She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

Jiang Jin'an pushed open the heavy iron gate of the imperial prison, the bronze hinges creaking loudly.

Chu Xiangling remained kneeling on the bluestone ground, the shackles on her wrists making a clear, rustling sound as she ground the medicinal powder. "The poison has been identified; it is indeed a type of Gu worm. Your Excellency has keen insight and must have already known this."

Her voice was calm and indifferent, "This powder, when mixed with water, can dispel miasma and ward off poison. If you are worried about the environment in the prison, you may wish to give it a try."

She focused intently on grinding the medicinal herbs in her hands, without turning her head, until the pair of black boots stopped half an inch in front of her.

"With the Imperial Concubine's birthday banquet approaching, the Imperial Music Bureau will arrange for ten dancers to perform in the palace." Jiang Jin'an's voice was as cold as ice. His black iron wrist guards gleamed in the dim prison cell, making the sharpness between his brows appear even more razor-sharp. "I will give you the opportunity to plead before the Emperor."

If we want to thoroughly investigate the poison in Emperor Hui's body, Chu Xiangling is the best candidate at the moment, and perhaps the only one.

Since Chu Xiangling's target is the Duke of Dingguo's mansion and Prince Jing, it's not unreasonable to take advantage of them and use them to do one's dirty work.

Enemies can indeed become allies at times, especially when interests align.

Even a temporary ally is enough to achieve the goal.

The grinding sound stopped abruptly.

Chu Xiangling was startled, her hand holding the pestle trembled slightly, and she suddenly raised her head, a glimmer of light finally breaking through her previously calm and still eyes.

She suddenly bowed deeply, her forehead touching the cold stone slab. "Thank you for your kindness, sir."

Jiang Jin'an waved his hand, and Lin Yu and the others immediately understood and left, leaving only Jiang Jin'an and Chu Xiangling in the room.

“I will do my utmost to handle your father’s case,” Jiang Jin’an said.

"I could never repay even a fraction of your kindness, my lord, even if I were to be shattered to pieces."

"I don't want your reward." Jiang Jin'an looked at her, his eyes deep, and his tone suddenly became sharp. "Petition before the Emperor, I want a bloody death."

Chu Xiangling was silent for a moment. As she stood up, she glanced at the faint light outside the cell window and asked, "Aren't you afraid that I might turn against you, sir?"

Jiang Jin'an lowered his eyes and stroked the copper key of the Commandant's Secret Service. "Tomorrow at dawn, Commandant Tong will escort you to the Music Bureau."

“Your father’s case file has been sealed for five years and has been gathering dust for a long time.” Jiang Jin’an raised his eyes and tossed the copper key to her with his backhand, which landed accurately in Chu Xiangling’s medicine jar. “The coroner who performed the autopsy in the Ministry of Justice five years ago is now living on the streets, begging for a living.”

He paused for a moment, then said, "I have prepared enough paper money for you to burn."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiangling looked at him in surprise.

……

Inside the west wing, the candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows.

Gu Changyi remained curled up on the couch, her face flushed and her brows furrowed, clearly indicating that she was quite ill.

Shen Jingshu was gently wiping his feverish forehead with a handkerchief dampened with cool water when she suddenly heard familiar footsteps coming from the corridor. Turning around, she saw Jiang Jin'an entering, draped in night dew.

The night mist condensed on his dark robes, further highlighting his tall and straight figure and his handsome features. Even though he was tired, his good looks were still evident.

"Amulet for safety..."

The person on the bed suddenly uttered a faint murmur, their tightly closed eyes trembling slightly, their fingers unconsciously clenching Shen Jingshu's sleeve, their knuckles turning white from the force.

Yaoqin carried the medicine bowl inside and almost bumped into Lin Yu, who was walking briskly. The scalding medicine sloshed around and nearly spilled.

The young maid was startled and retreated behind the screen, her face flushed. Before she could recover, a sharp cry rang out from outside: "Cousin! Are you going to exterminate our entire Gu family?!"

