The journey, which should have taken three days, was completed in less than two days. By the time the precious horse returned to the capital, it was exhausted.
Outside the city gate, the secret guards received the signal and rushed to meet them.
The emperor dusted himself off and took the horse brought by the guard, ordering, "Follow me to Prince Chen's residence."
After saying this, he mounted his horse and galloped towards Prince Chen's residence.
Jian Yang was locked in the dungeon. Several days had passed since Zhou Jing'an stopped bothering her. She was puzzled and felt uneasy. She wondered how her brother's injuries were and whether that man was alright.
The poison powder was almost ready, but she still needed some sleeping pills. She stared blankly at the bottles and jars in front of her.
If that scoundrel Zhou Jing'an were in front of her, she would definitely not hesitate to sprinkle all this poison powder on his face, enough to kill him!
When the nanny brings her food today, she will bring enough medicine, including a sleeping potion and poison powder. I believe she will be able to escape soon.
As if on cue, a voice rang out from outside the dungeon: "Miss, it's time to eat."
After taking the food box, the nanny whispered, "What the young lady wanted is at the bottom of the food box."
Jian Yang smiled, took it, and opened the food box to find several medicinal herbs in the lower layer.
"Thank you so much, Auntie."
The old woman was all smiles. In the past few days, not only had her back pain subsided, but Jian Yang had also taught her many health preservation methods. Following them, she felt much younger. This girl was kind and gentle, and she liked her more and more the more she looked at her.
"You're too kind, young lady. I should be thanking you."
Jian Yang looked around and, seeing that no one was coming, beckoned to the old woman and whispered, "Auntie, has something happened in the manor recently?"
The old woman paused for a moment, looking somewhat embarrassed: "Miss, I'm just a kitchen worker, I really don't know anything about the master's affairs, I only know that the master left the capital a few days ago."
Hearing this, she felt even more uneasy, and forced a smile at the old woman: "It's nothing, I was just asking casually."
After the nanny left, Jian Yang ate a few bites of food and began fiddling with her medicinal herbs. She needed to get away as soon as possible; she couldn't just sit and wait to die any longer...
The guards at the Prince's mansion were indeed much fewer. It seems that the loss of the account book completely threw Zhou Jing'an into disarray, and most of his troops must have gone to Jiangzhou. The emperor and his secret guards entered the Prince's mansion with ease.
There were still many guards outside the dungeon, but everything was safe and sound inside. The person inside was also behaving himself. Seeing this, the guards gradually relaxed, and some even dozed off.
Under the emperor's arrangement, the secret guards set fire to the front hall. As the fire grew larger and larger, it was too late to put it out, and the guards outside the dungeon hesitated.
Just then, someone shouted, "Quickly, put out the fire!"
As the black smoke grew thicker, the guards rushed out, and the emperor took advantage of the chaos to slip into the dungeon.
The dungeon was cold, damp, and dark, with only a few lamps providing light. Under the dim light, Jian Yang sat at the table, fiddling with the medicinal herbs in her hands.
Upon seeing this scene, Zhou Jingzhi's heart suddenly ached.
His Ah Yang was imprisoned here, and he didn't know what kind of miserable life she was living. He suddenly didn't dare to go forward, afraid of seeing her covered in wounds.
Jian Yang heard the commotion outside and didn't know what had happened. When she looked up, she saw a familiar figure.
...Why did he come here? This place is heavily guarded. Isn't he risking his life by coming here alone?
Jian Yang suddenly stood up, and just as she was about to say something, Zhou Jingzhi strode up to her.
Only then did she see clearly that the man in front of her had bloodshot eyes, indicating that he hadn't slept for a long time, and his hair was also a bit messy. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
Through the fence, Zhou Jingzhi looked at Jian Yang, his eyes filled with pain: "A Yang, are you hurt?"
Before she could answer, the man spoke again: "Don't worry, I will definitely get you out." With that, he picked up his sword and slashed at the door lock.
"Clang, clang, bang." Zhou Jingzhi used all his strength.
“I’m not hurt, don’t bother cutting me, the key is with Zhou Jing’an.” Jian Yang grasped his hand through the fence, shrugged and said helplessly.
That damned Zhou Jing'an not only sent people to watch her, but also used the best craftsmen to make the locks that were on her. She tried many methods but failed to open them, let alone try to open them with a sword. Thinking of this, she was filled with hatred.
The emperor was somewhat dejected upon hearing this, but then he rallied when he thought of the account books in his hand.
"Ayang, I've got the ledger. I'll be able to take you away soon."
"You can go wherever you want then. I promise to send you far away. You... can go and live the life you want."
"It's my fault for dragging you down and making you suffer," Zhou Jingzhi said in a series of words.
After this experience, he realized that the person he deeply loved had repeatedly put himself in danger because of him, and that he had failed to protect her every time.
Jian Yang looked at the man in front of her, who was trying to be nonchalant and was forcing a smile. She felt very uncomfortable. Was he finally going to set her free this time?
She knew all too well that her current choice was contrary to her original thoughts, but she was already involved, so how could she stay out of it?
And she had to admit that she was very reluctant to part with the man in front of her; even after taking one more look, she still thought he was really handsome.
Seeing the sadness in his eyes, Jian Yang sighed softly and reached out to smooth his brow.
“Zhou Jingzhi, I’m fine. I’m not injured. I’ve also made a lot of poison powder to deal with Zhou Jing’an. Don’t worry about me,” Jian Yang said with a smile.
"When Zhou Jing'an arrives, I'll poison him with poison powder and draw ten turtles on his face, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingzhi burst out laughing, and Jian Yang laughed as well.
Looking at Jian Yang's smiling face, he suddenly felt that even if he couldn't rescue her this time, being able to see her and know that she was safe and sound would be wonderful.
"Where is my brother? How is he? Has he recovered?" Jian Yang recalled the arrow her brother had been shot with before he left, which was quite serious.
Upon arriving in the capital, the emperor received a secret report from his spies. After he left Jiangzhou, Jian Hong and his group took advantage of Zhou Mu'an's unpreparedness and broke out of the mansion. Although they lost some men, they managed to leave Jiangzhou safely.
Zhou Mu'an pursued them all the way, but the complex mountainous terrain prevented him from catching up. They were heading towards the capital.
“Jian Jiangjun’s injuries are no longer serious, and he will be back in Beijing soon.” Just as Zhou Jingzhi finished speaking, footsteps came from outside the dungeon.
"Hurry up and leave! Someone is coming!" Every hour someone would come to check on Jian Yang's condition, and it should be time now, so she hurriedly pushed Zhou Jingzhi out.
Zhou Jingzhi felt a little reluctant, remembering that the fire he had set should have been extinguished by now, and if he didn't leave soon, it would be too late.
He looked at Jian Yang again and again, his eyes filled with tenderness and affection, before finally putting on a mask and rushing out.
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