Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Upon seeing that the person outside the door was Fan Siyuan, Ji Mingyi was not surprised at all; instead, a knowing sneer flashed in his eyes.

She had begun to suspect since the day before yesterday that the prefect had not forgotten about her after detaining her for four days.

Instead, someone instructed them to delay taking action against her, hoping she would break down and beg for mercy.

Mingyi turned her gaze away expressionlessly, looking like she couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.

Fan Siyuan's gaze slowly swept over the filthy and cramped cell, finally settling on the woman inside, and he was surprised.

Unexpectedly, Ji Mingyi managed to endure four whole days in such terrible conditions!

Fan Siyuan coughed lightly and said, "Miss Ji, you must have had a hard time these past few days. Why are you doing this to yourself?"

You could be free simply by bowing your head.

Mingyi said coldly, "If you've come here as a mediator, please leave!"

Seeing that she was still so stubborn, Fan Siyuan shook his head, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

After his figure disappeared into the distance, Mingyi slowly got up, supporting herself on the rough straw mat, and took the prison food that had been brought to her.

It only ate steamed buns, feeding the rest to the rats.

This prison food has absolutely no oil or fat; even rats wouldn't get fat from it.

She cursed Zong Xian and Li Dan in her heart, calling them two corrupt officials of the same ilk!

-

On the other side, Fan Siyuan had just stepped out of the prison area when he bumped into Chen Ping coming towards him.

This man has now replaced Li Dan as the prefect, rising rapidly through the ranks after gaining power. Behind him, in the prison cell, Li Dan and more than 120 members of the Li family are imprisoned, men and women mixed together, awaiting their sentencing in the autumn.

Chen Ping, who took office yesterday, made a special trip to the prison today to check on his former superior.

Fan Siyuan knew the purpose of his trip and had no intention of asking any more questions. The two walked side by side toward the gate of the government office.

Chen Ping glanced back in the direction Fan Siyuan had come from and cautiously asked, "May I ask, Young Master Fan, who exactly is the girl imprisoned inside?"

Fan Siyuan raised his hand and patted his shoulder, a half-smile on his face: "All you need to know is that she is not a criminal."

Chen Ping's heart skipped a beat, and recalling that important figure, he quickly replied, "This humble official understands, thank you for your guidance, young master!"

Regardless of who that woman is, she is not someone he can deal with casually.

...

These past few days, Zong Xian has been busy cleaning up the mess left behind by corrupt officials.

Removing corrupt officials, reforming local governance, and sorting out years of accumulated government problems are all crucial matters that have far-reaching consequences.

To truly bring Qingzhou under his control, it's not something that can be achieved simply by replacing a prefect. The power struggles at court are rife with undercurrents, and given his high position, he must be even more cautious.

The former Li residence has been sealed off and is now his temporary residence in Qingzhou for handling official business.

Fan Siyuan pushed open the door and entered.

Zong Xian, who was engrossed in the case files, looked up when he heard the sound, his thoughts briefly withdrawing from the chaotic entanglements of officialdom, before he realized what it was.

He lightly touched his brow with his fingertips, his voice cool and indifferent: "How is she?"

Fan Siyuan: "He's dead."

Zong Xian's usually calm and unwavering eyes instantly turned as deep as an unfathomable pool. He said coldly, "If she dies, you'll be buried with her."

Fan Siyuan: "?"

"Seriously?"

Zong Xian said in a very indifferent tone: "You were the one who started acting inappropriately."

Fan Siyuan scoffed, his joking expression fading: "If you really care about her that much, why don't you go and see her?"

Before Zong Xian could speak, Fan Siyuan said sarcastically, "I understand, I understand. What is your status, and what is her status? The Prime Minister would not lower himself to visit a woman in a prison cell. It would be too embarrassing if word got out."

Zong Xian: "Since you're so eloquent, why don't I pack you up and send you to the Empress Dowager in the palace to entertain her?"

Fan Siyuan immediately became obedient.

Fan Siyuan poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said, "But to be honest, she's become neither human nor ghost now. I almost don't recognize her. If you saw her with your own eyes, you probably wouldn't have the heart to pursue her anymore."

"I also heard from the jailer that she talks to rats all the time. Is she crazy?"

-

Early the next morning.

Mingyi was resting on a straw mat when the prison cell door suddenly opened.

The jailer strode in: "Get up."

Mingyi opened her eyes, puzzled, and asked, "What?"

The jailer said gruffly, "Enough nonsense, come out."

Mingyi's gaze sharpened slightly: "The Prefect is willing to let me out?"

The jailer sneered, "Let you out? Dream on! I'm just moving you to a different spot."

Mingyi understood perfectly in his heart.

It seems Zong Xian is not going to let her go. Is he planning to keep her locked up for life?

She obediently got up and followed the jailer, and was soon led into a brand new cell.

It was much cleaner and tidier than before. The ground was clean and there was no musty or rotten smell. In addition to the straw mat, there was even a simple wooden table and chairs.

It still had no windows, and the light was dim.

The jailer stepped forward, removed the iron shackles that had bound Mingyi for many days, and then locked the door and left.

Mingyi rubbed her wrist, where a ring of red marks had appeared.

She turned around and saw a clean, plain-colored dress folded on a straw mat, and a basin of water and a cloth on the ground.

It was obviously prepared for her.

After not showering for several days, Mingyi felt extremely uncomfortable, her whole body was itchy and sticky.

After confirming that no one was around, she immediately took off her dirty clothes, squatted down, and carefully washed her body with the clean water in the basin, not even sparing the crevices under her fingernails.

It took almost an hour to get completely clean and refreshed before I could change into my clean clothes.

When lunchtime arrived, a rich aroma of meat wafted over from afar.

She had been eating pickled vegetables and steamed buns for several days, but now she had four dishes and a soup, including two meat dishes, all steaming hot.

"Gurgle—" A clear rumble suddenly rang out.

Mingyi couldn't help but swallow hard. She reached out to grab the bamboo chopsticks, but then suddenly remembered something and immediately put them down.

Why are they suddenly being so nice to her? Could they have poisoned her food?

There's no living creature around, so she can't test for poison.

Torn between conflicting emotions, she suppressed her hunger and refused to eat a single bite.

When the jailer came to collect the food box in the afternoon, he was stunned to see the table full of dishes intact. He swallowed the words that were about to come out.

This girl is no ordinary person; he's just a lowly food deliveryman, and it's not worth him saying anything and causing trouble.

She quietly cleared away the dishes and left.

In the evening, Zong Xian came to the prison.