Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 478 The Game of Prison Games

Meng Feng rushed to the study door and saw the unconscious Lin Yiyu and the injured Cui Zhihao. His eyes were filled with pain: "Young Master Cui! I can't leave you behind!"

"This is an order!"

Choi Ji-ho coughed up a mouthful of blood, and using his long sword to support himself, he slowly stood up.

"Chuzhou cannot be without evidence, and Cangling cannot be without this evidence! Only by taking the young master away can you avenge me and the people of Chuzhou! Hurry!"

The rebels had already reached the door of the study, and one of them thrust his spear at Meng Feng.

Meng Feng gritted his teeth, hoisted Lin Yiyu onto his shoulder, and turned to shout to the guards behind him, "Protect the young master, charge out!"

Cui Zhihao breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Meng Feng's figure disappear outside the courtyard.

He turned around, gripped his longsword, and faced the surging rebel army without a trace of fear in his eyes.

He swung his sword at the foremost rebel, but due to exhaustion, his sword strike slowed down, and he was pierced in the thigh by a rebel's spear.

"puff--"

Cui Zhihao spat out a mouthful of blood, his body swayed, and finally he could no longer hold on. The long sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a "clang".

Several rebels rushed forward, grabbed his shoulders, and forced him to the ground.

Black Tiger stepped forward, placed a foot on Cui Zhihao's back, and sneered, "Young Master Cui, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to drink the penalty cup. But it doesn't matter, the Prince said that you are of great use to his grand plan."

He waved his hand and said to the rebels behind him, "Take him away and keep a close watch on him. Don't let him die."

Two rebel soldiers stepped forward, grabbed Choi Ji-ho's arms, and dragged him outside.

Choi Ji-ho's head hung low, his long hair obscuring his face, with only blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground.

The candlelight in the government office still flickered, but it could not illuminate the bloodstains filling the room, nor could it illuminate the deep darkness in Cui Zhihao's heart.

He didn't know if Meng Feng could successfully bring out the evidence, nor did he know what he would face next. All he knew was that he had to live and wait for the day of revenge.

Choi Ji-ho leaned against the cold stone wall, with prickly dry grass beneath him. His wounds were wrapped in clean strips of cloth, their soft texture incongruous with the atmosphere of the prison.

He rubbed the edge of the cloth strip with his fingertips, his eyes showing no gratitude whatsoever—Lei Zhao and his group weren't genuinely trying to punish him; they were just wary of the name "Qinghe Cui Clan," afraid that if they really tormented him to death, it would provoke the powerful families to band together and cause trouble.

His mind was filled with images of Shi Wanxia and Fang Wen's hand clutching the evidence before he left, his knuckles turning white.

I wonder if they've shaken off their pursuers? Will those ledgers detailing Prince Rongyang's collusion with foreign enemies be safely delivered to His Majesty?

"Kaka——"

The sound of the iron lock turning interrupted his thoughts. Cui Zhihao looked up and saw the cell door being pulled open. Lei Zhao, dressed in a dark blue robe, stood in the doorway with two guards carrying swords behind him. The shadows fell over him against the light.

"Young Master Cui, you've gotten a bit thinner since I last saw you."

Lei Zhao's tone was kind, but he didn't step into the prison; he just gave a wink to the person behind him.

Soon, a jailer carrying a food box strode in and set out bowls and chopsticks on the stone table in front of Cui Zhihao—two plates of braised meat, a plate of green vegetables, and a pot of steaming yellow wine. Even the chopsticks were clean bamboo chopsticks, which were completely out of place in this musty-smelling prison.

Cui Zhihao didn't move, but raised an eyebrow at Lei Zhao: "What's Chief Lei up to? Holding a banquet in prison, aren't you afraid of embarrassing me?"

"Young Master is joking."

Lei Zhao waved for the jailer and guards to retreat outside the door, then moved a small stool to sit at the prison gate, poured himself a glass of wine, and pushed it over.

"We both work for the imperial court, but our positions are different."

"I invited you to this meal today because I wanted to have a good talk with you."

