Mountain and River Sacrifice 281. Tan Jizhi is arrested and the prison is under investigation

Although most of the Dingwang Mansion had left the capital for a long time, it was easy for Mo Xiuyao to find someone when he really wanted to. After all, the Dingwang Mansion had been operating in Chujing for not ten or eight years but nearly two hundred years. The depth of its foundation was definitely not something that a downtrodden royal descendant of the previous dynasty like Tan Jizhi, who could hardly walk in broad daylight, could understand. So when Tan Jizhi was politely invited to the Dingwang Mansion by the people of the Dingwang Mansion but could not refuse, he still couldn't hide the look of shock on his face.

In the hall, Mo Xiuyao, sitting on the main seat, stared at the middle-aged man in the hall with a half-smile and said calmly: "Master Tan... what do you think I should do to you this time? Or... do you have anything that can exchange your life for yours?"

Hearing this, Tan Jizhi really didn't want to make any more excuses. For a person like Mo Xiuyao, once he has determined the outcome, no matter how you argue, it will be meaningless. But he had to work hard for his own name, after all, he was not tired of living. He smiled helplessly and said, "The Dingwang Mansion is indeed well-established. I have nothing to say about it falling into the hands of the prince. But... I don't know what I did to anger the prince?"

Mo Xiuyao looked at Tan Jizhi with interest, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Could it be that Master Tan thought that I wanted to have tea with you?"

Tan Jizhi sighed. He certainly knew why Mo Xiuyao wanted to find him, but he didn't expect to be found so soon. Sighing, Tan Jizhi said bluntly: "I can't do anything about what the prince said. Although the idea was mine, I can't do anything about the court of Da Chu. So... Third Master Feng, I hope you can forgive me." After saying that, Tan Jizhi bowed to Feng Zhiyao, whose face had never been bright since he saw him, to apologize.

Feng Zhiyao sneered and ignored him, while Tan Jizhi didn't care much and sat calmly drinking tea.

Mo Xiuyao leaned back on his chair, looking at Tan Jizhi leisurely. However, Tan Jizhi, who looked calm on the outside, was tense in his heart. Mo Xiuyao's gaze on him seemed calm, but in reality, the pressure he gave him was no different from a real sword. He knew that now that he was in Mo Xiuyao's hands, whether he lived or died might depend entirely on Mo Xiuyao's mood.

After a while, Mo Xiuyao seemed to have seen enough and slowly withdrew his gaze, with a mocking smile on his lips, "Mr. Tan, are you here chatting with me, but are you waiting for someone to come and save you?"

Tan Ji was stunned, and the smile on his face became more bitter. "Now that I have fallen into the hands of the prince, I dare not think so." He really did not have much hope for those people. Tan Jizhi has always been proud of his vision, which is far inferior to those people in Chujing who are scheming against each other at this time. He did not lose out to falling into the hands of Mo Xiuyao. After all, he had helped Mo Jingqi to plot against Mo Xiuyao a lot. He was even just one step away from completely destroying the Dingwang Mansion. He just didn't want to accept it. He had great ambitions all his life, but in the blink of an eye, he was nearly forty years old and still hadn't achieved anything. Now that he fell into the hands of Mo Xiuyao, his chances of survival were slim...

Mo Xiuyao naturally saw the reluctance in Tan Jizhi's eyes, and smiled at him and said, "Master Tan, are you unwilling to accept that all your hard work over the years has been in vain?"

"I'm afraid it's not that we've worked in vain, but that we've been making wedding clothes for others." Tan Jizhi looked at Ye Li, who had been sitting next to Mo Xiuyao and remained silent, and said with some annoyance: "Speaking of which, it seems that the Ding Palace has started to change its fortunes since the prince married the princess. Mo Jingqi has gone through so much trouble, and it's better to say that he made the Ding Palace openly sever its ties with Da Chu." Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows slightly and turned his head to look at Ye Li. Ye Li beside him smiled slightly, turned around and looked at Tan Jizhi with some regret, saying: "If it weren't for those things in the past, I really hope that someone like Master Tan can stay in Prince Ding's Mansion. In fact, Master Tan, don't worry, even if your original plan succeeds, you won't be the one who can laugh at the end. Because... you went in the wrong direction from the beginning. Look at Ren Qining, Master Tan, don't you know the gap between you and him?"

