There was only one lamp in the room. She startled awake from her dream and sat panting on the bed with sweat dripping from her forehead down her cheeks and neck to form a wet patch on her clothes. In the distance, the dim, orangish light from the candle shone on her fearful, pale face through the gauze curtains.
"Phew~" She grabbed the front of her clothes, crumpling it into a wrinkled mess. It wasn’t because what she saw was frightening, but because of… all that death. Too many people had died.
Furthermore...The next Jing Yi! These four words were still circling in her mind, making her very uneasy.
Creak~ The door was pushed open from the outside. Qiao'er had heard noises and rushed in, quickly going to the bedside. She saw Ji Yunshu covered in sweat, so she asked worriedly, "Teacher Ji, are you alright?"
There was no response.
"Teacher, did you have a nightmare?"
Ji Yunshu was pulled out of her thoughts by the questions. That pair of eyes that had been fixed dazedly on the curtains started to refocus. She took a long breath and her smooth white fingers slightly loosened their grip on the ma.s.s of clothing at her chest, and reached out to slowly lift the gauze curtains in front of her. She turned her gaze to look at the worried Qiao'er and parted her slightly pale lips. "I'm fine."
"Would you like a gla.s.s of water?"
She didn't reply. After a while, she got out of bed, put on an outer garment and went out the door. It was deep into the night. Outside, the cold breeze gently cara.s.sed her face. Ji Yunshu wrapped her clothes more securely around her shoulders and sat down on a stone chair in the courtyard.
Qiao’er worried that the thin and frail Ji Yunshu would be sick for many days if she caught a cold, so she ran into the house and took out the pot of water that had been kept warm on the stove. She poured out a cup and put it next to Ji Yunshu’s hand.
However, a crash rang out. With a careless brush of her hand, Ji Yunshu b.u.mped into the cup dashed it to the ground. Shards of porcelain were scattered all over the floor! She quickly crouched down to pick them up. "Ah!" Her finger touched the edge of a shard and was sliced open. Blood seeped out of the wound.
"Oh no!" Qiao'er quickly took out a handkerchief to bandage her up carefully, "Teacher Ji, just leave these kinds of things for this maid to do."
"I'm fine."
"I'll go find Young Master Mo."
"There's really no need." Ji Yunshu hurriedly stopped her, "It is a small wound and it’s the middle of the night. There’s no need to bother him." People are in bed dreaming!
Qiao'er had to give up on that idea. She went into the room to find some medicine and took care of Ji Yunshu, then tidied up the floor and brought a hand warmer to put in Ji Yunshu’s hands.
"Go and have a rest."
"But..."
"I'll sit here for a while. You don't have to worry about me. Go ahead and rest."
Qiao'er could only nod her head and fetch another lantern to hang outside before she went to rest.
Ji Yunshu looked at her injured finger and couldn't help laughing bitterly. There was still a drop of bright red blood on the ground. Red seemed to fill her vision and gradually obscured her sight. At that time, there were neither the stars nor the moon in the sky, infusing an unspeakable sense of loneliness into the atmosphere.
The next morning, she went back to the room, changed into clean clothes, freshened up, and then went out the door. However, she didn’t alert anyone, including Qiao'er.
It was almost an hour's walk from Anchang Court to the Yufu prison. Outside the prison were four guards, all of whom were Jing Rong's secret guards. When they saw her coming, those guards looked at each other for a few moments. Everyone who had been present at the scene knew full well that this person was the Little Heir of the Imperial Duke, but Jing Rong had ordered that it must not be revealed to the public.
One of them stepped forward and bowed in greeting with his long sword. "Teacher Ji, what are you doing here?"
"I would like to go in to take a look."
"Go in?" The man was startled, looked back at the prison, and said carefully, "Teacher Ji, the prison is dirty and packed full of people. It’s best if you do not go in."
"Just lead me in, I'll be out soon. It won't affect anything."
"That..."
"Please." She spoke very politely.
Although she was dressed as a man, her demeanor of a gentle scholar and her warm tone was still enough to melt the hearts of those rough men. They pursed their lips and met her gaze. Finally, as if possessed, they led her in obediently.
It was very dark inside the prison, and the smell of dampness that hit her nose was so unpleasant that it made her frown involuntarily. The smell of sweat and stench grew stronger as she continued to walk deeper inside.
However, it was also very quiet.The people locked up in their cells were huddled together, leaning against the wall in a neat row without making any fuss, even though they were covered in dirt and dust. As they watched Ji Yunshu walk past them, they all stood up, their backs ramrod straight and eyes slowly turning with the direction she was moving. The scene looked just like a military parade.
She stopped at one of the cells. Looking in through the solid wooden bars, she saw Wen Pans.h.i.+ sitting cross-legged inside, his hands on his knees, facing the wall, his back to her. There was no one else in the cell.
"Open it!" Ji Yunshu ordered.
The secret guard obediently unlocked the chains and opened the door. Then, he immediately reminded her, "Teacher Ji, you should hurry up. The prince said he would not let anyone come here. I'll wait outside, if you need anything, please call me."
“Mn."
She walked into the s.p.a.cious and clean cell and stood behind Wen Pans.h.i.+, not making a sound. She waited a long while before the motionless Wen Pans.h.i.+ opened his eyes, coughed softly, then turned his head to look down at Ji Yunshu's pair of shoes of coa.r.s.e cloth. His brows wrinkled into deep folds. "Your Highness must have some business to discuss to visit at this time."
Of course! Why else would she visit? "General Wen, I'm here to counsel you."
"Counsel me?" He laughed, "I listened to you and was put in here so that more people wouldn't be sacrificed, but you know very well that there are far more people in the Imperial Duke’s household than that."
"I know."
"If you knew, then why are you here to counsel me?"
"Do you really think that the current Emperor was responsible for the fire at the Imperial Duke’s house fourteen years ago?"
With one hand on his knee and the other on the ground, Wen Pangs.h.i.+ struggled to get up and turned back to meet her calm gaze. "There is no turning back now."
"Yes, you can't turn back, but it doesn't mean that there’s no way to salvage the situation. Prince Rong didn't kill you, but locked you all here, and even blocked the news to the outside world. Naturally, the news won't reach the capital. I hope you can stop here and don't let things go out of control. Moreover, as I said, the truth is still unknown. It is not worth it to sacrifice so many people. " She tried hard to dissuade him.
Wen Pangs.h.i.+ exhaled a heavy breath. He took two steps, displaying some of the dignity and poise of a general.