It rained the entire night and only cleared up the next morning.
Jiang Suzhou slept peacefully the entire night.
When he woke up early in the morning, the clouds had already dispersed. The sun shone brightly through the window in the azure blue sky.
Jiang Suzhou's gaze immediately fell on the couch below the window.
The couch was already empty. Huo Wujiu was sitting in a wheelchair next to the couch, tidying up his robes.
"Does your leg still hurt?" Jiang Suzhou asked, his voice still hoarse from just waking up.
Huo Wujiu looked up at him and said indifferently, "It's fine."
As he spoke, he picked up a white object from the couch and threw it.
Jiang Suzhou hurriedly reached out to catch it when he saw the object flying straight towards him. However, the object was too soft. It went straight through his hand and landed softly on his bed.
Jiang Suzhou looked down and saw that it was the hot water bottle that Meng Qianshan had stuffed into his hands yesterday.
The hot water inside had already lost its temperature. Only the fluff on the top still carried a faint trace of warmth, as if it was someone's body temperature.
Jiang Suzhou looked up and saw Huo Wujiu say indifferently, "Thank you very much."
— — Oh, thank him for the hot water bottle.
The corners of Jiang Suizhou's mouth couldn't help but curl into a smile.
Like he said, this Great General Huo Wujiu was indeed an extremely good person. Yesterday, Meng Qianshan had clearly stuffed so many hot water bottles into his hands, yet he still remembered this one. He even thanked him for it.
"No need." Jiang Suzhou's voice was tinged with a hint of a smile.
Huo Wujiu glanced at him indifferently, then coldly retracted his gaze.
The sun gradually rose. Jiang Suzhou turned over and got out of bed.
Although yesterday was the successor's Millennium Banquet and the officials were on break today, the Ministry of Rites couldn't rest. Everything that had been prepared at the banquet yesterday had to be properly organized and sent to be registered.
Although Ji You had said that he didn't need to go because his health wasn't good, Jiang Suizhou didn't want him to make an exception for him. He just wanted to take a look around and see if there was anything he could do for him.
As he thought of this, he also thought of the book Ji You had lent him a few days ago.
Two books of unofficial history are not thick. Counting the days, I can return them to Ji You.
With that in mind, he stood up, intending to call Meng Qianshan in.
But at this moment, the door was knocked open in a panic.
Jiang Suizhou looked up and saw Meng Qianshan stumbling in.
"Your Highness, something happened, Your Highness!" Meng Qianshan said hurriedly.
Jiang Suizhou frowned. "What's wrong?"
Meng Qianshan gasped for breath. "Something happened at the Ministry of Rites! Just now, someone from the imperial court said that Ji You, Official Ji, was impeached and taken away by the Ministry of Justice! "
Jiang Suizhou was stunned.
"What accusation?"
He remembered Ji You's life. This shouldn't have happened. Although he didn't have any great achievements in his life, his life was smooth sailing. After the fall of the Jing Dynasty, Beiliang wanted to recruit him, but he refused. Since then, he resigned and returned to his hometown, indulging in the mountains and rivers.
How did he suddenly get arrested?
Meng Qianshan said, "The Ministry of Justice's officials said that Official Ji embezzled the expenses of the Emperor's Millennium Banquet and used shoddy materials to pass off as good ones. He was discovered this morning!"
That's even more impossible.
Jiang Suizhou frowned. "He's been arrested and taken to the Ministry of Justice?"
Meng Qianshan nodded.
Jiang Suizhou's expression was cold. He raised his hand and said, "Change clothes."
Meng Qianshan was stunned. "Your Highness, what are you doing …"
Jiang Suizhou said, "I'm going to the Ministry of Justice."
Meng Qianshan stomped his feet anxiously. "What are you doing? Now, the Ministry of Rites officials are all avoiding you. They're afraid that the soldiers will come knocking on their door. Why are you in such a hurry to go there? "
Jiang Suizhou was expressionless.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Meng Qianshan didn't dare to disobey. He could only come forward and help him change his clothes.