Tan Jizhi's face changed. If there is anything in this world that is a pain point for someone like Tan Jizhi, then Ren Qining is undoubtedly one of them. Ever since Ren Qining was a descendant of the previous dynasty and appeared as Lin Yuan, Tan Jizhi has always felt very uneasy. There is only one Lin Yuan. If Ren Qining is an orphan of the previous dynasty, then what is he, Tan Jizhi? If he is not a descendant of the previous dynasty, then what is the purpose of his actions in the past half of his life? Tan Jizhi did not go to find Ren Qining, nor did he go to ask Doctor Lin, because he vaguely felt that the answer might be one he did not want to see.

"It seems that this matter does not require your concern." Tan Jizhi said with a grim expression.

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and said, "It really has nothing to do with me. Whether it's you or Ren Qining, I have never taken it seriously."

"Your Highness is a little too confident. Don't forget how miserable the Ding Palace was in those days." Rationally, Tan Jizhi knew that he would never dare to argue with Mo Xiuyao now. But seeing the casualness and indifference in Mo Xiuyao's eyes, the anger in his heart could not help but rise. The most infuriating thing is not that you can't beat your enemy, but that your enemy has never taken you seriously from the beginning to the end.

"So, Master Tan and Mo Jingqi obviously did something stupid. Do you think that if it weren't for the fact that Prince Ding's Mansion was a vassal of the Great Chu, Mo Jingqi's insignificant skills would have been able to plot against my elder brother?" Although Mo Xiuwen, the prince of Prince Ding's Mansion, did not have the same fame as his younger brother, he was indeed one of the people that Mo Xiuyao admired the most. It was absolutely impossible for a brother to be able to convince someone like Mo Xiuyao, "And now... who in the world can stop me?"

Tan Jizhi sneered, his eyes showing disbelief. But that look seemed a bit deliberate and forced, Mo Xiuyao didn't care and waved his hand to let someone take the man away. Tan Jizhi was still useful, so he could be spared for the time being, but he would never let him escape from his hands a second time.

Feng Zhiyao rudely took away Tan Jizhi, whose martial arts were restrained, leaving only Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao sitting opposite each other in the hall. Ye Li slowly replaced the cold tea and refilled it with a cup of hot tea. She smiled at the white-haired man opposite and asked, "What are your plans, Prince? A man like Tan Jizhi..." Tan Jizhi was not a big deal. He fell into the hands of Ding Wangfu and his martial arts were restrained. As long as he was still in Ding Wangfu, he could not leave Ding Wangfu even if he was put in a cell, let alone get out of Ding Wangfu. But Ye Li remembered that Doctor Lin was still in the northwest. She did not ask Doctor Lin about Tan Jizhi the last time she went back. After so many years of getting along, and the grace of saving her life and teaching her, Ye Li really regarded the old man as a relative. She didn't want to make the old man too sad.

"That little idiot is enough." Mo Xiuyao said in a vague tone, "Don't worry, Ah Li, I will take care of the relationship between Tan Jizhi and Doctor Lin."

Ye Li nodded. As long as Mo Xiuyao promised, he was always very reliable. After a brief consideration, she put it behind her mind and said to Mo Xiuyao, "There is nothing to do in the capital. Let's go back to the northwest as soon as possible." She was afraid that if she delayed any longer, her elder brother would really be angry when she returned.

Mo Xiuyao nodded, smiling happily, "We dealt with the Feng family's affairs too late this time, and the matter of the new emperor's enthronement should have a result. Then let's go back to the northwest." Although he often considered throwing most of the affairs to Xu Qingchen, Mo Xiuyao still knew that it was better to be too much than too little. If he squeezed Xu Qingchen too much and let him quit, it would be a loss.

The Feng family was also very unlucky this time. Although it is said that scholars, farmers, merchants and industrialists are the last, merchants who have achieved such a level as the Feng family are definitely more glorious than most people. Moreover, as the only merchant among the four richest families in Da Chu who has a foothold in the capital and has some relationship with the royal family, everyone has to give them some face. But since the emperor passed away, the Feng family members split into several factions and quarreled over which side to support. Before they could come to a conclusion, the Feng family was cleanly raided. They didn't even know the reason for the raid, and hundreds of people in the family were imprisoned in the Dali Temple in the capital. As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The Feng family was caught without warning, and everyone from the top to the bottom was thrown into prison. The families that were on good terms with the family naturally avoided them, not to mention those who were waiting for the Feng family to fall into trouble so that they could get a share of the spoils. There was no one to take care of them. The ladies and young ladies who were once rich and well-fed were suddenly thrown into a dirty and dark prison, so they naturally cried and made a fuss.

