C223

"Trash?" Zhao Qingyan got up, and before he could react, his cold fingers had already grabbed his throat and pressed him against the wall behind him. "I remember that I said it was best not to mention those two words in front of me ever again."

The scent of orchids brought not relaxation but the suffocation of death. Her slender fingers were clamped tightly around his throat. She didn't even have the slightest intention of relaxing.

He looked at the blurry grey shadow and struggled to say, "I'm not talking about you!"

Zhao Qingyan let go and stepped back. She took out a handkerchief and wiped her fingers, "Don't be so easily defeated before you take your last breath. Don't doubt me before I kill you. If you really wish for me to kill you right now, then repeat what you just said. "

Ran Shisui coughed a few times and caught his breath. "I made a mistake," he said quickly.

Zhao Qingyan sat back down and threw the handkerchief at his side. "The soup has spilled all over your body. Wipe it."

He felt the cool breeze when the handkerchief came and felt the silk handkerchief. He wiped off the soup on his body a few times and then stopped moving. "What does Your Highness need me to do?"

The color in Zhao Qingyan's eyes deepened. "I need you. Don't do anything for now."

He guessed what he was thinking and asked, "The grievances in Tong's heart cannot be solved, right?"

Zhao Qingyan silently shook his head and replied, "I promised Thirteenth Uncle that I would temporarily not ask about the grievances from that year. Since royal uncle's health is currently not good, I don't want to go against his arrangements. Wait for some time, until uncle Huang is in good health, or … I will find a chance to release you. "

He was silent for a while, with no emotion on his face. "Right now, I can do nothing but what the Crown Prince says."

Zhao Qingyan looked at him and did not explain further. "Hao is by my side. I will not let him down."

"I know." "En," he replied softly, then fell silent. Only after a long period of time had passed did he know the other party was waiting for him. He then added, "I will wait for the day when the imperial government returns the innocence of those who hear it. However, I do not need freedom."

Zhao Qingyan said, "If you leave here, you can go to Jiangnan and live there. You can fish and sail for the rest of your life. I can also stay by my side and watch Hao replace his master and walk his entire life away. "

Ran was slightly taken aback, as if he was tempted for a moment. "Is that kind of day something I can extravagantly ask for?"

Zhao Qingyan said slowly, "As long as I am here, what I promised you can be realized."

"I don't understand."

After making that promise, Ran Shicheng's eyes dimmed, "Qing Yi already has a better image. I don't have anything else to seek. "Why must you spend so much time and effort on me?"

Zhao Qingyan laughed when he heard it. It was hard to tell what was in the laughter: "The shadow is Qingyi's, not mine. So, I won't let my shadow stay by my side. "

Ran Shisui stared at him blankly. His blurry figure became increasingly unclear. "You … don't want him anymore?"

Zhao Qingyan immediately denied it. "No."

"Then why did you …" asked Xi Ri, confused.

Silence answered his question. After a moment of silence, Zhao Qingyan said softly, "If there comes a day that I am unable to protect him, then his life will be up to you. Take him to find Qing Yi and leave this place. "

"Do you believe him?"

Zhao Qingyan knew who the "he" was referring to, so he replied, "I believe him. The reason why I did all this was to give the people under my protection a way out when we were nesting. As long as he still remembers my kindness, he will save Hao's life. "

"Are you willing to give up your life for someone else, allowing ten years of hard work to go down the drain?"

Zhao Qingyan smiled, "Ten years of hard work? How is everything that Qing Yi did compared to me right now? The blood and sweat that I've poured for Qingyi, why is it like I've paid it with all my heart over the past twenty years? If I had a nest day, why would I regret ten years of my scattered, painstaking effort? "

He chuckled. "You think I'm too cowardly."

"You already have a death wish in your heart."

Zhao Qingyan got up, "He died on the spot. I'm just... prepared for the worst. If I get into trouble, I can at least save a few people I care about. "

He only replied, "If Your Highness wishes, I will do my best to help you."

"I will come again." When Zhao Qingyan heard his response, she smiled and said, "When the time comes, you and Hao'er can reminisce about the past."

"I know."

Zhao Qingyan packed the boxes of food properly and held them in his hands. "See you then."

He got up with difficulty and said, "I send you off."

