Shocking! In this matriarchal society, every man wants to marry me!

Yu Yijin's originally calm face twisted in pain.

He knew Xia Wen was trash, a scumbag, a woman despised by everyone, but he couldn't forget her. She was his first woman, carrying all the love he had in his youth.

She died alone, tragically and utterly. He didn't go to be with her; at the very least, he should have made those who harmed her die too.

"Hahaha." Xia Jin'an laughed. "Yu Yijin, do you have some kind of weird quirk? Others treat it like trash, but you treat it like treasure. You really aren't picky about food!"

Yu Yijin closed his eyes to calm himself down; he knew Xia Jin'an was trying to provoke him.

"You have one more night to wait for death."

"Tomorrow you will meet Xia Wen underground. No, when you die I should smear your face, so that that bastard Xia Wen won't take a fancy to you down there."

Xia Jin'an spat on the ground in a rather uncouth manner: "What bad luck! We'll never meet. She must be suffering day and night in the 18th level of hell. Maybe she'll be reincarnated as an animal."

Yu Yijin wasn't angry. He couldn't afford to get angry with someone who was about to die; it would be a waste of his composure.

He said to the jailer who walked in, "Interrogate him thoroughly. General Yue has been waiting for news."

The jailer understood; this was an indication that she should be tortured. He nodded and said, "I understand, sir. Rest assured, I will make sure you are satisfied."

Yu Yijin glanced at Xia Jin'an with some sympathy, then turned and left.

The jailer was a woman in her fifties who had been working in the prison for over 30 years. She was intimately familiar with all kinds of torture methods, and everyone in front of her was like a skeleton in disguise. She could devour food even in the most horrific scenes.

Xia Jin'an's facial injuries had been mostly healed, revealing her charming and delicate face. However, the jailer in front of her showed no mercy whatsoever. What should she use? A whip soaked in salt water, or a red-hot branding iron?

Xia Jin'an looked at her with fear and helplessness.

He could argue with Yu Yijin head-on, but when faced with a cold-blooded woman who had been imprisoned for over 30 years, he couldn't even beg for mercy; begging would only increase her violent desires.

He closed his eyes in pain.

But

"Amitabha, may the Buddha have mercy on me."

Before seeing him, one could hear his voice. Le Xingxi entered from outside. His face was cold and aloof, and when he chanted the Buddhist mantra, he appeared solemn and dignified, instantly making this dilapidated prison seem like a Buddhist holy site.

Since when did prisons become like marketplaces, where anyone can come in?

The jailer inwardly grumbled, but still respectfully stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and said, "Lord Le, prison is such a despicable place, what brings you here?"

"This humble monk sensed that the area around the prison was filled with resentment and evil spirits that lingered for a long time, causing the local people to often be unable to sleep peacefully. Therefore, the people requested that I come to exorcise the vengeful spirits. This humble monk asked His Majesty for permission, and His Majesty agreed."

Torture is often used in the trial of criminals, and there are often cries and wails of pain. The surrounding people are used to it. Who would bother to invite a master to perform a ritual? Even if they did, they would only invite a minor Taoist priest. How could they possibly invite such a noble and boundless deity as Le Gong?

Even if His Majesty agreed, it was still a trivial matter. His Majesty was extremely busy with state affairs; it was surely nonsense from the noble person before him. But as a mere jailer, she naturally couldn't question it.

So she showed a delighted expression: "Thank you for your hard work, Le Gongfeng! We have been looking forward to seeing you for so long."

It was supposed to be to exorcise vengeful spirits, but Le Xingxi only pretended to chant a few Buddhist mantras before staying in the cell without moving.

The jailer was extremely shrewd and immediately understood. "Master Yue, the resentment here is the strongest. I might interfere with your spellcasting if I stay, so I'll leave now."

Le Xingxi was quite satisfied with the jailer's pragmatism and nodded reservedly.

Xia Jin'an's initially cold heart gradually warmed up. The moment she saw Le Xingxi, she understood.

He had no connection with Le Xingxi; the only connection was with Zhong Niang, who came to his rescue.

After everyone left, Le Xingxi sat down on a chair. The foul air in the prison made him frown, but he didn't complain. He just looked at Xia Jin'an with some curiosity.

"Xia Jin'an, Zhong Tian sent me to save you."

Xia Jin'an looked outside but didn't see Zhong Tian. She was a little disappointed: "Where's Zhong Niang?"

"She didn't come; he went to find evidence to save you."

"What's the story between you two? I'm very curious about why Nakata is so protective of you."

Xia Jin'an smiled gently and said, "We have a long time tonight, so let's talk slowly."

The next day, while Le Xingxi was dozing off, Xia Jin'an was taken away.

In the lobby, Yu Yijin frowned as he looked at Xia Jin'an, who was unharmed but somewhat exhausted. In his imagination, Xia Jin'an should be covered in wounds and on the verge of death.

General Yue was training troops at the drill ground and couldn't leave at all, so he only sent his trusted old steward to follow Yu Yijin.

Lord Zhao sat upright on the high platform, his expression cold, and questioned, word by word, "Xia Jin'an, did you instruct Linlang to poison the food of Lord Xia and Lord Yu?"

"no!"

Lord Zhao turned to Linlang and asked, "Linlang, did Xia Jin'an instruct you to poison the food?"

Linlang glanced at Xia Jin'an and nodded: "Yes."

"Xia Jin'an, do you plead guilty?"

"Why should I confess if I didn't do it?"

"If it's not you, who is it?"

"It was Yu Yijin! We have a long-standing feud, and he framed me."

Lord Zhao slammed his gavel: "Lord Yu's child also accidentally ingested poison and is now unable to speak. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, let alone humans! Don't make baseless accusations when you're about to die!"

Her daughter's loss of voice has almost put Yu Yijin in an invincible position.

Xia Jin'an told the truth, but no one believed him. Who could have imagined that a father could be so cold and ruthless towards his own daughter? He closed his eyes and almost resigned himself to his fate.

Zhong Tian walked in from outside, looked at Xia Jin'an who was already somewhat desperate, gently patted his back, and then knelt properly in the hall.

"Lord Zhao, if there is a letter of forgiveness from the victim, will the sentence be lighter?"

"Yes," Lord Zhao nodded, "Zhaohua State has this law."

"That's good."

Zhongtian took out the letter of understanding from Xia Muning and General Yue from his bosom and respectfully presented it to Lord Zhao.

Before Lord Zhao could speak, Yu Yijin lunged forward to snatch the two letters of understanding. He abandoned all his usual composure and cried out, "This is impossible! This is impossible!"