The head of the Feng family, Feng Huaiting, Feng Zhiyao's biological father, was imprisoned in a solitary cell. Compared to the crying wives, concubines, children, and other Feng family members, he was much calmer. He just sat with his back against the wall in a corner of the cell, and did not even respond to the calls of Mrs. Feng in the cell next to him.

As soon as Feng Zhiyao entered the Dali Temple, he was stopped. Originally, according to the order from above, although Feng Zhiyao had a cold relationship with the Feng family, he was also a bastard of the Feng family, so he must be imprisoned. But Feng Zhiyao also had another identity, the confidant of Prince Ding and the deputy general of the Mohist Army. The people who went to arrest him thought again and again and did not dare to go to Prince Ding's mansion to arrest him, so they had to report back, and finally the matter was dropped. However, it was absolutely unacceptable for the third son of Feng to enter the Dali Temple to visit the people of the Feng family.

Feng Zhiyao stared gloomily at the Dali Temple official in front of him with a fake smile. After the Feng family was thrown into prison, he had been busy catching Tan Jizhi. He only had time to visit after completing the prince's orders, but was stopped outside the door. It is conceivable how bad Feng Zhiyao's mood was as he hadn't slept for two days.

"Get out of the way." Feng Zhiyao said coldly, and his usually suave smile was tinged with a bit of sternness, which made the person who was blocking his way shudder.

"Mr. Feng San, the court has already shown grace by not making things difficult for you for the sake of Prince Ding. Don't be ungrateful!" Perhaps because he realized that he was casually frightened by a young man, the old man in front of him was eager to save his lost face and said righteously. Feng Zhiyao sneered disdainfully, "If you have the guts, lock me up too. I have never heard that the Dali Temple does not allow people to visit the prison." The Dali Temple does not allow people to visit the prison casually, but there are always some underlying rules in the officialdom. As long as you have money, there is no place that is inconvenient to go except the palace. However, Feng Zhiyao had no intention of giving him money. He looked at the righteous old man in front of him with a half-smile, "Do you need me to tell the people in Yu Shitai how many benefits Lord Wang has received in his seven years as an official in the Dali Temple?"

Lord Wang's face changed, and he glanced at his subordinates who lowered their heads and pretended not to hear anything. He stared at Feng Zhiyuan for a long time before he coughed and said, "Since the Third Master Feng is from the Ding Palace, I naturally cannot come. Please ask the Third Master Feng to come out quickly."

Feng Zhiyao sneered and said, "My coming here has nothing to do with Prince Ding's Mansion." He didn't care about Lord Wang's expression and walked into the prison with a wave of his sleeves.

As soon as he entered the cell, a cold and corrupt smell hit him. On both sides of the aisle, there were pairs of dirty, dark hands reaching out from inside, trying to grab passers-by. Feng Zhiyao snorted lightly, and with a sharp glance, he saw the prisoner who was lying in front of the railing and trying to pull him back immediately. People who have been in prison for a long time have the instinct to seek good and avoid harm. Even though Feng Zhiyao looks handsome and noble, like a playboy from a famous family, the hostility accumulated from more than ten years of fighting on the battlefield is not something these prisoners can resist.

The Feng family was locked up in the innermost part of the cell. Before they even stepped in, they could smell the strange stench coming from inside, which made Feng Zhiyao frown involuntarily, and a hint of coldness flashed in his half-closed eyes.

Walking into the place where the Feng family members were imprisoned, Feng Zhiyao looked at the man who was resting his eyes in the solitary cell at the back with a complicated expression. Feng Huaiting, who was nearly sixty years old, looked much younger than his actual age. Even in such a dark and dirty cell, he was much neater sitting on the floor than the crying and noisy Feng family members in the cells next to him. Feng Zhiyao found that he had more white hair on his temples than when he left the capital many years ago. When Feng Zhiyao returned to Beijing six years ago, he did not listen to Xu Hongyan's advice to go back to see him. It turned out that they had seen each other every day for seven or eight years. Feng Zhiyao closed his eyes, hiding the unnecessary emotions in his eyes.

