She knew his purpose in getting close to Xia Zeshi and Xu Hengyi, and he could guess some of it.
But his intuition told him that Xu Hengyan was different.
...
His Majesty was not the only one who was frightened today.
Xia Zeshi and Xu Hengyi were stunned when they heard about the commotion outside.
Then they couldn't help but tremble.
This was too terrifying!
How did things escalate to this point?
Was it a moment of anger that unintentionally caused the people to riot, or was it intentional?
If they had voiced their thoughts, the Duke of Wei and the Second Master Xu would have definitively told them that Xie Jiang had absolutely planned it all along.
They had known since before that this young person was not one to stay still, and everything before was part of a plan. Was meeting Wu Hongyun at Jade Void Palace truly just a coincidence as Hengyi had said?
Perhaps Wu Hongyun was bait for Lu Baofang from the very beginning.
The thought sent shivers down their spines.
Fortunately, they had severed ties with that young person in time, otherwise, the Duke of Wei's mansion would also have been implicated in this incident.
Hearing from his subordinates that Xu Hengyi was still worried about Xie Jiang's safety, and upon learning that Xie Jiang had been imprisoned, he secretly took leave from the Imperial Academy and was plotting with the Fifth Prince, seemingly trying to find a way to rescue her.
Look at the methods of this young person!
She had deceived both Hengyi and the Fifth Prince!
She had set up her own stage and put on a grand performance, feigning chivalry and righteousness, and had silently dragged the two into the scheme.
Not only were they unaware, but they even thought she was righteous!
What kind of devil was this?
...
The conditions in prisons across the land were more or less the same.
The Dali Temple was no better.
Being assigned a solitary cell was already something to be grateful for.
Xie Jiang sat on the straw-covered stone bed, then closed her eyes as if in meditation, remaining motionless.
Her arrival brought a ray of light into the dim prison cell.
The inmates were shocked.
So, people who looked like this also had to go to jail if they broke the law!
Unfortunately, their freedom of movement was restricted, and they couldn't even crane their necks to get a better look.
They could only guess what the new arrival was like and what crime had landed him in the Dali Temple prison.
Looking like a youth made of clouds, could he last a few days in this prison?
Wouldn't he be able to last even one night? Why was he sitting there without moving?
The inmates in the cells diagonally opposite, who could see the situation here, began to murmur.
The jailers distributed breakfast from cell to cell.
When they reached Xie Jiang, she still didn't react.
The inmates opposite guessed that the young person was truly done for.
Around noon, the inmates in the adjacent cells started to quarrel for some reason.
Many inmates who had guessed that the young person might not make it suddenly leaped from the stone bed and kicked down the incredibly sturdy prison door with one foot.
It was truly sturdy.
Many inmates had tested it before, one after another.
All the inmates in the entire area were shocked.
Their first reaction was that the young person had held it in all night and was now finally unable to bear it and was preparing to escape.
Some inmates with active minds rushed to the cell door, gazing intently at the deceptively strong and violent youth, excitedly preparing to shout – "Take me with you! I'll be your loyal subordinate for life!"
However, the young person did not flee directly. Instead, she went to the door of the adjacent cell, kicked it down again, and then proceeded to beat up the inmate inside.
The same method was applied.
The cells that had been making noise all along had their doors kicked open, and the inmates inside, no matter how arrogant they had been before, were beaten to the ground and unable to get up.
The inmates in the same area who witnessed everything fell silent.
Those cells that were almost always causing trouble were occupied by desperate criminals, the most vicious and sinful of them all.
This young person was even more ruthless than those desperate criminals!
Could it be that she was also imprisoned for a major crime?
That's right.
Weren't all the people in this area the ruthless ones?
After beating people up, the violent youth turned around and returned to her own cell, remaining motionless on the stone bed as before.
...
The jailer responsible for this area arrived late after hearing the commotion.
These scoundrels made trouble every day, and the jailers were already accustomed to it, not even fearing whips and meat.
But today's situation was a bit unusual.
The jailer was so frightened by the overturned cell doors that he quickly sounded the alarm.
He thought it was a large-scale prison break.
When a large number of jailers rushed in with their sabers, they discovered that the number of inmates was correct; not a single one was missing.
However, in the cells with broken doors, the inmates were lying on the ground groaning, covered in blood.
In these cells with broken doors, only the newcomer seemed to be unaffected?
After the situation was clarified, the on-duty jailers fell silent.
This was like a master demon-slayer had arrived.
Yi Yanguan felt somewhat relieved upon hearing the commotion in the Dali Temple prison.
Being able to beat people indicated that her condition was not bad.
But why wasn't she eating?
She hadn't eaten properly yesterday due to the chaos, and she hadn't eaten anything since being imprisoned until today!
Two days and one night without a drop of water, even the strongest body couldn't endure it, let alone her who was already injured.
He knew she was always picky about food, and she wouldn't even deign to look at the prison meals, but how could he possibly let her eat prison food!
Although it appeared that she was eating the same as the other inmates, that was only on the surface; in reality, her portion had already been thoroughly replaced.
She would have discovered this if she had looked closely.
When news arrived in the evening that Xie Jiang had finally eaten dinner, Yi Yanguan breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next afternoon, he heard that Xie Jiang had fallen ill.
Yi Yanguan could no longer sit still.
After some thought, he went to Yuanyou Palace to meet His Majesty, and then headed straight for Dali Temple.
The Xie family held a respected position in Lanyong. If they truly intended to pledge allegiance to Dayu as a whole, His Majesty would naturally be willing to consider it.
The Xie clan was also a prestigious family that had continued for hundreds of years. They had fled to Southeast Asia amidst the persecution of the previous dynasty, and now they were willing to pledge allegiance to him during his reign.
This was a matter of extraordinary significance for both His Majesty and Dayu.
The vanguard of the Xie clan sent to scout the way could not possibly die in the Dali Temple prison.
The jailer cautiously led the way, and as they walked further in, Yi Yanguan's brow furrowed deeper.
This was not Yi Yanguan's first time in a prison. He hadn't felt anything before, and who would expect comfortable conditions after entering prison?
It would be better to have been a decent person from the start.
But now, thinking of her being in such an environment, Yi Yanguan couldn't help but feel that it was simply too dirty and chaotic.
A good person, kept in such an environment, who knew what they would become.
The jailer became increasingly apprehensive, wondering what this favored individual of His Majesty was dissatisfied with.
But he dared not ask.
Fortunately, they soon arrived in front of the cell where Xie Jiang was held. The jailer opened the lock and discreetly retreated.
Yi Yanguan's heart ached when he saw her curled up in the corner of the stone bed from outside.
She didn't even look up at the sound of the cell door opening.
"Jiang Jiang."
Yi Yanguan strode over, took her arm, and gently called out.
Only then did Xie Jiang slowly raise her head. Her face had an unnatural flush, and her beautiful eyes had lost their luster.
"Yi Yanguan? Why are you here?"
Xie Jiang's voice was slightly hoarse, and she felt groggy all over.
Yi Yanguan touched her forehead and felt the heat. "How did you get such a fever?"
He instantly lost his composure and urgently summoned the doctor waiting outside the cell, "Quick, come and examine her."