books44 Chapter 193: The Plan
Chapter 193: The Plan
Chapter 193: The Plan
Outside, the wind and snow raged, but inside it was warm and cozy.
He warmed a pot of wine and prepared some side dishes. Life couldn't be more pleasant. Ji Meiqing looked at the person opposite her and gently greeted the shopkeeper behind her.
"You were the one who blocked my path just now, and now you want me to seek justice for you?"
Ji Meiqing was taken aback, but her wrist continued to move, filling the glass with wine.
"Since my husband was arrested by the authorities, there is very little left in the house. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
A wine glass was placed in front of him; the wine, warmed by the heat, had an even richer aroma. Shangguan Yuzhe took a sip, his expression one of enjoyment.
“It was Xunhua who told you.” He put down his cup, quite easily. “She once told me that there was a couple in Rongcheng who knew how to brew wine.”
Ji Meiqing did not answer, and then guessed, "So, you saw Xunhua?"
"Yes, it's the princess. She sent me to find you."
"But I can't help you much. I'm just a prince with no real power."
“Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse,” she cut him off, “You are a prince.”
He chuckled twice and continued drinking.
The house was quiet, with only the lingering smell of alcohol. Ji Meiqing sat for a while, then went to get another jar of wine and placed it heavily on the table.
"This is the last bit. If my husband were here, perhaps I could let you taste something even better."
"That's a pity." He said this as he peeled off the seal on the wine. The aroma wafted out, and he took a deep drag.
"Good wine." His expression was somewhat inexplicably amusing.
"This wine is good." He smacked his lips, swallowed it all in one gulp, and then looked at Ji Meiqing. "You just said that your husband is a winemaker."
"Correct."
"What would I gain if I helped you?" Shangguan Yuzhe seemed reluctant to leave, and also a little saddened by what she had said. A life, a lifetime of fine wine—it all seemed a bit of a waste.
"As Your Highness wishes."
She was overjoyed and quickly answered him.
"Since that's the case, I'll give it a try." He changed his mind and decided to help them. Of course, this was only because of his own selfish desire to get more wine.
Outside, the wind howled, and inside it was just as cold. Even snakes, insects, and rodents needed to hibernate, but the floor was too hard to pry open.
For the first time, a distinguished guest arrived in the dark and filthy dungeon. Even the Prefect had to carefully observe his expression.
"What did he do that warrants such severe torture to extract a confession?"
The prefect glanced at the battered man in the corner before cautiously saying, "He poisoned the wine, but fortunately it didn't cause too much damage. Such a person doesn't deserve to die..."
"Poisoning?" He was still looking at the man, trying to see his face clearly, but the man kept his head down and he couldn't see him clearly.
The prefect immediately responded, and Shangguan Yuzhe squatted down. The people behind him were unsure whether to squat down or stand.
"Lu Yu?" he called out, and the man in the cage finally looked up at him. Though disheveled, he was handsome and radiant. It was quite surprising to find such a person in a small town.
He turned back to the prefect and said, "Tell me how he poisoned his own family's restaurant. Has he lost his mind?"
"This..." He couldn't answer for a moment. Shangguan Yuzhe looked at him curiously, then asked with a half-smile, "Tell me, what kind of person would be stupid enough to shoot themselves in the foot? Hmm?"
"This...this might be a mistake, but there is definitely something wrong with their wine..."
"Oh, what's the problem?"
"People who drank their wine all had diarrhea... um..." He couldn't say the rest because he didn't have any bowel movements, and he couldn't say the rest of the symptoms either.
"Drinking alcohol will give you diarrhea?" He looked at the prefect with a smile and asked, "How many years have you been an official?"
“Three…three years…” he said in a trembling voice. He didn’t know what kind of person Shangguan Yuzhe was. After serving as an official for three years, he could only be a prefect in this small town. It was quite frustrating.
"After serving as an official for three years, I still can't distinguish right from wrong... I'm wondering if I should speak to the Emperor about this."
"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me!" He knelt on the ground, his head banging loudly. Having been pampered for too long, his body was delicate, and he bled after a few kowtows.
Shangguan Yuzhe hurriedly covered his eyes, turned his head away in disgust, and shouted, "No, no, no, I can't stand bloodshed, don't kowtow..."
The prefect immediately stopped, covered his head, and lowered his head, not daring to look at him again.
"Your wife certainly loves you; she's traveled all this way to have me stand up for you." He smiled smugly, took two steps to the side, and made way for her. Seeing his expression clearly in the light from the upper window, I couldn't help but laugh too: "So, are you happy?"
“She…” Lu Yu’s throat tightened, and he couldn’t speak. Seeing this, Shangguan Yuzhe quickly stopped him.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for today. Also, you had better give me an explanation for not being convicted and even abusing your power."
He waved his sleeve, trying to get rid of whatever was on him, without even seeing the expression on the person behind him, nor caring to see it.
After seeing off the arrogant official, the prefect wiped the cold sweat from his brow with lingering fear. The registrar came upon hearing the commotion, but upon arriving and seeing his master looking distracted, his eyelids twitched heavily.
"Sir?" He walked over cautiously, poured him a bowl of water from the kettle on the table, and then sat down next to him, looking at his worried expression.
"I really didn't expect... Ji Meiqing is such a shameless person, she actually invited the prince."
He was somewhat angry; with her doing this, his official position was in jeopardy.
"The Prince was invited by Ji Meiqing?" He seemed to have heard something incredible, then turned back and chewed a couple more times. "This Ji Meiqing is no simpleton. Last time the Princess came here, she won her over. This time, with the Prince added to the mix, sir..."
"What is it..." His face was somewhat unpleasant. Regardless of Ji Meiqing's methods, he was worried about his precarious official position, even though he knew in his heart that what the prince said was just a joke.
To others it's just a joke, but to him it's not just a joke, it could also be a threat to his career.
"The Ji family has sent quite a lot more, you see..."
He made this allegorical remark, but the prefect immediately exploded, "What are you catching? Send it back right now, or we'll be finished if they find out!"
He pounded his head hard, feeling somewhat aggrieved but unable to do anything about it.