Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

After opening the cell door, the jailer quickly bowed his head and retreated.

Zong Xian simply stood outside the prison gate and did not go in.

Mingyi sat on the straw mat, leaning against the cold wall, her eyes fixed on the person outside the door, full of vigilance.

The candlelight was dim, and most of the man's face was shrouded in heavy shadow, his features blurred, and the expression in his eyes unreadable.

The two looked at each other in silence.

After a moment of silence, Zong Xian's cold and indifferent voice slowly came through, "Xie Huaiyu has returned from the capital today."

Brother Huaiyu is finally back? Mingyi's eyes suddenly lit up, and a faint hope quietly emerged.

Zong Xian seemed to read her mind, and said in a cold tone, "Are you waiting for him to come and save you? Too bad, he'll never know where you are in his lifetime."

"Before long, he will marry Miss Li, and the couple will live happily ever after, with children to raise. Only you will be trapped in this dark and gloomy cage, never to see him again in this lifetime."

"But don't worry, I will send someone over from time to time to keep you updated on his situation."

Mingyi suddenly opened her eyes wide, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

He really intended to lock her up for life! What a vicious heart!

Zong Xian indifferently withdrew his gaze from her, said nothing more, and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Mingyi rushed to the cell door, watching his departing figure and screaming, "If he knew that his respected second uncle had imprisoned a woman for his own selfish desires, he would be utterly disappointed in you!"

Zong Xian didn't stop walking; his figure quickly disappeared from sight.

The heavy prison door slammed shut with a loud bang, completely cutting off the last bit of light from outside.

The surroundings plunged back into boundless darkness.

"Zong Xian! You heartless, despicable official! You deserve to die a horrible death!!"

The woman's furious curses echoed through the empty prison cell.

The jailer on duty was terrified and immediately yelled, "Shut up! If you don't want to live, don't drag me down with you! If you shout again, don't blame me for gagging you!"

Mingyi then shut her mouth.

The jailer broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, that important figure had already gone far away; otherwise, based on those few treasonous words, this girl would definitely not have escaped death today!

Little did Zong Xian know, he heard the curse.

He wasn't angry; he just thought coldly: He still has the energy to curse; it seems he's physically fine. Locking him up for a few more days won't hurt.

Three days passed peacefully like this.

For the past three days, she has been given a balanced diet of meat and vegetables in prison, with clean clothes and water provided without interruption, but no one else has come to visit her or spoken to her.

This is a silent torment.

Mingyi spent most of her time lying on the straw mat. She was weak, her mind was hazy and confused, and her consciousness often drifted between lucidity and dazedness.

The pure white walls, the cool lighting, and the clean hospital bed—familiar scenes from my memory unfolded.

She saw her elderly parents standing in front of her hospital bed. Her mother was crying, and her father was comforting her with his arm around her shoulder, his eyes also red.

She also saw her brother, who had become much more haggard. He was only in his twenties, but his hair had already turned white.

Mingyi's heart clenched suddenly, but every time she tried to speak, the scene before her turned into a dark, gloomy prison cell, leaving her all alone.

She felt like she was going crazy from this torment day and night.

-

That day, something happened in the prison where the Li family members were being held.

Li Dan attempted suicide while the guards were off guard, but fortunately, a patrolling jailer noticed in time.

Li Dan was a serious criminal personally designated by the imperial court, awaiting escort back to the capital for trial. He could die on the execution ground, but he absolutely could not die an unexplained death in the Qingzhou prison, otherwise it would cause a lot of trouble.

In fact, Li Dan did not really want to die.

Having lost his official position and imprisoned his entire family, his only thought now is to risk his life to see Zong Xian one last time and find a glimmer of hope for his family.

This matter reached Zong Xian's ears.

So he went to the place where Li Dan was imprisoned.

This place was far dirtier and colder than the prison where Mingyi was, with mold and filth everywhere and a stench that was hard to swallow.

Upon seeing this, the jailer hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully brought over a grand chair.

Zong Xian lifted his robe and sat down, quietly watching Li Dan.

In just a few days, Li Dan, the once powerful and influential prefect of Qingzhou, had lost all his former charisma.

His hair was disheveled and dry, covered in dust, his prison clothes were tattered and dirty, and there was a deep and grotesque ligature mark on his neck.

"It seems Lord Li has something to say to me."

Hearing the noise, Li Dan looked up and saw Zong Xian sitting high and mighty in his chair. A fierce will to survive instantly ignited in his eyes.

He rushed to the prison gate like a beggar and said to Zong Xian, "My lord! The corruption and factionalism in Qingzhou over the years have not been the work of this official alone. I am willing to confess in detail, expose the mastermind, and atone for my crimes through meritorious service! I only beg the Prime Minister to have mercy and spare the lives of my entire family of dozens of people!"

Zong Xian leaned back in his chair with a leisurely air: "Who's behind this?"

"That man is based in the capital, wields immense power, and acts with extreme secrecy. He always gives orders remotely and has never come to Qingzhou in person. I have never seen his true face from beginning to end, but..."

Li Dan raised his hand tremblingly to his bosom, and from the inner layer of his tattered clothes, he pulled out a black iron and black jade token that had been rubbed until it shone.

"This is a token given to me by that person, and it is also the only proof of our communication."

"For years, I have relied on this token to act with impunity in Qingzhou. No one dared to investigate or touch me, all thanks to the protection of this person in the capital. I am nothing more than a pawn running errands for him!"

Li Dan held up the token, his eyes full of earnestness. "That person must be a high-ranking official in the court. If you follow the clues in this token, you will surely be able to find out the truth. I dare to guess that the person protecting me is none other than the current Prime Minister, Wei Zhao!"

Everyone in the court and among the common people knew that Wei Zhao and Zong Xian were rivals, irreconcilable enemies in the court.

Li Dan deliberately shifted the blame to Wei Zhao, intending to help Zong Xian defeat his formidable enemy. In this way, he could atone for his crime and save his entire family's lives.

Li Dan was indeed quite clever.

Unfortunately, he never expected that the mysterious and unpredictable backer he had mentioned, who was far away in Kyoto, was sitting right in front of him at that moment.

The jailer took the token and presented it to Zong Xian.

"Is this the only token?" Zong Xian asked.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Li Dan quickly replied truthfully, "There are also some secret letters that I've hidden in a secluded spot within the yamen. No one else knows about them but me!"

Zong Xian smiled slowly, "So it was you in the yamen."

Li Dan dared not delay and quickly told him the exact location where the secret letter was hidden. Upon hearing this, Zong Xian immediately raised his hand and ordered the guards beside him to go and find it.

The guard accepted the order and quickly left.

The cell fell silent instantly, with only Li Dan's anxious breathing remaining.

But the deathly silence didn't last long. A jailer on duty rushed in, his face filled with panic, to report: "Sir, Miss Ji has fainted!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Zong Xian, who had just been calm and sarcastic, suddenly changed his expression.