The last time Ruyi had seen this much money was when Shen Qiyuan wanted to buy the Nine Phoenix Crown.

She suddenly remembered. No wonder this person’s voice sounded familiar—among the two people Shen Qiyuan had loudly berated outside his study at the Shen Manor, one of them had kept begging for mercy. Wasn’t that this very man in front of her?

With so many silver notes, the favor they wanted from her was most likely to plead with Shen Qiyuan on their behalf.

She looked regretfully at the box once, then pushed it back: “I’m just a merchant woman—how could I possibly help you two distinguished lords? Please leave.”

Inspector Chen’s expression turned ugly. Seeing this, Deputy Minister Xu slammed the table and stood up: “Refusing the toast only to be forced to drink the penalty wine—I see your tavern doesn’t want to stay open, and you don’t want to live comfortably anymore.”

“Men!”

The guards beside them swarmed forward and bound Ruyi’s hands behind her back.

He Tinglan panicked: “What are you doing? Our proprietor is a law-abiding citizen!”

“She insulted the court—how could she avoid prison?” Deputy Minister Xu sneered coldly. “Even a high-ranking official couldn’t save someone from such charges.”

Inspector Chen sighed: “Miss, why don’t we all take a step back? This would be good for everyone.”

One playing the villain, one playing the hero—they sang their parts quite well. Ruyi was puzzled: “With methods like yours, how did you still manage to botch your affairs?”

She asked with genuine sincerity, but her eyes naturally carried mockery, causing both officials’ faces to turn green upon hearing it.

“No matter what, it’s not for a lowly merchant like you to comment!” Deputy Minister Xu stamped his foot in anger. “Take her away!”

“Proprietor!” He Tinglan hurriedly followed her a couple of steps.

Ruyi shook her head: “Don’t worry, and don’t go seeking help. I’ll be back soon.”

What a dream—once they sent her to prison, did she think she could return quickly without losing a layer of skin? Deputy Minister Xu sneered: “The day before yesterday, someone in prison who had only committed minor offenses killed himself by ramming into the wall.”

Inspector Chen feigned curiosity: “What happened?”

“Said he couldn’t bear the humiliation from other prisoners and would rather die than be locked up there anymore.”

“That’s right, the prison we’re going to holds over a dozen criminals together. This delicate young lady will have a hard time.”

Inspector Chen then said to her: “One sentence could spare you this suffering—why wouldn’t the young lady be happy to do so?”

“Oh?” she said. “How do you two lords know that one sentence from me would work?”

“Everyone in this world has weaknesses, yet Lord Shen alone has served at court for years without any flaws appearing,” Deputy Minister Xu said gravely. “You are the first woman to appear in his study.”

“So you lords think I’m his weakness?” Ruyi raised an eyebrow.

Deputy Minister Xu didn’t answer.

Neither of them knew how much attention Shen Qiyuan had invested in her—they were just trying a desperate gamble. Seeing that she would rather go to prison than give in, Deputy Minister Xu felt there might be hope.

If there was no improper relationship, how could an ordinary citizen have such a stiff backbone?

Ruyi sighed deeply and curved her lips.

The group left the building and got into carriages, avoiding public view as they took back roads to the Capital Prefecture prison.

This prison was different from the Court of Imperial Clan—it held all kinds of people mixed, and the air carried a foul smell. Jailers gripped whips as they patrolled, lashing out harshly at anyone who broke rules, their wails chilling to hear.

Inspector Chen pointed to this cold and terrifying scene, wanting to frighten Ruyi further, but when the two turned around, the person who had been bound behind them had vanished without a trace.

“Where did she go?” he asked Deputy Minister Xu.

Deputy Minister Xu was equally confused: “She was still there when we walked over just now.”

The prison walls on both sides were thirty zhang high, impossible for ordinary people to scale, and with guards positioned every ten steps around the perimeter, neither man had worried at all about anyone escaping. They just looked around puzzledly, then went to ask the guards outside: “Where’s the prisoner in the goose-yellow dress who came in just now?”

The guard looked blank: “Weren’t there just you two lords who entered?”

“Nonsense! She was right behind us, her hands bound like this.” Deputy Minister Xu gestured.

The guard, confused, still led them to the outermost gate of the prison to check the records.

“Please look, lords—where is there any young lady among those who entered?” The guard pointed to two names in the register. “There are only you two.”

A chill ran up from the soles of their feet. Inspector Chen was so frightened he pinched his arm, and Deputy Minister Xu’s face also paled.

“Let’s go.” They hurriedly returned, riding horses, to the Meeting Immortals Tavern.

The tavern’s main hall was full of guests, exactly like the scene when they had come before. Ruyi was calculating accounts behind the counter. Seeing them blocking the entrance with their men, she frowned and stepped forward: “This guest, dining or lodging?”

The same situation, the same scene—even the curve of her furrowed brow was identical.

Both men’s faces showed dream-like confusion.

“Didn’t you just leave with us?” Deputy Minister Xu asked.

Ruyi looked innocent: “This humble woman has been calculating accounts in the tavern the whole time. When did I ever leave?”

Inspector Chen and Deputy Minister Xu exchanged glances, thinking that one person might remember wrong, but the possibility of two people both remembering wrong at the same time was quite small.

So without further ado, they bound her again and took her to the prison.

This time, they had just gotten off the carriage when the person who had been tied up in the carriage the entire time disappeared without a trace.

Inspector Chen and Deputy Minister Xu searched inside and outside the carriage three times, then held their heads in terror.

They refused to believe it and returned to the tavern again.

“This guest, dining or lodging?”

…

The sun moved from directly overhead to the western evening. Ruyi looked at the two lords with sympathy as she brought them to the San Bu Qi Medicine Hall.

“Take a look at them,” she said with a sigh. “How did perfectly fine people develop hysteria?”

The doctor looked on in surprise, seeing two people who appeared quite distinguished, yet their eyes were as dull as death, their thoughts confused, unable to speak clearly, with faint symptoms of madness.

Especially when they saw their proprietor, both men clutched their heads in pain.

“You go away,” Deputy Minister Xu shook his head desperately. “Go away quickly!”

She laughed disdainfully and flicked her bright red nail polish, just about to mock them further when she heard someone outside call: “Ruyi.”

Her spine stiffened slightly as she turned: “My lord.”

The expression that had just been maliciously watching a good show transformed with a touch of her face into grievance. Her willow eyebrows drooped, the corners of her eyes reddened slightly, and she gracefully rose to walk toward Shen Qiyuan.

Shen Qiyuan’s expression didn’t look good. He reached out to catch her, looking up at the two people in the medicine hall: “What are they doing here?”

“Wuu wuu wuu~” Ruyi twisted her waist. “They said they wanted to tie me up and throw me in prison. So scary—they frightened me terribly.”

Inspector Chen: “…”

Deputy Minister Xu: “…”

Wait, who exactly should be crying here? They had accomplished nothing and scared themselves half to death—what did she have to cry about?

Even more terrifying was that though her act was so unconvincing, Shen Qiyuan beside her believed it, his gaze toward them growing darker and more somber bit by bit.