Jiang Suizhou's gaze was heavy.
He knew that since something had happened at the Ministry of Rites, after arresting Ji You, they would definitely arrest the officials of the Ministry of Rites and interrogate them. As a prince, it wasn't out of line for him to take the initiative to clear himself of suspicion. It wouldn't draw other people's suspicion.
What he wanted to do was naturally not to clear himself of suspicion.
He wanted to know why Ji You, who was originally fine, was arrested.
Was it because this was originally unofficial history and was different from the official history? Or was it because he had transmigrated and interacted with Ji You and became a variable in Ji You's life?
— —
The news that Jiang Suizhou was going to the Ministry of Justice had already spread. When he got off the carriage, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice was waiting for him outside the door.
Seeing him get off the carriage, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice welcomed him with a smile. Seeing that he was walking like he was floating in the wind, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice even reached out to help him.
Jiang Suizhou didn't give him any face. He turned sideways and was firmly supported by Meng Qianshan.
"This official has been waiting for Your Highness for a long time. Your Highness, please." The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice turned sideways and smiled.
Jiang Suizhou said indifferently, "You and I are of the same rank. There's no need to be so polite. Moreover, I'm here today to be interrogated. "
When the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice heard this, he hurriedly smiled and said, "Your Highness, what are you saying? Our Ministry of Justice is investigating this case. Because Your Highness fell ill a few days ago, we didn't intervene. Even if we wanted to investigate, we wouldn't be able to trace it back to Your Highness … "
Jiang Suizhou raised his hand and stopped the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice from continuing.
"There are some things that I've handled before." He said indifferently. "Even if you don't want to investigate, I'll have to personally ask."
Hearing this, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice repeatedly agreed and invited him in.
The cause and effect was just an ordinary corruption case. The funds that the Ministry of Rites received were approved by the Ministry of Revenue. The amount and where it was used were all recorded in the accounts. However, when they were cleaning up this morning, someone suddenly realized that many of the furnishings and decorations at the banquet were filled with gold and jade. After cleaning up, there was a large discrepancy.
"Our Ministry of Justice did a rough calculation. Lord Ji embezzled at least this amount!" The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice gestured four to Jiang Suizhou.
"Just say it. Don't play riddles with me." Jiang Suizhou said coldly.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice said embarrassedly, "At least four thousand taels."
Although four thousand taels wasn't a lot, it was at the birthday banquet of the future master of the Ji family. Corruption involved the future master of the Ji family. Although it was only four thousand taels, for an ordinary official, it was a serious crime that ranged from exile to beheading.
Jiang Suizhou didn't say anything.
On the other side, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice was still chattering. "Your Highness, you don't need to worry. Even if the Ministry of Justice goes to Your Highness's residence to investigate, it will only be a routine visit. This matter is mainly caused by Ji You. It has nothing to do with Your Highness … "
However, Jiang Suizhou said indifferently, "I need to see Ji You."
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice was stunned. His face showed some difficulty.
"This … Ji You are currently being detained …" He said awkwardly.
Jiang Suizhou's expression was calm.
"There's a batch of raw materials that I took over." He said. "I need to ask him in private about this matter. Only then can I feel at ease."
Hearing this, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice understood.
Then Ji You may have been corrupted, but it seems that Prince Jing isn't a good person either.
Prince Jing probably isn't clean about the Emperor's Thousand Autumn Banquet either. That's why he rushed here in such a hurry and wanted to interrogate Ji You in private.
However, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice had already received orders from his superiors. Today's matter was to deal with Ji You. In that case, it wouldn't be a big deal if His Highness Prince Jing wanted to dump his debt on Ji You.
After all, His Highness Prince Jing was a relative of the imperial family. Even if he was corrupted, what could the emperor say?
With this thought, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice relaxed and reluctantly agreed. He brought Jiang Suizhou to the Ministry of Justice's prison.
