Denghuangtai

Li Ji roared with all his might, his voice hoarse and almost cracking: "Someone's trying to break us out of prison! Watch out!"

Before the roar had even faded, the onlookers erupted into chaos, like a hornet's nest that had been stirred up. Screaming, they scattered and fled, but in their panic, they couldn't care less about direction. They rushed around like headless flies, and many of them even ran straight up to the prison carts, smashing the imperial guards' ranks into pieces. The sounds of collisions, screams, and cries mingled together.

Li Ji's eyelids twitched as he watched from horseback, and his mind went blank. Only two words echoed in his head: It's over!

To humiliate Pei Qingyan, the Empress Dowager deliberately chose the busiest route, passing through the city from the East Market. No one expected someone to dare attempt a prisoner break right under the Emperor's nose, especially since the Imperial Guards they brought were few in number. Faced with this out-of-control chaos, their numbers were woefully inadequate; they were barely able to maintain order, let alone deal with the menacing men in black.

The Imperial Guard headquarters is too far away, so even if they wanted to provide support, it would take time.

But how could the men in black, who were eyeing them menacingly, give them time? The glint of blades was already faintly visible in the shadows, and the murderous aura rushed towards them on the wind.

Finished!

Li Ji groaned inwardly, cold sweat instantly soaking his clothes. He thought to himself: This time I'm really in deep trouble.

"Ouch! Ouch!"

Startled by the crowd, Li Ji's horse reared up abruptly, pawing the ground in agitation. Li Ji, gripping the reins tightly, was tossed about, trembling violently. Finally, he lost his balance and was thrown from the horse, landing hard on the flagstones, a sharp, agonizing pain shooting through his tailbone.

Ignoring the pain, he scrambled and crawled out of the chaotic crowd. As soon as he broke free, he saw Yun Zheng being protected by the Imperial Guards against the wall.

Perhaps it was because Yun Zheng's sinister face and the murderous aura emanating from him were too intimidating that even the madly rushing people dared not act rashly in front of him. In the chaos, that place became the only peaceful spot.

Li Ji rushed to Yun Zheng's side in a panic, finally getting a chance to catch his breath.

He let out a long sigh, looked at Yun Zheng, and asked anxiously, "Grand Commander, what should we do now?"

"Go ask her." Yun Zheng's voice was cold, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing directly in the direction of the prison van.

"Her?" Li Ji didn't react at first, his eyes filled with confusion, but then a flash of inspiration struck him, and he realized!

As the saying goes, the one who tied the knot must untie it. Although Pei Qingyan is not the one who tied the knot, today's chaos was caused by her, and those uninvited guests came to save her. As long as we can persuade Pei Qingyan not to go with those people, everything will be resolved.

Thinking of this, Li Ji's pale face relaxed a little. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and pushed his way into the crowd again. After shoving and bumping along the way, he finally stumbled and bumped his way to Pei Qingyan.

"General Pei."

Li Ji wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced a fawning smile. "Look..."

Before he could finish speaking, a cold light flashed before his eyes. Li Ji was startled and subconsciously looked in the direction of the light.

At the base of the wall, the Imperial Guards protecting Yun Zheng were already locked in combat with the men in black. One of the men in black had Yun Zheng cornered against the wall, the short sword that had been thrown earlier now embedded in the brick wall behind Yun Zheng, its blade still trembling slightly and emitting a buzzing sound. The hand holding the sword was trembling slightly, clearly numb from the impact of the previous clash.

Yun Zheng seemed oblivious, his gaze passing over the fighting crowd to look at Pei Qingyan in the distance. His deep eyes were filled with turbulent emotions, unfathomable and unfathomable.

Li Ji paused for a moment, then turned to look at Pei Qingyan.

Pei Qingyan tilted his head, raised an eyebrow in Yun Zheng's direction, and smiled in a half-smile, saying, "Grand Minister, no need to thank me."

The wooden shackles that had bound her hands had been carelessly tossed aside, the clasps loosely closed.

"General Pei, what's this?" Li Ji looked at the wooden shackles, his tongue almost tied in knots.

"To save him," Pei Qingyan replied matter-of-factly. "If I don't intervene, the Grand Minister of Works will be killed."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Li Ji echoed, forcing a smile, "I can see that, but..." He pointed to the wooden shackles, "How did you get this thing off?"

"Get the keys."

"Get the key." Li Ji nodded subconsciously, then suddenly realized what he'd said, his eyes widening in shock, his voice cracking, "You mean, you have the key!?"

Where did this key come from?!

This time, Pei Qingyan didn't answer Li Ji's question. She looked at the black-clad men who were constantly stepping on the shoulders of the people and leaping towards the prison cart, and said loudly, "I appreciate your kindness. However, the Pei family has been loyal and virtuous for generations and would never do anything to disobey the emperor's orders. I urge you to leave quickly and not be implicated by me."

After saying this, she knelt upright on the prison cart and solemnly bowed to the man in black.

Her prison clothes were soaked with filth, and her disheveled hair was stained with egg yolk and broken eggshells. Her thin shoulders shivered slightly in the cold wind, as if a gust of wind could blow her over. Yet she faced the howling wind with her back straight, bowing once, twice, and three times.

