"Your Highness, spare my life! I will lead the way for you immediately. Please have mercy!"
“That’s not what you said just now. Never mind, I have important matters to attend to and cannot be delayed. Lead the way.” Lü Zhi’s expression and speaking speed showed no sign of urgency whatsoever.
"Yes, Your Highness, thank you for your mercy!" The jailer was overjoyed and quickly got up to lead the way for Lü Zhi.
However, before they even reached the secret chamber where Xiao He was imprisoned, they bumped into someone.
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress!" Wang Weiwei clasped his hands and bowed.
Empress Lü frowned. "How is Prime Minister Xiao? And where have you gone?"
Wang Weiwei was slightly taken aback, then clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, Prime Minister Xiao is being tortured by His Majesty. I have been ordered by His Majesty to lead men to the Prime Minister's residence to arrest his family and bring them back to the Imperial Prison for extermination."
"Oh, you don't need to go. Come with me first and ask His Majesty if he has become more capable since returning from suppressing the rebellion. The dignified Prime Minister can imprison people at will, torture them at will, and exterminate entire families at will!"
Empress Lü's voice grew louder and louder as she spoke, clearly enraged. She could understand and even support the killing of Han Xin and other kings of different surnames, but how could they kill Xiao He? And even exterminate his entire clan? Had she gone mad?!
"Yes, sir." Wang Weiwei responded and came to Lü Zhi's side. The group quickened their pace and headed towards the secret cell.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace," Xiao He said with a trembling smile.
Liu Ji handed the whip to Guo Meng, rubbed his wrist, and said, "Hehe, let's stop here for now. Let's save some energy for the Prime Minister later..."
Bang!
"What will happen later, Your Majesty?" Lü Zhi asked as she burst into the prison cell.
Liu Ji's legs went weak, but fortunately Guo Meng reacted quickly and caught him in time.
"Oh, there will be fine wine and food to entertain the Prime Minister later. Why is the Empress here? This prison is filthy and smelly, let's go outside quickly?"
"If Your Majesty can come, why can't I?" Lü Zhi said with a half-smile.
"Your Majesty, this old minister pays his respects." The moment Xiao He saw Empress Lü enter, he suddenly understood many things. It turned out that Wang Weiwei and that masked man were both Empress Lü's people!
Empress Lü Zhi's breath caught in her throat when she saw Xiao He's disheveled and disheveled appearance. "What serious crime has the Prime Minister committed that Your Majesty has suddenly imprisoned him?"
“Uh, this…” Liu Ji wiped his sweat. “I have heard that when Li Si served as the prime minister of Qin Shi Huang, he attributed all the good things he did to the emperor, and took responsibility for the mistakes himself.”
Now, the Prime Minister accepts large sums of money from those lowly merchants, yet he requests my imperial gardens and forests on behalf of the people, hoping to curry favor with them and then seize control of Guanzhong. Therefore, I must imprison him and punish him.”
"Oh, I see." Lü Zhi raised her jade-like hand and poked at Liu Ji's wound, brushing off the dust for him, and then said:
"If it is within the scope of one's duties, and there is anything that is beneficial to the people, then one should petition His Majesty on their behalf. This is truly what the Prime Minister should do. How can His Majesty suspect that the Prime Minister has accepted bribes from merchants?"
Moreover, Your Majesty was locked in a stalemate with the Chu army for several years. When Chen Xi and Ying Bu rebelled, Your Majesty personally led the army to quell the rebellion. At that time, the Chancellor was left to guard Guanzhong. If he harbored any disloyal intentions, the area west of Hangu Pass would no longer belong to Your Majesty.
If the Prime Minister didn't seek personal gain back then, would he now covet the merchants' money?
Furthermore, the Qin Emperor lost his empire because he was unaware of his own mistakes. What is there to emulate in Li Si's act of sharing the blame with the emperor? How can Your Majesty use such shallow insight to doubt the Prime Minister?
Liu Ji was inwardly frustrated, but he still tried his best to maintain a smile. "The Empress is absolutely right. I will order the Prime Minister to be released immediately. Oh! What is that clueless jailer still standing there for! Quickly remove the Prime Minister's shackles!"
"Yes, sir!" The jailer hurriedly came over and helped Xiao He remove his shackles, inwardly thankful that he hadn't been foolish enough to block the Empress for His Majesty.
"Is simply releasing him enough? I believe Your Majesty should apologize to the Prime Minister and seek his forgiveness," Empress Lü said calmly.
Liu Ji's forehead veins throbbed, and he cursed inwardly that this woman was a tigress, and that this was intolerable. He vowed never to favor her again and to make her live a life of widowhood!
"Well, this matter was originally the Prime Minister's petition on behalf of the people, but I refused to allow it. I am nothing more than a tyrannical emperor like Jie of Xia or Zhou of Shang, while you are a virtuous prime minister. The reason I imprisoned the Prime Minister is to let the people know your virtue and my faults!" Liu Ji said incoherently.