Choi Ji-ho finally reached out, picked up a piece of braised meat, and chewed it slowly, his movements deliberate and leisurely, as if he were attending a banquet in his own home.

He had already figured it out: Lei Zhao was using polite words before resorting to force; the food and drinks were just a hook to lure out Shi Wanxia's whereabouts.

"Lord Lei, please speak frankly."

Choi Ji-ho swallowed the meat, picked up his wine glass and took a sip. The wine was mellow and strong; it was indeed good wine.

"No need to beat around the bush."

A hint of approval flashed in Lei Zhao's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it: "Then I'll be frank—where is Shi Wanxia? And where did Fang Wen hide the things he brought?"

Cui Zhihao paused, his hand holding the food in his chopsticks. When he looked up, his eyes turned colder: "Lord Lei is a man of the Prince of Rongyang. Are you asking these questions to help the Prince plug this last hole?"

"What hole?"

Lei Zhao's expression darkened.

"His Majesty is suspicious. He hindered the Prince at every turn back then. If it weren't for the Prince guarding the northern border, those foreign tribes would have invaded long ago!"

“My poor prince, who is devoted to serving his country, is feared by the current emperor.”

"Young Master Cui comes from the Cui clan of Qinghe. He should know which family is worth pledging to—following that emperor will only lead to his suspicion and death sooner or later!"

"So the prince secretly colluded with foreign enemies, exchanging cities in the northern frontier for grain?"

Cui Zhihao put his chopsticks on the stone table, and his voice suddenly rose.

"Lord Lei, put your hand on your heart and tell me, those soldiers who died under the swords of the foreign tribes, those villagers whose villages were slaughtered, should their lives have become stepping stones for your prince to seize power?"

"You bullshit!"

Lei Zhao suddenly stood up, his hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist.

"That was the dog emperor deliberately smearing the prince! If Shi Wanxia hadn't stolen the fake account books and if Prince Lin hadn't stirred up trouble, none of this would have happened! Cui Zhihao, don't be so ungrateful!"

"You're not appreciative?"

Cui Zhihao sneered, "My Cui family has been loyal to the emperor for generations. Even if His Majesty has made mistakes, it is not your place to hold military power and plot rebellion! If you want me to reveal Miss Shi's whereabouts, I will have to die!"

Lei Zhao's chest heaved with anger. He stared at Cui Zhihao for a long while, then suddenly remembered the instructions given by the Prince of Rongyang before he set off.

“Cui Zhihao is no ordinary person. The Cui family of Qinghe carries great weight in the aristocratic circles. If we can win him over, we shouldn’t kill him. If that’s not possible, we shouldn’t take his life, lest we drive other aristocratic families to the emperor’s side.”

Gritting his teeth, Lei Zhao called out towards the door, "Someone come here!"

Two guards immediately entered and stood at attention, ready to receive orders.

"Take Young Master Cui to the interrogation room,"

Lei Zhao's voice was as cold as ice, "Give him a good 'question' and make him think clearly about whether being stubborn is more important or his life is more important!"

The guards responded and stepped forward to restrain Choi Ji-ho.

Cui Zhihao struggled to stand up straight, even though the wounds on his body were being torn apart and were hurting, his eyes showed no sign of pleading: "Lei Zhao, even if you use everything in the interrogation room on me, I won't say a word!"

"If anything happens to Miss Shi and the others, my Cui family will never let you off, even if it means risking the entire clan!"

Lei Zhao didn't waste any more words with him and waved his hand.

The guards carried Cui Zhihao out, and his figure quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving only the barely touched food and wine on the stone table, and the unfinished pot of yellow wine, which slowly cooled down.

Lei Zhao stood at the prison gate, staring at the empty cell, his face grim.

This mission is not easy—Cui Zhihao is a tough nut to crack, and the methods used in the interrogation room may not be able to pry his mouth open, but the prince's orders cannot be disobeyed. How can we get Cui Zhihao to open up?

Meanwhile, Choi Ji-ho, who was being taken to the interrogation room, had only one thought in his mind—hold on, he had to hold on.

As long as Shi Wanxia can deliver the account books to His Majesty, and as long as Fang Wen is safe, it will be worth it even if he suffers a little.