Su Yang could only wait patiently.
Xie Taihong and his entourage dismounted and walked over. The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial took the initiative to introduce both parties.
Afterward, Fang Yuchun and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial led the three members of the Lan Yong envoy into the prison. Xia Zeshi and Xu Hengyi also followed.
They couldn't rest assured if they didn't follow.
That Su Yang was acting so desperately; who knew what he might do.
Xie Jiang's father couldn't even control a Su Yang!
Did Su Yang have such a powerful background?
Wasn't he just a scion of a prominent family under Lan Yong?
Xu Hengyi, walking at the end, whispered to Xia Zeshi. Soon, everyone arrived outside the cell where Xie Jiang was being held.
"Young Master!"
Su Yang pressed himself against the cell door and shouted excitedly. Upon clearly seeing the situation inside the cell, he suddenly turned back and roared at Fang Yuchun and the jailer, "What have you done to my young master!"
Xie Taihong and He Zhifei were also very surprised. Xie Jiang was actually holding a book and reading, with a stack of scrolls placed on the stool by the bed. What had Xie Jiang experienced in Da Yu?
The jailer was bewildered by the shouting. "What could we have done? We haven't done anything. Isn't the Marquis of Nanhai doing well?"
In the more than thirty years since the establishment of the Da Yu Dynasty, there had been many officials and royal relatives who had been imprisoned. None of them had been treated as well as the Marquis of Nanhai.
The straw spread on the stone bed was taken out to dry daily, and the bedding and quilts were replaced with freshly washed and dried ones every day. Even the Emperor in Yuan You Palace did not live as meticulously.
Su Yang felt like he could kill these people. "If you haven't done anything, why would my young master be reading?!"
Everyone knew that his young master only liked playing with knives!
Now he was reading books.
How terrifying.
Su Yang's heart ached, and tears streamed down his face.
As they spoke, Xie Jiang turned a page of the book in her hand. During the brief moment of turning the page, Xie Jiang turned her head to look at the cell door, seemingly displeased. "What are you making so much noise about?"
The area outside the cell immediately fell silent.
"Young Master..."
Su Yang turned his head to look, his throat feeling constricted, as if he were afraid of speaking even slightly louder.
Xie Taihong was about to make a show of himself. Since he was now in the role of Xie Jiang's father, he had to express his paternal love.
Xie Taihong's lips moved, and he was about to say something when Xie Jiang returned to reading her book.
"..."
Xie Taihong silently cried out in his heart, "At least look back at me. Does this father of yours still count for anything?"
Su Yang clung to the edge of the door, gazing at Xie Jiang expectantly, but Xie Jiang did not spare him another glance.
"Hurry up and open the door!"
Su Yang roared ferociously at the jailer, but his voice was so low that only those nearby could barely hear it.
Fang Yuchun was enlightened.
This person, dressed in red and green, was so arrogant in front of others, yet in front of Xie Jiang, he didn't even dare to raise his voice?
He didn't even have a good expression towards Master Xie, even though Master Xie was Xie Jiang's father. Yet, Su Yang was solely afraid of Xie Jiang, like a mouse encountering a cat.
This showed what a formidable character Xie Jiang was in normal times.
Xu Hengyi and Xia Zeshi were also enlightened.
They originally thought they were submissive enough in front of Xie Jiang, but seeing Su Yang's demeanor, they suddenly wondered if they should reflect on themselves.
The jailer, full of confusion, stepped forward and unlocked the iron lock of the cell.
Su Yang moved as fast as a red mist, flashing in and kneeling by the stone bed.
"Young Master."
Su Yang's voice was very small, afraid of disturbing Xie Jiang, yet also afraid Xie Jiang wouldn't hear him.
Xie Taihong and He Zhifei followed behind, then Fang Yuchun and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, and Xia Zeshi and Xu Hengyi also entered.
Xie Jiang was engrossed in her studies, not even looking at the crowd.
Su Yang was utterly heartbroken. How had his young master become like this, so focused on reading?
