and stuffed it directly into Zhou Yanzhi's hand. He spoke quickly and softly, with an undeniable decisiveness: "To make a long story short, the palace is currently full of the Fourth Prince's men. It's true that His Majesty is unwell and under house arrest, but it's a lie that he entrusted the Fourth Prince to govern on his behalf. Ce'an, quickly take this imperial edict to Baiyangpo on the outskirts of the capital; someone will come to meet you there."
"I need to go back to my residence to prepare some things, so I'll be leaving now."
Zhou Yan instinctively clutched the silk in his arms. Seeing that Qi Minghua was about to get up after giving his instructions, a sudden, inexplicable panic gripped his heart.
He stood up abruptly, grabbed Qi Minghua's sleeve, and asked in a tense voice that he himself didn't realize was trembling slightly: "Minghua, my cousin... has something happened to her?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Minghua froze as he was about to leave. He turned back, his gaze falling on Zhou Yanzhi's bloodshot eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed very slowly, and he seemed about to open his mouth, but he didn't know where to begin.
Seeing his expression, Zhou Yanzhi gradually loosened his grip, but his eyes remained fixed on Qi Minghua.
After a long silence, Qi Minghua finally spoke very softly, her voice hoarse, as if she could not bear it, or as if she was helpless.
"Consort De brought Miss Xiao before the Emperor and used a seductive powder on her to confirm her identity as a remnant of the Xiao family. After a joint trial by the three judicial departments, it was confirmed that there was no mistake. At this moment, Miss Xiao... has been personally ordered by His Majesty to be thrown into the Imperial Prison."
"The Heavenly Prison?!" Su Feng exclaimed in shock.
Qi Minghua glanced at Zhou Yanzhi beside her, who seemed to freeze for a moment, nodded, and said a sentence with great difficulty.
"His Majesty fell into a coma on the spot. My purpose in leaving the palace is to retrieve a secret medicine left by our ancestors to save His Majesty."
With each word he spoke, Zhou Yanzhi's face paled further, until finally, Zhou Yanzhi's face was completely bloodless.
"this……"
Su Feng glanced at Qi Minghua, whose face was pale, then turned to look at Zhou Yanzhi, who was in a low mood beside him, and couldn't come up with a reason for a long time.
Throughout history, the inner prison of the Heavenly Prison has always been filled with death row inmates who have committed heinous crimes.
Xiao Yan's departure will likely be difficult to endure.
...
Suddenly, Zhou Yanzhi loosened his clenched fist, pursed his lips, and rushed out of the house, his indigo clothes fluttering like a butterfly among orchids.
Whether by force or by trickery, he absolutely cannot let her stay there any longer!
"Stop!" Qi Minghua suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, saying sternly, "Ce'an, wake up! The Heavenly Prison is already heavily guarded, and now it's even more heavily guarded. Besides, you knew her true identity but kept it a secret!"
"Going to the prison now will not only fail to rescue Miss Xiao, but will also put you in a difficult situation!"
Su Feng quickly stepped in front of the door, saying, "Yes, Ce'an," besides, there's still the matter at Baiyangpo to attend to. I believe you understand better than I do which is more important!
“But she’s in the Heavenly Prison!” Zhou Yanzhi’s eyes were red, and his voice trembled as he repeated, “You and I both know what that place is…”
One sentence caused the other two to unconsciously loosen their grip, and a stifling silence spread throughout the room.
Suddenly, Qi Minghua took a deep breath, looked up at Zhou Yanzhi, and said, word by word, "If Miss Xiao is not in the Heavenly Prison, can you go to Baiyang Slope with peace of mind?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi suddenly raised his eyes.
...
Two hours ago.
The black bricks reflected swaying figures. Inside the hall filled with officials, a woman in a blue dress was slammed hard onto the black bricks. Her kneecaps collided with the hard bricks, producing a dull thud.
The black gold brick felt cold to the touch, and Jie Xiangsi couldn't help but shiver. Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed against the gold brick beneath her, trying to gain some sense of security in this way.
Where has she been taken?!
I don't know how much time passed, maybe the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, or maybe half an hour.
