The ill-fated Hu Imperial Censor, having just left Zhao Guan Jia and immediately receiving a brutal beating from society, hadn't reached the end of his misfortunes. However, he wasn't directly murdered to silence him as Military Advisor Wan Qixie had feared. He and his entourage were first robbed clean, then thrown into the Zhi Luo City prison, where darkness descended upon them.

Unexpectedly, Hu Mingzhong, who had arrived with a single-minded focus on his duties, didn't succumb to despair after this initial setback. Or rather, only after a brief moment did he rally, comforting those around him in the prison. He even proactively discussed the situation with Wan Qixie, whose social experience was clearly more extensive, exploring ways to escape their predicament.

This composure deeply impressed Wan Qixie, leading him to greatly revise his opinion of the young Imperial Censor. He even implicitly elevated Hu to the standing of half a Little Lin Scholar, understanding that their lives were genuinely in danger at that moment.

Frankly speaking, although the Great Song Dynasty suffered from placing undue emphasis on civil affairs over military matters, its imperial examination system wasn't as rigid as the Ming and Qing Dynasties' eight-legged essay selection process. It had been continuously reformed (with six major debates) to select the most outstanding talents possible.

Overall, it largely succeeded in this regard. The outstanding qualities of civil officials during the Song Dynasty were generally undeniable.

Of course, a fundamental reason for this was that Confucianism still possessed vitality during this period, with various schools of thought developing vigorously, not yet trapped in the irreversible dead end it would later face.

Back to the present, Hu Yin and Wan Qixie, capable of enduring the physical hardships, calmed down to deliberate and discuss. After only a meal, they quickly reached a conclusion:

Either Qu Duan had learned of their itinerary in advance, deliberately using this method to establish his authority, and if so, they could simply persist and engage in a battle of wits, meaning their lives were not truly in danger; or that Commander Xue was indeed a military leader corrupted by the chaos of the era. If that was the case, there was real danger, but with a bit of patience, someone would likely come to their rescue soon, allowing them to seize the opportunity and use it to their advantage.

The reason for this assessment was remarkably simple: although they were trapped in a filthy prison infested with lice and rats, the meal sent to Hu Yin was surprisingly clean.

What did that indicate?

It meant that someone in the city was definitely watching over them.

Sure enough, after only four or five prison meals, not knowing whether it was morning or afternoon outside, countless armored soldiers suddenly swarmed into the prison, escorting three individuals.

One of them was clearly a civil official, coming directly to the prison door. Before even opening it, he bowed deeply, identifying himself as the Magistrate Huang of Zhi Luo City. The remaining two generals in military attire looked pale. The slightly shorter and fatter of the two even took two steps forward after the prison door opened, kneeling before Hu Yin and begging for forgiveness upon smelling the stench within.

Wan Qixie, with his keen eye, recognized this man as a close associate of Commander Xue. This made it clear who had been protecting them.

However, just as the magistrate further stepped into the foul-smelling prison, preparing to personally help Hu Mingzhong up, the Great Song Imperial Censor refused the magistrate's assistance. He then stood up on his own, exchanged a glance with Wan Qixie, and, with his hands clasped behind his back, asked directly:

"Which of you is under General Qu's command?"

"Wuyi Lang, Military Commissioner of Jingyuan Road, Zhi Huaide Army Wu Jie, greets the Censor!"

The general standing outside the prison, tall and gaunt, quickly stepped forward upon hearing this, attempting to enter the prison. However, due to the cramped space, crowded with the newly arrived individuals, he had to stop at the prison door, cupping his hands in salute and announcing his official title and name.

"Is Qu Duan plotting a rebellion, sending you to kill me?" Hu Mingzhong, radiating a sour odor, remained composed and replied, "General Wu, I am a court minister, I can be killed but not humiliated... Please point me towards the southeast, so that I may face Dongjing in death."

