Chapter 174: The Visitor

Chapter 174: The Arrival

Just as Yan Sanhe uttered those three words in his heart, a swift horse came to an abrupt halt at the entrance of the North Division.

A figure leaped down from the horse, and with a flourish, presented a badge to the guards at the entrance.

"Take me to Ji Lingchuan."

The guard took a close look at the waist token which bore the characters "Qin Qi," then raised his head to observe the newcomer, causing his heart to skip a beat and his limbs to turn ice-cold.

Officials are categorized into three, six, and nine ranks, and eunuchs are naturally also graded. The most important positions include the twelve supervisory offices, four departments, and eight bureaus, collectively known as the Twenty-Four Government Offices.

The Directorate of Ceremonial is the foremost bureau among the twelve and the leading office among the twenty-four government departments.

Qin Qi was a eunuch attendant of the Imperial Secretariat, though not as high-ranking as the Chief Eunuch who stood second to none and above all others, he was still a person specifically tasked with serving the emperor.

So late in the night, the Emperor sending someone to see Ji Lingchuan must indicate a matter of great importance.

The guard hurriedly said with respect, "Follow me, Your Honor!"

"Lead the way ahead."

"Yes!"

The two swiftly traversed the long corridor, arriving at the prison gate.

The on-duty Imperial Guard, upon recognizing Qin Qi, was also terrified to the point of losing his wits, thinking that Ji Lingchuan was still in that small courtyard and had not returned, his heart filled with a sense of emptiness, and he hastily knelt down with a thud.

Qin Qi, upon noticing that the iron chains of the dungeon were open, paled dramatically. He reached out and pulled the iron door, swiftly descending the stairs.

Before even reaching the innermost part, from afar one could already see that the gate of the fence was open.

Who dares to release a criminal wanted by the court in secret?

Absolutely audacious!

Qin Qi almost sprinted over, and upon reaching the spot, he peered in for a closer look.

Ah, that's not right, someone is present.

The individual, clad in a greyish-white robe, sat cross-legged on a tattered straw mat, slowly lifting their head to reveal an astonishingly beautiful visage.

Qin Qi was taken aback and his face turned pale with shock. "Your Highness, you, how did you end up here?"

Zhao Yishi's dark eyes were like the deep sea, and his smile was faint.

"Qin Qi, why can't I be here?"

Certainly, I can assist with translating the text into English. However, you haven't provided the specific text from the ancient Chinese palace romance novel that you would like translated. Please provide the text, and I will be happy to translate it for you.

"Sir, Sir Xu, Sir Xu..."

The guard hurried over and whispered a few words into Xu Lai's ear.

Xu Lai's eyes widened suddenly.

"What did you say?"

"Sir, we must notify the Prince immediately. At this time, Qin Qi leaving the palace could be either good or bad."

Xu Lai stood up abruptly, pacing back and forth a few times before stopping. "You said the Crown Prince is in Ji Lingchuan's cell. What about Ji Lingchuan?"

"I've been guarding here, so I don't know what's happening outside. I just heard it from someone else."

"What are you still standing around for? Go find out!"

"Yes!"

The guard ran off in a hurry.

Xu Lai took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, his thoughts returning to half an hour ago.

Half an hour ago, Ji Shi'er's breath was growing weaker, almost as if he were already half dead.

The Crown Prince could no longer sit still and left in a huff.

Once he was gone, Xu Lai decided to take advantage of Ji Shi'er's last breath to cut off another finger and send it to Ji Lingchuan.

Just as he was about to do so, someone arrived from the palace...

Xu Lai kicked Ji Shi'er on the straw pile and sneered, "I can't touch you now. Consider yourself lucky."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Shi'er, who had seemed lifeless, suddenly sat up.

Xu Lai jumped back with a loud "Aaah!"

Those preparing to carry out the execution were also startled, breaking out in cold sweat.

What's going on?

Is he coming back to life?

At that moment, the "corpse" looked down at his left hand, his eyes widening, and then he opened his mouth and shouted:

"My finger, where is my finger... It hurts so much... Ahh... It hurts..."

