Cage (16)
As Feng Siji shouted, the person seemed to know that she was being talked about. She quickened her pace with a guilty conscience and kept getting deeper into the crowd, apparently trying to squeeze into the crowd to hide herself.
However, at this time everyone was very sharp and could spot the people who were moving in a hurry and stealthily at a glance. They all crowded over and stood in a group, forming a circle to encircle her.
When Feng Si came quickly, people spontaneously made way for him to enter the encirclement.
A few nosy people chuckled and said, "Master Feng, we stopped her for you!"
Feng Si hurried up to her. She was wearing a half-sleeve shirt, loose coarse linen trousers, and a fu hat. Not only was she dressed like a man, but her face was also covered, revealing only a pair of frightened eyes.
These were not the peach blossom eyes he was familiar with.
He glanced sideways and ordered someone to come forward and tear off her veil.
What followed was Ye Lan's panicked face.
Feng Siji had her handcuffed and shackled, then walked a few steps closer to her and asked calmly, "Where is your master?"
Ye Lan lowered his head: "I don't know."
"I recognize you!" someone nearby spat, "You're the county lady's personal maid, how could you not know me? If you really didn't know me, then why were you running so fast just now, and why are you dressed like that?"
Ye Lan was speechless after being asked this question, and his face gradually turned red.
Feng Siji pursed his lips and thought. There were many people around, so it was not the right place to ask questions.
He said calmly, "Take him to the prison."
"yes."
Two people pushed Ye Lan forward, and Feng Sichi followed slowly.
The crowd behind him kept saying:
"Master Feng, you must find out the whereabouts of that evil woman!"
"If we catch this witch, we must punish her with the lingchi death penalty. Only by executing her can we be completely clean!"
“…”
Feng Siji slowly tightened his five fingers, frowned deeply, and forced himself not to listen to these voices.
After passing through the busy streets and arriving at the spacious and quiet Tonger Street, the number of pedestrians in front of me gradually decreased.
At the end of the street, one can see the prison standing solemnly from afar. Because it is too high, it casts a large shadow. As soon as you walk into the shadow, you will feel a chill all over your body, as if there are too many souls of those who died unjustly in this prison. Gradually, the prison has become a very dark place in people's eyes.
There was a jailer standing outside the prison gate. When he saw Feng Si approaching, he lowered his head and called out "Master Feng" repeatedly.
Feng Siji nodded slightly and walked inside. The light suddenly dimmed. There was an oil lamp lit every five steps. The dim yellow light was very hazy, and the crooked figures of the prisoners in the cell could be vaguely seen.
Feng Siji stopped outside a cell door and looked around. There were no prisoners in the nearby cells, so this was the best one to talk to.
He winked at the two people behind him, and they pushed Ye Lan in.
This was not the first time Ye Lan was imprisoned here, but it was the first time he lived in such a damp cell.
The cell that Feng Siji had arranged for her and Shengxiang had a mattress, a small table, a small ventilation window that was larger than other cells, and a clean floor.
The daily meals are not only sufficient but also not smell bad.
She was living so comfortably that Ye Lan even forgot what life was like for real prisoners. But the cell with only a few piles of damp hay made her realize that this time Feng Siji was going to treat her as a real prisoner.
Ye Lan thought that he was holding a grudge against Qianzhou and was seizing this opportunity to exact revenge. Perhaps he would not be able to escape this time, so he only hoped that everything would go smoothly for the county lord.
The man who had grabbed her walked in and stood before her, blocking out most of the light. His stern face was hidden in the darkness, making it difficult to see clearly. All she could hear was his cold question, "Where is Li Qi?"
Ye Lan took a step back, afraid of being exposed, so she turned her eyes away and didn't dare to look him in the eye: "I don't know."
Feng Siji was silent for a moment, then changed his tone and asked, "Where did you go after Qinglan let you out?"
Ye Lan said, "Always in Ping'an Village."
After he finished speaking, he sneered and said, "So, she's been staying with the people of Ping'an Village these days, just like you. There's a man named Yunshan Min in the village who's in his prime and ready to get married. He treats her very differently, right?"
Ye Lan was shocked after hearing this, and looked up at Feng Siji in disbelief.
He still looked cold and distant, but his eyes were dark and frighteningly cold: "Judging from your reaction, I was right."
Feng Siji practically bit those words one by one, crushing them between his teeth, and said jealously, "She has really been with Yunshan Min these past few days."
Hide from him, run away from him.
He stared at Ye Lan coldly without saying a word, as if he was thinking about something.
Ye Lan felt frightened and complicated at the same time when he looked at her like that.
She didn't know much about Feng Siji. Based on the short time they spent together in Qianzhou, her initial impression of him was that he would take revenge on the county lord.
When Shengxiang and he were in prison, she found it strange that he took such good care of them. She wondered if he wanted to fatten them up before executing them.
But Shengxiang said it was not like that, so she asked what it was like, but Shengxiang didn't say.