Wu Jie and the other two were stunned in place. They felt they understood every word the great official from Dongjing spoke, but combined, they were as absurd as Emperor Zhenzong's celestial script. It wasn't that they didn't recognize the words, but rather they dared not comprehend them.

"We feel the same way."

Seeing that no one spoke, Wan Qixie also replied with composure, "Emperor Taizong said, 'Be filial at home, devote your loyalty to your salary.' Though Wan Qixie has been down on his luck for half his life, now that I have been valued by Zhao Guan Jia, and given an important role in the Privy Council, and now serving as an envoy, how can I be disloyal? Kill us quickly, none of us will aid and abet the tyrant!"

Hearing this, Wu Jie still dared not utter a sound... He had now understood those words, but he still didn't dare say a single word, looking instead to the magistrate for help.

The magistrate was also sweating profusely. He was the only one who could speak here, so he stammered for a long time before biting the bullet and offering an explanation, "Censor, there may be some misunderstanding... That Xue rogue was originally a ruffian soldier recruited by Wang Xie when he was in Hedong. He used to sell dog skin and had no discipline. After this defeat, Wang Xie ran fast, leaving behind most of his troops. He had no choice but to follow Wang Shu Wang Jinglue and Qu Duan Qu Dutong here... The other day, without distinguishing right from wrong, he committed such an absurd and rebellious act without verification. Because he had troops in his hands, we did not dare to forcefully persuade him, fearing that it would implicate the Censor and others. Fortunately, there is Commander Han here who is sensible. I asked Commander Han to stabilize Xue rogue, protect the Censor, and then sent an urgent letter to Wu Dudjian for help from Luojiao City on the other side of the river... That is why today happened."

Hu Yin, emulating Zhao Guan Jia, showed no expression on his face, but spoke words of tiger and wolf, "Magistrate, why deceive me? From Chang'an to Dongjing, everyone knows that Qu Duan is about to rebel and no one can stop him. Military Advisor Wan and I came here to prepare to cede Huanqing Road and Fu Prefecture to him, so that he would not learn from Liu Yu of Jinan and proclaim himself a false emperor, and to see if we could rescue Wang Shu Wang Jinglue who was detained by him..."

Hearing half of this, the Magistrate Huang was completely terrified, grabbing Hu Yin's sleeve and replying, "Censor! Do not joke!"

"Who is joking with you?!" Wan Qixie also retorted in a stern tone. "Everyone knows that Qu Duan is about to rebel. First, he refused to listen to orders and fight. After the battle, he detained the Jinglue Shi and annexed troops from all over the place. Later, when the traitor Liu Yu proclaimed himself emperor, he used the overall situation in northern Shaanxi to force Yuwen Xiang Gong to kill Wang Jinglue... His rebellious intentions are obvious, everyone knows it, how can you not know?"

The magistrate became even more terrified, looking to Wu Jie outside the prison door.

Wu Jie was stunned for a moment, instinctively wanting to defend his superior who he had followed for many years, but for some reason, when he opened his mouth, he was speechless.

Not only that, Wan Qixie's words actually matched up with the matter of Yuwen Privy Councilor’s special envoy who left the front line in a sorry state after Qu Duan detained Wang Jinglue and another recent incident. Did Qu Da really think about killing the Jinglue Shi?!

"Speak, Wu Dudjian?!" The magistrate stared at the outside of the prison, almost pleading.

Wu Jie was dazed, but could only bite the bullet and answer, "I really don't know about Wang Jinglue and Qu Dutong's affairs, but before I received the message from here yesterday, I knew one thing, that at the Diaoyin Mountain camp, Qu Dutong asked Wang Jinglue to leave the seal and then invited him out... But who is Liu Yu? I just came from Xiangle, Ning Prefecture, less than ten days ago, and I really don't know the stories of the front line, what frontline general..."

Wu Jie's voice became smaller and smaller as he spoke, gradually stopping, and the prison also fell silent. In the end, it was Magistrate Huang who broke the silence. His body swayed, almost falling, but Hu Yin was young and quickly supported him.

