Soon, she felt the box being lifted up and moved quickly outwards.
There was no other noise along the way. No one shouted or stopped them, and there were no obstacles. Mu'er was smoothly led to the prison gate.
She felt the box had traveled for a long time, making several turns, before finally stopping.
The box was put down. Mu'er listened intently but heard nothing. She didn't know how things were arranged and could only wait. After a while, the box was opened.
Someone carried Mu'er out and placed her directly into a carriage. No one spoke, and Mu'er remained silent. She sat quietly, without making a sound.
Then she heard someone sit down opposite her, and the carriage sped forward with a clattering sound.
Mu'er listened to the sounds of the carriage, waiting for the person opposite to speak, but he remained silent. Finally, Mu'er asked, "Where is my walking stick?"
The man handed her a cane. Mu'er took it and touched it; it wasn't her old cane. But she didn't say anything and simply held the cane in her hand.
Then she asked again, "Where are you taking me?"
This time, the person opposite her replied, "Go to a safe place, don't be afraid."
Mu'er nodded after hearing this and didn't say anything more.
But the person on the other end couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you surprised?"
"I was surprised. My husband didn't come; it was Lord Yun who came instead. Of course I was surprised."
Surprise wouldn't be expressed with that kind of expression.
Yun Qingxian paused for a moment, then smiled. "Is it because of the time?"
Mu'er tilted her head slightly, then said in realization, "I see. I was wondering how Lord Yun managed to evade my husband's attempt to abduct me; it turns out it was the timing. Lord Yun arrived early, didn't he?"
“Yes.” Yun Qingxian leaned against the carriage. He really enjoyed talking to her; her intelligence and wit were truly delightful. “Long Er was busy all afternoon, arranging things for the government jailers, the trunks, sedan chairs, carriages, the people to meet him, the route, the Long family’s actions, and so on. He put in so much effort and thought, and all I had to do was follow his plan and take you away an hour before him.”
Mu'er lowered her head, but Yun Qingxian asked, "My plan was so ingenious, do you have anything to say about it?"
Mu'er remained silent.
Yun Qingxian, feeling awkward, continued, "If you didn't know the time, then when did you know it wasn't Long Er who came to pick you up? Was it because I wasn't sitting next to you?"
“If you were sitting next to me, your aura and mannerisms would be different from your husband’s, and I would naturally be able to recognize it. But since Lord Yun is sitting opposite me, it’s possible that my husband didn’t come in person, but sent someone instead. So it’s not because of that.”
"Why is that? Did I switch your cane?"
Mu'er shook her head and said, "My husband said he would come to pick me up, and he definitely will come in person. The way he holds my hand is not by pulling my wrist, but by holding my hand in his palm. So when you hold my hand, I know it's not my husband."
As she said this, she suddenly added, "Ah, I don't know if that person was you, but anyway, when that person was holding my hand, I knew it wasn't my husband."
"It's me." Yun Qingxian's voice was stiff. "If I wanted to pick you up, I would naturally go in person."
Mu'er lowered her head again, seemingly feeling that there was nothing more to say.
Yun Qingxian continued, "Since you knew it wasn't Long Er, why didn't you say anything? Why did you follow me?"
"Does making a fuss mean I won't have to leave?" Mu'er lowered her head and whispered, "I'm afraid that if I shout, you'll attack me. I don't want to get hurt, and I don't want to die. I still need to wait for my husband to come and save me."
Yun Qingxian was speechless. He suddenly said bitterly, "He is no longer your husband. The Emperor has stripped you of your status in the Long family. You are no longer the Second Madam of the Long family. From this day forward, you have no further connection with the Long family."
This time, Mu'er was genuinely surprised. She looked up sharply and asked, "Why?"
"You are a prime suspect in the massacre of your entire family, and as the wife of the Long family, the Ministry of Justice should thoroughly investigate the entire Long family and search the mansion for evidence, in accordance with reason and law. If you are ultimately found to be the murderer, the Long family will naturally suffer as a result."
Yun Qingxian's words made Mu'er bite her lip tightly; this was exactly what she feared.
Yun Qingxian sneered: "But the Emperor favors the Long family. Not only did he not allow the search of the Long residence, he also publicly announced that he would remove you from the Long family register. In this way, no matter what crime you are charged with in the end, the Long family can get away from this matter."
Mu'er breathed a sigh of relief. But she heard Yun Qingxian still saying, "The Long family should have been in dire straits, but they managed to get away with it just because of their so-called three generations of loyalty. They rely on their descendants for patronage; the Long family is nothing more than that."
These words made no sense and were full of personal resentment. Mu'er didn't want to pay any attention to them, so she kept quiet.
Yun Qingxian seemed to realize he had spoken out of turn and had lost his composure in front of Mu'er, so he remained silent. The two of them sat in silence for quite some time.
"If we keep going, we don't know where we'll end up," Mu'er couldn't help but ask.
Ke Yunqingxian only said, "I'll take you to a safe place."
Where is that?
