rescue
"Sir, please come this way..."
The jailer seemed to have withdrawn from the argument. The warden was now speaking, respectfully leading his superior inside. He smiled so hard that only his two rows of white teeth could be seen. "Miss Jing is in the innermost cell."
Seeing the man remain silent, the warden's smile froze in embarrassment. He suppressed a twitch in his mouth and explained, "Don't blame me, sir. It was these jailers under my command who were blind and didn't recognize you, so they stopped you. Please be magnanimous and don't argue with them."
The young man who was being chased to explain had a gentle expression and a smile on his face, but he did not respond to the warden at all.
Although the prison warden was panicking, he didn't show it. Just as he was about to talk about Jing Yao again, one of the Dali Temple's Sizhi, who had been silent on both sides, finally couldn't help but say, "Shut up."
The man had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and looked fierce. Seeing this, the warden didn't dare to say anything more and quietly led the man to the outside of Jing Yao's cell.
Jing Yao was leaning idly on the quilt and pillows when a group of people from the Dali Temple rushed in. The people from the Dali Temple were all wearing dark red stand-up collar robes and black hats, and they stood neatly in front of her, forming a wall.
Jing Yao said nothing and pretended not to see the crowd.
She tilted her head to play with a few strands of her black hair, and spoke with a coquettish and innocent air: "Call the highest-ranking official out. Those who are not high-ranking are not qualified to judge me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the "wall" spread out expressionlessly and stood on both sides. The young man in the middle smiled and said gently: "Am I a qualified judge to interrogate you?"
"Well..." Jing Yao suppressed his laughter, coughed twice, raised his chin and hummed: "Just barely qualified."
"It would be my great pleasure."
The young man naturally knelt beside her on one knee, and held out his fair, broad hand to Jing Yao: "Miss, can you get up now?"
Jing Yao looked into the young man's eyes and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The man in front of her was exactly the same as she remembered, with long black hair like a waterfall, skin as white as snow, soft and delicate facial features, and a gentle temperament like jade between his eyebrows. He was worthy of being the most handsome man in Shanghua - Baili Wenfu.
Baili Wenfu is the same age as Si Pei and is Jing Yao's older brother. The Baili and Jing families were related by marriage, so they can be said to be relatives.
Back when the Jingguo Mansion was at its peak of power, the Baili family was just an ordinary aristocratic family. Aside from Old Master Baili holding a half-marquisate, there wasn't much real power left.
But man proposes, God disposes. Thirteen years ago, the Gongye family, one of the four major families, ended up being exiled because of forming cliques for personal gain. The huge family collapsed, and a total of more than 10,000 people were implicated, half of whom were officials.
The Gongye family fell, and the vacancy was filled by the Baili family, favored by the emperor. The Baili family was then promoted to become the new wealthy and powerful family in Xijing. Today, the Jingguo Mansion has long ceased to exist, and the Baili family is thriving.
Baili Wenfu, the eldest son of the Baili family, was highly regarded by the head of the family. As expected, he showed amazing talent since he was young. He could compose poems fluently at the age of five, write essays at the age of seven, and compose fu at the age of ten. He was a famous child prodigy in Xijing.
When Jing Yao was young, he studied in the palace academy with other princes and princesses. At that time, Baili Wenfu, who was only thirteen years old, had already completed all his courses and could even help the teacher teach them.
Jing Yao had no special interest in reading but was very clever. Little Jing Yao liked beautiful boys like Baili Wenfu, who were both talented and handsome. She often went around asking Baili Jun to give her special lessons.
However, because there was another person who always stayed by Jingyao's side to provide her with "close guidance", she was unable to spend many times alone with Baili Wenfu.
But Jing Yao still likes this gentle brother Baili very much.
In her previous life, when something happened in the Duke Jing's Mansion, Baili Wenfu came to see her.
He asked Jing Yao if she was willing to marry him and become the young lady of the Baili family.
Jing Yao refused.
He was leaving behind a mess, and the Baili family would not allow him to marry a woman with such a bad reputation.
She didn't want to burden him.
