Cheng Chang hurriedly presented a secret letter: "Your Majesty, please calm down and take a look at this first."
Chu Yi, his face dark, took the document and glanced at it a few times. His anger suddenly subsided, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "He Cheng? Interesting."
"He's not dead, he's lucky to be alive. He'll come with me tonight to take a look."
He's determined to stir things up!
It was past midnight.
The prison was completely surrounded, and Chu Yi, with his hands behind his back, forced himself to walk to a cell despite his disgust.
Looking at the man lying half-dead in the cell, looking lifeless and desperate, he covered his nose and asked, "Are you He Cheng?"
At this moment, He Cheng was filthy and smelly, with scraggly hair and beard, and was surrounded by flies.
Hearing the voice, he struggled to sit up and saw that the person who came was dressed in fine clothes and had an extraordinary appearance.
A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in his lifeless eyes. He stumbled forward and, without thinking, pleaded in a hoarse voice, "Yes, I am He Cheng! Please, sir, save me! I'll do anything for you, please save me! I don't want to die!"
"Tsk." A stench hit him, and Chu Yi's face turned slightly green. He took a few steps back and glanced at He Cheng with increasing disgust.
He looked like a useless, good-for-nothing coward, but since he was still of some use, he asked with a sneer, "Do you hate Fu Zhun?"
"Payment?!"
Upon hearing the name, He Cheng's eyes turned bloodshot, and his whole body trembled violently.
"Hate, how could I not hate him! I wish I could skin him alive and tear him apart. If it weren't for him and that despicable couple Su An, how could I have fallen to this state!"
"Very good." Chu Yi nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this and instructed Cheng Chang, "Take him away, disguise him, and stuff him into the Shadow Guard camp. We can't waste this good piece."
He Cheng's face instantly contorted with disbelief and excitement. Could he really be rescued?!
He would be willing to become any kind of pawn as long as he could be saved!
Cheng Chang obeyed the order, cleaved open the prison door, and carried away the overjoyed He Cheng as if he were a chick.
Chu Yi hadn't expected the trip to be so simple. He played with the jade thumb ring with a rather bored expression, then turned and headed back.
However, as he passed the jailer, the jailer knelt down with a thud and respectfully said, "This humble servant, Xu Datong, pays his respects to Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"Oh?" Chu Yi suddenly became interested and stopped to look at him with a half-smile.
How do you know I am the emperor?
It turns out that the jailer had volunteered to lead the way from the very beginning because he had seen through his identity.
Upon hearing the word "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I, the Imperial Censor"), Xu Datong gasped in excitement, his shrewd face becoming incredibly respectful as he quickly replied:
"Your Majesty, I was fortunate enough to be recruited by the leader of the Shadow Guards here. I just heard Your Majesty mention the Shadow Guards and saw Your Majesty wearing a brocade robe with dragon patterns, so I dare to guess that Your Majesty is here!"
Chu Yi's brow twitched. "Were you once recruited as a shadow guard?"
Xu Datong was quick-witted and immediately confessed everything that had happened.
After saying that, he shouted, "That's how it is. I never expected that the leader of the Peony Guard would betray us. Therefore, I resolutely withdrew from the Shadow Guard Camp and refused to be complicit in their corruption. I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"
As he recounted what had happened, Chu Yi's hawk-like eyes filled with a ruthless glint.
Who would have thought that my good uncle's reach was so far, even managing to turn the leader of the Shadow Guard Battalion against him? How wonderful!
"Not bad, your quick thinking saved you." Chu Yi glanced at Xu Datong with a half-smile, then slightly raised his hand and beckoned Cheng Chang.
"I didn't bring any gifts for the Imperial Uncle this time, but I'll take care of that traitor and give him a little surprise!"
Meanwhile, outside the prison.
An Yi's figure quickly disappeared, returning to the clinic.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has entered the prison. The area is heavily guarded, and I have no way to investigate."
Fu Zhun paused his reading, his dark eyes gazing thoughtfully out the window.
"You may leave now. Go back and continue monitoring the situation."
"yes--"
The next day.
Su An was filled with apprehension, expecting a day of great upheaval, but to her surprise, neither the emperor nor Fu Zhun appeared silently, as if they had made a pact.
Fu Zhun even sent Jian Yi to tell her that she didn't need to prepare any food to send over today.
I'm really puzzled.
Su An nervously fiddled with the abacus, but ultimately stayed obediently in her shop. She even reminded the family not to wander around recently, hoping that the emperor would leave Fuyou County as soon as possible.
A day passed by in anxiety.
It was past midnight when Su An was sleeping soundly when a loud crash startled her so much that she jumped out of bed.
Someone climbed through the window and entered her house!
Su Anxin's heart leaped into her throat. Just as she was about to slip out to call for help, she heard Peony's voice, which sounded like she was in pain: "Miss Su, it's me..."
"Peony?!" Su An was taken aback and quickly went over, only to see Peony standing up while clutching her abdomen.
Her face was pale, and by the moonlight, one could clearly see a knife wound in her lower abdomen, stained with blood!
"What's going on? You—"
Su An's gaze was serious, but Peony suddenly grabbed her arm anxiously: "There's no time to explain, Miss Su. I learned that the Emperor wanted to kill the Prince, and I encountered assassins on my way back!"
"What!" Su An gasped for breath, his hands and feet suddenly turning icy cold.
She sensed something was off about the calm; it turned out a conspiracy was brewing!
"Miss Su, please tell the Prince to prepare quickly, I, I can't hold on much longer..." Peony cried out weakly, her face contorted with pain.
Su An took a deep breath, looked at the somewhat unsteady Peony, gritted his teeth, and helped her up.
"Dr. Xie must be at the clinic. I'll take you there to get your injuries treated!"
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