Yun Qingxian didn't answer, but said, "His Majesty is furious today and has ordered that Shi Boyin's case be thoroughly investigated within ten days. Tomorrow morning, you will be transferred from the Ministry of Justice prison to the Ministry of Justice itself, where things won't be so comfortable. Moreover, you have evidence but refuse to confess, which will result in torture. If they don't get you out, you'll likely have no good days starting tomorrow." Yun Qingxian looked at Mu'er: "Your health isn't good; I'm afraid you can't endure that kind of suffering."
Mu'er smiled: "I'm not afraid of suffering, but I'm afraid of ending up like Master Shi, being rendered mute in the Ministry of Justice prison, and then being framed. I'm already blind, and if I become mute, I'll truly be a cripple. I don't have Master Shi's fame, and I don't know if the Emperor would also like to hear my dying zither music. If so, I'm afraid I can only play Master Shi's grievance pieces again."
Hearing her sarcastic tone, Yun Qingxian's face turned ashen. After enduring it for a long time, he finally remained silent.
The carriage traveled for a long time before finally coming to a stop.
Yun Qingxian alighted from the carriage, turned around, and lifted Mu'er down by the waist. Mu'er was startled and quickly took two steps back after landing, creating distance between them. Yun Qingxian didn't say anything, but took her wrist and led her forward.
He wasn't walking fast, but Mu'er still stumbled a bit. After walking for a while, they arrived at a small house.
“It’s safe here, no one will come,” Yun Qingxian said, settling Mu’er down in a chair.
"Are you tired? There's a bed in the inner room, and water here too. You can have some snacks if you're hungry."
Mu'er shook her head and asked only, "What do you intend to do with me?"
"I haven't decided yet."
This answer made Mu'er gasp in shock.
Yun Qingxian smiled and said, "I went to all this trouble to rescue you, not to kill you."
“If you truly want to save me, you should let my husband take me away.”
"He's no longer your husband. And where could he take you? If you disappear, Long Er will be a prime suspect. The Ministry of Justice and the provincial government are all keeping a close eye on him, and the Emperor won't let him off the hook either. You won't be able to escape, and the Long family will suffer because of it. Do you really want that?"
"If that's the case, then you should warn your husband not to act rashly. That way, I wouldn't be able to escape, and the Long family would be safe. You used his scheme to abduct me ahead of time, so when the investigation finally starts, all the clues and evidence will point to your husband. With such a cunning and malicious scheme, how can you have the nerve to speak so righteously?"
Yun Qingxian smiled and said, "Your mind works fast indeed. That's exactly what I'm planning. If Long Er can't find you, he'll be accused of breaking a prisoner. This time, even the Emperor can't protect him."
"So, you must kill me." Mu'er gripped the cane that wasn't hers tightly, her voice trembling with fear. "If you don't kill me, my husband will find me one day. Then, your scheme will be exposed. This crime of kidnapping and framing someone is no small matter. If you investigate the motives and reasons, then Lord Yun, you'll be in big trouble. How can you let me live?"
Yun Qingxian nodded, readily admitting, "You're absolutely right, that's why I haven't figured out what to do. I don't want to kill you, but if you don't die, you are indeed a threat to me. If I don't rescue you, you're also a threat to me. Mu'er, you're so smart, why don't you think of a way for me?"
Mu'er bit her lip and remained silent.
Yun Qingxian sat down in front of her, looking at her slightly tired face, without saying a word.
Fate always seemed to treat him this way. He longed for it, yet could not obtain it. When he could not have it, it broke his heart.
Yun Qingxian was somewhat stunned when Mu'er asked, "Did you have Doctor Qi blind my eyes?"
Yun Qingxian's face stiffened, and he didn't respond. Even though he was calm and ruthless, just a moment ago he was thinking how much he liked this woman, and the next moment he was exposed for the evil things he had done to her. This was embarrassing and unspeakable for him.
Yun Qingxian didn't reply, but Mu'er was certain. If it wasn't him who did it, he would definitely have spoken up in protest.
"You originally wanted to kill me, didn't you? To make it seem like I died suddenly from a long illness, leaving no trace, right?"
Yun Qingxian gritted his teeth and finally admitted, "In the end, I couldn't bear to."
The room was completely silent.
Yun Qingxian sighed and continued, "I told him to stop taking the medicine, but you've already gone blind. So I thought, this is for the best, you're still alive, and I can take care of you."
Mu'er didn't respond to that, but instead said, "It seems that Lord Yun has already made his decision."
"Yes."
"Since Lord Yun is willing to tell me this matter, I naturally cannot be allowed to stay."
"Actually, I shouldn't have kept you three years ago. I was too soft-hearted, and now there are endless troubles ahead."
"In fact, you left no flaws in every step you took. If your wife had forced me to marry you in the future, I would not have married you. If I had not entered the Long family, perhaps I would have been persuaded by Zhuo Yi by today and would no longer think about Master Shi's wrongful case."
"Xiang'er just wanted to make me happy. Although she didn't do it smartly, I don't blame her. She's just a pitiful woman who wants me to pay more attention to her and needs my care."
"And what about Zhuo Yi?"
"With?" Yun Qingxian paused, then asked Mu'er, "How much do you know?"