Ye Lan was still lying alone on the small bed in the prison, feeling upset. If she had known this would happen, she should have practiced martial arts well and accepted the county lady's teachings instead of tinkering with farming. Perhaps she wouldn't have been so confused.
It was not until she came out to see the county lady and heard her say that Feng Siji had arranged to die for her that Ye Lan understood.
But I don’t quite understand it, and my heart is still confused and vague.
At this moment, Ye Lan was being looked at like this by Feng Siji, and his doubts deepened. He lowered his head and said, "Master Feng, do you like the county lady? But why? You were together in Qianzhou for a very short time, and the county lady was insincere towards you. Why..."
Instead of hating her, he actually liked her. But before Ye Lan could finish what he said, Feng Siji interrupted him harshly: "Shut up!"
His voice suddenly rose and was filled with anger. Ye Lan was so frightened that he trembled all over. He buried his head deeper and didn't even dare to breathe.
Feng Siji stared at her head, which he wished he could bury in the ground, and said, "You and Li Qi conspired to murder Jiedushi Wei Ming and usurp his military power and money. Li Qi is the mastermind, and you are an accomplice. In three days, you will be beheaded and displayed to the public."
"I will let the people know the evil deeds you have committed. You will be paraded through the streets every day for three days."
He just didn't believe that Li Qi would not show up even after being forced in this way.
With just a few words, he sentenced Ye Lan to death, then turned and left resolutely.
Ye Lan stood there in shock, never expecting that he would determine his outcome like this, let alone that he would be used as a bargaining chip to force the county lord to show up. He only knew that he was about to die, and could no longer farm or help the county lord. He was heartbroken and sat on the wet haystack and cried.
Her crying became louder and louder, reaching Feng Siji's ears.
He walked out of the prison abruptly without a trace of reluctance and said to the soldier following him, "Go find Ye Shu and have him send more men to ambush and monitor every move outside the prison."
"yes."
-
-
The moon was bright in the sky, and Kyoto was plunged into the silence of the night. Li Qi, wearing a light white moon-gauze gown and a cloak covering her face, stood at the foot of the wall in the busy street and looked at the wanted posters for herself.
This is the second time a wanted poster has been issued for her.
The last time, Zhang Zhouzhu deliberately catered to the people in order to trap her in his camp.
At that time, she saw the hatred and abuse directed at her by the public, and she felt very uncomfortable.
Looking back at it now, I feel calm, as if it is something that happens every day and I’m used to it.
She even had the energy to admire her own portrait on the wanted poster.
Last time, Zhang Zhouzhu must have asked someone to draw the picture casually, and the painting was completely different from the real thing.
However, when Li Qi saw the one in front of him, he knew that it must have been drawn by Feng Siji himself.
Not to mention her appearance, even her demeanor and the look in her peach blossom eyes are exactly the same as hers.
Only Feng Siji could paint her so vividly.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of pedestrians walking behind her, and she hurriedly pulled her cloak to hide her face deeper.
She waited until the sound of footsteps faded away before she left.
She entered the city at sunset and heard the news in the crowded and talkative vegetable market that Ye Lan was taken away by Feng Siji and would be beheaded in three days.
She was sure this was true, and she knew very well in her heart that this was Feng Siji's deliberate way of forcing her to appear.
She knew it well, but still moved forward and headed towards Feng's house.
It was because she didn't dare to gamble anymore, didn't dare to have any accidents again. She had already lost Shengxiang and couldn't lose another Yelan.
Li Qi slowly walked to Feng's house and looked up at the red, tightly closed door. Two lanterns were hanging under the eaves, swaying back and forth in the night wind.
The entire mansion was quiet and had fallen into a deep sleep. Only two gatekeepers were dozing off outside the gate.
Li Qi looked at it and suddenly realized that after going around in circles, he finally returned here.
She walked up the stairs, and the sound of her footsteps startled the dozing guards. The two soldiers perked up immediately. Looking at the person in front of them, dressed in moon-white clothes and covering her face tightly, they subconsciously became alert: "Who are you?"
A gust of night wind blew over, lifting the veil on her cloak, revealing her round chin and bright red lips.
"Excuse me, little brother. I would like to see Lord Feng."
The two soldiers looked at each other. Brother Yeshu had indeed instructed in the past two days that anyone who wanted to see him must be brought into the mansion, and there was no need to even inform Lord Feng.
They did not dare to disobey and immediately called someone to bring Li Qi into the mansion.
Li Qi looked out through the thin white gauze and found that there were many more soldiers in Feng Siji's mansion, guarding it strictly and making it almost impenetrable.
I don't know what he is guarding against.
She was brought into the mansion and into Feng Siji's study, but the study was empty.
The person who brought her in asked her to wait here for a while and then left.
Li Qi sat on the armchair and looked around the familiar study. Last time, there was a charcoal stove burning here, but now that the weather has warmed up, it has been moved away and it is much emptier.
On the desk, Feng Siji's files were piled messily.
She walked forward, wanting to see how far he had progressed in investigating Wei Ming's case, when she suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.
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