Thinking back on the previous scenes, Lu Zheng couldn’t help but sneer: “How so? That person is just a useless waste—could you really have seen something in him?”

Lu Xi said: “When I was captured, I wasn’t confined in a corner or storage room, but in a small chamber next to the flower hall. That was already suspicious. Moreover, though he bantered with Fuxue, most of the time he was leading her to speak. To seduce him, Fuxue babbled about everything she should and shouldn’t say, and in the end even threw herself at him, but that Young Master Wan didn’t take the bait and even scolded her severely.”

Lu Zheng’s steps halted as he said quietly: “You know everything?”

“Yes. Young master’s painstaking care—I previously misunderstood you. It was truly my fault.” Lu Xi pursed his lips in shame and regret, taking a deep breath before continuing: “I was able to see clearly what kind of person Fuxue truly is, thanks largely to that Young Master Wan. Therefore I wonder—might Young Master Wan have known I was your attendant and deliberately performed to sell us a favor, making future business negotiations more convenient?”

After all, this matter was inconvenient for Lu Zheng to speak about directly. If Lu Xi hadn’t witnessed it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it either. This incident actually resolved Lu Zheng’s dilemma and completely eliminated the barrier between master and servant.

Lu Zheng couldn’t help but become thoughtful.

“That mediocrity could have such cunning?” No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem likely. “It’s probably just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat.”

Lu Xi considered this: “It could indeed be coincidence. Just looking at his absurdity, this person isn’t outstanding talent. If young master wants to conduct business with the Wan family, you’ll probably need to reconsider what kind of household the Wan family really is.”

Lu Zheng smiled: “What kind of household they are doesn’t matter. We’re just doing business anyway—what concern is it of ours whether their family lives or dies?”

“That’s also true.” Lu Xi couldn’t help but smile, following behind Lu Zheng as they returned to the mansion through the night.

The years of affection between master and servant hadn’t decreased after this incident, but had actually deepened.

As for Fuxue, who had been abandoned at the wharf, both men tacitly avoided mentioning her again.

Fuxue’s character was poor—she had used Lu Xi, was wanton, and had even attempted to climb into Lu Zheng’s bed to reach heaven in one step. But when all was said and done, these offenses weren’t worth taking Fuxue’s life. Previously selling her to a pleasure house had been the result of Lu Zheng’s momentary anger; his fundamental purpose was simply not wanting Lu Xi to marry such a woman.

Now that Lu Xi had seen through Fuxue’s character, Lu Zheng’s objective was essentially achieved, so he couldn’t be bothered with a mere woman.

As for this woman being ransomed by the Wan family’s eldest young master—she should be a Wan family servant now. Leaving her unattended like this, she might very well escape, but Lu Zheng didn’t care about such things at all.

Lu Xi also wouldn’t insist on putting Fuxue to death. From now on they would simply have nothing to do with each other, going their separate ways.

Danzhou Prefecture County Yamen Prison.

Manager Yuan walked with his hands clasped behind his back at the rear of the group, watching as the Lu family guards handed over responsibilities to the jailers.

The head jailer was a sturdy man in his early forties. Originally dissatisfied at being awakened in the middle of the night, he had been yawning, but upon seeing Manager Yuan, he immediately became alert and bowed courteously:

“So it’s Manager Yuan! Does the eldest young master have any instructions? Should I properly ‘entertain’ this group of tactless people?”

Manager Yuan smiled slightly: “These people have offended the eldest young master, but the eldest young master is merciful and gave no orders for torture. However, I personally feel that while not employing punishment, these people are really quite detestable…”

“Yes. When you put it that way, I understand immediately. Just watch—though we won’t use torture, we won’t make things easy for them either.”

“You’re a sensible man.” Manager Yuan patted the head jailer’s shoulder. “Oh, there’s an absolutely beautiful woman among them. That person mustn’t be touched, understand?”

The head jailer’s expression became stern as he nodded repeatedly, patting his chest in guarantee: “Rest assured, I, Old Xiao, am not that kind of person. People arranged by the eldest young master—I absolutely wouldn’t dare touch them carelessly.”

Then he leaned closer to Manager Yuan, raising his thick eyebrows with a sly expression: “That beauty—is she for the eldest young master, or for you… hehe.”

Manager Yuan laughed: “Don’t ask random questions.”

“Ah, don’t worry then.” The head jailer understood and couldn’t help feeling curious.

Manager Yuan was a trusted aide to the eldest young master, in his prime years with unlimited prospects. What kind of beauty couldn’t he have? He had never seen Manager Yuan deliberately look after anyone before. If the eldest young master had taken a fancy to some beauty, wouldn’t a crooked finger be enough to obtain her? Why would she be sent to prison?

So this woman wasn’t necessarily someone the eldest young master fancied—nine out of ten chances it was Yuan Yujiang himself who had taken a liking to her.

He was quite curious to see what kind of absolute beauty this was.

The head jailer blew his nose outside the door, wiped his hand on his trouser leg, then strode through the prison entrance.

Manager Yuan watched with disgust, standing in place with clasped hands without immediately leaving.

Qin Yining was held in Pang Xiao’s embrace as they stepped shoulder to shoulder into the dark, damp corridor.