Suddenly, a dull pain came from between my ribs, and the next second, a cool liquid poured into my throat.
Caught off guard, Jie Xiangsi couldn't help but cough. As the burning sensation in her throat gradually subsided, the previously silent surroundings began to fill with the noise of discussion.
"This doesn't seem like Xiao Yan at all..."
"Yes, yes, but... the Imperial Preceptor just said that there have been cases of possession in the world."
"Ah?! So, could it be... could it be that Xiao Yan has taken over the young lady's body?!"
"I don't know, let's see what Consort De has to say."
"..."
As she listened to these sounds, Jie Xiangsi's fingertips, which were pressing firmly on the black brick, gradually turned white. At this moment, even though she couldn't see, she knew where she was.
The Zichen Hall was where Emperor Zhaowen met with his court officials.
The person who imprisoned her for so many days was Consort De.
...
Suddenly, a few heart-wrenching coughs came from the head of the hall, followed by a hoarse "Quiet!" The noisy sounds fell silent instantly, and only the continuous coughing could be heard in the empty hall.
After a long while, just as Jie Xiangsi was about to lose consciousness, the alarming coughing finally stopped.
Emperor Zhaowen put down the blood-soaked handkerchief and looked down in the direction where Consort De and the Fourth Prince Zhou Yu'an were standing.
"Consort De just said that this person is a reincarnation of Lady Xiao, then... do you have any evidence?"
Consort De, dressed in a purple palace gown, curtsied slightly and said with her eyes lowered, "Your Majesty, I have no concrete evidence, but I have just ordered someone to give her a drug to induce speech. Whether she is Xiao Yan or not, Your Majesty can find out by asking."
A seductive rhetoric?!
Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi's empty eyes widened instantly, and a chill ran down her spine.
No wonder, no wonder she suddenly felt dizzy just now, it turns out that the pheromone powder she was given earlier took effect.
She instinctively tried to bite her tongue to stay awake, but to her dismay, she found that she had no strength left in her body. The force she applied to her tongue was weak and painful, but not enough to keep her awake.
It was as if even the heavens were not on her side. Before she could come up with a solution, Emperor Zhaowen's voice rang out again.
"May I have your name?"
Her hard molars rubbed against her soft tongue. Xie Xiangsi shook her head and said with difficulty, "Xie Xiangsi, daughter of the governor of Danzhou."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaowen turned to look at Eunuch Fu standing to the side. Seeing that he nodded almost imperceptibly, the gloom between his brows dissipated slightly.
Seeing this, Consort De smiled slightly, stepped forward, and curtsied softly, saying, "Your Majesty, this woman is cunning by nature. This time, she may have used some method to resist the temptation. Perhaps... she has been evasive. I dare to ask Your Majesty to send someone to investigate."
After a moment of silence, Emperor Zhaowen gave a wink to Eunuch Fu beside him.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Jie Xiangsi's heart tightened.
No matter how she tried to dodge, a pair of soft yet very strong hands still managed to pinch her jaw and open her mouth, revealing her tongue lying inside, its skin broken and bleeding slightly.
A barely perceptible sigh came from in front of him. Eunuch Fu turned around and bowed to Emperor Zhaowen at the head of the table.
"There are indeed scratches."
His words caused an uproar in the room.
...
The atmosphere in the main hall instantly turned cold. Jie Xiangsi keenly sensed that after Eunuch Fu uttered those words, the gaze that fell upon her, already heavy, now seemed to become tangible, almost turning into a sharp knife to peel away her layers.
After a long while, a low laugh came from the head of the table.
"Very well." Emperor Zhaowen said calmly, "I will ask you one more time, who exactly are you?"
Jie Xiangsi was about to give the same answer again.
“Father.” Suddenly, Zhou Yu’an stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, “This woman is a distant cousin of Zhou Ce’an, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. As far as I know, Zhou Ce’an has long known her true identity.”
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and Emperor Zhaowen's rapid breathing almost seemed to kill everyone present.
After a moment of silence, Emperor Zhaowen's tone was unreadable, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Although Jie Xiangsi did not look up, Emperor Zhaowen's gaze, which seemed to see through everything, was imprinted in her heart.
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