The Ministry of Justice's prison cells mostly held suspects who were still being interrogated, or those who had committed relatively minor crimes. As a result, compared to the imperial court's prison, the Ministry of Justice's prison wasn't as heavily guarded. The environment was also better. The prison cells all had extremely small windows that allowed light and air to pass through.
Jiang Suizhou followed the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice all the way to the depths of the prison. After turning a corner, he saw Ji You locked up in the prison cell.
Because he had just been imprisoned, his clothes were still neat and tidy. He also seemed to be in good spirits. At this moment, he was sitting alone on a bed covered with straw.
Seeing that someone had come, Ji You raised his head.
Jiang Suizhou stopped in front of the prison cell and raised his hand to indicate that the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice should wait outside.
"This …" The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice hesitated.
"Fifteen minutes," Jiang Suizhou said.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then Your Highness, please make it short. This official will wait for you outside the prison cell."
He thought that since Ji You had already been imprisoned, His Highness Prince Jing probably didn't have anything important to talk to him about. His official rank wasn't high, and he didn't have anyone to rely on. It wasn't worth it to offend His Highness Prince Jing over such a small matter.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice retreated.
Seeing that he had left, Jiang Suizhou walked up to him and said, "Official Ji."
Ji You got up from the bed and walked to the prison cell door. Through the iron bars, he looked at Jiang Suizhou.
"His Highness Prince Jing …?" His face was full of disbelief.
Jiang Suizhou paused, then slowly said, "… I originally wanted to return your book today."
Ji You froze when he heard this, then laughed bitterly.
"Your Highness, there's no need to return it," he said. "The weather is unpredictable, and everyone has their own destiny. I think my destiny is here. "
Jiang Suizhou felt a bit sad when he saw him like this.
"Although this prince doesn't know you very well, I know that you're not the kind of person to do this kind of thing," he said in a low voice after a pause.
Ji You looked up at him.
"As long as the evidence is there, it doesn't matter whether you did it or not," he said.
Ji You paused, then continued.
"Your Highness and the Pang Gang have always been on bad terms. I'm sure you can guess what happened today," he said. "The Pang Gang has tried to befriend me many times, but I've rejected them all. I'm sure they're not happy about it. I've been in contact with Your Highness these days. They're probably trying to prevent trouble from happening. "
His tone was very calm, and he didn't seem to blame him at all. However, Jiang Suizhou's hands clenched tighter and tighter.
… He's guessed it.
Ji You didn't know, but he knew. To Ji You, he was a disaster that fell from the sky.
The original owner didn't know Ji You. He didn't want to be part of the Pang Gang, and he didn't have any real power. Naturally, Pang Shao didn't care about him. However, because he was the one who transmigrated, he chatted with Ji You for a while, had some contact with him, and was even taken care of by him because of his poor health, Pang Shao became vigilant and decided to get rid of Ji You.
Seeing that Jiang Suizhou was silent, Ji You was stunned, then smiled gently.
"Your Highness, you don't have to blame yourself," Ji You said. "Ever since I refused to join the Pang Gang, I knew that this day would come sooner or later. I'm lazy and mediocre, and I haven't achieved much in my ten years as an official. My current situation has nothing to do with Your Highness. It's just that I want to stay out of trouble in the imperial court. "
Jiang Suizhou, who had been silent for a long time, shook his head.
He raised his eyes and looked at Ji You.
In the dim prison cell, Ji You met a pair of dark eyes through the wooden bars.
The eyes were slightly white, and the shape was delicate and charming, making him look very cunning. But at this moment, the eyes were shining with a determined and bright light.
"The matter hasn't been thoroughly investigated, Your Highness, you won't be convicted immediately."
Ji You heard the hushed voice, which had a natural magnetism to it.
"Your Highness, please be patient in prison. This prince swears that you won't be wronged."
— —
The sky gradually darkened, and it started to drizzle outside.