Fang Yuchun and Zuo Shixin, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, were both very puzzled. What was wrong with reading? Why was this person so heartbroken as if his mother had died when he saw Xie Jiang reading?
As so many people crowded into the cell, the light suddenly dimmed.
Xie Jiang frowned. "You're blocking the light."
Everyone immediately adjusted their positions. After adjusting, Fang Yuchun and the others were stunned. It was one thing for the three from Lan Yong to adjust, but why were they also moving unconsciously?
Xie Jiang was reading with great interest and showed no signs of stopping.
Normally, Xu Hengyi would call out loudly when he came to see Xie Jiang. At this moment, influenced by Su Yang and the other two, he was so quiet that he dared not make a sound.
Xia Zeshi couldn't help but look at Xie Taihong. It was one thing for Su Yang and He Zhifei to dare not speak, but why wasn't Xie Taihong speaking either?
No.
It didn't matter whether Xie Taihong spoke or not, what was strange was Xie Jiang's reaction.
Whenever his father came before him, he would immediately kneel to pay his respects.
How could Xie Jiang be so disrespectful to her father?
Hadn't Xie Jiang noticed that Xie Taihong had also come?
The cell was not very spacious. With seven or eight people crammed in, the air circulation was not as good.
Xie Jiang frowned again. "It's too stuffy."
He Zhifei took the lead in retreating out of the cell, with Xie Taihong following closely behind.
Fang Yuchun coughed with his fist against his lips, intending to remind Xie Jiang to resolve the issue quickly, and that it wouldn't be too late for diligent study later. He saw Su Yang turn and stare at him.
Fang Yuchun genuinely disliked Su Yang and couldn't be bothered to speak. He, along with Zuo Shixin, also retreated.
The cell was suddenly half empty. Xu Hengyi thought for a moment and walked over, wanting to see which book Xie Jiang was reading with such obsessive focus.
Before Xu Hengyi could reach the bed, Su Yang, who was kneeling by the bed like a fawning dog, suddenly stood up, grabbed Xu Hengyi, and dragged both Xu Hengyi and Xia Zeshi behind him out of the cell.
Xu Hengyi was a bit stunned. "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?"
Su Yang said, "Didn't you hear my young master say it was stuffy!"
With no extraneous people left in the cell, Su Yang ran back to the bedside and knelt down.
Xie Taihong's knees felt weak, and he almost knelt down instinctively. Remembering the role he was playing, he had to pinch his thigh to force himself to stand straight.
Xu Hengyi was dumbfounded and looked at Xia Zeshi. "Is he crazy!"
Xie Jiang continued to turn the pages at a leisurely pace. The comings and goings in the cell seemed to disturb her not at all.
Fang Yuchun observed the situation. Were the three from Lan Yong planning to wait until Xie Jiang finished the book in her hand? He didn't know how long that would take.
Fang Yuchun suggested that everyone go to an adjacent vacant interrogation room to sit and rest for a while.
He Zhifei and Xie Taihong both declined his offer.
Xie Taihong remembered his role and, with a smiling, good-tempered expression, explained to Fang Yuchun and Zuo Shixin, "My little Jiang doesn't like to be disturbed when she's doing things."
Fang Yuchun and Zuo Shixin both wore standard smiles of perfunctory politeness.
Making her own father wait outside the door, was this a matter of liking or disliking being disturbed?
From Xie Jiang to the three members of the Lan Yong envoy, none of them seemed normal at the moment.
Fang Yuchun and Zuo Shixin exchanged glances silently.
Zuo Shixin looked at Fang Yuchun with a look of sympathy. This young ancestor of the Xie family seemed difficult to serve, didn't he?
Fang Yuchun looked at Zuo Shixin, seeing him as a fellow traveler in misfortune. The work of receiving the Lan Yong envoy was also not easy.
Alas...
Xu Hengyi said indignantly, "Why can he stay inside? And they chased us all out..."
"Because he's thick-skinned."
Xu Hengyi looked back and saw that it was He Zhifei who had spoken.