flstandardbreds Chapter 110: Not to be Deceived
Chapter 110: Not to be Deceived
The dim candlelight could not illuminate too far, so Pei Yan placed the food under the lamp and tested it one by one with a silver needle in front of Zhao Fangyu before he whispered to wake him up.
Several nearby cells were empty. Pei De often came into contact with all kinds of people, and he knew best that sometimes there was no need to touch. Even if someone with ulterior motives just made eye contact, it would be extremely offensive to a woman, so he deliberately imprisoned Zhao Fangyu deep in the imperial prison.
When Zhao Fangyu saw that the person who came to deliver food today was Pei Yan, he lowered his eyes and saw him testing poison for him.
It was rare that the dishes were good, and there was braised pork, but such dishes were heavily seasoned and most likely to be poisoned. Zhao Fangyu picked up the dried chopped mutton and ate a few bites, then stuffed a few chopsticks of green leafy vegetables into his mouth.
"The Southern Pacification Division recruits people so casually?"
Pei Yan made a click of his tongue and raised his right hand habitually, wanting to slap Zhao Fangyu like he had slapped Pei De on the back of the head. However, the moment he raised his hand, he remembered that this was a girl and put his hand down in dismay.
"We have no choice but to obey the orders from our superiors. He has gone mad, so it is not impossible for him to do something outrageous."
Pei Yan glanced around, then approached Zhao Fangyu and whispered, "Emperor's Guards are not completely trustworthy. Be careful of anyone who comes, except Pei De and me."
Zhao Fangyu nodded to indicate that she understood, and Pei Yan handed the silver needle to her.
Zhao Fangyu felt no burden to receive this thing, but if you really want to know whether it would give him any good impression of Pei Yan, then the answer is no.
After all, her meeting, re-encounter, or even meeting again and again with Pei Yan could not be considered a good one.
Pei Yan did not elaborate too much and said briefly: "I asked Pei De to investigate the matter of the Sutra Library. There is no result yet, but someone was burned to death in the building. It is said that it was a palace maid named Xiangcheng. Because of your instructions, she was on guard in the Sutra Library."
Zhao Fangyu nodded. She knew most of the news, but the only thing she didn't know was that Citron was dead.
Zhao Fangyu didn't believe it and thought that Citron might have faked his death.
"The Sutra Repository is heavily guarded. People from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Bureau of Ceremonials are investigating. Your cousin is trying to help you with the negotiations with Wang Siji of the Bureau of Ceremonials."
"Wang Siji is...his man." Zhao Fangyu quietly pointed in a direction, and Pei Yan immediately understood.
"And Citron, she's probably not dead. If I'm not mistaken, she's the deadpool that the Second Prince sent to monitor me and get hold of something against the First Prince."
Pei Yan's expression changed, but it was impossible to see in the dim light. Zhao Fangyu told him all the information she knew in a few words, and she was so calm that she didn't seem like a teenage girl.
So calm... Pei Yan wanted to ask Zhao Fangyu what the rules were in her family. Why did her father do nothing when his daughter was framed and imprisoned? Before he could finish his words, footsteps were heard in the corridor.
Walking very fast.
Pei Yan told Zhao Fangyu to be careful, threw her a bottle of detoxification pills commonly used by the Jinyiwei across the railing, and hurried away with the food box.
From a distance, Zhao Fangyu heard Pei Yan calling "Sir". Zhao Fangyu had no time to find a place to hide, so he stuffed the thumb-sized medicine bottle into his boots.
The female official also had boots, which were tucked into her calves and covered by her skirt, so it didn't look like she was hiding anything.
Soon, footsteps gradually approached. The man who came was about thirty years old, wearing a scarlet bullfighting suit, white and black boots, and a special-style knife on his waist. He smiled as he opened his mouth:
"You are acquainted with my nephew?"
Zhao Fangyu remembered what Pei Yan said and knew that this man was most likely from the Southern Pacification Division who had defected to the Crown Prince's command room, so he deliberately acted timid and said, "Not really acquaintance, but when we were in Longxi, that gentleman just asked me to borrow some money."
Jiang Qianchi's mouth was half open, obviously he had not expected that the reason for their acquaintance would be so disgraceful.
However, the Jinyiwei's disregard for particularity is a tradition inherited from their ancestors. Jiang Qianchi moved the corners of his mouth gently, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Zhao Fangyu was surprisingly kind.
"He didn't ask anyone else, but only asked you. There must be a reason behind it. It's just that you girls are not well-informed and don't know."
"It will be difficult for you to get out of the imperial prison this time. He was so anxious that he shortened the journey from seven days to three. He must be interested in you."
