The next day, at dusk.
Song Jinshan and Song Lianxin hurried to the prison with food.
By the time they arrived, it was already dark.
Just as they reached the prison entrance, they saw Zhao Ying waiting there.
Zhao Ying stepped forward, took the meal box from Song Lianxin's hand, and asked in a low voice, “Are you ready?”
“Everything is ready.”
Song Lianxin nodded gently.
Zhao Ying looked at the meal box in his hand, seemingly a little uneasy, “Let me check it carefully again. You two go and plead with the jailer first to see if there’s a chance to visit. If not, just send this food in.”
The father and daughter didn't suspect anything, nodded, and walked towards the jailer.
Zhao Ying quickly opened the meal box, and while no one was paying attention, poured the poison hidden in his sleeve pocket into the food. He then reached in and took out the note hidden under the dishes, quickly closed the meal box, and wiped his greasy hands clean by retracting them into his sleeves.
On the other side, Song Jinshan and his daughter had already approached the jailer.
As soon as the jailer saw Song Jinshan and them, he guessed their intention.
Before they could even speak, the jailer said with difficulty, “Lord Song, please go back! Lord Feng has given orders that no one is allowed to visit Young Master Song without his personal warrant.”
“Head Li, can you make an exception?”
Song Jinshan offered a ingratiating smile, “I’ll just take one look, just one look…”
He also knew that the possibility of seeing his son was very small.
But they were about to leave, and before their departure, he still wanted to see his son one last time.
Even if there was a glimmer of hope, he wanted to try.
While Song Jinshan was speaking, Song Lianxin stepped forward again and took out two silver ingots, slipping them into the jailer's hand.
“Lord Song, please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Although the jailer was tempted, he didn't dare to accept the silver, “Lord Feng has given a death order; we really can’t do anything!”
“This…”
Song Jinshan paused slightly, then pleaded again, “Head Li, please be kind and make an exception!”
The jailer shook his head helplessly, “It’s not that I’m being heartless; this really can’t be done!”
“I say, Head Li, why are you so inflexible?”
At this moment, Zhao Ying walked up, handed the meal box in his hand to Song Lianxin, and then said to the jailer, “Rules are dead, but people are alive! This matter, only you and I, heaven and earth will know. We just need to go in and see if my brother-in-law is doing well, and then I’ll treat the brothers to drinks!”
“Titled Scholar Zhao, this really can’t be done!”
The jailer looked at Zhao Ying with a pained expression, but his attitude was firm.
“Then, Head Li, would you mind helping us send him some food? That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Zhao Ying settled for the next best thing and gave Song Lianxin a look.
Song Lianxin understood and once again tried to slip the silver into the jailer's hand.
“This…”
The jailer again showed a difficult expression.
“I say, Head Li, you’re too unfeeling, aren’t you?”
Zhao Ying persuaded again, “Lord Feng only said that no one is allowed to visit my brother-in-law without his warrant; he didn’t say we couldn’t send him some food! Don’t you agree?”
Hmm…
That’s true!
The jailer thought for a moment, took the silver offered by Song Lianxin, and replied, “Sending food is not impossible, but the food can only be delivered by our people. Please, gentlemen, do not make things difficult for us.”
“Alright, alright!”
Zhao Ying agreed repeatedly, “Then we trouble Head Li!”
“Titled Scholar Zhao, you’re too polite.”
The jailer chuckled and took the meal box from Song Lianxin's hand.
With their goal achieved, the three exchanged a few brief pleasantries with the jailer before leaving.
Afterward, the three rushed non-stop to the cloth workshop where the secret tunnel had been dug in advance.
Earlier this morning, Song Jinshan and his daughter had already visited this place and confirmed the location of the secret tunnel.
The secret tunnel led directly to the cloth workshop's warehouse, which was filled with already woven silk and fabric.
To rush the production of annual tribute cloth, even though it was completely dark, many weavers in the cloth workshop were still working late into the night, completely unaware that danger was imminent.
Many people at the cloth workshop were puzzled by Song Jinshan and their second inspection.
They had just been here in the morning, and now they were back at night?
“Alright, you go busy yourself; we’ll just look around!”
Song Jinshan instructed the warehouse guard, then entered the cloth workshop with heavy steps.
By the light of the lantern in his hand, Song Jinshan silently looked at the mountains of annual tribute cloth piled before him.
If it weren't for being tricked by that beast Shen Jing, they would surely have delivered the annual tribute cloth on time and with quality.
Next year, they would have been Imperial Merchants!
Becoming an Imperial Merchant was his lifelong wish!
Just one step away!
A promising situation, in less than a month, was ruined!
“Hatred! This old man hates!”
Song Jinshan gnashed his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.
This wasn't an act; he truly hated!
If it were possible, he wished he could tear Shen Jing into a thousand pieces!
But now, nothing he said mattered.
Looking at Song Jinshan's face full of hatred, Zhao Ying couldn't help but curse inwardly.
He's a dead man anyway, what's there to hate!
While cursing inwardly, Zhao Ying glanced at Song Lianxin beside him.
Alas!
It was inevitable that it would come to this!
Taking this opportunity, Zhao Ying and Song Lianxin went to the entrance of the secret tunnel.
The entrance was sealed by a foundation stone.
The two worked together to move the stone away from the tunnel entrance, and immediately saw Wang Zan, unconscious, at the opening of the tunnel.
Behind Wang Zan, other people could vaguely be seen.
“It’s him?”
Song Lianxin looked at Zhao Ying in surprise, “Is he your scapegoat?”
“Probably, my father arranged it; I didn’t pay attention!”
Zhao Ying replied perfunctorily, “Let’s drag them out first!”
“Okay!”
Song Lianxin quickly joined Zhao Ying, and together they dragged out the unconscious Wang Zan.
Then, the two worked together to drag out the man and woman behind him.
Once they confirmed that all three scapegoats had arrived, Song Lianxin immediately urged her father, “Father, we can start preparing!”
“Alright!”
Song Jinshan nodded gently, brewed his emotions for a moment, and then roared, “Don’t stop me, don’t stop me! Even if I, Song Jinshan, die, I will not let that beast Shen Jing’s scheme succeed! My Song family’s business will never benefit that beast for free…”
Song Jinshan fully displayed his acting skills.
Even though no one was pulling him, he acted as if someone genuinely was.
“Father, please, please don’t do anything foolish!”
“Father-in-law, please, please don’t do anything foolish! As long as there’s life, there’s hope…”
Immediately after, Zhao Ying and Song Lianxin also began to cry out exaggeratedly.
It sounded as if they were desperately pulling and dissuading him.
However, they were only shouting; their hands made no movements whatsoever.
Hearing the commotion, the warehouse guards rushed over.
Several guards pushed the door vigorously, but found that the warehouse door had been latched from the inside.
Just as they were still pushing the door, a flash of fire suddenly erupted at the warehouse entrance.
“Fire!”
The guard’s face changed dramatically, and he shouted loudly, “Quick, put out the fire! Quick…”