Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Chai the constable: What was that thing that darted past in a flash?

Xie Wumian: What's that noise? Where did that gust of wind come from?

Jiang Jibai remained calm and composed, still with his head bowed and eyes downcast.

His Majesty was in a panic and unable to show himself, so Shang Jingming resigned himself to being the mainstay. He resisted the urge to look at His Majesty, who had probably disappeared into some empty cell, and his gaze naturally swept past the constable Chai, briefly glancing at the two "cooks" without lingering for a moment. He asked casually, "The ones delivering food?"

His sweep caused Chai's breath to catch in his throat and his heart to almost stop. Xie Wumian's heart also jumped into his throat, and he could only pray that his attire and the soot on his face would be enough to deceive everyone.

Fortunately, Commander Shang didn't seem to have looked closely; he was just asking casually.

Chai, the constable, was sweating bullets, but he forced a smile and said, "It's almost midnight, and the brothers on night duty haven't had their meal yet. I've brought some men to bring them something hot."

Upon hearing this, Shang Jingming nodded without saying anything. Instead, he turned his head and whispered a few words to the jailers on night duty: "The scholar is physically weak. Take good care of him for me. If anything happens, call a doctor immediately."

The jailers thought to themselves: This is easy to handle, but what does it mean that the distinguished guest you brought has gone into his cell and is standing with his hands behind his back under the skylight? Is he admiring the moon? How should we deal with this?

Xie Wumian's heart sank as he listened to Shang Jingming's instructions to the jailers.

Scholars are physically weak... Does this refer to the teacher or the junior student? Or to the fourteen scholars who bought exam questions and cheated?

Even though the order was given to take care of it, why were they so sure something was wrong that they told someone to call a doctor?

Could it be...? Xie Wumian tightened his grip on the food box slightly.

Although the jailers had countless questions in their minds, they naturally obeyed the orders from above. The leader quickly said, "Don't worry, we will take your instructions to heart."

He glanced repeatedly toward the "distinguished guest," saying, "Sir, that..."

Qin Ji pricked up his ears.

Before the jailer could finish speaking, Shang Jingming interrupted him as if he remembered something, and casually said to the respectful and anxious constable Chai beside him, "The brothers are working hard on night duty. Go to the account and get two strings of cash to buy them some good food, but they are not allowed to buy wine. Drinking will cause them to make mistakes. Tell them to stay alert."

The prison guards were immediately invigorated.

While the leader was pleased, he realized that the commander intended to interrupt him, so he shut his mouth and stopped asking questions.

Upon hearing this, Officer Chai breathed a sigh of relief, his face lighting up with joy. He bowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Excellency is so kind! On behalf of my brothers, I thank you!"

Shang Jingming waved his hand, said no more, and strode away, as if he had only casually given a few instructions while handling business.

The soldiers in the passageway surged out of the prison like a tide, following Shang Jingming's departing footsteps.

As the sound of armor clashing faded into the distance, the firewood bailiff craned his neck to look around until the torchlight disappeared into the night before he could finally relax.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, then glanced at the two who hadn't looked up or spoken a word the entire time, trying their best to keep a low profile and being relatively "sensible." He took the food box from Xie Wumian's hand and turned to the jailers, saying, "Food's ready. You can eat first. I'll go to the account to get the money in a bit..."

He paused slightly before speaking, glancing at the two "cooks".

He pointed to another food box in Jiang Jibai's hand, gave him a wink, and said in a rude manner, "Take this food inside, go straight and turn left to the second room."

Xie Wumian quickly bowed, appearing sensible, and pulled his companion inside, saying, "Yes."

Jiang Jibai followed closely behind, only glancing casually at the cell next door where the commotion had come from.

Qin Ji may not have eyes in the back of his head, but for some reason he suddenly felt a thorn in his side, and his figure, standing with his hands behind his back, became even more somber.

Jiang Jibai paused slightly, as if stepping on an uneven brick, but quickly recovered and followed Xie Wumian inside.

The constable asked, "Would you like something nice to eat, or would you like to divide those two strings of cash among yourselves?"

"Let's split it," the leader decisively suggested, and the others nodded in agreement.

One of the prison guards, watching the two "cooks" walk away, remarked, "People with status are different; they can eat so well even in prison. That kid just had his interrogation; can he even eat that much?"

The leader tapped him on the head: "Why do you care if they can eat or not? Do you know how much money their brother gave them as a tribute? Mind your own business!"

The jailer readily agreed.

They didn't lower their voices for the last few words, which made Xie Wumian's expression even more unpleasant, and he quickened his pace.

The lead jailer didn't have time to pay attention to the two "cooks"; he knew he had misspoke as soon as he said it.

There was also a "distinguished guest" of Lord Shang in the cell next door.

Although the commander had ordered them to accept the "gift" from Pei Tanhua's brother, everyone knew that such a thing was not something to talk about. Moreover, the identity of this "distinguished guest" was unknown, and the commander even seemed to be slightly inferior to him. If they were not careful, they might cause trouble by saying something like that.

He regretted his hasty words, his face turning slightly pale. He unconsciously glanced several times in the direction of the "distinguished guest," and tried to move closer to Qin Ji's cell, hoping to say something to make amends: "Is there anything you need?"

Qin Ji's breathing suddenly stopped.

You big idiot!

Have you ever seen a jailer make prisoners give orders?

Didn't Shang Jingming already interrupt you? Why are you still asking?!

They have no sense at all! Since their heads and necks are useless, I'll just cut them off and let me kick them around like a ball!

Qin Ji was unsure whether Jiang Jibai had heard what the jailer said.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the end of the passageway, only to catch a glimpse of two figures disappearing around the corner.

……

I'm experiencing some writer's block, so it's a bit late.

The activity continues. Let's keep writing with love and passion, reaching 1500 words by midnight tomorrow, and then two updates the day after tomorrow!