What's happening?

Everyone felt their scalps tingle as they turned to look at Xu Lai.

Xu Lai slowly twisted his head and opened his eyes wide, intending to take another look at Ji Shi'er. At that moment, Ji Shi'er suddenly stopped crying and looked over at him.

Their eyes met!

Xu Lai, staring into those dark, hollow eyes, was terrified and fled in panic.

"Bad news, the corpse has come back to life!"

...

The vermilion door creaked open.

Xie Zhifei walked out carrying Yan Sanhe.

Li Buyan approached, "Give her to me!"

Xie Zhifei did not move, "Does she always pass out after dispelling the spiritual attachment?"

"Yes."

"Why is that?"

Li Buyan stepped forward to take Yan Sanhe, looking up and smiling gently at Xie Zhifei, "What else could it be? She's just tired."

Xie Zhifei frowned deeply.

Last time, he believed it; after several days and nights without sleep on horseback, anyone would be exhausted!

But this time...

Just as he was about to ask more, he caught someone rushing over anxiously from the corner of his eye, causing his eyelids to twitch.

"Third Master, something major has happened! Someone from the palace has come, I need to get Ji Lingchuan back quickly."

"Who came?"

"I heard it's Qin Qi."

Xie Zhifei's heart sank, "Why him?"

"Third Master, don't ask anymore. This isn't something I can answer."

Xie Zhifei quickly grabbed the person's shoulder, "Ji Lingchuan is too grief-stricken to walk."

"I'll carry him!"

"Brother, my apologies. If you get into trouble because of this, come directly to the Xie Mansion."

"If that day comes, I won't hold back."

The person waved at Xie Zhifei, "You should leave too. You can't stay here any longer. Go, go!"

Xie Zhifei made an immediate decision, "Mingting, put her down, let's go!"

Pei Xiao glanced at the collapsed Ji Lingchuan on the ground, then at Xie Zhifei's serious face, and hurriedly bowed, "Thank you, brother!"

In the darkness, the three of them moved swiftly, not daring to pause for a moment.

The arrival of someone from the palace at this hour could mean either fortune or disaster, but one thing was certain: they couldn't hide the fact that they had secretly taken Ji Lingchuan out.

Fortunately, they had Cai Si's waist token and a foolproof excuse, otherwise it would have been a catastrophic situation.

After leaving, they noticed the Crown Prince's carriage was nowhere to be seen. Both Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao realized Zhao Yishi was still inside the North Division.

Pei Xiao asked, "What should we do? Should we wait for him?"

Xie Zhifei, looking at Li Buyan holding Yan Sanhe, decided, "No waiting."

Pei Xiao asked again, "Where should we go now? Our real bodies are still at Xuanzang Temple!"

Xie Zhifei hesitated, "It's closer to the Cai Residence. Let's go to Cai Si's place for the night, return the waist token, and gather some information."

Pei Xiao looked worried, "Will Cai Si let us in?"

"Since we've already involved him, might as well do it once more!"

Xie Zhifei squatted in front of Li Buyan, "Put her on my back, I'll carry her!"

Li Buyan: "..."

"What are you hesitating for?"

Xie Zhifei snapped, "You're the best fighter among us; we rely on you to protect all three of us!"

Li Buyan understood the gravity of the situation and immediately placed Yan Sanhe on Xie Zhifei's back, then asked:

"Who exactly is this Cai Si you keep mentioning?"

"The head of the Northern Bureau of the Jinyiwei."

Xie Zhifei straightened up, adjusting the person on his back, "No more talk, let's go!"

After turning two corners, they arrived at the Cai Residence.

Pei Xiao was about to knock on the door when it suddenly creaked open.

Both parties were startled upon seeing each other.

Xie Zhifei forced a smile, "At this late hour, where are you headed, Fourth Master?"

Cai Si extended a withered, long finger and pointed at Xie Zhifei forcefully.

"Third Master Xie, you damn well did a good job!"