Sending off the gods is difficult
Standing before them was none other than Jun Qiyu.
He wore a long purple robe, a jade pendant hanging at his waist, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, and a nonchalant smile on his face, seemingly somewhat unrestrained.
Receiving no response from them, he continued, "Is there anything else that I cannot know?"
Lu Shiyuan was the first to regain his senses and bowed to Jun Qiyu, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yan. May I ask what brings Your Highness here?"
Jun Qiyu waved his hand dismissively, not taking Fang Ye's rudeness to heart. "I heard that your Jingzhao government arrested a young woman in her early twenties. I would like to see her."
Not only Lu Shiyuan, but even Fang Ye was slightly surprised, seemingly not expecting Jun Qiyu to be interested in this girl.
"Is His Highness Prince Yan an old friend of this young lady?" Fang Ye asked uncertainly. "This young lady..."
"Lord Fang," Jun Qiyu interrupted Fang Ye impatiently, "Instead of wasting time causing trouble for others, you should properly restrain Young Master Fang. Just because he is your late-life son doesn't mean you can shamelessly help him clean up the mess."
Noticing Fang Ye's gaze, Jun Qiyu glanced at him with a half-smile, "Lord Fang, do you really believe you can help him clean up the mess for the rest of his life?"
His eyes held a mocking glint. "As the saying goes, 'He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet.' Don't let your boat capsize one day and your Fang family disappear from the world."
Although Fang Ye was dissatisfied, he still lowered his eyes and smiled obsequiously, "Your Highness is right. I will certainly restrain and discipline my son."
Jun Qiyu snorted coldly, not taking Fang Ye's words to heart.
Upon seeing this, Lu Shiyuan glanced at Fang Ye and smiled, "Lord Fang, don't forget, I'm still here waiting for you to come after me."
Jun Qiyu and Lu Shiyuan's back-and-forth banter infuriated Fang Ye, who turned and left immediately.
Watching Fang Ye's departing figure, Jun Qiyu turned his gaze to Lu Shiyuan, "I wonder if I may meet that young lady?"
“Since Your Highness the Prince of Yan is not an old friend of that girl, why should you care about her life or death?”
"Your Highness is a renowned and romantic scholar in Chang'an, with countless beauties eager to throw themselves into your arms. Why would you need to come here and harm a girl who already has two children?" Lu Shiyuan looked at Jun Qiyu with reason and evidence.
Noticing Jun Qiyu's expression, he continued without any hesitation, "Your Highness is of noble birth and precious status. That girl is nothing but a plain and unattractive person. How could she possibly win Your Highness's favor?"
"What if I truly have feelings for this young lady?" Jun Qiyu looked at Lu Shiyuan with interest. "Besides, how could you possibly know the young lady's feelings for me?"
His gaze shifted to Lu Shiyuan, "Could it be that you and that young lady are old acquaintances, Lord Lu?"
"The word 'old friend' is not enough to describe the relationship between us..." Realizing that Jun Qiyu's words were a trap, Lu Shiyuan quickly stopped the conversation, "In short, that girl is not someone you can mess with."
"Your Highness, I have official business to attend to, so I will not entertain you any longer." Lu Shiyuan bowed to Jun Qiyu and then turned to leave with Cheng Yunfan.
Jun Qiyu followed in their footsteps. "I just want to meet this young lady. Take me with you."
Lu Shiyuan saw two jailers at the dungeon entrance. They were talking about the girl who had just been brought in that day, and their words were full of lust for her beauty.
"How dare you! You followed the orders of the Junior Magistrate to arrest an innocent girl, and now you're gossiping about her behind her back."
Upon hearing this, the jailer looked up and saw Lu Shiyuan standing not far away, and Jun Qiyu standing behind him with a gloomy expression.
"My lord..." the jailer trembled, "I deserve to die. I shouldn't have spoken ill of others behind their backs. I hope you'll consider my family's situation..."
"Drag him out and beat him to death!" Jun Qiyu's tone was slightly stern, his face devoid of its usual unruly expression, replaced by anger in his eyes.
"My lord..." The jailer was dragged out by the others before he could finish speaking.
"Don't worry, Lord Lu, this matter has nothing to do with you." When Jun Qiyu turned to look at Lu Shiyuan, his expression returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
"A mere jailer, Your Highness need not worry about him," Lu Shiyuan nodded with a smile.
Jun Qiyu got rid of a problem for him, and he was overjoyed. How could he possibly blame him for it?
"Does Your Highness truly not recognize this young lady?" Lu Shiyuan glanced at Jun Qiyu before asking again.
"She is my betrothed wife..."
Before Jun Qiyu could finish speaking, he felt Lu Shiyuan's thick stick land on him. "Your Highness, please get lost!"
Xie Sili leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, seemingly resting, but actually meditating.
She only slightly opened her eyes when she heard their footsteps landing in front of the prison gate.
Before them appeared Jun Qiyu, Lu Shiyuan, and Cheng Yunfan.
Before she could speak, she heard the old man in the cell next to her say, "Lord Lu, what brings you here? Could it be that beast Fang Ye..."
"Fang Ye's retribution has begun." Lu Shiyuan looked at the old man and comforted him, "All the credit goes to the young lady beside you." After he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Xie Sili.
