The sun had set, and dusk was coming in from below the horizon, covering the whole sky and earth, and soon it dominated the world.
Crunch... ..
With a sharp metallic friction sound, the door of the Northern Pacification Prison opened, and a young man with stubble and ragged clothes walked out. It was Zhu Ping'an, who had received an imperial decree of amnesty and was demoted to the magistrate of Jingnan County.
The reason why he wore shabby clothes was not because Zhu Ping'an was low-key, but because the clothes that Zhu Ping'an wore when he entered the imperial prison could no longer be found by the imperial prison. It was estimated that they had been sold by the imperial prison staff to generate income. The imperial prison staff did not expect Zhu Ping'an to be able to get out of the imperial prison, let alone so soon. He could not wear prison clothes when he was released from prison, otherwise it would be the same as escaping from prison. Therefore, the jailer searched through the boxes and cabinets and found this shabby clothes from some corner.
"It's still the free air outside. It feels so good to breathe it in."
Zhu Ping'an walked out of the prison gate, stretched his waist, shook his neck, and took a breath of air intoxicatedly.
Sister Li and the others must be worried sick these days. I'd better go back home as soon as possible so that they won't have to worry about me anymore.
Thinking of this, Zhu Ping'an no longer cared about feeling the air of freedom. He figured out the direction and walked quickly towards Linhuai Marquis Mansion.
By the time Zhu Ping'an jogged back to Linhuai Marquis Mansion, night had already fallen and the curfew was about to begin.
"Where did this beggar come from?! This is the Linhuai Marquis's Mansion, leave immediately."
Because it was dark, Zhu Ping'an had a stubbled beard, was much thinner, and his clothes were tattered. The doorman, Old Zhang, did not recognize Zhu Ping'an at first and thought he was a beggar who had trespassed into the Linhuai Marquis' Mansion.
"Ahem, Lao Zhang, it's me."
Zhu Ping'an coughed, looked up at the doorman, Lao Zhang, and showed his signature honest smile.
"The voice sounds familiar... You are... Uncle, you are Fifth Uncle... Fifth Uncle is back."
When the doorman Lao Zhang heard Zhu Ping'an's voice, he was stunned for a moment. He felt that the voice was a little familiar. When he saw the honest smile on Zhu Ping'an's face, he suddenly felt that this man was very familiar. He rubbed his eyes hard and looked again. Finally, he recognized Zhu Ping'an. His voice was trembling with excitement. He didn't expect that the son-in-law who was taken away by the Jinyiwei and imprisoned would come out so soon. He couldn't help but shout out with joy.
The Imperial Prison is a place like hell. I heard that no one can come out alive after being caught in it.
I didn’t expect that the son-in-law would come out. He is so powerful, even more powerful than the Monkey King who made a fuss in Heaven.
The doorman, Lao Zhang, excitedly opened the door for Zhu Ping'an and invited him into the Linhuai Marquis Mansion.
Zhu Ping'an entered the Linhuai Marquis Mansion, said a few words to the gatekeepers who greeted him excitedly, and then walked to the backyard without stopping.
It was already late in the evening. Big red lanterns were hung at the gates of each courtyard in Linhuai Marquis Mansion. The house was brightly lit everywhere. From time to time, the aroma of fine wine and delicious food as well as the sound of laughter could be heard from inside, giving the impression of a wealthy and prosperous family.
Compared with the lively other courtyards, Jingxiang Garden was much quieter, and not even a trace of laughter could be heard.
Compared with the aroma of fine wine and delicious food in other courtyards, the smell coming from Jingxiang Garden is the smell of medicinal soup.
The Sixth Miss of Linhuai Marquis's Mansion had dinner at the old lady's place and passed by Jingxiang Garden on her way back to the garden where she lived. The maids Jinque and Yinge were holding two lanterns and they immediately smelled the strong aroma of medicine from Jingxiang Garden.
"It's hard for the people in Jingxiang Garden to bear such a strong smell of medicine..." Jinque said in a low voice.
"It's so deserted, as if no one lives here. Usually their yard is the busiest." Yinge added.
"Hehe~ Let her get arrogant again. She's as proud as a peacock. She's obviously a country girl, but she lives a more luxurious life than the princesses in the palace. Now, her husband is in prison, and she's become a sick chicken. She's been beaten back to her original form... Humph, let's see how she can still put on airs in front of me."
The Sixth Young Miss of Linhuai Marquis's Mansion took out an embroidered handkerchief and covered her nose and mouth with it. She glanced at Jingxiang Garden and thought of the days when she was suppressed by Li Shu in the past. She couldn't help but giggle, with an expression of gloating.
"She said she was a young lady, but she was just a country girl. How could she compare to the young lady? The young lady is the favorite of the old lady. The old lady knew that the young lady liked the pink and jade cloud satin. When the satin was distributed today, the old lady specially left it all for the young lady. And the young lady's fiancé, Young Master Xu, has been transferred to the Ministry of Revenue. With the care of Lord Zhang, an old friend of Duke Wei, Young Master Xu has a promising future and can be promoted at any time. But that person has been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison. What kind of place is the Imperial Prison? It eats people without leaving any bones. Once you are imprisoned there, how can you come out alive? What's the use of him passing the imperial examination? He has no support. He can lose his head at any time. How can he compare with Young Master Xu."
Yinge was a smart girl. She knew what her young lady liked to hear, so she deliberately tried her best to belittle Li Shu and Zhu Ping'an to cater to the preferences of the fifth young lady of Linhuai Marquis's Mansion.
"What do you mean by fiancé? It's so embarrassing."
The Sixth Miss of Linhuai Marquis's Mansion spat lightly and cursed, but her face looked as if she had eaten honey, and it sounded more like praise and encouragement than a curse. She was a typical hypocrite and couldn't wait for the maid to continue talking.
"I am not talking nonsense. The Duke of Wei's mansion came to pick up the engagement letter the other day and compared the birth dates and horoscopes." Yinge did not disappoint the Sixth Miss and continued talking about this topic.
"Young lady is truly a blessed person..." Jinque also echoed.
The golden sparrow and the silver pigeon praised the Sixth Miss Linhuai Marquis so much that she was overjoyed and her pretty face was as rosy as a ripe peach.
The three were talking when they suddenly saw a man walking towards them. He quickly walked into the range of the lantern light and appeared in their sight as a young man with stubble and tattered clothes.
man?!
Why is there a man in the backyard?! And his clothes are tattered?! Could he have sneaked in with bad intentions?!
"ah... "
The Sixth Miss of Linhuai Marquis's Mansion was frightened and couldn't help but scream.
The two maids, Goldfinch and Silver Dove, followed suit and started shouting, the lanterns in their hands shaking like sieves.
“I’ll go!”
Zhu Ping'an on the opposite side was frightened by their screams.
"Huh?"
When the screaming Miss Six heard Zhu Ping'an's voice, she felt it was a little familiar and her scream stopped for a moment.
Following the flickering light of the lantern, I could see Zhu Ping'an's face clearly. Although he had stubble, I could still recognize him.
No way?!
Miss Six rubbed her eyes and looked carefully again to make sure she was not mistaken. It was really Zhu Ping'an.
Zhu Ping'an came out from the imperial prison!
Miss Six was completely stunned. She could not believe her eyes. She felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. Her mood, which had just been filled with joy and happiness, suddenly became terrible. The sense of superiority she had just felt was gone in an instant. She thought of the days when she was suppressed by Li Shu in the past.