Chapter 183 Prison Visit
Xiao Yuan and Ling Chenyi sat there without moving.
"You know what, Concubine Liang cooperated very well. If we didn't know that she was not one of us, we would have given her a great credit after the success."
Ling Chenyi glanced at Liangpin, who was still in shock, and said with a smile.
Xiao Yuan stared at the wine cup in his hand and didn't say anything.
Xiao Ze completely lost his power tonight, which meant that the game between him and the emperor had officially begun. His original plan to look for her had to be put on hold temporarily. He didn't know how she was doing now or when she would be able to come back.
"Second Prince," Duan Mengmeng pushed away the hand that was messing with her and spoke with a heavy breath, "This is in the palace, please be careful."
"You had someone lure this prince here, and you're still pretending to be reserved. There's no one else here, so why are you pretending?"
Xiao Ze's reason was devoured by the alcohol, and he pulled her belt with red eyes.
"To lure you here? What is the Second Prince talking about? I didn't ask anyone to look for you."
Xiao Ze paused and raised his head from her slender waist, "Didn't you send someone to call me here?"
Duan Mengmeng shook her head. "Today is a palace banquet. Even if I have the courage of heaven, I dare not do anything reckless. Didn't His Highness call me here? And those people outside..."
"He is not my prince's man!"
The two looked at each other. The cold wind blew in from the gaps in the window frame. Duan Mengmeng shuddered and immediately began to tie her belt.
"Don't worry, the emperor will not come to the palace. Besides, the emperor's intention is very clear. He wants me to be the crown prince."
Duan Mengmeng paused while tying her belt, and looked up at Xiao Ze in surprise, "What did you say? Did the emperor issue an order?"
"No, but I can't wait much longer. You probably don't know that my father came back this time to support me. Now everyone in the court knows that my father has chosen me, so it's only a matter of time before he becomes the crown prince."
After being surprised, Duan Mengmeng asked in confusion, "But the emperor is now in his prime, will he appoint a crown prince so early?"
"Don't we still have you?" Xiao Ze hooked her chin and leaned over to kiss her fiercely, "As expected of you, you are the girl of destiny. You can really bring me good luck."
The two had only been together for a short time when his father began to attach more importance to him. "When the time comes, with your status as the daughter of destiny, it will be easy to outlast him."
"Am I the queen then?"
"That depends on how much you can do and whether you can satisfy this prince."
"Oh, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Duan Mengmeng's soft voice melted Xiao Zexin's heart, and his face was full of satisfaction and enjoyment.
Xiao Ze immediately hugged her and ravaged her, but Duan Mengmeng still maintained some rationality, "Forget it, it's not safe here, let's go quickly."
"Then let's change places."
Xiao Ze was already furious. He opened the door to go out, but suddenly froze there.
The entrance to the palace was blocked by darkness, and the emperor's cold eyes were staring at him, as if he was looking at a dead person.
Xiao Ze lost all his souls and knelt down as his legs softened. "Father, your son...your son..."
As he was breathing in and out, the eunuch beside him suddenly drew out a dagger and stabbed it towards the emperor's abdomen with a sharp whistling sound.
Everyone held their breath at this moment.
The emperor's pupils suddenly shrank and he quickly dodged the eunuch's attack. If he failed once, he would never have another chance. The guards immediately rushed forward and subdued the eunuch.
Xiao Ze watched the development of the situation in confusion until the emperor gave the order to throw him into the Sky Prison.
"Father, I did not instigate that eunuch. It was not me. I was framed. Someone is harming me."
The emperor watched him being dragged away with a cold face, and his eyes fell on Duan Mengmeng who was huddled by the door.
"Your Majesty." She knelt down with a plop, but could not think of a word to defend herself.
"I will wait till I die to become the emperor, and you are my good sons and good ladies-in-waiting."
Because Duan Mengmeng was the daughter of destiny, his eyes showed a strong murderous intent, "Lock her up in the Heavenly Prison."
If she can't keep her peace, what does it matter if she is the girl of destiny? He is the emperor, and no one can stop him from killing her.
Everyone was taken away. The emperor stood in the hall, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and suddenly exuding a lonely and cold air. "My good son, it seems that you can't wait to start."
——
On this day, Shen Anan received a letter from Xiao Yuan, which told her what had happened in the capital these days. Xiao Ze's followers had been eliminated, and he would be able to find her soon. The first page was normal, but the style of the second page gradually became wrong.
Shen Anan's expression gradually became strange.
The sarcastic businessman in his letter, is he referring to Shin Yunbai? Qingfeng's report really covers every detail.
