Chapter 179: Desperate Situation
CLANG!
The cell door slammed shut, the heavy sound making Ye Heng flinch.
He stiffly raised his head and looked around. As he took in the damp, gloomy cell and the nauseating, musty-sweet stench in the air, the reality of his situation finally hit him.
’A dignified fourth-rank court official like me... thrown in jail just like that!?’
Even now, it still felt like a dream.
He had only gone to the Han Family to warn Han Yao to keep his mouth shut. So... ’How did it come to this!?’
Ye Heng leaned against the cold wall and slowly sank to the floor, his mind a tangled mess.
Su Wei himself had ordered his imprisonment this time. Getting out wouldn’t be simple at all.
At the very least, he wasn’t going to leave here until the investigation was over.
’But... I never poisoned Han Yao!’
’Could Ye Chutang have framed me? No, she was also called in at the last minute, and Han Yao was already unconscious. The timing doesn’t add up.’
Ye Heng’s brows drew together. ’I only arranged for a sleeping draught to knock Han Yao out for a few days and keep him from causing trouble. How did it turn into poison—’
’No, wait!’
A sudden understanding dawned on Ye Heng, and his eyes flew wide in horror.
’The only one who could have switched the sleeping draught for poison without anyone knowing... could only be—’
The name echoed in his mind, making his whole body go numb and his limbs turn to ice.
An indescribable despair began to creep into his heart.
’Could it be that I’ll end up just like Han Tong...?’
...
By the time Murong Ye returned to his estate, dusk had already fallen.
From a distance, he spotted a familiar figure and couldn’t help but pause.
Ye Shixian noticed his arrival as well and hurried forward.
"Mr. Murong!"
Murong Ye saw her red-rimmed eyes, a clear sign she had been crying, and his heart immediately ached. "Xian’er, what are you doing here? Have you been waiting long?"
Ye Shixian had been waiting for a long time and was already exhausted. The moment he asked, tears began to stream down her face.
She was a truly heart-wrenching sight.
Murong Ye hurried to console her. "Don’t cry. Whatever the trouble is, you can tell me!"
He clearly didn’t know what had happened to Ye Heng yet.
Ye Shixian hastily wiped away her tears and looked up, her eyes glistening. Her voice was filled with desperation and pleading. "Mr. Murong, I’m begging you—you must save my father!"
Murong Ye had never seen her in such a pitiful state and immediately sensed something was wrong.
"What happened? I’ve been out all day, so I haven’t heard—"
Ye Shixian bit her lip, choking back a sob. "It was... It was Lord Su from the Ministry of Justice. He... he took my father away!"
Murong Ye was completely bewildered. "What?"
Ye Shixian had no choice but to recount the day’s events, and Murong Ye’s frown deepened as he listened.
"My father would never do such a thing. There has to be a misunderstanding! Mr. Murong, I’m completely at a loss. If something were to happen to him, I... I don’t know what I would do..."
As she spoke, Ye Shixian lowered her head and began to weep again.
Murong Ye understood why she had come, but he found the situation rather thorny.
"This matter... I’m afraid it will be difficult to handle..."
’Su Wei wouldn’t detain someone for no reason. Acting rashly right now would be a mistake.’
’Especially with the palace banquet tomorrow... ’
Seeing Murong Ye’s continued hesitation, Ye Shixian’s heart began to sink.
’Murong Ye was always so attentive before. But now that I’m in real trouble, he’s hesitating!’
Ye Shixian gave a bitter laugh. "I know I’m putting you in a difficult position, Mr. Murong. In that case... please, just forget it. It was presumptuous of me to come today. I hope you’ll forgive my intrusion."
With that, she made a move to bow and take her leave.
In the end, Murong Ye couldn’t bear to see her like this and quickly called out, "Wait!"