A joyful voice echoed through the air.
As Yan Danqing watched her excitedly run in, the gloomy and cold Imperial Prison seemed to lighten, every corner of the cell infused with the cheerfulness in her voice.
His stiffened brows and eyes, having waited for so long, softened, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
His gaze followed Ye Xiren as she moved, watching her light the candles one by one in the Dungeon’s wall niches, then seeing her approach, drenched in sweat. Though she let out a long, tired sigh, her face remained beaming with a smile.
Just as Ye Xiren was about to sit down in front of the iron bars, Yan Danqing pointed to the newly piled straw in front and reminded her:
“The ground is cold. You can spread this out first.”
Ye Xiren, her mind buzzing with excitement, casually pulled out some straw without caring who had piled it there. She spread it on the ground before sitting down, catching her breath from the rush.
Seeing sweat on her forehead, Yan Danqing instinctively reached out.
There was still some distance, and he couldn’t touch Ye Xiren. His fingers twitched before he withdrew his hand, the chains clattering loudly as fresh blood continued to seep out.
Ye Xiren pulled out a handkerchief, wiping her sweat while hurriedly saying, “Hey, don’t move! Every time you move, you get hurt. Better not tug on these chains too much. Wait until they’re removed.”
Hmm?
Was it just her imagination, or did General Yan seem tidier today than “yesterday”? His messy hair was slightly neater, and he was sitting closer to the iron bars.
“My name is Ye Xiren, I’m…”
She moistened her dry lips and continued excitedly:
“I originally planned to bring your guard Ma Shan and rush to the nearest post station from Nandu. But I never expected that the Yanjia Army hadn’t been idle during this time. Records of horse changes from several post stations, along with witnesses and evidence from the stations, were delivered to Nandu last night, all in Ma Shan’s hands. He just didn’t know who to entrust them to for safekeeping…”
Perfect—entrusting them to her was the safest option!
So Ye Xiren didn’t hesitate to take the evidence and sent it back to the Ye family first. Unfortunately, Ye Pei had already left for court. Next time, she’d have to find a way to give it to him so he could present it to the Emperor.
Seeing her joy, Yan Danqing smiled along. “Ma Shan and the others are very reliable.”
“Yes,” Ye Xiren nodded in agreement, not stinting on praise. “Every time I ask Ma Shan to do something, he does it perfectly. After you were imprisoned, he divided the arriving personnel into two groups: one to help gather evidence for you, and the other to keep an eye on the Northern Yan Delegation.”
The Yanjia Army was trying to save their general. When Ye Xiren showed her token, Ma Shan told her everything in detail.
Yan Danqing shook his head again, the dark strands at his temples shifting slightly. His almond-shaped eyes turned to Ye Xiren as he analyzed for her: “Chizhan Lan Ce is an extremely cautious person. Since they’ve come to Nandu under everyone’s watchful eyes, even if he plans to do something, he won’t let anyone notice anything unusual.”
Besides, the court wasn’t foolish enough—there were plenty of smart people. The War Faction was on guard, the Peace Faction was friendly, and all factions were focused on the Northern Yan Delegation, keeping a close eye on Chizhan Lan Ce. On the surface, there would be no abnormalities, or they would surely be discovered.
Yan Danqing suddenly sat up straight, staring intently at Ye Xiren, his brows furrowed tightly:
“He spent a fortune buying a lot of things?”
Ye Xiren nodded blankly.
Yan Danqing let out a breath, flexed his hands and feet, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, his expression grave: "Miss Ye, I may need to trouble you to make a trip. I require Chizhan Lan Ce's procurement ledger, as well as details on the merchants who traded with him."
"Ah?" Ye Xiren was taken aback.
The request was sudden, but she still nodded obediently and asked, "Have Ma Shan investigate? Can it still be traced now?"
Her time was limited—only the day of the third day of the third month. In the afternoon, Ye Pei would confess his guilt. She had less than a day, yet there was so much to do. Could Ma Shan uncover everything in just a few hours?
Ye Xiren did not doubt General Yan's judgment, but she worried about the lack of time.
