The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Inside the private prison of the Prince's Mansion.

Tang Yin was tormented for another four or five days.

These past few days have felt like an eternity to him. He felt a glimmer of hope, but it was also very faint. He didn't know how the Prince's Palace would treat him... Although the food had improved slightly, it was still far inferior to the VIP treatment he received before, and the accommodations were absolutely terrible.

"It's all that kid's fault. If he hadn't come, I wouldn't have been tortured like this!" Tang Yin later realized that his torment stemmed entirely from Zhu Yi's sudden visit.

That day, there was finally some unusual activity in the prison cell.

Tang Yin was somewhat excited, but he couldn't show it directly because he was afraid that Zhu Chenhao and his son would come. So he lay down on the wooden bed with straw mats, his face facing the wall.

"Mr. Liu, I told you his illness wasn't cured yet," Gongsun Jin's voice came.

The two who arrived were Gongsun Jin and Liu Yangzheng.

Originally, one person would have been enough, but Gongsun Jin also wanted to disgust Tang Yin and even make Tang Yin continue to pretend to be crazy, so he deliberately brought Liu Yangzheng along to ridicule him together.

No matter what, Liu Yangzheng was a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, and in terms of social status, he was no less than Tang Yin.

"Hmm." Liu Yangzheng seemed to be responding, but it also sounded like he was clearing his throat.

The footsteps had reached the prison gate.

Tang Yin was incredibly conflicted...

Should he turn back or not? It seemed like a major dilemma concerning his life choices.

"I think we should go back first," Gongsun Jin said again.

Tang Yin couldn't hold back any longer.

It seems that Zhu Chenhao and his son will not come to see him again, and this may be his last chance to escape.

So he didn't care about saving face and sat up directly from the bed, facing the two of them with a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Oh dear, it seems like you can hear us?" Gongsun Jin said with a smile. "It seems the medicine the young master brought has taken effect?"

He glanced at Liu Yangzheng as he spoke.

I told you he couldn't keep up the act of being crazy. Even though he was a refined man and did many seemingly undignified things while pretending to be crazy, he actually cherished his reputation. All he wanted was to leave Nanchang and go back to live the life of a hermit. He had no intention of dying in Nanchang.

Liu Yangzheng shook his head, as if to say that he couldn't see any improvement in his condition.

"Mr. Tang, how are you?" Gongsun Jin asked in a teasing tone.

Tang Yin originally wanted to say, "Kill me or torture me, it's up to you," and he had been thinking about these words more than once.

But suddenly I realized that if I said that, I might really die here.

The people in the Prince Ning's mansion are plotting a rebellion. Knowing that he is faking madness, they might let him go, since they think he wouldn't dare to report it, or that no one would believe him even if he did.

But if we add the fact that Zhu Yi is a secret from hundreds of years in the future... then the Prince's Mansion has absolutely no need to leave a single "non-human" survivor.

"I want to go somewhere else," Tang Yin finally said.

If I can't hide it anymore, I'll stop hiding it.

Gongsun Jin said, "This place is a bit dirty, but isn't that also taking your condition into consideration? It's fine to go back to the original place, but... I'm afraid that if you go out, you might offend the Prince and the young prince again."

"No...no." Tang Yin realized that he hadn't spoken for a long time, and even his voice had changed, sounding very sharp.

He had had enough of this dark and damp place. What he had experienced in the past two weeks was an inhuman existence. No matter how strong or noble a scholar's heart was, he could not endure such a life of isolation and hardship. In particular, it would trigger some very frightening memories in his heart, namely the pain and unbearable suffering he had endured when he was imprisoned in the imperial prison after the imperial examination in the twelfth year of the Hongzhi reign.

Gongsun Jin looked at Liu Yangzheng and said, "Mr. Liu, based on your observation, has Mr. Tang's condition stabilized? Would you dare let him go out?"

Liu Yangzheng glanced at Tang Yin, looking disdainful.

Clearly, he didn't care much about Tang Yin's life or death; he only resented that Tang Yin had taken away his chance to pretend to be a sage in front of the world.

Those who stand in my way of making a name for myself are my mortal enemies.

It would be better if he were dead.

Seeing no answer, Gongsun Jin turned to Tang Yin and said, "Mr. Tang, you are a smart man. Since the young master's medicine has stabilized your condition, you should know how to repay the kindness."

Tang Yin felt extremely humiliated.

That kid also came to mock me, and even asked me if I wanted to surpass Wang Bo'an... He didn't give me any face when he left.

Now you expect me to remember his kindness? Thank him for exposing my feigned madness? Or thank him for sparing my life?

"Hmm." Tang Yin was extremely annoyed, but in order to leave this awful place, he could only reluctantly respond.

"Furthermore..." Gongsun Jin added, "You need to assess the situation carefully and work even harder for the Prince's Mansion in the future. If you agree, we can take you out first and find you a place to settle down."

Tang Yin said, "I know the rules."

To get out of here, I'm willing to risk anything now.

I'll make plans after I get out.

This isn't called fickleness, nor do I find it shameless. In my view, it's called being able to bend and stretch, and that as long as you're alive, you can always rebuild...

Anyway, various sages have already summarized for me that as long as I can keep my life, I will do everything I can to leave Nanchang. I'm just giving you a perfunctory answer for now.

"Someone, bring the keys. Get Mr. Tang some clean clothes. Forget it... let him go. Take a bath and change when he gets back!" Gongsun Jin continued to beckon the jailer to release the man in a mocking tone.

……

……

Tang Yin was finally freed from his confinement, but the sunlight outside made him feel very uncomfortable.

Gongsun Jin teased from the side, "The peach blossoms are in full bloom in March. Isn't Mr. Tang's favorite flower? Why didn't you realize this sooner? Why suffer in there? Wouldn't it be better to come out and enjoy the flowers?"

Tang Yin cursed inwardly, "I also want to realize this sooner, but you won't even give me a chance to communicate directly."

I didn't feel like I was torturing myself when I pretended to be crazy.

Then it's your turn to torture me!

Gongsun Jin then took Tang Yin out of the private prison, stuffed him into a carriage without even a window, and had people watch over him along the way before sending him to the next place of house arrest.

After watching the carriage leave, Liu Yangzheng glanced sideways and said, "Just like that?"

"He's just a pawn in the Prince's mansion now. He has to come out and meet people when he's needed. All the rules are pre-arranged. When he's not needed, he's locked up somewhere to treat his illness," Gongsun Jin said with a smile. "Who told him to like pretending to be crazy? It's just a more luxurious cage."

Liu Yangzheng said, "If the man escapes, Prince Ning's plan may fall through!"

"Don't worry!" Gongsun Jin laughed. "It's almost the end of the month. Once the prophecy comes true, even if he's tied to the carriage, how can he escape? He's just oblivious to it yet!"