Chapter 95
The sun had already passed noon, and through the carved window lattices of the Shang Mansion's villa, warm sunlight sprinkled on the blue brick floor, but it could not dispel the solemnity of the house.
Xiulan was lying on a bed covered with plain brocade, her face still pale. She had just heard that Hong Jingxiu was still alive, and she was so excited that she fainted. At this moment, her brows were still slightly furrowed, as if she was suffering from the turmoil of her emotions even in her sleep.
Luo Sanrong stayed by the bed, gently placing his fingertips on his mother's wrist pulse, feeling the weak yet steady beat, and his heart finally settled down.
There were soft footsteps outside the door, and Shang Gong, wearing a navy blue casual suit and a plain jade belt around his waist, walked in slowly.
He glanced at Xiulan, who lay unconscious on the bed, and then at Luo Sanrong, who stood beside him with a tense expression. He said in a deep voice, "Luo Rong, you can rest assured here. This villa is located on the outskirts of the city, and my people are guarding it everywhere. No outsiders will break in. It's a safe place."
Upon hearing this, Luo Sanzhen immediately turned around and bowed respectfully to Lord Shang. "Thank you very much, Lord Shang, for your help. I will definitely remember this kindness in my heart."
Lord Shang nodded slightly and raised his hand to signal her to stand up. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard Luo San'er's voice again behind him, with some hesitation and some determination: "Also, my lord, I have another request of yours."
Shang Gong paused, turned around, and looked at Luo San'er. Seeing her earnest eyes, he guessed something in his heart. His face immediately darkened, and he denied it without hesitation: "No."
His tone became more serious, with a hint of urgency. "Do you know what the situation is like inside and outside the palace right now? Your father is a serious criminal who was on the run for ten years before being recaptured. His Majesty is furious and is hunting down anyone connected to him. If you approach the palace or try to see him now, you'll be in danger if you're not careful, and no one will be able to save you!"
Luo Sanrong's hands, hanging at her side, clenched slightly, her fingertips turning white. She slowly raised her head, met Shang Gong's gaze, and nodded solemnly: "I know."
Her voice was calm, yet it concealed an unwavering determination. "I know this is a dangerous matter, and I know my father is in a difficult situation. I also know that if I make a mistake, there will be no recovery."
Seeing him like this, Lord Shang sighed inwardly, then softened his tone a little and patiently explained, "Now that you know, you should understand the stakes involved. Your father's arrest is punishable by death according to the law. If you get involved, not only will you fail to save him, but you'll end up getting yourself in trouble as well."
"I know." Luo Sanrong repeated this sentence again, but this time, her voice was a little more choked up, and her eyes were slightly red. "It is precisely because I know it is difficult, and I know there may not be another chance, that I want to ask you for help.
Lord Shang, I have never seen my father since I can remember. In my heart, he is just a vague name and a past that my mother occasionally mentioned.
Now that I finally know he's still alive, even if he's in prison, I want to see him in person once, even if it's just to say a word, to ask if he's okay. If I miss this opportunity, if something happens to him someday, how can I be willing to accept it? How can I live without even seeing him once?
Shang Gong looked at Luo Sanying quietly. The girl's face was still a little immature, but her eyes were extremely firm. The pleading and persistence in her eyes were like a thin needle, gently piercing his heart.
He was silent for a long time, and finally couldn't help but sigh silently in his heart, adding a bit of helplessness to his voice: "Forget it. Anyway, I used to have some friendship with your father, and I really don't want to see you at such a young age, in such a dangerous situation."
Luo Sanying was delighted to see that Lord Shang's tone had softened, and hurriedly bowed again, her tone a little anxious and full of pleading: "Lord Shang, please help me. This is the last time, no, this is the first time I ask you, I only ask that you let me see my father, even for just a moment!" Her body trembled slightly, and her words were so earnest that she almost shed tears.
The night was like thick ink splashed over the imperial city. The animal heads on the eaves of the palace walls were immersed in the dark night, leaving only vague outlines.
The palace lanterns hanging under the corridor were swaying gently in the evening breeze, and the dim light cast tiny shadows on the bluestone road, just like Luo Sanrong's anxious heart at the moment.
She was dressed in a dark-colored guard uniform. The coolness of the sword at her waist seeped through the fabric into her skin, but it couldn't suppress the slight trembling of her fingertips.
