Chapter 552: The Storyteller's Strange Predicament

Changyang Prefecture City in Yanzhou is one of the largest cities in the region. It has a permanent population of over a hundred thousand people. Located by the Tongtian River, it serves as a transit port city for the Dazhen waterway. Most goods and luxury items transported to the capital region rest here and are also sold within the city, so its prosperity is evident.

Guided by a distant sensation from the chess piece, Ji Yuan landed in a remote suburb outside Changyang Prefecture City. Turning from a small path onto the main road, he saw carriages, horses, and pedestrians moving to and from the distant city. With the New Year approaching, these large cities were much livelier than usual.

Ji Yuan walked along the road into the city like an ordinary passerby, approaching Changyang Prefecture with the flow of people. The closer he got to the city gate, the noisier the surroundings became. Most of the noise came from the nearby bustling port, which was a hub of activity, even feeling as busy as the port outside Chunhui Prefecture.

Here, Ji Yuan's sensation from the chess piece had grown much stronger. He had initially intended to find Zhang Rui first, but while flying to Yanzhou, he briefly calculated Wang Li's situation and found it intriguing. Since Zhang Rui also seemed not far from Wang Li, he decided to visit Wang Li first.

Snowflakes began to fall from the sky over Changyang Prefecture. Even before Ji Yuan entered the city, a woman in white, holding a white oil-paper umbrella, walked step by step towards the city center. She was alone, seemingly out of place amidst the bustling crowd, and her aloof demeanor made those around her inexplicably hesitant to stare.

Only when she reached a restaurant next to the yamen did the woman close her umbrella and enter. Although it was almost time for a meal, it wasn't quite there yet, so not many people were eating or drinking in the restaurant's main hall. A new waiter, seeing the woman enter, eagerly rushed over to greet her.

“Oh, esteemed guest, how many are in your party? Do you have a reservation?”

The woman in white looked at the waiter, her face devoid of expression, and simply said, “I'm here to pick up a reserved meal box.”

The manager, seeing the woman in white approach, quickly bowed and called out to her from a distance. “Miss Zhang, you've arrived! Your meal is already prepared and being kept warm in the back kitchen. We'll pack it for you right away!” Saying this, the manager quickly instructed another waiter nearby to fetch the meal box from the kitchen.

The woman in white nodded at the manager. “I appreciate it.”

“Oh, haha, it's my duty, just my duty!”

After speaking, the woman did not enter the restaurant further, but simply stood by the entrance waiting. Shortly after, a waiter with a cloth draped over his shoulder came trotting over, carrying an exquisite meal box, and handed it to her with both hands.

“Esteemed guest, here is your meal box.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The woman in white took the meal box, turned and left the restaurant, reopened her umbrella, and walked into the snowy street, heading in the direction of the distant yamen.

The new waiter, seeing the woman leave, quietly asked a colleague, “Brother Li, who was that woman just now? She seemed very distinguished.”

“Who cares who she is? Just a young lady from a wealthy family!”

The one walking in the snow with the meal box was indeed Zhang Rui. She wasn't going to the yamen to report a crime, of course—what crime would a ghost or deity need to report? Instead, she bypassed it, passed through several checkpoints, and arrived outside the main prison of Changyang Prefecture City.

The jailers guarding the prison gate seemed to know Zhang Rui; seeing her approach, they immediately clasped their hands in greeting.

“Miss Zhang, you're here again?”

“Yes, thank you. Take me to him.”

“Yes, yes, please come in!”

The jailer led Zhang Rui into the prison. Although the surrounding cells were dirty and messy, and a slightly pungent smell lingered, Zhang Rui didn't even frown.

“Little lady, what are you doing in this prison?” “Hey, hey, is that a meal box? Let me taste the dishes inside!”

“Hahahahaha, this pretty girl, is your man in jail?”

“Speak up, you're so cold.” “Hahahahaha...”

Hearing some prisoners make rude remarks along the way, the jailer grabbed his sabre and hit the bars on both sides with its hilt. “Shut up! All of you, shut up! Are you tired of living? One more word, and my brothers and I will loosen your bones today!”

Even though the prisoners knew the aloof woman in white might have connections, they still dared to taunt loudly and say vulgar things. But when a mere low-ranking jailer spoke, they immediately fell silent, illustrating the saying: "It's easier to avoid the King of Hell than a troublesome minor devil." Everyone was afraid.

They reached a fork deep inside the prison, turned left, and arrived at the end. Looking from a distance, there were actually seven or eight jailers gathered outside one cell. Just seeing this scene, Zhang Rui couldn't help but smile, which stunned the jailer who happened to turn back.

“Uh, Miss Zhang, we've arrived.” The jailer said, quickening his pace, and Wang Li's expressive voice could already be vaguely heard.

“Now, speaking of that Lady Xue, she did have some loyalty. Hearing that Master Wang had invited a grand master, intending to exorcise the demon without question, the Xue family, remembering past kindness, secretly ran to the riverside and conveyed this message...”

The jailer looked around; not only his colleagues, but also prisoners from several adjacent cells were pressed against the bars, gathered at the closest point to the end cell, listening with great interest, quiet and undisturbed.