As for the kneeling Commander Han, he was also a little unable to hold on at this time, his body swaying noticeably on the ground.

"Wu Dudjian, if you really don't know, I'll tell you." In the narrow, crowded, and sweaty prison, Wan Qixie coldly confronted the outside of the prison across the bars. "Your Qu Dutong seized the opportunity after the Battle of Yan'an to detain Jinglue Shi Wang Shu and annex troops from all over the place. Not only that, but he also recently suggested to Yuwen Xiang Gong's staff to kill Jinglue Shi Wang Shu in the army for the crime of defeat... The court has never heard of a Dutongzhi official killing a Jinglue Shi, but it thought that Qu Dutong's rebellious state was already clear, so it sent the two of us here, only to ask for the return of Wang Jinglue, but unexpectedly, as soon as we arrived here, we received a warning from your Qu Dutong, which forced us to commit suicide."

"Censor, the military situation on the front line is chaotic, I really don't know, this matter has nothing to do with me!" Before Wu Jie could speak, Magistrate Huang first grabbed the other party's robe in Hu Yin's arms and cried, "I have repeatedly failed in the imperial examinations. Thanks to Cai Taishi's reform of the imperial examinations, I worked hard as a Taixuesheng for several years before getting a proper background and being appointed here. I have been diligent for several years, how could I have thought of helping the rebels?"

"It has nothing to do with me either." Wu Jie was about to say again, when Commander Han on the ground finally spoke up to defend himself, "What Xue rogue did was a warning from Qu Duan, it was just their collusion... It has absolutely nothing to do with me. I hope the Censor will make a clear judgment, and I also hope Magistrate Huang will testify for me."

Wu Jie finally got a chance to speak, but he couldn't help but feel dizzy again. After a long time, he carefully cupped his hands and said, "I just received an urgent letter from Magistrate Huang and came to rescue people... If the Censor doesn't believe me, I will kill the thief Xue Feng now and bring his head to prove my innocence."

"Poor Commander Xue, thinking that he had helped someone with a warning and could make a test of loyalty, but instead he brought disaster upon himself." Wan Qixie sneered even more.

"Forget it, we are the fish on the chopping board." Hu Yin finally spoke again, letting go of the magistrate, facing the outside of the prison across the prison door. "This Wu Dudjian, please go and tell Qu Dutong that Wang Jinglue has left, and my trip is useless... Therefore, if he is really sincere, please do not humiliate us, just give me Wang Jinglue's seal and let us go."

Wu Jie's scalp was numb, standing there neither advancing nor retreating. The two names, Magistrate Huang and Commander Han, were there. No one could hide that he was Qu Duan's confidant general, and the one who had risen with Qu Duan over the years... He couldn't even defend himself.

After standing for a long time, Wu Jie could only leave, but after taking a few steps, he realized something, and then turned back and carefully saluted, "In any case, please ask the Censor to leave the prison for now, wash up, have a meal, change back into his official robes, and rest in the county..."

Hu Yin shook his head repeatedly, "The situation is unclear at the moment. If I leave this prison and enjoy these things, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it when I return to Dongjing..."

"Explain what?" Poor Wu Jie, known in the Western Army for his bravery and advancement, was now as cautious and frightened as a rabbit.

"What could it be?" Wan Qixie sat back down on the filthy ground in the prison and laughed loudly, "It's easy to enjoy those few days now, but if someone points this out in the future and says that we succumbed to the rebels and lost the dignity of the court, we will have no way to defend ourselves... Therefore, Wu Dudjian, please go, as for us, we will never dare to leave this prison without settling this matter with Qu Dutong."

"I'm not going out either." Magistrate Huang thought for a while, wiped away his tears, and then sat down.

As for Commander Han, he simply flipped over, which saved trouble.

Wu Jie stood alone outside the prison, looking at the crowded prison, and didn't know why, but for a moment he actually wanted to go inside.