The afternoon sun was dazzlingly bright. Fan Changyu tilted her head back to look at the unfamiliar young man sitting atop the high wall, momentarily lost in thought.
Hearing Xie Zheng's question, she felt a faint embarrassment at having her thoughts exposed.
Her long lashes, gilded by sunlight, fluttered like tiny fans. Having circled the Court of Revision under the scorching sun, her fair cheeks bore a delicate pink flush, with even the fine down visible. Yet she clasped her hands behind her back, assuming a composed demeanor: "What are you doing here?"
Xie Zheng smiled and leaped down from the wall, landing right in front of Fan Changyu: "From the Goose Wing Tower, I saw someone skulking around the Court of Revision walls like a thief. Came to see what petty burglar this might be."
At this teasing remark, Fan Changyu unconsciously clenched a fist, shooting Xie Zheng a warning glare that promised violence if he continued mocking her.
Knowing when to stop, Xie Zheng changed the subject: "Planning a nighttime jailbreak?"
Remembering her scheme, Fan Changyu glanced around. Even after confirming no one was nearby, she took two cautious steps closer and whispered by Xie Zheng's ear: "That impostor pretending to be Yu Qianqian—I heard she'll face further interrogation. I'm afraid she'll reveal Sui Yuanhuai is still alive. I plan to break her out."
Her voice was hushed, her breath brushing lightly against Xie Zheng's ear, sending tingling sensations like insects crawling along its edge.
Xie Zheng leaned slightly to listen, his expression normal though his ears reddened subtly. A hand behind his back clenched tightly, as if restraining something.
Oblivious, Fan Changyu finished and looked up at him: "What do you think?"
Though she'd learned to maintain a stern front to command respect, when speaking to those close to her, her clear, bright eyes still held an honest, somewhat naive charm—like a fierce tiger rolling playfully in snow. Combined with her words, she appeared both simple and dangerous.
Xie Zheng's dark eyes quietly observed the eager young woman before him. With effort, he tore his gaze from her slightly dry lips. The hair ribbon tied around his wrist seemed to burn, the last shreds of reason barely helping him process her plan.
He said, "Breaking out a major prisoner facing Joint Trial by the Three Supreme Courts—aren't you afraid of investigation?"
Fan Changyu blinked her guileless eyes twice: "Wouldn't suspicion naturally fall on Wei Yan? Military strategy calls this... diverting disaster eastward!"
Xie Zheng couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Your personal military strategy?"
Changyu paused. She'd improvised when the proper term escaped her. His remark flustered her.
She coughed dryly. "Well, that's the general idea."
Xie Zheng leaned against the wall, eyelids slightly lowered as he explained slowly: "The Court of Revision guards change shifts at 3pm. Night jailers number only eighteen, but once a breakout is detected, they'll sound the golden bell. All prison exits will lock, and soldiers will surround the place in impenetrable layers."
Changyu stared blankly, scratching her head in frustration. "So breaking her out is impossible?"
Xie Zheng lifted his gaze slightly: "Break her out."
Changyu: "..."The night was cold and heavy with dew, and the occasional bark of a dog from somewhere startled the crows perched on the withered branches, sending them fluttering into the air.
The Court of Revision, illuminated by two dim lanterns, stood silently in the darkness like a towering grave.
Deep within the prison, torches flickered in the wall niches, their pine resin scent mingling with the musty odor of a place untouched by sunlight for years, filling the air and making one drowsy.
The prison cells were arranged in a cross-shaped layout, with each branch extending deep inside, housing about twenty to thirty cells. Four jailers, divided into two pairs, patrolled back and forth along a single passageway.
At the intersection of the four passages stood the interrogation room and the duty office. The chief jailer and his deputy usually waited here, ready to receive high-ranking officials who came to interrogate prisoners. In case of a jailbreak, they could quickly sound the alarm bell in the duty office upon hearing any disturbance.
That night, the chief jailer and his deputy sat at a square table, yawning repeatedly.
"I can't take it anymore. I need to splash some cold water on my face to wake up," the deputy jailer said, rising with a yawn.
The chief jailer, propping his head on his elbow, was also struggling to stay awake. "Bring me a basin of water too. This bitter winter makes it so easy to doze off."
The deputy jailer acknowledged and went out to fetch water.
As the chief jailer yawned again, his bleary eyes half-opened to see a tall, dark shadow looming over him.
A chill ran down his spine, but before he could turn around, a swift chop to the back of his neck sent him into unconsciousness.
Two patrolling jailers at the intersection of the passages were about to cry out when a sudden gust of wind seemed to brush past their ears. A sharp pain struck the back of their necks, and they crumpled to the ground, the faint sound of dislocated joints accompanying their fall.
Xie Zheng, having knocked out the chief jailer, turned to see Fan Changyu in a night suit, crouching to reset a jailer's dislocated shoulder.
Meeting Xie Zheng's puzzled gaze, Fan Changyu awkwardly explained, "I didn’t notice—hit him too hard and dislocated his shoulder."