"I have watched him grow up since he was a child. Others may not know him, but I know him. He is a man who doesn't speak the whole truth and likes to hide things, but he has a good heart."
"If you are really interested, don't think too much. When you are released from the imperial prison, I will find someone to propose marriage to your family on his behalf."
The door of the cell was opened, and Jiang Qianchi walked in slowly. He looked at Zhao Fangyu, and his aura completely subsided.
It was as if he was not the commander of the Jinyiwei's Zhenfu Division, but the uncle next door.
"If you are interested, you can make it as soon as possible after he rescues you."
Jiang Qianchi looked at Zhao Fangyu with a smile, as if Zhao Fangyu was already his designated daughter-in-law: "I watched Pei Yan grow up. Although he is a bit of a jerk, he is still an honest child. When you are good to someone, you are good to them with all your heart."
"He rescued you, and you can settle down. His father's spirit in heaven can also rest in peace."
When mentioning Pei Yan's father, Jiang Qianchi couldn't help but well up in tears, as if he had a very deep affection for Pei Yan's family.
Zhao Fangyu looked up, but did not respond to Jiang Qianchi's words. He only advised him, "When a person dies, it is like a light going out. Your Excellency, please accept my condolences."
Jiang Qianchi wiped away her tears and said kindly again:
"If you and Pei Yan have feelings for each other, there is no need to be shy. His father is gone, so I will be like his father. I will be his master, so you don't have to be shy."
As he spoke, the look he gave Zhao Fangyu was extremely gentle, as if he wanted to call Pei Yan back on the spot and ask the two of them to worship heaven and earth in the imperial prison!
Zhao Fangyu plucked the straw on the ground, opened his mouth several times to speak but was interrupted again, as if he had prepared himself mentally for a long time before he dared to speak: "But I don't like Master Pei!"
Jiang Qianchi's expression changed the moment he heard Zhao Fangyu's words. His eyes and expression were cold, as if Zhao Fangyu had become his enemy in an instant.
If she was really an innocent little girl in such a situation, seeing his behavior, she would probably be frightened to the point of losing her mind and would just do whatever he said.
By then, she, Zhao Fangyu, would not be able to take off the label of having an affair with Pei Yan.
Zhao Fangyu immediately understood the situation and said coldly:
"I have no personal feelings for Lord Pei. When I first met him, he spoke rudely and offended my eldest sister. When we met again, he knocked out my personal maid in the downtown area and forced me to borrow money. I will never marry a man like this!"
Jiang Qianchi frowned, and the black-clothed Jinyiwei beside him reached out to Zhao Fangyu with a bad look on his face: "Miss Zhao is young and hot-tempered, and she doesn't know the rules of our Jinyiwei."
Unexpectedly, the next second, the Jinyiwei's hand was slapped away by her.
"How dare you touch me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire cell fell silent for a moment.
The prisoners in the surrounding cells could be heard laughing with disdain, and someone even shouted to Zhao Fangyu from a distance: "Girl, do you think this is a teahouse? This is an imperial prison!" No identity can help!
Zhao Fangyu stared coldly at Jiang Qianchi, and her tone was so firm that the man who had just reached out to grab her paused.
"The one who arrested me and put me in the Imperial Prison was not Your Majesty. The First Prince's men sent me to the Imperial Prison, and the Imperial Prison took me in. What does this mean? The Jinyiwei Southern Pacification Division openly sided with the First Prince?"
The mocking sounds around gradually stopped, and some people even tried to put their ears closer to hear what Zhao Fangyu said.
Zhao Fangyu no longer pretended to be weak in front of Jiang Qianchi. The weaker she was, the easier it would be for Jiang Qianchi to deceive her. If something really happened, it would be a case of losing the big picture for the small.
Zhao Fangyu was kneeling, but his imposing manner was no less than Jiang Qianchi's. His tone was neither fast nor slow, but his words made the minions present break out in cold sweats.
"I kneel to you, not because I have done anything wrong, but because you are higher than me in rank, so I have to kneel."
"The Jinyiwei is directly under your majesty, forming its own faction, and is the emperor's personal guard. Your majesty is still in his prime, and my cousin is pregnant with the heir. Your Excellency really wants to clear the way for the eldest prince to ascend the throne, and even force a daughter of an official like me to die unjustly in prison and be tortured into confessing?"
"My father is a third-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the next level is the Minister of Revenue. My mother is from the Longxi Li family and is the eldest daughter of the family. My uncle is one of the only three dukes in Daliang. If something happens to me, everyone here will have to think about yourselves."
"I entered the palace with my status, not just to be a female official with a noble title."