Although Jing Yao disdained the social etiquette of the nobility, he also understood that his current position was a hot potato. Baili Wenfu represented the Baili family, and neither he nor the Baili family could afford to marry the daughter of a criminal. Jing Yao wasn't just afraid of embarrassing him, but more afraid of embarrassing herself.
Besides, Baili couldn't win against Si Pei, so there was no need to cause trouble for himself.
Baili Wenfu understood these interests better than her. Jing Yao thought that this must be the most impulsive and absurd idea in his first half of life.
But in her previous life, until the rebels attacked the city, she and Baili Wenfu had always treated each other as brother and sister.
Even though she could still see the unignorable emotion in Baili Wenfu's eyes, she and he both tacitly kept silent.
Some people are simply impossible.
Jing Yao looked at the smiling peach blossom eyes of the young man in front of her. The feelings in his eyes were too lingering. She looked away as if to hide it, laughed loudly, patted his hand and stood up herself: "It's just a small matter, so I won't bother you, Master Shaoqing."
Baili Wenfu's expression flashed with surprise, and he silently clenched his hands. After standing up, he looked as usual and smiled at her, "Then Madam Jing, please follow me."
The Dali Temple was interrogating prisoners in another place, and Baili Wenfu started asking on the way: "Wasn't it your birthday party last night?"
Baili Wenfu hadn't been invited to the palace to celebrate Jing Yao's birthday last night, so he naturally didn't know what happened at the banquet. He had only just received word from his men this morning that Jing Yao had attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince and was currently being held in the Imperial Prison. He rushed over to retrieve him immediately.
He knew the Crown Prince and Jing Yao had a strained relationship, but he hadn't imagined she would actually resort to violence. What had the Crown Prince done to cause Jing Yao to act like this? Was it because of the Jing family being wiped out by bandits six months earlier? No, the Crown Prince wouldn't do that...
Could it be——
"What did he do to you, Your Highness?"
"Don't let your imagination run wild!" Jing Yao felt that it would be very troublesome to explain this matter. Baili Wenfu was so smart that Jing Yao was even less confident in lying to him. So he just said it directly: "I was so angry at the time. I thought Si Pei was responsible for the things that happened to my family and I didn't want to stay with him. But he stopped me from leaving, and I was angry..."
Jing Yao hadn't lied; she'd been stabbed for exactly this reason in her past life, but there was one more thing she hadn't said. She'd hurried away because Zuo Yuanwu was still waiting at the outer palace gate to take her away. Si Pei, having probably seen through it, grabbed her hand and asked if she really didn't want to accept him at all.
Jing Yao felt a surge of anger rushing to his head, and he wondered if Si Pei was really crazy. He would not turn back until he hit the wall, and would not cry until he saw the coffin... His mind went blank and he stabbed him.
But she still had her wits about her shoulders. She didn't really want to kill him. She just wanted to see if Si Pei would wake up. It would be best if he gave up on this idea...
Baili Wenfu hesitated to speak. He was certain that Si Pei couldn't have been behind the Jing family incident. But now he suddenly didn't know whether he should explain on Si Pei's behalf, so he chose to remain silent.
"But last night I thought about it and figured out a lot of things that I hadn't noticed before... Actually, there's no reason for Si Pei to continue to kill my family."
Jing Yao looked up at the ceiling in front of him, with a hint of relief in his tone.
Baili Wenfu was somewhat surprised that Jing Yao could figure this matter out. As the saying goes, those who are involved in the matter are often confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see things more clearly. It is easy for people to be carried away by their emotions and do some unconscious behaviors.
He expected Jing Yao to do what she did last night, and he could understand her feelings.
In his mind, Jing Yao had always been that naive yet somewhat headstrong younger sister. Her pampered status as a noblewoman had indeed led her to act too self-centeredly over the years, gradually evolving into what others would call an arrogant and domineering person. But in reality, while Jing Yao might be a bit cunning, she was definitely not a bad person.
Or perhaps it was because Jing Yao's image as a child who disliked studying and only loved playing was too deeply engraved in his mind, Baili Wenfu still subconsciously regarded her as a child who knew nothing about the world.
