Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan hurriedly used their Qinggong skills, jumped onto the beams, and hid themselves. The two of them waited with bated breath for a while, then saw Liu Shilang and Mr. Fang walking out of the house, looking around, and then they looked surprised and murmured to themselves: "Did you hear wrong?"
The two adults stood there for a moment, and then walked toward the gate of the Criminal Department Office together.
Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan came down from the beam when they heard the footsteps of the two people walking away. Then they quietly sneaked into the room where the two officials had been, lit candles, and checked around, but found no suspicious objects or documents, and then the two left the Ministry of Punishment office angrily.
The next day, as soon as Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan had breakfast, General Fan sent someone over to deliver the message. It was said that the trial date for the poison pill case was set for three days. The emperor issued an oral order for a joint trial by important officials from the Criminal Department, Dali Temple and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan learned the news and hurriedly discussed it with Granny Cui, Mrs. Meng, and the two young masters of the Meng family. Everyone decided to sneak into the prison of the Criminal Department secretly and learn about the details of the case from Nangong Qin and others. Make it easy to make proper arrangements.
That night, Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan put on night clothes and black scarves, escaped the numerous guards, and sneaked into the prison of the Criminal Department. Found the cell where Nangong Qin and others were detained.
The environment here is dark and damp, with low and narrow cells surrounded by rough stones and wooden fences. Many prisoners who were executed, beheaded, or hanged after the Autumn were imprisoned here. They were all shackled and huddled in this dark and cramped world.
Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan tiptoed outside the cell. Peeping secretly through the crack in the door. In the small hall outside the wooden fence, the cell leader and two jailers were drinking to relieve their boredom.
The three people were drinking and punching each other, and soon they fell drunk on the wine table. Su Qiqi was overjoyed and hurriedly gave Qin Chuan a wink. The two of them gently pried open the door and went in, approaching the three people at the table.
Su Qiqi patted one of the jailers, but when he saw no response, he reached out and shook the other jailer, who seemed to be drunk and unconscious, and then he went from cell to cell looking for Nangong Qin and others with confidence.
About a quarter of an hour later, Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan finally found their long-lost family members. They were both excited and sad. When Nangong Qin saw his daughter's appearance, he showed an expression of disbelief. He staggered back two steps, rubbed his eyes vigorously, and said in a trembling voice: "You...are you Su'er?"
Su Qiqi nodded, looked at the thin and haggard old man in front of her, and said with some choking, "Dad, I'm here to save you!"
Nangong Qin couldn't help but burst into tears. He cried and laughed and said: "Silly boy, this is the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. We don't dare to make mistakes... You and Chuan'er get out of here quickly!"
After that, he waved Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan to leave quickly. Her two brothers and Deputy Chief Qin also came over from the corner, pressed against the cell door, patted their shoulders, and then advised them to leave as soon as possible to avoid being discovered by the jailer and causing trouble.
Su Qiqi pursed her lips, wiped her wet eyes with her sleeves, then forced a smile and said: "Dad, brother, Uncle Qin, we sneaked into the prison of the Criminal Department this time mainly because we want to know the details of the case from you. I’ll help you reverse the case!”
Nangong Qin and his son nodded and pondered for a while. Nangong Qin told the story of the case: "That day, we escorted Mr. Cao back to Beijing to report on his work. We were about to return, but Liu Shilang stopped us halfway and asked us to escort Xianwan. Entering the palace...and then getting involved in a major palace case..."
Nangong Qin finished introducing the overview of the case. Nangong Yu, Nangong Yue and Vice Chief Qin added some details based on their respective information. It is convenient for Su Qiqi to understand the ins and outs of the matter.
"...I see...the key to clearing the suspicion of our Weiyuan Escort lies with Liu Shilang and Wu Tianba..." Su Qiqi said thoughtfully.
Then, she took out a pen and notebook from her bag, wrote down some important details, and then said to her father and brother: "Dad, brother, please take care of yourself, Qin Chuan and I will find a way to rescue you as soon as possible!"
On the other side, Qin Chuan also started chatting with Qin's father. During the whole process, Qin Chuan kept looking solemn. What his father said just now made him a little more worried about the rescue plan.
Originally, he wanted to ask his father for more information, but suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he saw a jailer lying on the table seem to move. He quickly silenced, exchanged glances with his father, and then hurriedly pulled Su Qiqi. Leave the Penal Department Prison.
The two people hurriedly escaped from the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. Just as he was about to return to the Meng Mansion, he was stopped by Granny Cui on the way. After asking, he learned that the Meng Mansion had been raided by Liu Shilang... Mrs. Meng and dozens of members of the Meng family were temporarily imprisoned in the In the temporary cell of the Penal Department Prison.
Su Qiqi couldn't help but gasped after hearing the news brought by Granny Cui. After a while, she came back to her senses and asked anxiously: "What about Zheng Miao, Ning'er and Gu Zhongkai?"
Qin Chuan also came over and asked uneasily: "Yes, were my sister and cousin also taken away by the officers and soldiers?"
Grandma Cui was stunned for a moment, shook her head and said: "That's not true. When the officers and soldiers came to search the house, Wanrou took Ning'er shopping... and escaped... Doctor Gu was transferred in advance by General Fan... …There is no danger at the moment…”
Su Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked, "Where are Wanrou and Ning'er now?"
Granny Cui lowered her voice and returned: "They are waiting for us in the ruined temple outside the city..."
Su Qiqi nodded and said to Qin Chuan and Granny Cui: "Let's go back to the ruined temple first and discuss how to save people... Master Meng's family is implicated by us, and we must find a way to save people as soon as possible..."
"Well, let's go back and discuss countermeasures first..." Qin Chuan looked around cautiously and said in a low voice.
Granny Cui also agreed, so the three of them quickly left the city and rushed to the ruined temple.
In the ruined temple, Zheng Miao and Ning'er hid under the dilapidated sacred case, peeking out secretly through the gaps in the cloth, occasionally exchanging a few words in a low voice.
"Grandma Cui has been gone for so long, why hasn't she come back yet?" Ning'er said with a depressed look.
Zheng Miao patted his little head and said, "Mother-in-law is looking for someone, there's no rush..."
Ning'er hummed and fiddled with the gravel on the ground in boredom.
Zheng Miao was still looking out anxiously, hoping that Granny Cui would come back soon.
Time passes little by little. The sky gradually darkened. The atmosphere in the temple became increasingly eerie and scary. Zheng Miao was debating whether to come out from under the divine case, when she suddenly heard rustling footsteps coming from outside the hall, and her heart skipped a beat. Who could it be at this time?