"Girl, what did the uncle say?"
"Nothing." Shen Anan folded the letter, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of his lips.
"He said that Xiao Ze was already losing and he would be free soon."
"I always say that the uncle is good and thinks about the young lady all the time. Did the uncle say when he will come?"
"We'll talk about it then." Shen Anan stood up and put the letter into the box. "If everything goes well, we should be able to catch Gu Tan soon."
"What about Li Huaiyan? Did he find a chance to be imprisoned in the government prison?"
"I don't know," Mo Xiang shook her head. "Duke Li went out early in the morning and hasn't come back yet. But with Qingfeng following him, there should be news soon."
Shen Anan never doubted Li Huaiyan's ability. Although he was a playboy, he was never vague about major issues.
It was a pity that he died young in his previous life. The status of Duke in this life could be considered a kind of compensation, which relieved his obsession with the identity of his deceased mother.
It was already late at night when Li Huaiyan came back. Shen Yunbai had been arrested, and the Shen family had lost their backbone. They were terrified, and the servants started to become lazy, so they spoke even more unscrupulously.
When the lights came on, everyone gathered in Shen Anan's yard. Mo Xiang stood outside to prevent anyone from approaching.
"What? Is there any solution?"
Li Huaiyan drank a cup of tea before saying, "The jailer who is on duty to guard the government jail tonight is a gambler. I paid some money and can provide us with a quarter of an hour to see Shen Yunbai."
"A quarter of an hour is enough." Shen Anan suddenly remembered something and asked, "If he is willing to do such a thing, then can he know the relationship between the government officials and the gang of bandits?"
Li Huaiyan shook his head. "I asked him, but he refused to say anything. I was afraid he might find out something, so I didn't ask him any further."
Shen Anan nodded, "Then let's wait until we meet Shen Yunbai."
That night, Shen Anan and Li Huaiyan disguised themselves and sneaked into the prison.
As soon as he stepped in, a damp and moldy smell rushed into his nose. The dark and winding cell was very low, and even Shen Anan had to bend over. You can imagine how bad the conditions were.
As you walk in, from time to time a small black shadow will jump out at a very fast speed, making a squeaking sound. It is a mouse.
Shen Anan's face turned a little blue, and he continued to move forward with forced calmness.
"Are you afraid of this?" Li Huaiyan came over and asked, "Does Xiao Yuan know?"
If he knew, he could use it to hold her hostage.
Shen Anan gave him a glare.
Isn't it normal for girls to be afraid of small furry things?
"It's right here, hurry up, I can't delay long." The jailer said, looked around, and quickly disappeared.
The cell was pitch black and one couldn't see what was going on inside. There was only an unpleasant smell and a vaguely visible huddled figure.
"Master Shen." Shen Anan said lightly, and the shadow moved, then stood up and walked towards them.
"Miss Shen, Brother Li," he looked a little embarrassed, and except for the corner of his robe touching the ground, the rest of his body was clean, "Why are you here?"
"We should talk about how the head of the Shen family got in." Li Huaiyan crossed his arms, "If I remember correctly, the head of the Shen family is a big family with a lot of wealth, so he should have some connections with the local government."
Shen Yunbai smiled bitterly.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that those bandits were in collusion with local officials.
Shen Anan said calmly, “Does Master Shen have a way to get out of this situation?”
"Not yet." Shen Yunbai shook his head. "It's obvious that the officials of Tianshui City have been in cahoots with those bandits. We have killed so many bandits, they will not let me go."
us? Yes, some of those bandits died at the hands of Qingfeng.
“I’m in prison, and I’m counting on Miss Shen to rescue me.”
"What if not?" Li Huaiyan continued, his eyebrows slightly raised, "You will complain to the officials and drag us into this?"
Shen Yunbai smiled and said nothing.
"You are such a ruthless person! Don't forget that we fought against the bandits just to save you!"
"Mr. Li is wrong." Shen Yunbai's eyes were deep, "You are not here to save me, but to wipe out those bandits. Or, you are here for those bandits."
Shen Anan's eyes sank in an instant, staring straight at Shen Yunbai, and suddenly curled her lips into a smile.
"Master Shen is indeed smart, but his strength and brain are really not matched, which makes it difficult for me to trust him. What do you think, is it faster for me to kill you or save you?"
Shen Yunbai was silent for a few breaths before he slowly said, "Killing me won't do you any good. The current situation is just an opportunity for you. Killing two birds with one stone is better."
Li Huaiyan clicked his tongue and stared at Shen Yunbai with a very unfriendly look. Shen Anan held him down and said to Shen Yunbai.
