Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

After receiving Mr. Jiang's reassuring words of help, Xie Wumian's anxious heart finally calmed down a bit.

But he did not simply sit idly by and watch things unfold.

With his teacher and junior brother imprisoned, he had to constantly send people to keep an eye on the movements within the Five Cities Garrison, lest he be caught off guard if things changed.

The people he sent to keep an eye on him would pass him messages every day.

For the first two days, everything was normal. Although he couldn't visit his teacher, it was still relatively easy to send food and clothing through intermediaries. The jailers would also occasionally send a few words to let him know that everything was alright.

Gradually, things started to change.

First, the informant relayed a message that he had seen a jailer hurriedly leading a person carrying a medicine box into the prison gate of the Five Cities Garrison.

Xie Wumian remembered Shang Jingming's instructions that day to call a doctor for Pei Lian at any time. At first, he thought that his junior brother had been tortured again, or that he had fallen ill due to his previous injuries and the harsh environment in the prison.

While having people gather the best medicine for his wounds and asking the jailers to deliver it, he also managed to find the doctor and tried to pry his mouth open with a large sum of money.

To everyone's surprise, the doctor remained tight-lipped and evasive, unmoved by the temptation of a large sum of money. He refused to mention that he had visited the prison for treatment, let alone tell them which patient he had seen or what illness the patient had.

This clearly indicates that a gag order has been placed on them, rather than simply a reluctance to disclose information about their employer.

Xie Wumian immediately found Chai the constable and wanted to arrange a second prison visit.

This time, Chai refused him.

The reason is: now is the most sensitive time. Last time he ran into Commander Shang and was lucky that he wasn't exposed. If it happens again and he is exposed, he will probably be in deep trouble.

The reason sounded reasonable, but Xie Wumian's heart sank to the bottom.

The jailer he bribed would still send him a message every day to let him know he was safe, and whenever he inquired about the well-being of his junior brother and teacher, he always received the same news: everything was fine.

But then he had someone check the food boxes that were sent to the prison every day.

Both portions had been handled, and the amount consumed was normal.

The junior brother, being a young man, didn't say anything.

How much time could a teacher in his seventies, unjustly imprisoned, possibly have to eat? Not to mention that this food box was sent by his unrecognized "disciple".

Was the teacher genuinely having a good appetite, or was Shang Jingming deliberately sabotaging things to cover up the fact that the former Director of Studies of the Imperial Academy, a renowned scholar, was struggling to eat even a single grain of rice?

Even more unusually, the doctor was going in and out of the Five Cities Military Command prison more and more frequently, and his face was getting worse every day. Later, several doctors even went there together.

Xie Wumian secretly had someone record the medicinal herbs they sorted and asked a familiar doctor to reconstruct the prescription—it was not for treating injuries, but a potent medicine for the elderly, weak, with stagnant liver qi, and those who were terminally ill.

The prescription was adjusted daily, and the medicine became more potent each day, indicating that the patient's condition was deteriorating rapidly and he was on the verge of death.

These medicines were clearly not suitable for Pei Lian's condition.

Who else could be in the prison of the Five Cities Garrison that would make Shang Jingming so anxious to invite so many doctors, fearing that something might happen to him?

What “prisoner” would need to go to such lengths and simultaneously meet both the conditions of being “old” and suffering from “liver qi stagnation” due to a sudden change in circumstances?

The answer is obvious.

Xie Wumian dared not think any further, feeling only a blankness in her mind, as if the whole world was surrounded by a sharp buzzing sound.

...

Second update delivered. I'll make up for the word count tomorrow. Goodnight everyone. Goal achieved! Double updates tomorrow~ Remember to support me with your love and support. *kiss*