"She must have feelings for you."
“I know what you’re thinking. You must think that I took advantage of her because she had feelings for me, right? Actually, I’m not as bad as you think.” Yun Qingxian sighed. “She was an old acquaintance of mine when we were children. I never expected that when I saw her again after so many years, she would be destitute and forced into prostitution. I tried to help her, and when I encountered trouble, she helped me in return.”
He suddenly said, "There's something I've always wanted to ask you: how did she die? On the surface, it seems she led those gangsters to cause you trouble, but in the end, she died. I've never understood how you managed to do it."
"I discovered her identity and became wary of her. In addition, everyone is curious, so I stalled her for a while, which distracted her and allowed me to escape. Luckily, the guards from the Dragon Mansion arrived, and I survived by sheer luck."
Yun Qingxian remained silent for a long time. After that incident, he already knew that Mu'er's cane contained a mechanism, but even so, he still didn't believe that a blind and weak woman could be a match for Zhuo Yi, who knew some martial arts and had helpers. Now, after hearing Mu'er's words, he understood. She had become wary and must have used misleading language to make Zhuo Yi lower his guard.
He then asked, "How did you recognize that she wasn't Lin Yueyao?"
Mu'er shook her head, not in the mood to explain things to him slowly, one by one. She simply said, "The truth will eventually come out. The visit of the Qin envoy from Ximin Kingdom gave me the opportunity to hear the real Lin Yueyao play the qin."
"I see." Yun Qingxian paused, then said softly, "It wasn't my order for her to kill you. I didn't know she had hired those people to raid the wine shop at night."
"But when she sent you a message, she went to the place where Lord Ding was. Was that at your behest?"
Yun Qingxian readily admitted, "Ding Sheng is flamboyant, and his whereabouts are easy to track. He often goes out to indulge in debauchery and constant banquets. So I don't need to bother to notify him; I can simply leave a message at the place where he's having a banquet, and then go and retrieve it. This way, no one will know beforehand, and we don't have to worry about others discovering our connection. If anything unexpected happens, they'll just suspect Ding Sheng. This method works very well and has never failed me."
Mu'er had to admit that this move was indeed brilliant.
"But it was definitely not my order for her to kill you."
Yun Qingxian's repeated clarifications only made Mu'er feel ironic. So what if he didn't instruct her? He's planning to kill her with his own hands now; what's the point of saying all this?
“I know,” Mu’er said. “If Lord Yun wanted to kill me, he would have done it without leaving any clues, unlike her reckless approach. Just like now, if I die, I'm afraid no one will be able to find me. Everyone will only investigate my husband and the Long family, and even if my husband suspects Lord Yun, they won’t be able to find any evidence against him.”
Yun Qingxian nodded. He did indeed think his arrangement was brilliant, and that it was superior to Long Er's. He couldn't help but feel a little proud.
"But you framed me and imprisoned me, falsely accusing me of being involved in Mr. Shi's case. Was that also unintentional?"
Yun Qingxian paused: "This was indeed not something I did."
Seeing Mu'er's disbelief, he continued, "Since things have come to this, why would I lie to you? This was truly not my doing. I interrogated those two thieves, and they insisted that they would never reveal who was behind it, even under torture. I suspect it was Ding Sheng who did it; after all, I put him in jail, and he naturally wanted to get revenge. Getting you involved and reopening the old case has certainly caused me a lot of trouble. Moreover, bribing prisoners to give false confessions is a common tactic of his."
Mu'er frowned, feeling that this didn't quite make sense.
As expected, Yun Qingxian also said, "Before I made my move against him, I had already considered all the methods he might use and the people and things he might employ, and I had arranged everything before I made my move against him. So it's not impossible that he would use the same trick he used against you against me, but it's still a bit far-fetched. After all, he already has enough troubles, why would he need to do something like this? Besides, he's in jail, and I can't think of anyone who could help him with this. So, I also suspected Long Er."
"Husband?"
Yun Qingxian nodded: "I did suspect him. But I still can't understand what benefit he would gain from framing you. Even if he disagreed with the Empress Dowager's arranged marriage and wanted to divorce you, he wouldn't need to resort to such methods. If he wanted to use such a scheme against me, he wouldn't gain anything at all. If you confessed everything you know, I could have taken the initiative and eliminated all the suspicious parties. If you didn't confess, then this is the result. Besides, I believe that whether you confess or not is useless, because you certainly don't have any solid evidence. If you really had solid evidence, you would have already reported me to the court, wouldn't you?"
Mu'er was speechless; they truly lacked any convincing evidence. Given Yun Qingxian's intellect, it wouldn't be difficult for him to sophistry and disclaim responsibility.
Yun Qingxian continued, "You've been imprisoned, and Long Er has panicked, at least on the surface. Besides, you're nervous and confused, and nobody benefits from this, especially the Long family, so I can't be sure who did it for the time being."
Mu'er gritted her teeth. Now that things were like this, it didn't matter who did it. If she really went, Long Er would definitely find out the truth for her. She believed he wouldn't let her die unjustly.