The air carried a musty, moldy smell mixed with an unidentifiable stench. The prison cells on both sides held criminals, with men and women sometimes confined together in the same space.

Seeing newcomers arrive, pairs of dirty, skeletal hands reached through the wooden bars, clawing like ghostly talons. Many people wailed about being “wronged.”

The accompanying cook and kitchen maids were so frightened their faces turned white, crying out in alarm.

Pang Xiao’s large hand embraced Qin Yining’s shoulder as he whispered in her ear: “Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid. What’s frightening about this?” Qin Yining whispered back.

“Move along! What are you dawdling for!”

A jailer shouted harshly and shoved Pang Xiao hard, but unexpectedly this push didn’t send the man tumbling as anticipated. Instead, the jailer himself strained his fingers, making him hiss and suck in cold air from the pain.

Pang Xiao paid no attention to the person behind him, continuing to embrace Qin Yining as they walked ahead.

At the end of the corridor, a small window was cut into the wall, fitted with sturdy wooden bars, with a torch inserted below.

Turning left, they saw a row of empty prison cells.

The jailer pointed to the first room: “You few, get in.”

Huzi and several Elite Tiger Guards, along with the boatmen, obediently entered.

At the second cell, the jailer pushed and shoved the cook, Bingtang, Ji Yun and other women: “Get in, get in.” Then he reached for Qin Yining.

Pang Xiao raised his arm, blocking the jailer’s reach: “My woman—is she someone you can touch?”

“Hey! You think this is what kind of place? You’re already in prison and still dare act tough with me! This woman is yours—I’ll give her proper attention later! You…”

The jailer raised his hand to grab Qin Yining.

Qin Yining sensed the intense malice and turned to look coldly at the jailer.

When she turned cold, her gaze became as sharp as a predatory bird seeking prey. Beautiful though she was, it made the jailer freeze mid-motion, his unspoken words seeming strangled in his throat as if someone had grabbed his neck.

Had he encountered some kind of spirit?

The storytellers’ tales of female ghosts and demons—weren’t they all like this, appearing as beautiful women who turned out to be man-eaters!

Pang Xiao had been holding back a belly full of anger, but seeing his wife intimidate that suicidal jailer with a single glance, his mood immediately improved.

Yi Jie’er was soft and obedient before him, like a little white rabbit, but had always been this formidable toward outsiders. Such a stark contrast in treatment—just thinking that he was the person Qin Yining held dear in her heart could improve even the worst mood instantly.

While the jailer stood stunned, Pang Xiao had already entered the same cell with Qin Yining.

When the jailer recovered, he spat with false bravado and grabbed chains to lock all the cell doors.

At this time, the head jailer entered carrying a lantern, looking around in all directions to find the absolute beauty Manager Yuan had mentioned.

She wasn’t in the women’s cell—obviously the person was in that fancy young master’s arms, though her face couldn’t be seen clearly.

“Who told you to confine people like this?” The head jailer kicked the jailer’s rear.

The jailer felt very wronged but didn’t dare argue back, only managing a face full of forced smiles on the side.

The head jailer raised his lantern high and approached the cell door to examine Qin Yining. With this look, the head jailer suddenly understood.

She really was a beauty—no wonder that Yuan Yujiang had given special instructions. It was just that these were people sent by the Lu family, so they didn’t dare act presumptuously, otherwise…

“Open the door and confine this woman separately over there.” The head jailer pointed to a cell across the way.

Hearing this, the jailer hesitated somewhat—he had become rather afraid of this woman. But when the head jailer glared at him angrily, he immediately ran forward to comply.

Everyone looked toward the jailer. Bingtang and Ji Yun were extremely nervous, and Huzi’s fists were clenched so tightly they cracked audibly.

The jailer opened the door here and entered to grab Qin Yining.

How could Pang Xiao let him touch Qin Yining? He raised a foot and kicked squarely into the man’s abdomen, sending the jailer stumbling backward several steps before falling on his rear.

“Ouch!” The jailer clutched his stomach and cried out loudly: “You pretty boy, how dare you!”

The head jailer was also stunned by this person’s sudden action. After a long moment, he cursed loudly and scolded: “You still dare act wildly here—are you trying to never get out!”

Pang Xiao stood with one hand on his hip, the other protecting Qin Yining behind him: “I advise you to think clearly! This young master is the eldest young master of the Wan family, come to Danzhou Prefecture to conduct business with Lu Zheng. Lu Zheng confined me due to a misunderstanding, but he’ll need to release me later for business negotiations! If you dare touch a hair on anyone in our group now, Lu Zheng will definitely flay your skin later!”

“You!” The head jailer glared, momentarily unsure how to refute this, but instinctively felt the man was right.

After all, Manager Yuan had said the eldest young master gave no orders for special treatment of these people—it was Manager Yuan himself who said to give them proper “attention.”

Moreover, Manager Yuan harbored intentions toward this woman, but he wasn’t certain if the eldest young master approved. If he acted presumptuously and offended someone, it would be troublesome if the matter came to light later.

Thinking of this, the head jailer spat viciously and headed out carrying his lantern.

“Don’t give them food or drink. Starve them for three days first—let’s see if they’re still so tough!”

The jailer climbed up awkwardly, rubbing his aching abdomen and pointing at Pang Xiao through gritted teeth: “You, you just wait!”