The sudden appearance of Feng Zhiyao made the noisy Feng family members quiet down immediately. The man in red standing in the aisle was wearing a luxurious red brocade robe. His handsome face, no matter where he was, brightened up the dark cell. The Feng family members were not familiar with Feng Zhiyao. Since Feng Zhiyao was eight or nine years old, he had spent much more time in Prince Ding's mansion and outside than at home. Just looking at the graceful man in red in front of them, someone finally remembered that many years ago there was a member of the Feng family who always wore red clothes no matter where he was. I don't know who suddenly called out, "Feng Zhiyao!"

"Brother, brother, I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you?" Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows and gave a slightly malicious smirk to the two middle-aged men not far in front of him.

No matter how many years have passed, Feng Zhiyao still cannot like his two brothers. When he was a child, they were envy and fear to him, and when he was a teenager, they were the objects of his disgust and hatred. But now, Feng Zhiyao, who has matured, has already left these two brothers far behind. The deep hatred he felt when he was a teenager is now just a faint disgust that comes from instinct.

"Feng Zhiyao?! Why are you here?!" Feng Zhiyuan, the second son of the Feng family, stared at his third brother whom he hadn't seen for many years and asked with a bit of discomfort. The grudges in childhood were probably just the nonsense of children, but the grudges in youth were more about interests. Back then, the people of the Feng family forced the head of the family to drive Feng Zhiyao out of the Feng family on the grounds that he was close to Prince Ding's Mansion, and even publicly severed ties with him after Feng Zhiyao followed Prince Ding to the northwest. But now Feng Zhiyao is doing well in Prince Ding's Mansion, but they have fallen to this point. The faces of the two legitimate sons of the Feng family are not very good.

"Third brother... Third brother! Save me, don't worry about me! Save me..." A middle-aged woman rolled and crawled to the railing, stretched out her hand to grab Feng Zhiyao's hand and cried. Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows. The Liu family and Prince Li were well prepared. Not only the people of the Feng family and the side branches, but also the married daughters were captured. It seems... it doesn't seem like they are just threatening him and Prince Ding's Mansion. Thinking of Mo Xiuyao's careless smile when he was about to leave, Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows.

"What are you doing here?" Feng Huaiting opened his eyes when Feng Zhiyuan called out Feng Zhiyuan's name for the first time. He looked at the elegant man in red clothes outside. An inexplicable emotion flashed across his eyes but disappeared very quickly. He asked calmly.

The cold voice made Feng Zhiyao feel depressed, but the smile on his face became brighter. "Of course I came to see you, Dad. You look good."

"Nosy." Feng Huai Ting said coldly: "You are no longer a descendant of the Feng family. Whatever happens in the Feng family has nothing to do with you. I don't need you to visit me. Go back if you have nothing to do." After saying that, Feng Huai Ting closed his eyes again and no longer paid attention to Feng Zhiyao's sudden change of expression.

"Dad, what did you say?" The fourth daughter of the Feng family said unhappily, "Third brother is the confidant of Prince Ding. Third brother must be here to save us. Third brother... let someone let me out quickly."

Feng Zhiyao originally felt somewhat guilty, but Feng Huaiting's cold words immediately made him furious. He sneered, pulled back his clothes that Feng Si had grabbed, raised his eyebrows and smiled: "I'm sorry, just like Master Feng said, I'm no longer a member of the Feng family, and what happens to the Feng family has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to watch the fun."

"You little bastard! Even if the Feng family falls on hard times, it's not your turn to gloat over their misfortune. Maybe the Feng family was brought down by a jerk like you!" Mrs. Feng on the side suddenly yelled.

Hearing this, Feng Zhiyuan looked at Madam Feng in surprise. Madam Feng always prided herself on being the wife of the first wife. Although she never looked at a bastard like him, she always appeared to be generous and virtuous, and would never do anything that would cause gossip. Apart from the fact that she allowed his two sons to bully him and excluded them without leaving any trace, compared to some of the vicious women in the inner house, Madam Feng was really good. I didn't expect that she would be unable to hold back at this time.

"Shut up!" Feng Huai Ting suddenly said in a cold voice, "You are saying dirty words. Could it be that after entering the cell, all your cultivation has been eaten by dogs?"

Mrs. Feng choked and opened her mouth for a long time but couldn't say anything.