This outfit was originally meant to conceal her identity, but when she stood under the old locust tree in the alley of Xihuamen, her eyes couldn't help but drift towards the East Palace.
The palace there, with its high eaves and hidden in the night, was as silent as a giant beast, and it was unknown how many answers she was eager to find were hidden there.
The hesitation when Lord Shang gave up just now was still ringing in her ears. The six words "someone in the palace will support me" made her feel a little uneasy at this moment, and her fingertips unconsciously stroked the rope around the hilt.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound behind me. It was not the sound of the clogs of the palace slaves patrolling at night, but more like the sound of soft boots stepping on fallen leaves.
Luo Sanrong turned around suddenly, his hand already on the hilt of the sword. When he saw the person clearly, his pupils suddenly contracted, and the vigilance he had just prepared froze on his face.
A ray of moonlight slipped through a gap in the clouds, falling on the man's dark robe. Wei Dao's face was hidden in the shadows, revealing only the hard lines of his jaw. The bronze talisman in his hand shone coldly under the palace lantern.
He didn't make any extra movements, just said lightly: "Follow me."
There was no warmth in the voice, but Luo Sanying was so frightened that he took a step back, as if something had hit his heart.
She looked at Weidao's back. How could he be the person who met her in the palace?
Following him through the winding palace corridors, the lanterns on the pillars stretched their shadows, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. Luo Sanrong clutched the corner of her clothes and hesitated for half a cup of tea. Finally, she couldn't help but speak: "Lord Shang said that the person who would meet me in the palace is you? Wei Dao."
Weidao didn't pause, nor did he even look back. He only let out a very light "hmm" from his throat as a response.
He stopped in front of the prison entrance. When he turned around, his eyes were still emotionless. He simply raised his hand to take the sword from Luo San'er's waist, fastened the copper buckle on the scabbard, and said in a deep voice, "Don't ask anything before you meet the person."
After saying that, he slung his sword across his shoulder and raised his hand to push open the heavy wooden door of the dungeon.
The door hinges creaked with an old, mingled sound, mingled with the damp air wafting from the dungeon, instantly enveloping Luo Sanrong. Wei Dao stood by the door, moving aside to make way, and said coldly, "I'll wait here."
Luo Sanrong looked at the bottomless darkness in the dungeon, his fingertips turned slightly white, but he still gritted his teeth and walked in.
The wooden door behind him slowly closed, completely isolating the glow of the palace lanterns. Only the faint sound of breathing in the darkness remained, which was particularly clear in the silence.
The copper bells on the eaves were swayed slightly by the night wind, and the bells shattered into star-like sounds and fell on the blue brick ground.
Eunuch Ma was holding a sheep-horn palace lantern, and the dim light barely covered the hem of the man in front of him. The black brocade robe was embroidered with dark patterns of flowing clouds, but even the slightest movement of it made him look solemn as he walked on the palace road.
He looked at His Highness's back as he walked out with all his heart, his wrinkled face filled with anxiety. He had to walk quickly to keep up with the hurried pace. He called out in a low voice, "Your Highness, it's already past midnight, so late, where are you going?"
Li Yin didn't pause, the sound of his boots rolling over the pavement tiles being particularly clear in the silence. He simply threw back three words: "Go to the prison."
"The prison?" Eunuch Ma's lamp shook, sending the dust in the halo of light into disarray. He quickly reached out to steady the lampstand, his voice lowered to a whisper of confusion. "That place is pitch black, and there's a chill seeping from the walls. What are you doing there in the middle of the night?"
Before he could finish his words, Li Yin suddenly stopped.
Eunuch Ma couldn't stop in time, nearly bumping into him. He looked up and saw the man turn around. The light from the palace lantern fell on his face, sharpening his jawline. His usually gentle eyes seemed icy. His gaze passed over Eunuch Ma's shoulder and settled on the moon, half-obscured by clouds, in the sky.
The night wind lifted the jade buckle around his neck, and the cold moonlight sprinkled on his tightly pursed lips. His voice was as cold as the water in a cold pond, and he said word by word: "I want to ask him personally why he did this."
Eunuch Ma looked at him like this and suddenly swallowed the advice that was on the tip of his tongue. He just silently tightened the palace lantern and moved the dim light closer to His Highness.
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