"Then how much do you know about the officials in Tianshui City?"
Shen Yunbai thought for a moment and said, "I have had some dealings with the current county magistrate, whose surname is Li. He is a very smooth person and likes money. He has always used money to buy convenience.
The reason why this happened this time must be that someone has restrained him with something more important than silver. ”
"You said he is greedy for money, so what is more important to him than money?" Shen Anan said calmly.
Shin Yun said in a white voice, "His life, after all, he is greedy for money."
"The time is up. I have to take over my shift. You should leave," the previous jailer appeared and started to drive people out.
"I'd like to trouble you two brothers to rescue me." Shen Yunbai bowed.
Shen Anan stared at him deeply, then turned and left the cell, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.
"Master Shen," the jailer immediately put on a smile, like a child who had done a good deed and was waiting for praise, "I have some hot wine that can warm you up, would you like some?"
"No need." Shen Yunbai said indifferently, and added at the end, "You did a good job. When everything is over, you will be rewarded handsomely."
"Oh, okay."
When I came out of the cell, I was hit by a fierce cold wind that seemed to be able to penetrate the gaps between human bones and make me feel cold.
As he left, Shen Anan turned back and stared at the cell again, "Li Huaiyan, if I need a group of thugs with strong martial arts skills, how long will it take to transfer the closest ones?"
"About three days. The Qi family army is stationed a hundred miles away. If we travel day and night, we may be able to arrive in three days. Why, do you need manpower?"
Shen Anan nodded, "Send a letter tonight and ask those people to come as soon as possible, the sooner the better."
"good."
Li Huaiyan frowned and asked again, "But isn't it a bit of an overkill to use soldiers who have fought bloody battles to deal with those bandits? If the capital knew about it, it would probably bring trouble to Xiao Yuan."
"Yeah." Shen Anan lowered his eyes and just hummed softly without further explanation.
Li Huaiyan stopped asking and talked about Shen Yunbai, "How did he know that we were coming for those bandits? Did he guess?"
Or are they being too obvious?
"He is a businessman, and he is used to seeing all kinds of people. He can naturally distinguish between the powerful and the common people."
"What a pity." Li Huaiyan leaned lazily against the wall of the car and said, "I have money but no power. Unless I use money to avoid disaster, it will be difficult to protect my money."
Shen Yunbai is an example. He has money but no power, so no matter how powerful he is, he has to admit defeat.
"Really?" Shen Anan narrowed her eyes slightly. Maybe that was the case for others, but for Shen Yunbai, it was really hard to say.
The carriage was driving on the silent street, but suddenly there was a chaotic sound of footsteps, and then the carriage was stopped.
Shen Anan lifted the curtain of the car and looked over. It was a team of officials.
She raised her eyebrows slightly, and Li Huaiyan said, "It's strange. I've been here for so many days, but this is the first time I see officials patrolling the streets at night."
"Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" Shen Anan spoke first.
"What are you doing so late at night?" one of them shouted coldly.
"I went out of town to buy things and came back a little late." Shen Anan took out a small ingot of silver from his sleeve and handed it to the official. "It's cold at night, brothers, take a few cups of hot wine to warm your body."
The few people who were planning to check in the carriage immediately stopped, weighed the silver and were very satisfied.
"Hey, why haven't I seen you before?" someone suddenly said.
"You say that to every pretty girl."
"It's different." Ignoring the laughter of his colleagues, the man walked closer to Shen Anan, "If I had seen such a beautiful girl before, how could I not have an impression of her."
The others also looked towards Shen Anan, with vigilance in their eyes.
"I'm here to visit my relatives." Shen Anan said softly, "If not for this, who would have the courage to come to Tianshui City at this critical moment."
"That's true." The man waved his hand, "Okay, let's go. There are important people coming to our Tianshui City in the next few days. Don't hang out here for no reason."
"Big shot?" Shen An'an's eyes flashed with surprise. He leaned out of the car slightly and talked to the man. "What big shot dares to come to Tianshui City at this time?"
The man was holding the silver and weighing it repeatedly. Hearing this, he looked up at Shen Anan.
Shen Anan immediately reached out to Li Huaiyan.
"What?"
"silver?"
"I always carry silver bills when I go out. When have I ever carried small change?"
"Hurry up, don't dawdle." Shen Anan urged.
Li Huaiyan could only slowly take out a purse from his sleeve, which actually contained an exquisite red gold hairpin.
"Hey, this is the least valuable thing on my body."
Shen Anan took it and handed it to the man, "This is a coming-of-age gift from my elder brother, and it's also for my elder brothers."
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