— —

"Hao, what's going on?" Zhao Qingyan looked at the bruises on the faces of the guards, then looked at Ran Hao who was standing with his hands down, "Did you make a move?"

Ran Hao gave a brief explanation of what happened just now, then added, "I have made my own decisions, please punish me, Young Master."

"How dare you." Zhao Qingyan walked past Ran Hao and stopped in front of a few guards, "One thousand taels of silver. A dozen of us won't be able to afford the wine … What kind of wine did you buy? I've never tasted such an expensive wine in my life. "

"This, this …"

Zhao Qingyan smiled. "The Chief Judge of the Ministry of Justice only earns sixty points per month from the official to the third rank. In addition to the rewards, it's only a hundred points." A thousand taels is the sum of the reward and salary of your Master Shang Shu for half a year. I never would have thought that just by meeting a single person and exchanging a few words, you would demand so much. "

"This is the Sky Prison!"

"Sky Prison." Zhao Qingyan waved his clothes and crouched down to look the jailer in the eye, "Tell me, how much money did the traitor who saved those people give you?"

The prison warden's expression changed, "You... You... Nonsense! What traitor? What did you save? "

Zhao Qingyan took out a piece of paper from his chest pocket and showed it to him, "Twice every three days, one night, one day. Eight days ago the prison was raided, and four prisoners were taken away. And the ones who should be on duty that night are you two. "

The guard replied: "But they have nothing to do with us!"

Zhao Qingyan threw the paper into his arms and stood up, "It has nothing to do with you? The prison of the Ministry of Justice was heavily guarded. There was an iron gate at a hundred steps that was locked twice. Every cell that held a prisoner had a different lock on it. If there is no one who can guide me, then not to mention whether I can break through these layers of iron locks, I am afraid that I will not even be able to find the person I am looking for right? "

"This …"

Zhao Qingyan narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Therefore, there is nothing that can be done with money in this world. For example, I spent three hundred taels of silver to buy the method to enter the prison, then I spent another thousand taels of silver to test if this method would work. It's a pity that I won't be able to get back my three hundred silver taels … However, I'll have to ask for Mister Ouyang's help with the one thousand silver you have on you. "

Hearing his last sentence, not only were the prison guards shocked, even Ran Hao, who was standing to the side, was slightly startled.

"The money that the young prince gave them was official silver, not even stamped by the Privy Council. It was just a piece of scrap paper." The door to the cell less than ten steps away was pushed open. Ouyang Xiu walked in with a smile, bowed and said, "This humble servant greets King Mo, Your Highness."

Zhao Qingyan was startled and quickly returned the greeting, "Official Ouyang is too courteous, calling me 'Prince' is giving me a fright. I am here today to handle a case and should not even have the status of 'young prince'.

A trace of a smile flashed across Ouyang Xiu's eyes. "The young prince is the secret envoy, and his rank is higher than mine. Why can't he hold the position?"

Zhao Qingyan was a little helpless, "My lord knows me, I have always been your master. Aren't you trying to kill me by giving me such a big gift? If that's the case, can you teach me how to treat you to wine and ask for poetics from now on? "

Ouyang Xiu said, "I won't be polite with the young prince in private, but in terms of official matters, I absolutely do not dare to be rude."

"Uncle Huang ordered the Privy Council and the Ministry of Justice to investigate this matter together, and to apprehend the person who robbed the prison as soon as possible. "Since they are Official Ouyang's subordinates, they shall be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for punishment. There's no need for the Privy Council to interfere."

Ouyang Xiu nodded. "Of course, I will give Your Majesty a satisfactory answer as soon as possible."

Zhao Qingyan nodded slightly to Ran Hao, then gestured a "please" to Ouyang Xiu and said, "This place is too cold, let's move somewhere else."

Ouyang Xiu turned and said, "Please, young prince."

Zhao Qingyan walked past the prison guards and walked alongside Ouyang Xiu before saying, "Thirteenth Uncle and I can't interfere too much in this matter. We'll have to trouble sire a bit."

Ouyang Xiu said, "Even if it's hard, there's still a hard way. It was all thanks to the young prince that I was able to avoid a wave of anxiety. "

"Sir, why are you praising me? I don't like it. " Zhao Qingyan laughed out lightly, looking a little tired. "In the end, it's just that I don't have to worry too much about being a subject. I can just mess around and settle things faster."