Xiao He smiled slightly, "Your Majesty need not apologize, for this old minister has never held the slightest resentment towards Your Majesty!"
Liu Ji, “…”
Black Dragon, "Useless!"
Chapter 192 Safe Return
Liu Ji left the prison, his anger growing with each passing thought.
Xiao He, that old scoundrel! I've already apologized, and you're the one who says there's no need to apologize, and you even mention that you have no resentment whatsoever!
It was clearly intentional! Just you wait and see, Xiao He, this isn't over!
And that tigress Lü Zhi, I really want to kill her too!
However, Liu Ji could only dream about it. The Lü clan was powerful and prestigious, and could not be underestimated.
Even as Liu Ji increasingly suppressed meritorious officials of different surnames, many people actively sided with the Lü family for protection.
After all, the only person who can control Liu Ji now is Empress Lü. Moreover, the crown prince is also Empress Lü's son and listens to her every word. In the future, it will be up to Empress Lü to decide who inherits the throne.
The key issue is that Liu Ji owed the Lü family too much. Lü Ze's merits were enough to make him a king, but he only received the title of marquis. As for Lü Zhi, Liu Ji was fond of beautiful women before he was made a king by Xiang Yu. He left Lü Zhi in Pei County to live a life of widowhood while he led his troops to commit countless adultery. He even let Lü Zhi fall into Xiang Yu's hands during the Battle of Pengcheng.
When Liu Ji married Lü Zhi, it was an older man marrying a younger woman. Moreover, Liu Ji was penniless at the time, and he relied entirely on his persuasive tongue to fool Lü Zhi's own father, thus gaining a wealthy family's daughter as his wife for free.
After the marriage, Lü Zhi learned that Liu Ji already had a lover named Cao, and that their son was already an adult!
This man was named Liu Fei and lived in the Liu family. However, Liu Ji never married Cao Shi, which was truly despicable. It was precisely because of this that Liu Ji could be considered a bachelor who had not yet married. Otherwise, he might not have been able to marry Lü Zhi.
It can be said that after Liu Ji and Lü Zhi got married, Lü Zhi took the lead and kept Liu Ji completely under her control. It is likely that Liu Ji's fear of his wife gradually developed at this time, although it may also be innate.
In short, Liu Ji really couldn't stand up to Lü Zhi, and he was in the wrong about Xiao He's matter. Even if he had ordered Lü Zhi and Xiao He to be beheaded together, someone would have to listen to him.
If everyone were like Zhou Chang and refused to obey the imperial edict, leaving Liu Ji standing there awkwardly, wouldn't it be Liu Ji himself who would feel embarrassed?
Honestly, anyone who dares to obey such an order is asking for trouble. Liu Ji could easily turn around and shout the slogan of avenging Lü Zhi to exterminate the murderer's entire family.
Shortly afterward, a carriage stopped in front of the Prime Minister's residence.
Wang Weiwei rode up to the carriage and said, "Prime Minister, we've arrived home."
Xiao He stepped out of the carriage, overwhelmed with emotion, never expecting to return home alive.
After Liu Ji left, Xiao He paid his respects to Empress Lü Zhi with great ceremony. Empress Lü Zhi then helped him up and showered him with concern, almost bringing him to tears.
Xiao He also learned that it was his wife who went to ask Lü Zhi for help, and that she also expressed her willingness to protect the crown prince. This did not conflict with Xiao He's original idea. How could the crown prince be deposed so easily?
Therefore, Empress Lü received a satisfactory guarantee from Xiao He, and apart from Xiao He suffering some hardship, it was a satisfactory ending.
"Thank you for escorting me all the way, Commandant Wang." Xiao He bowed deeply and remained so for a long time.
Wang Weiwei dismounted, helped Xiao He up, and said in a low voice, "Prime Minister, you flatter me. It's just fulfilling a promise."
"An agreement?" Xiao He asked suspiciously, suddenly feeling that the man's tone of voice sounded like someone else's.
"I trouble the Prime Minister to keep this item safe for me. I will return it to its rightful owner when I see him." As he spoke, Wang Weiwei handed a mask to Xiao He.
Xiao He carefully put it away. "If you don't mind, please come to my residence to rest for a while."
“No need. This man has reached his physical limit. Farewell.” After saying this, Wang Weiwei dismounted and got into his carriage. “Back to the Weiwei Mansion.”
"Yes, sir." The accompanying soldiers responded and escorted the carriage away from the Prime Minister's residence.
Xiao He pondered Wang Weiwei's words with a puzzled expression, "I don't understand, how strange..."
At this moment, Wang Weiwei in the carriage suddenly collapsed, foaming at the mouth, convulsing uncontrollably, and a little blood flowing from the corner of his eyes.