He gave Jing Yao complete trust and tolerance, so Jing Yao was able to have his own thoughts and awakening. He was even more relieved: "Losing a loved one is the most painful thing in the world, and impulsiveness is human nature. And Ling Yi, after reflecting on it, you can see the doubts behind it, which is already very good."
Baili Wenfu raised his hand and gently stroked the girl's forehead: "I think your uncle and aunt must be happy for you too."
Jing Yao's heart sank, and after a moment he breathed a sigh of relief: "I hope so."
She had disappointed them enough before.
Baili Wenfu sent people to report the Jing family case to the local authorities. The perpetrators were a group of bandits in Quan County, Hezhou. Their purpose was to rob the Jing family's convoy and then killed them to silence them.
This group of bandits has an erratic whereabouts and is notorious in the south. They have committed countless major crimes and the government has been looking for them.
"Don't worry, Lingyi. We at the Dali Temple have been closely following the progress of this case. We will definitely arrest and hang these bandits as soon as possible to comfort the souls of your uncle and aunt."
Jing Yao nodded, her thoughts intricately entangled - she had suffered several mental breakdowns after the tragic massacre of the Jing family in her previous life. She had never had the opportunity to meet Baili Wenfu, and naturally did not know the details of the case.
And since she did not receive any news about the murderer being brought to justice in her previous life, it meant that Baili Wenfu and his men from the Dali Temple did not catch the bandits in her previous life.
Sure enough, his whereabouts are mysterious...
If you only listen to what Baili Wenfu said, it seems that the Jing family was just unlucky enough to encounter cruel bandits and become their victims.
But somehow, Jing Yao had a strong premonition that this matter would never be so simple.
Everything must be directed towards that person.
Unconsciously, he had walked out of the gate of the imperial prison. Jing Yao looked up at the long-lost daylight, and his tense mood relaxed.
Next, I hope Zuo Yuanwu can bring her back useful information...
Speaking of checking the news, Jing Yao's eyes turned and he thought of Baili Wenfu who was beside him.
"Brother Wenfu, are you familiar with His Royal Highness Prince Lin?"
Jing Yao tilted his head and asked him. The young man was stunned for a moment, as if recalling his interactions with Prince Lin Si Jue. "Prince Lin is the Crown Prince's younger brother, a year younger than you, and more reserved. I don't see him often, and we only have a few words at banquets."
Jing Yao nodded. It was true that Si Jue seldom appeared in public. Although he was Si Pei's younger brother, he had never come to the East Palace to visit his brother many times.
Now that I think about it, there must have been cracks in their relationship long ago, and they were not as close as they appeared to be.
Jing Yao felt that he had to wait until he returned to the Eastern Palace to inquire with Si Pei himself about Prince Lin’s matter.
"Prince Lin has often stayed in his fiefdom over the past two years. The Emperor still loves his youngest son. Prince Lin's fiefdom is in the Jiangru area, which is the most prosperous area today."
"Jiang and Ru states..."
Isn’t that next to Hezhou?
Baili Wenfu had no idea what Jing Yao was thinking and thought she was interested in Jiangru. "Jiangru and Ru are both places of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. The Wei family started in Ruzhou. Now Jiangru is full of merchants and is very prosperous. However, because of the fiefdom, Prince Lin also got a lot of benefits from the Wei family."
"Yeah." Jing Yao responded absentmindedly. Si Jue had been staying in his fiefdom for more than a year, but if a prince like Si Jue had any dealings with bandits, he would definitely be exposed easily.
Si Pei's spies were all over Xijing, which was why he was so confident in his previous life that Prince Lin was incapable of rebelling. He didn't expect that Si Jue could actually do it in the end.
Which link in the chain went wrong?
Jing Yao was puzzled.
Is Si Pei lax?
There is absolutely no such possibility.
Or maybe there is a middleman secretly manipulating the situation...
A familiar figure suddenly flashed through Jing Yao's mind.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
Before she could figure it out, a more familiar voice sounded in her ears.
He is the eunuch serving Si Pei, Eunuch Ming.
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