Chapter 84 Imprisonment

Chapter 84: Imprisonment

"Your Highness, have some tea." Cheng Ge raised the teacup to him, his eyelashes damp and clinging together from sweat, his gaze appearing exceptionally sincere.

Cui Ji had no idea what had gotten into him today, but he still reached out and took the tea.

As soon as he finished drinking, Cheng Ge took the cup back. "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?"

Cui Ji looked at Cheng Ge's face and was silent for a long while before speaking: "What do you want to eat? Tell the kitchen to buy it."

Cheng Ge: "..."

Cheng Ge scratched the back of his head, unsure where he had gone wrong.

But he couldn't figure it out right then, so he decided to focus on eating. "Anything is fine, I'm not picky. Just kill a couple of chickens or something."

Before long, the food was brought out—all dishes that Cheng Ge usually liked.

Cheng Ge eagerly grabbed a piece of braised fish, ready to dig in.

But just as his hand reached halfway, it abruptly changed direction, and the fish landed in Cui Ji's bowl.

Cui Ji was a little surprised and paused in his movements.

He glanced at the fish in his bowl, then raised his eyes to scan Cheng Ge, who was looking at him with eager anticipation.

His lips tightened slightly, and the hand holding his chopsticks loosened and tightened again.

Finally, he moved his wrist, turned the fish over, and began picking out the bones.

Cheng Ge was overjoyed, thinking that Cui Ji was probably about to be moved to tears by his gesture.

With that thought, he picked up a large chicken leg and was about to take a bite.

But no sooner had he taken a bite than a piece of boneless fish landed in his own bowl.

Cheng Ge: "???" What was this?

"You don't like eating—"

Before Cheng Ge could finish, a dark figure dropped down from the wall. No need to guess who it was.

Ling Feng: "Master, Master Cheng, there's news from the south."

Cheng Ge immediately put down his chopsticks and asked urgently: "Are my parents alright?"

Ling Feng's expression was unusually grave. He glanced at his master before speaking: "Master Cheng, Lord Cheng was thrown into prison a few days ago."

The chopsticks in Cheng Ge's hand clattered to the floor. He shot to his feet, his eyes instantly filled with panic: "Prison? What crime did he commit?"

Ling Feng shook his head: "The exact reason is unclear, but it likely has to do with the recent flood in Yuanzhou."

Cheng Ge's mind went blank. He slowly sat back down in his chair, trying to calm himself.

The original owner's father was only a low-ranking ninth-grade official. At a time like this, what major mistake could he have made?

Moreover, from their regular correspondence, Cheng Jinxing came across as an upright and principled man.

Someone like that wouldn't likely violate any fundamental rules.

Cui Ji patted him on the shoulder and turned to Ling Feng: "When was Lord Cheng imprisoned?"

Ling Feng replied: "Lord Cheng has been in prison for about four days now."

Cheng Ge stood up abruptly, his hand gripping the table turning white: "Four days!!!"

The prisons in this ancient era were nothing like modern ones—conditions were harsh, and anyone who entered would suffer.

An ordinary person couldn't endure even a single day, let alone four entire days.

What's more, Cheng Jinxing was getting on in years and could hardly bear such torment.

Cui Ji pressed down on his shoulder: "Don't panic yet. Send someone to Yuanzhou to investigate."

Cheng Ge was burning with anxiety, but he knew Cui Ji was right, so he forced himself to suppress his inner turmoil.

Cui Ji looked at Ling Feng: "Take your men and go to Yuanzhou immediately to investigate further. And make sure to protect Lord Cheng's life."

...

Ever since learning that Cheng Jinxing had been imprisoned, Cheng Ge couldn't eat or sleep, his anxiety flaring up like a fire.

Only then did he truly realize that without his own power, he was practically helpless in this world.

The next few days, each one felt like a year to Cheng Ge, every moment spent waiting for news from Ling Feng.

Finally, Ling Feng rushed back on horseback. "Master, I've found out.

There's something fishy about the relief funds the court allocated for the Yuanzhou flood. Lord Cheng should have some evidence in his hands."

Cheng Ge's face darkened, and he pressed on: "And how is my father now?"

Ling Feng's expression turned troubled. After a moment of hesitation, he told the truth: "By the time I arrived, Lord Cheng had already been tortured. Both his legs were broken..."

Cheng Ge's heart tightened. His fists clenched unconsciously, his eyes blazing with fury: "This is clearly an attempt to extract a confession by force!"

He gritted his teeth and said bitterly: "These people have no regard for the law!"

Seeing this, Ling Feng quickly added: "As per the Prince's orders, I've already sent men to rescue Lord Cheng.

However, I couldn't find any more evidence beyond that."

Cui Ji was silent for a moment. Yuanzhou was a directly governed prefecture under Chengping Province, and together with its subordinate prefectures Yunlingzhou and Qingjiangzhou, it was known as the granary of the Jiangnan region.

Chengping was a thoroughfare connecting all directions, with major canals running through it, making commerce exceptionally prosperous. Merchants from all regions essentially had to pass through Chengping.

It was no exaggeration to say that over half of the Great Zhou's tax revenue came from Chengping.

As the saying goes, "Where the water is too clear, there are no fish; when people are too strict, they have no followers." And because Chengping was far from the capital, the local officials had intricate and deeply entrenched power networks.

Although Cui Ji had some influence, it was mainly in the military. While he could manage to save one or two people with a word, extending his reach into Chengping was no easy feat.

Moreover, even if an investigation were launched, the most that would happen was that some minor officials would be thrown out as scapegoats, posing no real threat to the true parasites.

Cheng Ge didn't blame Cui Ji. Given the current state of their relationship, what the other had done for him was already more than generous.

"I'm grateful for this. If you ever need anything in the future, just say the word."

Cheng Ge returned to his room and took out all the valuables he had.

He placed the items one by one on the table, a good number of which he had swiped off Zhang Qinghang.

The thought of Zhang Qinghang's warnings suddenly struck him, a flash of viciousness passing through his eyes.

At that moment, Ling Feng was squatting on the wall, gnawing on a meat pie. The pie was a bit dry, so he lowered his head and felt for the water pouch at his waist.

Unexpectedly, a round head poked out right beside his hand.

Ling Feng: "!!!"

Cheng Ge pushed himself up with his small hands and vaulted directly onto the wall, a hint of a smile still on his lips.

"Brother, eating at this hour?"

Ling Feng's mouth twitched slightly, wondering why Cheng Ge was climbing the wall in the middle of the night. He mumbled, "Having a midnight snack."

Cheng Ge nodded and quickly pulled out a wax paper package from his sleeve. Opening it revealed half a roast chicken.

"Have some chicken."

"Master Cheng, if you need anything, just say the word. No need to be so polite." Ling Feng swallowed hard and reluctantly pushed the roast chicken back.

"Oh, nothing major. I have some things here. Could you have someone deliver them to my father?"

Ling Feng swallowed the dry meat pie in his mouth and quickly took the bundle.

Cui Ji had long instructed them that if Cheng Ge had any requests, as long as they weren't too outrageous, they could help.

"Actually, the master also gave some silver..." Ling Feng started, then trailed off.

"What?" Cheng Ge asked instinctively.

"Nothing... nothing." Ah, forget it, better not to gossip about the master's affairs.

...

The next evening, Cheng Ge lurked furtively near the Hanlin Academy.