Outside the door.
Steward Wang saw Yun Shu emerge and immediately stepped forward. "Second Miss Yun, is His Highness alright?"
"There's no serious harm. Tomorrow morning, boil some light porridge or soup for him to drink," Yun Shu replied with a smile.
Steward Wang let out a sigh of relief. "Good, that's great! As long as His Highness is fine!"
Yun Shu glanced at the sky and suddenly thought of Jiang Luoxi, who had been sent to the yamen. How had Zhan Tianye drunk that蛊 water?
After a moment of contemplation, she dismissed the thought.
She suspected that soon after Jiang Luoxi entered the yamen, the Regent would follow.
With this in mind, she immediately left Prince Ye's mansion and headed to the yamen under the moonlight.
She made inquiries.
The person was locked up in prison. Because it was Zhan Tianye's order, the officials dared not offend him and immediately ordered that Jiang Luoxi be severely tortured, hoping to extract some secrets from her.
As she arrived at the prison gate, Zhan Ming was walking out.
Even in the dim moonlight, it was evident that Zhan Ming had lost a considerable amount of weight. His cheeks were sunken, and a palpable aura of gloom and decay emanated from him.
He wouldn't live much longer.
Several people followed him.
Two maidservants helped the weakened Jiang Luoxi walk out.
Jiang Luoxi was draped in a cloak, through which faint bloodstains were visible.
It appeared that Jiang Luoxi had indeed been tortured.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, the weakened Jiang Luoxi suddenly raised her head and looked in Yun Shu's direction.
Upon seeing Yun Shu, Jiang Luoxi was first stunned, then pursed her lips tightly.
Her eyes held a hint of ambiguity.
"Second Miss Yun," she uttered, biting out the words.
Yun Shu's brows also curved into a smile, and she said lightly, "What a coincidence, passing by and running into Miss Jiang, and also the Regent."
When Zhan Ming saw Yun Shu, he was momentarily disoriented. He had experienced too much recently, and for days he had been pondering where things had gone wrong. Just a few months ago, he was the formidable Regent, full of vigor and powerful. Yet, in a few months, his potency was gone, utterly useless.
His feelings towards Yun Shu at this moment were incredibly complex.
"Second Miss Yun?" Zhan Ming sneered.
His gaze roamed up and down Yun Shu.
"Second Miss Yun, have you thought of a way to cure this prince?" Zhan Ming asked, staring at Yun Shu.
He was not willing to give up.
After plotting for so many years, it couldn't be ruined by something like this!
Yun Shu smiled, "Not yet."
She hadn't expected Zhan Ming to still be so persistent, clinging to false hopes.
"Not yet? A divine doctor's skills shouldn't be like this. Yun Shu, have you considered what will happen to you if you conceal things from this prince, or even stand by and do nothing? What will happen to your father or your three children?" Zhan Ming suddenly lowered his voice, his tone laced with a thick threat.
Anyone else would have been terrified by such a threat.
But Yun Shu's smile slightly faded, and she replied nonchalantly, "The Regent is overthinking. Your condition will worsen in the future. Please take good care of your health. As for other matters, you need not worry about me."
Jiang Luoxi watched Yun Shu and Zhan Ming coldly.
She knew very well that Yun Shu couldn't have simply been passing by; she must have learned of what happened at the entrance of Prince Ye's mansion.
But at this moment, she didn't want to say another word.
She had never been so humiliated!
Being beaten by Zhan Tianye, and then by the yamen guards – these were experiences she had never endured in all her years.
It had completely disgraced her.
Yun Shu noticed Jiang Luoxi's displeased expression.
"Well said, 'don't overthink'! I never thought Second Miss Yun would be so considerate and understanding! Rest assured, this prince will not overthink! It's you who should think carefully whether you can smoothly marry Prince Ye!" Zhan Ming said through gritted teeth.
As expected, Yun Shu could not be trusted!
He had hesitated before, but now, there was no need to hesitate at all.
Yun Shu smiled, "This matter is for my prince and I to worry about. The Regent should focus on recuperating."
"Please have the Regent escort me back to the palace," Jiang Luoxi suddenly said coldly.
"Go," Zhan Ming immediately ordered.
Then the group passed by Yun Shu.
Yun Shu stood with her hands behind her back, gazing at them afar, and also at Jiang Luoxi.
Even after being tortured and exposed by Zhan Tianye, Jiang Luoxi's back remained straight, her anger deeply hidden, not betraying the slightest hint.
...
Under the cover of night.
A carriage headed towards the imperial palace.
Suddenly.
A rock appeared in the middle of the road.
The coachman, driving in the dark, didn't notice the stone. By the time he did, it was too late. The horses' neighs were particularly piercing in the night.
With a bang, the carriage instantly overturned.
"Ah!"
"Miss Jiang!"
The next moment, a large net descended.
A strong soporific smoke came from above.
Before the coachman could utter a word, he fainted upon smelling the smoke.
As for Jiang Luoxi inside the carriage, she had sustained internal injuries, been tortured, and the overturning of the carriage caused her to hit her head, rendering her unconscious.
Several figures appeared in the darkness.
They bound the unconscious Jiang Luoxi in the carriage and carried her away.
This scene occurred late at night, and no one discovered it.
By the time anyone found out, the carriage was shattered, and the maidservants and coachman had already fainted.
It wasn't until dawn that people from the Regent's mansion found the coachman and maidservants.
Upon questioning, they learned that their carriage had an accident last night, and Jiang Luoxi had disappeared.
The Empress Dowager had a premonition last night when she didn't see Jiang Luoxi return to the palace. She ordered someone to find the Regent, but by morning, they received the news of Jiang Luoxi's disappearance.
"Prince Ye must be involved in this matter!" The Empress Dowager slammed the table in anger.
Jiang Luoxi must be found as soon as possible!
She hadn't expected Zhan Tianye to send Jiang Luoxi to the yamen and even have the officials torture her! This was tantamount to slapping her in the face.
A group of people searched all over the capital, even going to Prince Ye's mansion.
But there was still no news of Jiang Luoxi.
It was as if Jiang Luoxi had vanished into thin air.
Meanwhile, shortly after dawn, someone knocked on the door of the Prime Minister's mansion.
When the Prime Minister's mansion door opened, a servant received a letter that could only be delivered to Prime Minister Jiang.
Fearing it was an urgent matter, the servant delivered the letter to Prime Minister Jiang.
The moment Prime Minister Jiang saw the letter, his face changed drastically. The letter in his hand felt like a hot potato and was thrown to the ground.
Seeing the letter, a servant exclaimed, "Heavens!"
The letter contained no words.
It was a painting!
A painting of several men and a woman together. A single glance was enough to make one blush, and they dared not look again.
"Seize the messenger! How dare they play such a trick on this official!" Prime Minister Jiang ordered angrily.
At the same time.
Inside a dilapidated temple.
Jiang Luoxi woke up with a splitting headache. Suddenly, her hand, which was rubbing her head, froze mid-air.