"This girl said earlier that she wanted me to live well. She's a good girl," he said, his eyes reddening.
Hearing the sound of the key being turned on, Xie Sili adjusted his posture and looked at them with a half-smile on his face. "Lord Lu, it's been many years. You've now become the Prefect of the Capital in a very stable position."
"You flatter me, young lady. I will never forget your kindness." Lu Shiyuan bowed to her. "If it weren't for your help back then, how could I have come to Chang'an to realize my ambitions?"
"But after so many years in officialdom, I've discovered that it's a place where people are devoured without a trace. Powerful families control the government, and it's difficult for scholars from poor families to rise up. When they take office, they are subjected to humiliation and trampling." Lu Shiyuan sighed as he said this.
"Does Lord Lu still remember what you said back then?" Xie Sili said, taking something out of his sleeve and placing it in his hand.
Lu Shiyuan looked at the food in his hand and, without thinking much, opened it and started eating.
Remembering the bitter past makes us appreciate the sweet present.
This is a quote from Xie Sili, which he has kept in mind ever since.
"I want to create a peaceful and prosperous world where people have enough to eat and wear, and never have to suffer the pain of war again."
Xie Sili looked at Jun Qiyu behind Lu Shiyuan as he listened to Lu Shiyuan's words.
"Students from poor families struggle to survive in the cracks. Once they overcome this hurdle, the rest will be a broad and prosperous road."
He reached out and patted Lu Shiyuan on the shoulder, "Then you'll see the peaceful and prosperous world you've been talking about."
"How are you feeling?"
After seeing Lu Shiyuan standing to one side, Jun Qiyu's voice rang in his ears.
“That’s good,” Xie Sili replied succinctly, “but I think Fang Yuanchao isn’t doing so well.”
Noticing Jun Qiyu's gaze, Xie Sili sat cross-legged. "He has been poisoned by me. Without my antidote, there is only one way out: to become a eunuch. Even if he is lucky enough to be cured, his Fang family line will end."
As she finished speaking, a slight smile appeared on her lips.
“No wonder Fang Ye came to the yamen in such a huff earlier, so that’s what happened.” Cheng Yunfan, who was standing to the side, spoke up appropriately, “But he was driven away by His Highness.”
“He’s made some tough threats.” Xie Sili’s words were filled with certainty. “Given his personality, he definitely wants me to pay a heavy price.”
When Xie Sili didn't receive a reply, he knew he had made the right move.
Fang Ye's matter involves many aspects, and if it is to be brought to the forefront, something significant and eye-catching must happen.
Neither the affairs of the old man's family nor the affairs of the green bamboo family were enough to shake Fang Zhao's position in the aristocratic family.
The reason why the current emperor despises aristocratic families so much is because it affects everything. Every aristocratic family has a reason for existing, but it is precisely this reason that arouses suspicion.
She glanced at the figure hidden in the shadows, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Tell them to proceed according to plan."
Lu Shiyuan and Cheng Yunfan only felt a breeze brush past their ears, while Jun Qiyu could vaguely make out a figure disappearing into the darkness.
"How long are you planning to stay here?"
Xie Sili glanced at Jun Qiyu leaning against the wall behind him. "This place is very nice. Why do you want to leave?"
"Why should I even bother with Fang Ye?" Xie Sili's tone was arrogant. "If you want to take me hostage, feel free to try!"
Lu Shiyuan and Cheng Yunfan both understood Xie Sili's personality. After receiving a signal from her, they turned and left, leaving the rest of the space to the two of them.
"Do you need my help?" Jun Qiyu sat down beside her. "My current identity..."
Xie Sili raised an eyebrow at Jun Qiyu, a half-smile on her face. "Do I need your help? I'm just a sickly country bumpkin from Yuzhou City, not worthy of Your Highness's kindness." As she spoke, she pretended to cough a few times.
Noticing Jun Qiyu's gaze, she continued, "Do you want me to give up pursuing Fang Ye?"
Receiving no reply, Xie Sili was about to speak when he heard his voice, "The Emperor hasn't made a move against the Fang and Zhao families yet because it would have far-reaching consequences. If..."
"Your Highness, Prince Yan, put away your pointless worries." Xie Sili interrupted him, his face calm and composed. "I never fight a battle I'm not sure I can win. On a chessboard, black and white pieces are playing against each other. At first glance, black seems to have the upper hand, but in the end, it is white who wins. Why do you say that is?"
She continued, "White conserves its strength and puts itself in a do-or-die situation; at first glance, Black seems to have the upper hand precisely because White plans every step of the way to make itself appear weak. In fact, every step Black takes is under White's control."
Xie Sili toyed with the hairpin in her hand. "To completely destroy a person, you have to attack them from all sides, to kill them by destroying their spirit." As she spoke, she threw the hairpin, which landed right on the door frame.
"Why does a centipede not die easily? It's because it didn't truly dismantle its internal interests." Xie Sili curled his lips. "If you strike a snake at its vital point, it will still die. This applies to animals and humans alike."
She raised an eyebrow at Jun Qiyu, who was standing to the side, and said, "What are even the closest of relatives in the face of humanity and self-interest? There are no ghosts or monsters in this world; what is truly terrifying is the human heart."
"The saying 'when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits' perfectly captures the essence of this."
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