In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Zhu Qingyu had been clinging to a last sliver of hope that perhaps the situation in the morning was too chaotic and the driver and Zhang Shen had missed each other. But now that she knew Zhang Shen had indeed not come home, that last sliver of hope vanished.

Zhang Shen has indeed run into trouble, and the only person who might know the specifics now is General Manager Xue.

Zhu Qingyu released Zhang Ruohua's hand:

"Third sister, listen to me carefully. Go home first and guard the house. Jingyan was in the front yard of the government office last night, not with me. I need to go to the Xue family again to ask about the specifics."

Zhang Ruohua had spent a frantic night waiting for her sister-in-law to return. Now, upon learning that her second brother might be in trouble, she was unwilling to stay at home any longer and got into the car immediately.

"Sister-in-law, I'll go with you!"

Most of the merchant families lived in the same area, and the Xue family was not far from the Zhang family.

In the past, there were always gatekeepers and servants guarding the Xue family's gate, but today the gate was tightly closed and there was no one at the entrance.

The driver got out of the carriage first and knocked on the door. After a while, a hesitant voice came from the doorway:

"Who is it? What's the matter?"

Recognizing it was the voice of the Xue family's head steward, Zhu Qingyu, who was following closely behind, quickly said:

"Steward Xue, I am Madam Zhang. Are Master Xue and Madam Xue at home? I have something to ask you."

Inside, all was silent. After a long while, the gate of the Xue residence slowly and stealthily opened a crack.

Mr. Xue peeked out halfway:

"Oh my, sister-in-law, it really is you."

Someone pulled from behind, and Mr. Xue's head, which had just poked halfway out, was quickly pulled back in.

Zhu Qingyu stepped forward, but before she could speak, a hand reached out and pulled her inside as well.

On the way there, Zhang Ruohua held Zhu Qingyu's hand the whole time, and they brought Zhang Ruohua in with them.

As soon as the two entered, the Xue family slammed the door shut, leaving the coachman, who was still hesitating about whether to follow them, outside.

Zhu Qingyu was first pulled in abruptly, and then bumped in by Zhang Ruohua. She lost her balance and the three of them fell together at the entrance like a human pyramid.

Madam Xue, who was at the very bottom, fell on her bottom and cried out "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" three times.

In trying to catch Zhang Ruohua, Zhu Qingyu's body hit the ground halfway, tearing her skirt. She braced herself with her right hand, which also got scraped and bled.

Zhang Ruohua quickly got up first, and then helped Zhu Qingyu up:

"Sister-in-law, are you alright?"

The scene was in complete chaos. Mr. Xue helped Mrs. Xue up, and as soon as she got up, she hurriedly said:

"Sister-in-law, why are you still running around in the street? If I were you, I would quickly find a place to hide."

Zhu Qingyu's palms burned with pain, and her knees ached too. Ignoring her injuries, she quickly asked:

"Mr. Xue, Madam, I've come to ask what exactly happened last night. Do you know where Jingyan is?"

Recalling the events at the government office last night—the killings, the arrests, the Imperial Guards—Mr. Xue felt a chill run down his spine. He dared not speak loudly, and whispered:

"It's the salt smuggling case. The Emperor has even issued an imperial edict. Because of this salt smuggling, many people were arrested on the spot. Even high-ranking officials like Lord Gao, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and Lord Gu were all killed in front of everyone. They've really gone mad with killing. Jingyan, Jingyan was arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard last night."

The sword hanging overhead fell to the ground instantly, striking Zhu Qingyu's mind with a loud bang, the buzzing sound echoing between heaven and earth.

Gu Zhao wasn't lying to her; he really was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

She's been here for so long and has never seen a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but she's heard many rumors about them.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was a violent agency subordinate to the emperor, and it only obeyed the emperor's orders.

Under the will of the emperor, every rumor related to the Embroidered Uniform Guard was bloody. Shen Xu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was rumored to be an extremely cruel and cold-blooded person who often took pleasure in torturing and killing prisoners by various means.

In short, the people and events represented by the name "Jinyiwei" were far more cruel than the idealized images she had seen on television before.

Here, from imperial relatives to ordinary people, everyone shares a common understanding: if someone enters the Jinyiwei's prison, they can basically be considered dead.

The buzzing sound still echoed between heaven and earth, and Zhu Qingyu felt as if even the words she spoke came from another world:

"When the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrested Jingyan, did they specify what crime he had committed?"

At this point, Mr. Xue became even more frightened, his voice barely audible, like a mosquito buzzing:

"They say Jingyan committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. Madam Zhang, deceiving the emperor is a crime punishable by the extermination of an entire family. Before Jingyan was arrested, he kept looking at me. I knew he wanted me to warn you to run away as fast as possible. I wanted to tell you this morning after leaving the government office, but I didn't see you. Zhang family, hey, don't think I'm cowardly. I didn't even know if the Embroidered Uniform Guard was at the Zhang family's residence. I really didn't dare to go there to tell you. Luckily you came. I've fulfilled Jingyan's request and delivered the message. Really, while you can still run, you'd better run now."

In a world where imperial power reigns supreme, offending the emperor is the worst possible outcome.

Because it couldn't possibly get any worse, Zhu Qingyu calmed down. Even the buzzing sound that had been nagging at her disappeared, and her mind cleared. Zhu Qingyu calmly said:

"Jingyan must have been framed. He has never met the Emperor, nor has he ever done any work for him. He has always been conscientious and diligent in his duties as the head of the merchant guild, never daring to make a mistake."

Mr. Xue sighed:

"Who says otherwise? You see, we merchants are considered respectable and influential figures in Yangzhou, but to the Emperor, we're not even ants. The Emperor is a being high above us, and we little ants on the ground are nowhere near his level. How could we possibly deceive the Emperor? Besides, I know Jingyan; he's extremely cautious and pragmatic. How could he be so audacious as to deceive the Emperor? But the Embroidered Uniform Guard isn't like the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice holds court to try cases and clarify right and wrong. To put it bluntly, the Embroidered Uniform Guard isn't a place for reasoning."

To find out exactly what happened, we'll have to ask Zhang Shen. The key is how to get to Zhang Shen. President Xue often travels to the capital, so he should know more than she does.

Zhu Qingyu asked again:

"General Manager Xue, thank you for taking the risk to tell me all this. Jingyan has always respected you the most and regarded you as his elder brother. He really didn't misjudge you. I don't know many people in the capital. I would like to ask you if you know who the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Lord Shen, is on good terms with. I would like to ask a middleman who can speak on my behalf to see if I can get through Lord Shen's connections and see Jingyan in the imperial prison."

General Manager Xue was terrified by Zhu Qingyu's audacity. He opened his mouth wide and it took him a long time to utter a word:

"My goodness, sister-in-law, you're incredibly bold! Even now, instead of running away, you dare to approach the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Your friendship with Jingyan is truly admirable. As for Lord Shen, how could someone like him have any close friends? I've never heard of such a thing. But if we're talking about acquaintances who can talk to him, we have one right here in Yangzhou. Lord Gu and Lord Shen both served as the Emperor's study companions before. With that connection, they must be much more familiar with each other than ordinary people."