Chapter 1949 - 1951: Prison Break

"Darling, use a bit more force!"

"I’m already using a lot of strength. Don’t you find it painful?"

"It doesn’t hurt!" Ye Zi’an retorted, "How can a man admit to pain? Besides, you have to scrub hard to get it clean."

"It’s not as exaggerated as you make it sound."

They had already changed the water three times, and he still wanted her to scrub harder. This person really, a small obsession with cleanliness was turning into a major one.

"By the way, Prince Le let you out, what does Prince Zhuang have to say about it?"

"Them? They’re coming out tonight."

"Tonight?"

Ye Zi’an nodded, resting comfortably on the wooden barrel, almost closing his eyes. "Yeah, originally if he didn’t let me out today, I would have come out tonight anyway. But this way is better; coming out above board is better than sneaking around."

"Huh?" Yang Chuxia exclaimed, "Don’t tell me you’re planning a jailbreak?"

"Of course!" Ye Zi’an opened his eyes with a cold snort, "If we don’t come out, who knows how chaotic things outside will get."

"Darling, you’re inside the manor every day, you probably don’t know. The whole Great Zhou is already a mess now. Shandong is in chaos, Jiangsu is chaotic, and the border between Great Zhou and Great Qi is also in upheaval. The southwest border is guarded by my uncle’s subordinates and is still stable for now, but in the Yunnan area, several tribes have also revolted. Then there’s the north; I heard news that the northern nomadic ethnic groups plan to gather forces to move south. When that happens, the border populace will be in trouble."

"It seems you are very well-informed." Yang Chuxia applied some force, making him yelp in pain, "Knowing how chaotic it is outside, why don’t you come out sooner?"

"You can’t blame me for that." Ye Zi’an shook his head, "Blame my cousin; he insisted on seeing if Prince Le really would ignore the rebellion. If Prince Le was going to manage it, he didn’t plan to come out. Don’t you think that’s stupid? Prince Le is the one who stirred up the chaos, and you expect him to quell the rebellion? Is that even possible? He doesn’t have a screw loose."

"I never thought cousin was indecisive before." Yang Chuxia furrowed her brow, being an indecisive Emperor is not good.

"Who knows, maybe he hid it well."

However, Ye Zi’an recalled what Prince Le said in the great hall at that time. He said Prince Zhuang was hypocritical, so how true were his words of concession?

This was a question Ye Zi’an pondered many times, ultimately concluding that while loyalty to the court was important, it should never be blind loyalty.

"Alright, you can wash the rest yourself." Yang Chuxia tossed the towel to him. "I’ll go check on the food preparations."

"Darling, if you’re helping someone, you should help till the end, just like sending a Buddha all the way to the west."

Yang Chuxia glanced back at him and saw him looking pitiful, which made her laugh.

"I’d love to help you, but you’ve been in prison for so long, eating, drinking, and sleeping poorly. Your body’s surely weak. If something unexpected happens, it’ll be embarrassing for you."

"Darling, you’re underestimating me!"

Ye Zi’an’s plaintive voice came, and Yang Chuxia found it amusing.

Seeing Yang Chuxia really walking away, Ye Zi’an had to do it himself. After getting dressed, he went out to find the food already set on the table.

"Eat some meat porridge first. In prison, the meals were light, so you can’t eat too much rich food at once now."

"Alright, I’ll listen to my darling!"

Ye Zi’an held the bowl, smiling happily. It’s still most comfortable at home.

After eating, Yang Chuxia urged him to go rest, and he ended up resting all the way into the evening.

Thinking about what Prince Zhuang and the others planned to do tonight made Yang Chuxia a bit worried, "Are your plans foolproof?"

"Relax, there won’t be any problems."