Yusui Chang'an

Less than two hours after the notice was posted, the Imperial Guards surrounded the Qi family. The leader of the team kicked open the door of the Qi family and shouted intimidatingly:

"We are following the orders of His Majesty to arrest the traitors who are colluding with Mobei and disturbing Tianchu. If you dare to resist, you will be killed without mercy!"

Within the time it took to stick of incense, all the male members of the Qi family were taken to prison by the imperial guards, and all the female members were imprisoned in the mansion awaiting their fate.

Cheng Qi, along with his close followers, mingled among the onlookers, watching the once glorious family reduced to prisoners in the blink of an eye. He felt a heavy sense of panic as if one's lips and teeth were in danger.

After squeezing out of the crowd, Cheng Qi, who was worried, turned back again, looked at the Qi family surrounded by heavy soldiers, and told his attendants:

"Go tell General Anbei that I want to see you."
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royal palace.

Zheng Cheng delivered the emperor's oral order and released the queen from her confinement. Before Zheng Cheng left, the queen, in accordance with the emperor's order, summoned Prince Rui and his sister to the palace, and sent someone to visit Shunyi in the Ye Ting prison on her orders.

The person who was sent came back in tears soon, saying that Shunyi was beaten to pieces and the medicine used was completely ineffective. The wounds had already festered. Shunyi had a high fever and was confused. He would not respond when called.

After hearing all the news, Concubine Xian stood up and paced angrily to calm herself down.

The Duke's Mansion used Qin Zhixu's life to set up a trap and poured a basin of dirty water on her son's head in order to break the situation for the Queen and the Duke's Mansion. It was really a good trick!
Concubine Xian's eyes were gloomy:
"Since the Duke's Mansion has treated us so well, we should return the favor. Did you handle the matter of the Ye Ting Prison cleanly?"

"Don't worry, Imperial Concubine. It was done quietly. The powder was laced with something and was only used on Shunyi for one day. There is no trace of it now."

"Prepare a generous gift and send it to Master Jia in the palace, and say a few warm words on my behalf. This man is talented and loyal to Ye'er, and we must not let him feel disappointed. Give him a badge, and he can pass on messages to me alone in the future."
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Xian Yao Lou.

After receiving the news that Cheng Qi wanted to meet, Gu Ruizhou and his two siblings finished watching the fun and were on their way back to the Lin Mansion.

Gu Ruizhou originally wanted to let Lin Jinyan and his sister go back first, but when he thought of the news about the Cheng family, he changed his mind and asked the two brothers and sisters if they wanted to go together. Seeing that Lin Jinan did not object, Lin Jinyan suggested meeting at Xianyaolou, as he could trust the staff in his own shop.

Before Cheng Qi came, he heard that Gu Ruizhou had made an appointment to meet at Xianyaolou, so he specially checked the shop and found out that it was the dowry of Miss Gu. He sent a message to his best friend and asked him to send someone to Cheng's house to invite him to a small gathering at Xianyaolou.

When Cheng Qi arrived, he gave his name and the waiter took him upstairs.

The waiter whispered something to Cheng Qi in a deserted place. Cheng Qi looked sideways in the direction of what he heard and saw two guards with tall postures and sharp eyes standing at the door of a closed room. Cheng Qi looked at the two men for a moment, then looked away unnoticeably and followed the waiter to the private room where his friend was waiting.

After the waiter closed the door and left, the friend who had been waiting for a while asked with a smile:

"What's the secret? Do you want me to send someone to invite you out?"

Cheng Qi stepped forward and poured wine for his friend:

"Thank you for the trip, Brother Zheng. Brother Wen, enjoy your drink first. I'm going to go out and do something private. I'll come back later to apologize to Brother Zheng."

The man named Zheng picked up his wine glass and said jokingly:
"Did you get into trouble with some romantic affairs?"

Cheng Qi laughed: "The one who understands me is Brother Zheng."

After leaving the room and closing the door, Cheng Qi signaled his personal attendant to stand guard at the door. After making sure that no one was watching, he walked towards the two guards.

Before he could speak, the two guards nodded and opened the door behind them. (End of this chapter)