In the corridor of the great prison, Tang Zheng was escorted to the last cell, his hands shackled by chains.
One of the guards escorting Tang Zheng looked at him and chuckled, "Kid, you're quite something, daring to impersonate the imperial surname."
Tang Zheng felt helpless. He really was surnamed Tang.
"Officer, what crime is it to impersonate the imperial surname?" Tang Zheng asked tentatively.
The constable beside him rolled his eyes and said impatiently, "Are you from the Tang Dynasty? Impersonating the imperial surname is a capital offense, of course!"
Execution!
Upon hearing this, Tang Zheng nearly fainted from fright. He had just transmigrated and was about to face execution.
This was not how it was supposed to be.
"There are commoners surnamed Tang in this world, you can't just execute them all," Tang Zheng retorted.
The constable looked at Tang Zheng as if he were an idiot. "At the founding of the dynasty, all commoners surnamed Tang changed their surnames. You don't even know this?"
"Of course, I know." Tang Zheng gave an awkward laugh. He had indeed heard that commoners in ancient times couldn't share the same surname as the emperor.
He hadn't expected it to be the same here.
The constable nodded and smiled, "It's good that you know. Then there's no argument about beheading you."
"I'll be damned," Tang Zheng thought, looking at the constable's smirking face, wishing he could curse his ancestors for eighteen generations.
The constable brought Tang Zheng to the last cell. "Kid, we're here. You'll be executed tomorrow along with the woman next door!"
"What the hell, that fast? Can't you wait a few more days?" Tang Zheng started to panic.
With such little time, he wouldn't even have time to call for help.
The constable rolled his eyes again and said impatiently, "Be content. It's already a great mercy that you weren't executed on the spot."
Tang Zheng fell silent, his eyes suddenly serious. He slowly uttered a few words, "Actually, I am the current Crown Prince!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the constable's expression changed, and then he burst into laughter. "Hahaha, don't joke. The current emperor has no heirs, how could there be a Crown Prince like you?"
Tang Zheng: "..."
How could the emperor have no younger siblings when he was about to become emperor himself?
After the constable left, Tang Zheng sat on the prison floor, feeling despair.
He had just transmigrated and was about to be executed. This was not how it was supposed to go.
He was supposed to inherit the country, but they were setting up their own son like this?
Suddenly, he heard crying from next door.
A girl!
There was a girl in this prison.
Tang Zheng peered through a small hole in the wall towards the commotion in the adjacent cell.
He saw a woman with a face like a peach blossom, dressed in white, sitting on the ground and crying.
Tang Zheng pondered.
What did girls need most in such a situation? Care.
That's right, care.
"Sister, what crime did you commit?"
The girl stopped crying and turned to look—
Jin Wei showed a smile and explained, "Yu Daohan always gave off a fresh and refined aura when he was young, so naturally, he's more handsome than me. Besides, my looks are just average."
Jin Wei exemplified the word "gentleman" to the fullest.
For someone so seemingly mild-mannered, any ordinary girl would surely be smitten.
Zhao Ling let out a disdainful snort and said nothing.
A person with a dirty heart, no matter how well they hid it, would eventually be found out.
It was like stinky tofu; even if it was wrapped in a plastic bag, you could still smell its pungent odor.
It couldn't be hidden.
And Zhao Ling was skilled at seeing through such people's disguises.
Jin Wei looked at his sycophantic follower, Gou Wang, and said, "Let's go, we'll cut the watermelons for the ladies."
Gou Wang followed him with the demeanor of a servant.
The group of men beside them gritted their teeth and muttered in low voices.
Rather than contempt, it was envy.
Among them, the Gao Liang brothers, despite scoffing at Jin Wei's actions, wished they could be like him.
Arriving at the place where the watermelons were, a hint of ruthlessness flashed across Jin Wei's face.
Zhao Ling, that stinky woman, dared to undermine me. Tonight, I'll make sure you can't get up the next day. And Shi Yuqian too.
Yu Daohan?
Hmph, that rustic bumpkin is not even worth comparing to me.