Meng Qianshan was a little worried. He paced back and forth in front of the door of Anyin Hall, and repeatedly sent a servant to the door to ask if the Prince had returned.
This morning, the Prince asked him to accompany him to the Ministry of Justice. After he came out of the prison, his face was gloomy and he didn't say a word.
When they reached Changping Street, one li away from Qinghe Square, the Prince stopped the carriage and got off.
"No one is to follow me." The Prince ordered. "This prince will go back after taking a look around."
Meng Qianshan wanted to persuade him, but he didn't dare to say anything when he saw Jiang Suizhou's cold face.
There was no other way. Meng Qianshan could only help Jiang Suizhou get off the carriage, and sent two guards to follow them from a distance.
But he didn't expect that the Prince didn't come back after he got off the carriage.
Seeing that it was getting late, Meng Qianshan's heart was in his throat.
He hated himself for being too obedient, but this was a habit he had cultivated since childhood. He was stupid, and the Prince didn't like him since he was young. But because he was sent by the former Emperor, the Prince didn't drive him away.
Meng Qianshan had been cautious since childhood, and he only followed the Prince's orders. He thought that this could make up for his stupid brain, but he didn't expect that he would do something bad because of this.
After taking a few turns, he heard the sound of a wheelchair approaching.
Meng Qianshan looked up and saw that Huo Wujiu was already in front of him.
"What's wrong?" He heard Huo Wujiu ask.
Meng Qianshan hurriedly said, "Madam, this servant is stupid. I let the Prince go out alone, and he still hasn't come back …"
Huo Wujiu looked up and looked outside the door.
Although the rain wasn't heavy, it didn't stop for a long time.
"You are really stupid." Huo Wujiu said.
His tone was calm, but there was an indescribable pressure. Meng Qianshan was shocked and couldn't speak. He looked at Huo Wujiu carefully.
Huo Wujiu's gaze shifted from the rain outside the window to Meng Qianshan's face.
"It's so late. Why don't you send someone to look for him? What's the point of walking in circles here?" His voice was cold.
Meng Qianshan seemed to have woken up from a dream and said, "Yes, yes! How could this servant forget! "
As he spoke, he rushed out into the rain.
But at this moment, a servant braved the rain and ran into Anyin Hall.
"Master Qianshan, the Prince is back!" The servant hurriedly said before he reached the room.
Meng Qianshan hurriedly went to the porch to welcome him.
He saw the servant running to the front, panting.
"The Prince is back. Although the guards held an umbrella for him, he was still caught in the rain." The servant said.
Meng Qianshan asked anxiously, "Where did the Prince go?"
The servant paused and his voice weakened.
"I don't know where the Prince is … He drank too much." He whispered.
— —
Jiang Suzhou didn't expect that this body was not only weak, but also had a poor tolerance for alcohol.
After he came out of the Ministry of Justice, he felt extremely suffocated.
Although he had guessed that Ji You's imprisonment had something to do with him, it was completely different from seeing it with his own eyes.
That was a fresh human life, and even an unruly and talented poet. Just because he was kind to him, he was implicated and imprisoned. His future was uncertain, and he didn't even know if he was dead or alive.
And all of this was because of Pang Shao.
To Jiang Suizhou, Pang Shao had been nothing more than a treacherous official recorded in the history books. But now, he was a villain with a butcher's knife in his hand, eyeing the people around him covetously, ready to harm them at any time.
And he naively thought that he could temporarily deal with him and get through these three years.
Jiang Suzhou felt like there was a stone pressing down on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.
He wanted to find a place to vent, but since he transmigrated, he didn't even know anyone he could talk to. He could only endure it until the carriage passed through Changping Street.
Changping Street was full of merchants and people coming and going. It was very lively. Smoke and fire rose in spirals from the restaurants and restaurants. The passers-by and the merchants came and went. It was a peaceful and peaceful world, completely different from the noble and cold Imperial Prince Jing's Estate.
Jiang Suizhou also called for the carriage to stop here, and left by himself.