Gu Shiyi rushed into the house, lifting her skirt, and went straight to Jiang Jin'an. She grabbed his sleeve and said in a tearful voice, "Father has made my eldest brother kneel in the ancestral hall for many days! Now he wants to make that vixen Wen Yin... um!"

Jinse quickly stuffed a piece of osmanthus cake into her mouth, successfully silencing her from saying anything more.

Seeing Gu Shiyi's puffed-out cheeks as she hiccuped, Shen Jingshu suppressed a laugh and handed her a cup of tea: "Sister Gu, try this newly made jasmine honey, it tastes very good..."

"Who wants to drink your lousy tea!" Gu Shiyi flung her hand and knocked over the teacup, splashing tea everywhere and breaking porcelain shards all over the floor, some of which even landed on Sikong's boots as he entered the room.

The young guard silently took half a step back and hid his sword behind his back.

Jiang Jin'an rubbed his throbbing temples and sighed helplessly, "Sikong, it's late. Take your young lady..."

"I'm not leaving!" Gu Shiyi suddenly rushed to Gu Changyi's bedside, grabbed the blood-stained amulet and threw it on the ground. "Second brother is unconscious, yet he's still clutching this unlucky thing tightly. He must be under some kind of sorcery!"

"Sikong," Jiang Jin'an suddenly raised his voice, "go to the stables and change Ta Xue's saddle and bridle."

Sikong rushed out as if he had been granted a pardon.

Gu Shiyi stomped her foot angrily: "Even you're kicking me out? Even you're kicking me out! I'm going to tell my mother that you're bullying me!"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Yu had already hoisted her up like a sack of potatoes.

"Miss Gu, your voice is loud enough to attract the night patrol." Lin Yu grinned and pulled out a piece of candy. "How about I carry you to Zhuque Street to buy rouge? The newly opened cosmetics shop is called... Ouch!"

Gu Shiyi bit his hand hard.

A scream came from outside the door: "Miss Gu, are you a dog?!"

Jinse watched the two wrestle and disappear into the night, her shoulders shaking from trying to suppress her laughter, and silently cleaned up the mess on the floor.

With a combination of coaxing and pushing, Sikong and Lin Yu finally managed to get the person into the carriage.

The sound of carriage wheels mixed with curses gradually faded into the distance.

Lin Yu came in rubbing the back of his hand, baring his teeth and raising his swollen hand, with a clear ring of teeth marks on the back of his hand. "Miss Gu's teeth really do come from the mastiffs of the Duke of Dingguo's hunting grounds."

Shen Jingshu picked up the amulet and turned around, only to meet Jiang Jin'an's meaningful gaze.

"Sister Gu, she..."

Jiang Jin'an waved his hand, interrupting her, walked to the table, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and the tea spilled onto the table. "Don't take her words to heart."

Shen Jingshu shook her head. "She was just worried about her second brother and said something without thinking. I understand."

She paused, then added, "Actually, her concerns are not unfounded. The current situation of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion is indeed..."

Jiang Jin'an walked to the bedside, his fingertips touching the burning forehead. Fine beads of cold sweat mingled with the scent of medicine, and the heat made his brows furrow even more.

He took the medicine bowl and personally fed Gu Changyi the medicine, but Gu Changyi kept her lips tightly closed, and the medicine was only half-ingested and half-spit out, filling the room with the aroma of medicine.

Shen Jingshu frowned, "His illness, I'm afraid, requires psychological treatment. Tomorrow..."

She looked up at Jiang Jin'an, hesitant to speak, already having an idea in mind, but unsure if it was appropriate.

Jiang Jin'an understood what she meant, "Wuchen".

"Your subordinate is here." Wuchen peeked out from behind a pillar.

"Take my token to the Imperial Hospital." Jiang Jin'an untied the token from his waist and tossed it to Wuchen. "Please have Physician Xu... come and administer the acupuncture himself!"