A moment later, Wang Weiwei stopped convulsing and fell into a coma. If it weren't for the fact that his chest was still rising and falling, he would definitely be mistaken for a corpse.
Xiao He watched the carriage leave, then turned and went into his house. His family had just arrived after hearing the news. Overjoyed, they wept and comforted each other by sharing their feelings.
Fortunately, Xiao He had changed his clothes and washed up before returning home; otherwise, if he had returned in such a miserable state, his wife would have cried her eyes out.
After calming Lady Tong down, Xiao He went to see Zhao Ping.
"Thank you, sir." Xiao He knew that his wife and two sons would never think of asking Empress Lü for help. Even he himself would not have thought of asking Empress Lü to intervene on the condition of supporting the crown prince. Only Zhao Ping could devise a plan behind the scenes.
Zhao Ping shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Prime Minister, there's no need for such formalities. I didn't contribute much to your escape this time; it was all thanks to that prison guard named Wang Xiang who brought you your brilliant strategy. Otherwise, I would have become a sinner for all time, harming you."
"Wang Xiang? A prison guard? My brilliant plan?" Xiao He was completely bewildered, though he shared the same surname as the Imperial Guard Commandant.
"Wasn't it the Prime Minister who sent that jailer to tell us to ask Empress Lü to intervene? It was truly a brilliant move," Zhao Ping exclaimed.
Xiao He suddenly realized what was happening and pulled something out of his pocket. "Sir, did you see that jailer wearing a mask like this?"
"A mask? That person wasn't wearing a mask. He had a dignified and heroic appearance. Hmm? Could it be that the Prime Minister has never seen that person's true face?" Zhao Ping asked in confusion.
"How tall is this person? What is his build?" Xiao He asked again.
"About this tall, quite imposing," Zhao Ping said, gesturing with his hands.
"It should be him. I have indeed seen his true face before; he always appeared masked when he saw me." After escaping from the Heavenly Prison, Xiao He secretly searched for the man but couldn't find him. There were two people with similar builds, but their features were too different, so it couldn't be him. His true identity shouldn't be a prison guard from the Heavenly Prison, but why was this man unwilling to reveal his true face when he saw him, yet he wasn't afraid when he came to the Xiao family?
Zhao Ping thought for a moment and then smiled, “If the Prime Minister really wants to see him, I can draw his appearance. I think it should be about seven or eight parts similar to his appearance.”
Xiao He was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Then I'll trouble you, sir."
"It's a small matter." Zhao Ping came to the table and picked up his brush to paint.
Stroke by stroke, he sketched out the appearance of the mysterious jailer. Xiao He stared intently at him, and the more he looked, the more familiar the man seemed. He should have seen this person before, but he couldn't remember him no matter how hard he tried.
"The drawing is finished. Does the Prime Minister know anyone familiar with it?" Zhao Ping was also a little curious as to why this person had to wear a mask when meeting the Prime Minister.
Xiao He shook his head slightly. "Sir, you are very perceptive. Can you discern anything special about this person's words and actions?"
Zhao Ping's eyes lit up. "That's right, this person's speech and demeanor are quite extraordinary, and he's tall and imposing. I imagine even the legendary Overlord Xiang Yu couldn't be more impressive! Wait, Xiang Yu? Xiang Yu?"
Xiao He's eyes widened suddenly. "No! This painting depicts Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King! No wonder it looks familiar, but how could it be!"
Chapter 193 Appearance
Xiao He's mind was filled with the heroic figure of Xiang Yu, the overlord of the past. Even after so many years, he still had a deep impression of him. Regardless of appearance, his courage, spirit, accent, tone of voice, and so on were too similar to that masked man.
While people with similar appearances are rare, they do exist. But do two people who are exactly alike in every way really exist?
"This person looks just like Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King?" Zhao Ping was also quite shocked. He had never had the chance to meet the Hegemon-King before, but he never expected to meet someone who looked so much like him.
“This painting does bear a striking resemblance to Xiang Yu, which may explain why he wore a mask.” Upon hearing this, Xiao He calmed down considerably. Even if it were a perfect resemblance, it could only be a coincidence; it was impossible for Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, to still be alive.
"So this is what Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, looked like. It makes up for my past regrets..." Zhao Ping murmured.
"By the way, did that person refer to himself as 'I am alone' or 'I am widowed'?" Xiao He suddenly remembered this clue, but after asking, he laughed. What was he trying to prove?
Zhao Ping was slightly taken aback. "Of course not. His identity is that of a jailer. If he were to claim to be an 'orphan' or 'widow,' wouldn't that be a great act of treason?"
“What you say is absolutely right, sir. I’ll go back to my room to rest now. With this in hand, perhaps he will come to get it.” Xiao He cupped his hands in greeting.