The moment the arm was reset, the excruciating pain roused the jailer. But before he could even let out a scream, a swift slap knocked him out again.
The deputy jailer, returning with a basin of cold water, froze at the sight. The wooden basin slipped from his hands as he opened his mouth to shout "Jailbreak!" But the black-clad figure standing beside the chief jailer moved like a ghost, pressing a finger to his throat like a sword tip while deftly catching the falling basin with his foot and flipping it back up.
The deputy jailer felt a sharp pain in his throat, rendering him unable to utter a sound, no matter how hard he tried. The basin, which had nearly crashed to the ground, was effortlessly caught by the black-clad man, who even managed to scoop back every spilled drop of water into it.
Terrified, the deputy jailer tried to flee, but Fan Changyu sprang forward, striking his neck with her elbow and sending him into unconsciousness with a roll of his eyes.
Fan Changyu exhaled softly and whispered, "The last one."
Before reaching the duty office, they had already slipped in through the window and knocked out the other patrolling jailers.
Xie Zheng retrieved a set of keys of varying lengths from the chief jailer and said, "The Sui family is held in Cell A9."
Fan Changyu followed Xie Zheng down the passage marked with the character "A."
Torches lined the narrow corridor at regular intervals, eliminating the need for lanterns.
Sui Yuanhuai's concubine and only son, as key imperial prisoners, were confined together in a cramped cell.The iron chains securing the prison cell door were as thick as a baby's arm. Xie Zheng had to try each key from the large bunch one by one. The faint clinking of metal links stirred the prisoners in the adjacent cells awake.
Yet none dared make a sound, uncertain whether the newcomers were here to kill them or to rescue them.
The mother and child held in solitary confinement were in worse shape than when Fan Changyu had first seen them. The woman, now even more disheveled and filthy, clutched her child tightly. Her thin clothing stretched taut over her emaciated frame, the sharp outlines of her vertebrae visible through the fabric.
Her eyes held no hope as she stared at Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu outside the cell—only terror. Even her arms trembled violently around her child.
To avoid complications, Fan Changyu remained silent, keeping watch at the corridor's end while Xie Zheng worked.
Unexpectedly, an old man with graying hair in a cell across from them suddenly shrieked hysterically, "Prison break! Murder—!"
Through the egg-sized ventilation holes near the ceiling, flickering torchlight swarmed—the guards outside had clearly heard the old man's cries.
Xie Zheng's eyes turned icy, and Fan Changyu tensed instantly.
Originally, they had ample time after discreetly knocking out the jailers with a mild dose of knockout incense. But now, thanks to the old man's outburst, the exits of the Court of Revision would soon be swarmed.
There was no longer enough time to test each key.
Gritting her teeth, Fan Changyu rushed over while Xie Zheng remained composed, still trying keys. "Let me!"
Though she couldn't snap the baby-arm-thick chains, a few powerful kicks at the cell's wooden bars—each as thick as a fist—sent them splintering apart.
Using her physical advantage, she squeezed through the gap, grabbing the woman and child effortlessly, one in each hand, and hauled them out.
At the jagged breach in the cell, she shoved the stunned child into Xie Zheng's arms, hoisted the woman onto her shoulder, and barked, "Go!"
Xie Zheng glanced at the child now in his grip and the woman slung over Fan Changyu's shoulder. He considered offering to carry the woman himself, but recalling her scant clothing, he held his tongue. Instead, he swiftly followed Fan Changyu toward the exit, the child dangling from one hand.
The old man, watching Fan Changyu abduct Sui Yuanhuai's "concubine," grew increasingly agitated—whether out of genuine ignorance of the pair's true identity, misplaced loyalty, or some other reason. He gripped the cell bars, still screaming, "Help! Prisoners escaping—!"
Xie Zheng frowned slightly. Just before leaving, he cast a cold glance backward.
Outside, the guards had rushed toward the prison at the sound of the alarm. Upon discovering the unconscious jailers, their panic deepened. They hurried to the cells holding the Sui family, only to find all the servants and captured subordinate generals accounted for—except for Sui Yuanhuai's concubine. Cold sweat beaded on the guard captain's forehead.
"Seal all exits!" he roared. "Tear this place apart if you have to!"
Yet when torchlight revealed the shattered, uneven stumps of the cell bars, his shock was undeniable.
What kind of monstrous strength could do this? Just who were these jailbreakers?Having surveyed the terrain during the day, Fan Changyu quickly located the weakest section of the perimeter wall while carrying the woman and agilely scaled over it.
Xie Zheng followed closely behind, leaping over with the child in hand.
Once outside, fearing the woman might recognize the route, Fan Changyu pulled out a pre-prepared burlap sack from her robe and unceremoniously covered the woman’s head—her mouth already stuffed with cotton.
She then handed a smaller sack to Xie Zheng. "Put this on the child too."
The practiced ease of her movements left Xie Zheng silent for a brief moment.
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