Ouyang Xiu laughed, "Young master, it's not a good thing to be too modest. I'm not flattering you, I'm just speaking the truth. Young people can always think of some unique methods. "

Zhao Qingyan smiled. "It's good that the matter has been resolved. Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief."

— —

"It's hard to run away."

A chicken bone was inserted into the ground three steps in front of the man. The man quickly stopped and looked towards the source of the sound. A trace of hostility appeared in his eyes.

A man in black was lying on the branch, holding half a greasy roasted chicken in his hand and holding a chicken bone in his mouth. His clothes were casual, and his appearance was also quite ordinary. Ordinary to the point that he wouldn't even feel like seeing this person after brushing past him more than ten times within three days.

Not only was he ordinary, there was not even the slightest trace of a martial cultivator on his body. His body was thin, his breathing ragged and haggard. Even the branches beneath him were slightly bent.

However, it was this person who had quietly thrown the chicken bone in front of him.

The man thought for a while and asked, "Who are you? Why are you blocking the way here?"

The man in black smiled and pointed to the direction behind the man. "Back to the capital. We should head that way."

The man's expression changed slightly as he forced himself to remain calm. "Return to the capital? Return to what capital? "I won't reply …"

"Hong Bo, right? Do you know what happens to deserters? " The man in black tilted his head. "It's just a bad job. The most His Majesty can give you is a few dozen boards."

The man could not help but take a step back and unsheathed his dagger. "What nonsense are you spouting? I don't understand! "

The black-clothed person smirked: "You don't understand, right? Then let me be a bit more careful — I am the current leader of the dark guard of the Son of Heaven. According to His Majesty's orders, I will be in charge of this hunt in secret, so I can send orders to you at any time. " With his relatively clean right hand, he took out a token and waved it around, "However, one of you is dead now."

Hong Bo saw the token in his hand and no longer played dumb. He said with a gloomy face, "His Majesty ordered that if we can't capture him, we have to bring our heads up to meet him."

"It wasn't His Majesty who said that. It was you who said it."

Hong Bo was speechless. "You …"

He took a bite of the roasted chicken and said with a vague smile, "I spend half of my time by His Majesty's side. His Majesty's orders to you are no exception."

Hong Bo's expression changed a few times. He hardened his heart and said, "Death is to his left and right. Since you've discovered him, then let's fight."

"Make a move?" Shifting his head, ShiYan was filled with curiosity, "You think you can take three moves from me?"

Hong Bo frowned: "Then you …" What do you want to do? "

Time delay said, "Capturing him is definitely impossible. It's not too long until I should return. It'll be hard for me to make amends for my work. You know, if I go back empty-handed, I won't be able to escape a heavy punishment. Why don't we discuss it? Help me run errands and search for things that His Majesty can use. "After I go back, as long as I don't get beaten to death, you won't be punished any more than I am."

Hong Bo was slightly stunned and hesitated for a moment: "Are you speaking the truth?"

Time delay shrugged. What good would killing you do me? His Majesty wants you to work for him, but he doesn't need you to be so loyal. At most, after this period of time, you can find a reason to return to your hometown, and we can all be at ease. "

Hong Bo thought for a moment. Not thinking of any harm that would come to him, he raised his head and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Time delay took out a letter and held it in his hand, "According to the letter's instructions, three days is enough time to complete this task. Wait for me here at noon four days later. "

"Noon." Hong Bo calculated in his heart and nodded, "Okay, it's a deal."

Shifting the letter to him, ShiYan stretched his body and said, "I'll see you in four days then. Don't even think about running. I'll catch up to you even if you run away."

Hong Bo laughed: "If you can keep your life, then why are you running? The whole family, young and old, would not run away even if they had the chance, right? "

ShiYan laughed lazily and said: "Yes, we all have to support our families."

Hong Bo cupped his fists, "Don't worry. In four days, I will definitely be here. " Seeing that Zhang Xuan had nodded his head, he left in big strides.

ShiYan narrowed his eyes and watched ShiYan's back as he left. He took a big bite of the chicken and said, "It's a pity. I don't have any family, so I don't care if your family is waiting for you to come home."