Each time he bent down, it felt as if a thousand pounds were weighing him down.

In an instant, the rampaging civilians stopped in their tracks, and the fighting imperial guards and men in black also ceased their actions. Everyone silently watched the figure inside the prison cart.

The men in black, who had been filled with murderous intent, suddenly turned red in the eyes. With a "thump," one of them knelt down, and then one after another, all the men in black knelt down before Pei Qingyan.

"General Pei fought for the country his entire life, and his two young generals followed in his footsteps, fighting countless battles on the battlefield." A man in black trembled as he shouted with heart-wrenching emotion, "Now, treacherous officials are in power, insisting on stigmatizing the Pei family as traitors. On what grounds?"

"Why?!" More people roared, their voices laced with blood and tears. "The young general, burdened with the pain of losing his brother and father, is still fighting the Xiongnu in the north, shedding blood in battle! Why is he treated like a traitor and a defeated general, suffering such humiliation?! This is unjust! Utterly unjust!"

"Shut up!" Pei Qingyan shouted sternly. "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king. Don't you understand this simple principle? The Pei family is loyal to the Great Zhao Dynasty and protects the common people. Even if we die on the battlefield, we will have no regrets."

Pei Qingyan changed from kneeling to sitting. Her expression was calm, and her gaze swept lightly over everyone. The fierce aura honed on the battlefield swept over her. "Today, no one will attempt to break into the prison. Understand?"

"General!"

The leader of the men in black lunged at the prison cart, clinging desperately to the bars. "General, no matter what, we cannot stand by and watch you suffer humiliation and injustice. Come with us! The world is vast, and we will surely protect you and carve out a way to survive!"

"Death is inevitable for everyone, but its weight can be as light as a feather or as heavy as Mount Tai. The only thing that cannot be abandoned is the bottom line of loyalty to the emperor and love for the country." Pei Qingyan's tone was calm, but every word carried immense weight. "I appreciate your good intentions, but I have already achieved what I sought."

After saying that, Pei Qingyan fastened the wooden shackles on herself and sat cross-legged in the prison cart, as if she were sitting in a war chariot on the battlefield rather than a prison cart.

Only now did Li Ji finally relax. He coughed lightly, pulling his soul back from the shock of what he was seeing.

"Heroes..." Li Ji thought for a moment, then changed to a form of address he felt was more appropriate, "Righteous warriors, you have all heard General Pei's words. The general is loyal and righteous, and his spirit will live on forever. Why don't you all fulfill the general's wishes?"

The men in black didn't move, all looking at their leader, who was still clinging to the railing, his eyes pleading. The seven-foot-tall man's voice was choked with sobs, "General..."

Pei Qingyan reached out, intending to pat his shoulder, but the shackles on her body blocked her way by the railing. She could only touch the back of his hand instead, her tone softening slightly, "Take them and leave quickly. The Imperial Guard's reinforcements will arrive if we delay any longer. Don't let the brothers suffer unnecessary casualties. Go."

The man wanted to say more, but Pei Qingyan waved his hand to stop him.

"Are you going to disobey military orders?"

The man in black looked into Pei Qingyan's calm eyes, struggled for a long time, and finally gave in, clasping his hands in a fist salute to Pei Qingyan, "Take care, General."

After saying this, he waved to the others, and although they were unwilling, they turned around dejectedly and disappeared into the depths of the streets and alleys in a few leaps.

A few breaths later, the figure of the man in black was gone, and everything was calm, as if the chaos just now was just a dream.

"Li Tingwei, continue."

Inside the prison van, Pei Qingyan kept his eyes closed, his voice indifferent.

Li Ji straightened his hair ornament and ordered the imperial guards, "Clear the way ahead."

"No need." Yun Zheng slowly walked forward from the corner of the wall. "Change course and return to the Court of Justice."

His words immediately roused Li Ji. Returning to the Court of Judicial Review was good! Going back meant no more unexpected incidents. In his opinion, there shouldn't have been this public parade in the first place! If they had just properly interrogated the person in the courtroom, this mess wouldn't have happened.

The return journey, whether by deliberately speeding up or by the illusion created by a different state of mind, seemed much shorter than the way there. Li Ji watched as the Imperial Guards escorted Pei Qingyan from the prison cart to the interrogation hall, and breathed a long sigh of relief as if he had been granted a pardon.

"General Pei, changing your tune now will save you some suffering."

Li Ji walked over to Pei Qingyan, who was tied to the wooden stake, and once again earnestly advised him.

Pei Qingyan remained calm and smiled, "Commander Li, there's no need for further words. I, Pei, would rather die than submit."

Li Ji sighed helplessly, turned around and picked up a whip made of raw cowhide strung with copper coins, "General, forgive me..."

Before he could raise his hand to strike, Yun Zheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Get out of here. I want to interrogate you alone."

Li Ji opened his mouth, intending to say that the interrogation should be led by the Court of Justice, but when he met Yun Zheng's icy gaze, he swallowed his words. He could only obediently wave his hand and lead everyone in the hall out.

Inside the interrogation room, only Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng remained.

Yun Zheng slowly walked up to Pei Qingyan. "You orchestrated this farce today, didn't you?"