“Chief, Miss Zhang is here.”

Wang Li's storytelling was interrupted by the jailer, and the seven or eight jailers also came to their senses, turning to look back, as a woman in white slowly approached, carrying a meal box.

“Ah, what a bummer!” “Yeah, it was just getting to the crucial part!”

“Exactly!”

The chief jailer patted his subordinates on both sides. “What are you saying? Get up, get up, go do your work!”

“Go, go, I'm talking to you!”

From inside his cell, Wang Li cupped his hands in salute to the jailers who were leaving, carrying their long benches and stools. “Farewell, everyone! If you wish to know what happens next, please listen to the next installment!”

“Pfft...”

Zhang Rui, who had walked close by, finally couldn't help but burst into laughter. Her previous aloofness instantly vanished, though her serene, indifferent expression soon returned.

Wang Li leaned against the bars, looking at the woman in white, his gaze quickly fixing on the meal box in her hands. He scratched his head and said, “You're here?”

The chief jailer stood outside Wang Li's cell, unhooked the keys from his waist, unlocked the large lock on Wang Li's cell, and personally pushed the door open, saying to the woman in white who had arrived beside him, “Miss Zhang, please come in. I'll wait outside.”

“Yes, thank you very much!”

Zhang Rui gave a slight curtsy to the chief jailer, then entered Wang Li's cell with the meal box. The chief jailer and the other jailer who had accompanied her waited outside, keeping a slight distance to provide enough privacy.

From the moment Zhang Rui entered the cell, Wang Li had been staring at the meal box, rubbing his hands impatiently as he said, “What delicious food is there? The New Year is almost here; I finally get a decent meal!”

Zhang Rui smiled and shook her head. “Others waste away in prison, but you, you're full of vigor. I think there's no need to wait for your sentence to end; staying here until you're old and dead would be fine.”

“That won't do! I still have many stories I haven't told outside! Oh, enough talk, let's eat, eating is important now. I used too much energy storytelling just now; I'm starving!”

Zhang Rui sighed, placed the meal box on the small table by the dirt bed in the cell, and opened it layer by layer. Immediately, the fragrant aroma of food wafted forth.

“Gulp...”

Wang Li immediately swallowed. Not just him, but those in the opposite and adjacent cells who smelled the aroma were also salivating.

Once Zhang Rui had placed all the dishes on the table, Wang Li could no longer resist. He picked up his chopsticks and rice bowl, eagerly shoveled in two mouthfuls of rice, then used his chopsticks to scoop meat and vegetables into his mouth. He chewed after filling his mouth, which gave him a strong sense of satisfaction and happiness.

“If you were willing, I could have secretly taken you out long ago. You could live comfortably with a new identity. Why suffer in this prison?”

He chewed vigorously, then swallowed the food whole, picked up a soup spoon, drank a couple of mouthfuls of soup, caught his breath, and then replied, “That won't do. I am Wang Li, I don't change my name or surname. How could I live a secretive, ignoble life? Besides, Minister Yin has already given his word; they can't do anything to me. I'll be released after the New Year. Why are you bringing this up now?”

As he spoke, Wang Li quickly shoveled rice and ate dishes, not letting his mouth stop. It was unclear if it was because a storyteller's mouth was specially trained, but he ate so fast and eagerly without choking at all.

“Oh, Master Wang, you certainly have backbone. I wonder who it was, back when he was beaten to a pulp and thrown into prison, who saw me at night and cried, almost calling me 'mother'?”

A storyteller's thick skin is something cultivated, but even Wang Li, a master of this craft, couldn't help but feel his face flush at this moment, stammering, “Well, I was almost dying back then...”

“Pfft... *chuckles* Hahahahaha...”

Zhang Rui was so amused by Wang Li that she held her sides laughing. After recovering a bit, she pointed a slender finger at him and said, “Oh, you! You're not young anymore, but you still act so inappropriately! No wonder you've never found a wife. If Master Ji saw you like this, he'd surely make fun of you!”

Wang Li chewed the food in his mouth, spitting out tiny rice grains as he replied, “How do you know Master Ji doesn't know? This is a test for me, a test, understand?”

Zhang Rui deftly avoided the flying rice grains, grabbed Wang Li's ear, and pulled him back to the table. “Just eat your food!”

Wang Li cried out in pain, whispering urgently, “Ow, ow, ow... Sss... Gently, gently, I'm just a mortal, my lady!”

Zhang Rui, both annoyed and amused, let go. Wang Li rubbed his ears twice and began to eat heartily again.

The meal ended in this cheerful atmosphere. Zhang Rui left with the meal box once again, while Wang Li, full and content, lay on his cell bed, looking towards the cell door with a hint of disappointment.

After Zhang Rui left, the jailers in the prison did not gather outside Wang Li's cell again, seemingly giving him enough rest.

In a corner of the hall at the front of the prison, where jailers rested, the chief jailer sat at a table, drinking wine and eating dishes. After watching Zhang Rui leave, he recalled a note he had received yesterday. The note's content was simple: Wang Li was not to be allowed out of prison. Yet Wang Li was clearly nearing the end of his sentence. The chief jailer understood the implication perfectly.