In the flickering candlelight, Yan Danqing's eyes seemed to hold two flames. He decisively shook his head: "Ma Shan cannot find it, and he cannot uncover everything now. Take my Private Order to Yuyin Tower. The court officials must have the ledger. Have them copy one for you."
The court officials holding the ledger could not see the issues; he needed to examine it personally.
Ye Xiren nodded again.
It seemed the person secretly aiding Yan Danqing was a court official, and one of high rank, capable of obtaining information.
Then, without any preparation, she suddenly pulled a dagger from her sleeve. "Fortunately, I was prepared. I truly didn’t expect that hitting a wall would hurt more than beheading…"
She was clever, having brought a knife in advance.
Ye Xiren closed her eyes and decisively stabbed herself. His hand paused mid-air, falling silent…
"I, I am Ye Xiren, I am…"
Yan Danqing pointed to the pile of straw stacked even higher in front of him. Ye Xiren skillfully cleared a spot, sat down, placed the heavy veiled hat aside, and continued her "prelude" without pause.
Exhausted, she spoke in fits and starts.
After finishing, she took a waterskin from her sleeve and gulped down the water. The cool liquid flowed over her parched throat, soothing the discomfort.
Comfortable!
Indeed, thorough preparation was essential.
"Quickly look at this ledger. What was procured, the merchants' details—it's all recorded here. The messenger from Yuyin Tower said the official who reviewed the ledger found no issues." Ye Xiren put away the waterskin, pointing at the register. A few strands of damp hair playfully stuck up.
Yan Danqing reluctantly tore his gaze away from those strands of hair and looked down at the ledger.
At that moment, a rat suddenly darted out.
Ye Xiren hadn’t reacted, not even seeing it clearly, when Yan Danqing swiftly caught the rat. With a flick of his fingers, the struggling rat fell still—all in an instant.
Ye Xiren: "?"
Seeing her frown, Yan Danqing moved the rat away, placing it under a pile of straw and covering it completely. He said softly, "It's fine now."
Ye Xiren’s brow remained furrowed.
Yan Danqing lowered his gaze. Was she so afraid of rats? But these rats scurried all over the dungeon, darting out from time to time. Trapped here and unable to move, he couldn’t catch them all.
Ye Xiren stared intently at the fresh blood seeping from the man before her, disapproval written all over her face: "Why did you move around again?"
Look at all that blood. This one truly wasn’t afraid of pain. Was it worth bleeding for a rat?
Yan Danqing was slightly taken aback. "You’re afraid of rats."
Ye Xiren waved her hand dismissively, her tone light: "It’s just a rat. Though I’m scared, I’ll get used to it if I see more. But don’t move around again. Seeing you covered in wounds scares me even more."
Huh?
How did General Yan know she was afraid of mice? And why did it feel like General Yan was even more tidy and handsome than before?
Yan Danqing lowered his gaze. He hadn’t expected that, compared to her fear of mice, Ye Xiren’s frown was more out of concern for his injuries, leaving him with mixed emotions.
"How’s it going?" Ye Xiren leaned closer.
Yan Danqing took a light breath to gather his thoughts and circled a few names on the list for her to see. "Miss Ye, have Ma Shan investigate these people."
"Are these people suspicious?" Ye Xiren was startled.
"We’ll know once we interrogate them." General Yan’s gaze turned somewhat cold, and it was clear that the "interrogation" he spoke of was far from friendly.
Ye Xiren: "…"
She skillfully drew her knife, took a deep breath, and prepared to strike herself again—truly, she had grown accustomed to "dying."
This time, Yan Danqing stopped her swiftly. "Wait."
As he spoke, he reached out toward Ye Xiren. The "chains" rattled loudly as several links were pulled taut. The shackles were stained with fresh blood, and his knuckles stood out sharply, veins faintly visible on the back of his hand, dotted with specks of blood. He wiped his palm clean on his clothes and placed it behind Ye Xiren’s head.
Ye Xiren: "!!"
Her face flushed red. Before she could feel embarrassed and pull away, everything went dark before her eyes… She was dead.
It didn’t even hurt this time!
He was sitting so close to her that he could actually touch her!!