At this moment, he seemed to be eager to leave his identity as Imperial Prince Jing, leave this world, and return to the people he originally belonged to.
But now, there was no place for him in this world.
He walked aimlessly on Changping Street. The people around him seemed to be isolated from him.
After walking for a while, Jiang Suzhou raised his head and saw a wine flag fluttering in the wind.
He went to the wine shop, ordered some wine, and drank alone until late at night.
The wine wasn't strong. It was just a common apricot wine from the south. It had a sweet fragrance, but it wasn't intoxicating. But when Jiang Suzhou got up, he felt dizzy and his legs were wobbly. He was drunk.
He supported himself on the table and steadied himself.
It's good to be drunk. He thought to himself. Ever since he came here, he had been sober every day. It was tiring.
He staggered out of the wine shop and slowly walked back to the Imperial Prince Jing's Estate.
He didn't know when it started to rain outside. It wasn't very heavy, so he didn't feel like it was raining. It wasn't until he reached the gate of the Imperial Prince Jing's Estate that he realized someone was holding an umbrella for him.
He turned around and saw a guard that he had never seen before. Seeing him look at him, the guard's legs went soft and he was about to kneel down.
Jiang Suzhou frowned and waved his hand slowly.
That's right. He was only the terrifying Imperial Prince Jing here.
Someone brought a carriage, but he didn't get on. He walked on the wet stone floor and returned to Anyin Hall.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Meng Qianshan running in the rain in front of him.
"Your Highness!" Meng Qianshan was so anxious that his voice was trembling. "Where have you been? You've scared this servant to death …"
"Didn't you send someone to follow me?" Jiang Suzhou's voice was a bit hoarse.
Meng Qianshan was startled. He thought Jiang Suzhou was going to blame him.
But before he could say anything, Jiang Suzhou raised his hand.
He walked up the stairs and stopped in the corridor. He turned around and said, "Don't worry about this prince. Wait outside."
Meng Qianshan only dared to agree.
Jiang Suzhou walked into the room and closed the door. He walked a few steps forward and leaned against the partition.
He raised his head, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths.
When he woke up tomorrow, he needed to plan how to get Ji Yunshu off the hook.
But right now, he just wanted to be alone for a while.
He closed his eyes and leaned there for a while until he gradually calmed down from the dizziness of the alcohol. Then he slowly opened his eyes.
He saw a person sitting in front of him, quietly looking at him.
Jiang Suzhou looked at the person and was stunned. Then, he revealed an unguarded, drunken smile.
"You're here." His voice was lazy. "I forgot."
Huo Wujiu asked, "Why did you drink so much?"
Jiang Suzhou smiled and shook his head. "I didn't drink much. I can't hold my liquor well."
Huo Wujiu frowned.
He did drink too much.
His face was flushed, and his eyes were unfocused. His robe was still wet. Although his upper body was not drenched, the hem of his robe and trousers were stained with water.
Huo Wujiu said, "Go change your clothes first."
Jiang Suzhou rubbed his temples when he heard this. He said, "Oh." Then, he supported himself against the partition and straightened his body.
But because he had leaned against the partition for too long, the alcohol had already made him dizzy. His body was also weak. After taking a step, his legs gave way and he fell forward.
Jiang Suzhou belatedly realized that he had fallen.
But his movements were slow and he could not react in time. He could only fall straight to the ground.
However, the expected pain did not come. Instead, he fell onto a hard, warm ball of warmth.
Drunkenly, he opened his eyes and saw Huo Wujiu's handsome face right in front of him. Huo Wujiu's pair of bright black eyes were staring at him quietly.
Huo Wujiu caught him.
He was lying in Huo Wujiu's arms, and because Huo Wujiu was supporting his body, Huo Wujiu's current action was as if he was embracing him.
Jiang Suzhou was completely unaware.
When he saw Huo Wujiu's face, he paused for a moment. Then, as though he had remembered something, he slowly opened his mouth and asked.
"Does your leg still hurt today?"
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