Even when hostile to each other, when faced with a common enemy, people will always tacitly choose to bury the hatchet.
Now the emperor has started to take action and is eager to make a move.
Besides, Pei Zhaolin couldn't think of a faster or more effective way.
Xie Rou was silent for a while. After a long time, she asked, "Have you ever thought about your Pei family?"
Pei Zhaolin said calmly, "Because of the way I treated Luo Xiang, my grandmother is already resentful towards me. In her great anger, she will agree to expel me from the Pei family."
"You've calculated everyone in."
Xie Rou sighed.
Pei Zhaolin lowered his eyes.
---
In the prison.
Luo Xiang howled for a full hour, but didn't reveal a single word.
She wasn't tired, but Cui Jintang was.
Just as she sat down to catch her breath, the jailer outside finally seemed to regain his hearing and rushed in directly. He dragged Luo Xiang away in a hurry.
Cui Jintang couldn't even stop him.
The jailer blocked Cui Jintang and kindly reminded her, "This prison is full of gossips. Miss, before others notice, quickly lock the shackles on yourself again!"
Cui Jintang: "..."
He was quite considerate.
Helpless, Cui Jintang had to lean against the wall to rest.
Suddenly, there came the sound of chains rattling.
Cui Jintang immediately opened her eyes and turned to look. She saw a jailer bowing his head and struggling to unlock the lock.
The figure of that jailer was a bit too familiar.
Cui Jintang blinked and tentatively asked, "Chu Yingfeng?"
Hearing this, the jailer looked up and gave her a gentle smile. "Miss Cui! I'm here to rescue you."
The jailer's cap on his head was extremely big and had slipped down a bit.
Looking at him through the prison bars, besides being gentle, he also looked a bit funny.
Chu Yingfeng struggled to unlock the lock, pushed open the door and walked in. There was a bit of eagerness on his face. "I heard about the county princess being poisoned. I believe it was definitely not you!"
Seeing his clumsy look of not knowing how to comfort her, Cui Jintang only felt a warm current surging in her heart.
"Thank you."
Chu Yingfeng pursed his lips and said a bit anxiously, "We've already arranged a corpse. After tonight, others will only know that you're dead and won't pursue it anymore."
"I know that you'll have to suffer some grievances by doing this. But there's still a long way to go. There will surely be a day when your grievances will be cleared!"
Cui Jintang tilted her head and asked in confusion, "You? Besides you, who else came today?"
As soon as the words were out, a figure came jumping in from outside, holding a torch in hand.
There was ash smeared on the face, and the figure said excitedly, "Tangtang! Of course there's also me."
Cui Jintang couldn't help laughing. "With this face of yours, I thought it was Zhu San."
The smile on Qi Xutao's face immediately faded. She gritted her teeth and said, "I've been so worried about you all the way, but you're such an ungrateful guy."
"I know you're worried about me."
Not having a handkerchief with her, Cui Jintang used her sleeve to gently wipe the ash off Qi Xutao's face.
After wiping it clean, she said, "But I can't leave here for now."
"Why!"
Qi Xutao was anxious. "Do you know that the emperor was extremely angry after knowing about Luo Xiang today and said he would behead you! Reputation is not worth mentioning compared to life. Tangtang, don't be stupid."
"I understand. But I'm not doing this for my reputation."
Looking at the very determined Cui Jintang, Qi Xutao was deflated.
She held the torch and was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Now there are all kinds of rumors. It's inconvenient for the emperor to behead you directly. But at most five days. If you still can't get out of trouble after five days, I'll knock you out and send you out."
Cui Jintang replied, "Okay."
---
Qi Xutao was from a military background and walked very fast. From time to time, she would turn back and urge Chu Yingfeng who was far behind. "You're a man. Why are you walking even slower than me? Hurry up. These jailers will wake up soon!"
Carrying a dead body on his back, Chu Yingfeng, who was running over at full speed at the moment, gasped heavily twice and gritted his teeth to persevere. "It's the commoner who is holding the princess back."
Qi Xutao curled her lips and turned around to walk out of the prison. "Forget it. I never expected much from you anyway --"
Her voice suddenly stopped.
In front of her, dozens of horses were impatiently kicking their hooves.
The person sitting on the leading horse even smiled at her cheerfully. "Princess, I'm here to pick you up."
Seeing Xue Wuyou, the smile on Qi Xutao's face immediately faded.
Pei Zhaolin beside him was expressionless. With a wave of his hand, the soldiers who had been ready to go rushed up.
They captured the two of them, along with the female corpse, all at once.
Xue Wuyou jumped off the horse first, stopped the soldiers, walked closer and took Qi Xutao's hand.
When she tried to break free, he said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "I've already reached a cooperation with Lord Pei. Princess, don't worry."
Qi Xutao's movement of breaking free paused. She looked at him doubtfully. "Really?"
Xue Wuyou dodged his eyes for a moment, and then immediately said, "I came with Lord Pei today. Isn't this enough to convince the princess?"
Over there, Pei Zhaolin looked down at Chu Yingfeng and said, "Breaking into the prison privately, according to the laws of the Great Yan Dynasty, you should be beaten eighty strokes with a cane. Do you admit it?"
Chu Yingfeng straightened his back and smiled slightly. "I admit it."
"He's the person brought by this princess. Lord Pei, do you want to punish this princess as well?"
Qi Xutao shouted.
"The subject doesn't dare."
Although Pei Zhaolin said so, there was no sign of "daring not" between his eyebrows.
Now Qi Xutao was extremely dissatisfied with Pei Zhaolin.
But as long as Pei Zhaolin was unhappy, Qi Xutao would be happy.
She shouted sternly, "Chu Yingfeng, come with this princess. This princess wants to see who dares to punish you today!"
Chu Yingfeng bowed and saluted. There was a bit of provocation in his eyes as he looked at Pei Zhaolin.
"Yes, princess."
Seeing his appearance, Pei Zhaolin squinted his eyes.
The soldiers were about to stop them, but Pei Zhaolin waved his hand to signal them to back off.
They could only watch helplessly as Qi Xutao took the person away.
---
At the Pei Mansion.
As soon as Pei Zhaolin stepped into the mansion, he was slapped hard by the old lady Pei.
"At the court today, you advocated beheading Tang'er?!"
Pei Zhaolin lowered his eyes and said calmly, "She poisoned the county princess and refused to admit it. If we let her go, others will surely follow her example in the future."
"This matter is full of strange things. How can we just rely on the one - sided story of the county princess?!"
The old lady Pei was so angry that she had trouble breathing. Pei Ying quickly stepped forward to support her and couldn't help but persuade as well. "Brother has always been fair in handling cases. Why are you so muddle - headed this time?"
Pei Zhaolin paused and said word by word, "The county princess promised me a first - rank official position."
"But Cui Jintang will only hold me back."
"You, you," the old lady Pei was extremely angry. The hand holding the walking stick kept pointing at Pei Zhaolin. "There's no such greedy descendant like you in my Pei family!"
"Grandmother is not in good health. Brother, don't make grandmother angry anymore!" Pei Ying quickly said.
Pei Zhaolin bowed and saluted, lowering his eyes. "Grandmother will surely understand the grandson's good intentions in the future."
"There's no such unworthy descendant like you in my Pei family!"