Gou Wang beside him, upon hearing Jin Wei's words, was so scared he didn't even dare to breathe.
He was genuinely afraid of Jin Wei.
Watching Jin Wei walk away, Zhao Ling said impatiently, "It's a good class reunion, but it has to turn into a competition. It's because of such troublemakers that only a dozen or so people are attending."
Shi Yuqian, seeing Zhao Ling's angry expression, comforted her, "Alright, say a few less words. You're almost becoming the class troublemaker."
Zhao Ling shrugged indifferently, "There's nothing good about class reunions anyway."
After speaking, Zhao Ling looked at Yang Mai and his two brothers.
"Look at those three idiots. They don't do anything when they come out, just stare at girls' butts and chests. They're typical examples of having no ability but a perverted heart."
Yang Mai and the other two, seeing Zhao Ling looking at them, became excited, put on lewd smiles, and even waved.
Zhao Ling rolled her eyes impatiently and ignored them, then looked at the few people gathered together, not speaking but each doing their own thing.
"For these people, class reunions are just a formality."
"And look at that..." Zhao Ling was about to continue her analysis when Shi Yuqian interrupted, "Alright, I know my young lady is a sharp-eyed businesswoman, but this is a class reunion. Hurry and put away your discerning gaze."
Seeing Shi Yuqian say this, Zhao Ling could only nod helplessly, "Okay, I understand."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Ling suddenly thought of something and asked with a smile, "Hey, is what you said really true?"
"What?" Shi Yuqian looked confused, not knowing what this little girl was thinking.
Zhao Ling rolled her eyes, unsure if this little girl was genuinely confused or pretending. She said, "Of course, it's about Yu Daohan!"
"Yu Daohan?" Shi Yuqian looked bewildered, genuinely not understanding what she meant.
Zhao Ling was utterly speechless, "Of course, it's whether Yu Daohan is as handsome as you say."
Zhao Ling nodded affirmatively, "Of course, it's true. Why would I lie to you?"
"More handsome than Jin Wei?" Zhao Ling asked.
Although she couldn't see him clearly, she had to admit.
This idiot was indeed quite handsome, and his family was wealthy.
Unfortunately, she still looked down on him from the bottom of her heart.
Or rather, he wasn't a good person to begin with.
Shi Yuqian nodded directly and affirmatively without hesitation, "Yes, more handsome than Jin Wei!"
Seeing Shi Yuqian so certain, Zhao Ling became more interested, "Oh, you've evaluated him very highly. I'm actually a bit curious about him."
Shi Yuqian thought for a moment and slowly said, "How should I put it? Being with him gives me an indescribable feeling."
"What feeling?" Zhao Ling was confused, "Is it because he's handsome?"
Shi Yuqian rolled her eyes impatiently, "Of course not."
Zhao Ling chuckled and inquired, "Then what feeling is it?"
Shi Yuqian thought for a moment and said, "How should I put it? It's a sense of security, yes, a sense of security."
"Sense of security?" Zhao Ling didn't know what kind of security Shi Yuqian was referring to.
Shi Yuqian nodded, "This sense of security doesn't come from his appearance, but from his heart. Being with him, you fear nothing. Even if it's the end of the world, you believe the man in front of you can solve it."
Hearing this, Zhao Ling was slightly surprised, "Your evaluation of him is that high?"
Shi Yuqian nodded, finding it strange herself, "It's strange, I've only met him less than three times, but he has a unique charm that makes people subconsciously want to get close to him."
"Oh?" Zhao Ling became even more curious about Yu Daohan, "I really want to meet this old classmate."
Zhao Ling had transferred to Shi Yuqian's elementary school in the second semester of the sixth grade.
To be precise, she had only attended that elementary school for one semester.
Moreover, she didn't like to talk or make friends. The only friend she made that semester was Shi Yuqian.
"It's alright, he'll be here tonight, and you can see what he looks like then. However, I feel your personalities are very similar. The only difference is that he doesn't like to talk, nor does he like to argue."
Shi Yuqian deliberately emphasized the last two words, "argue."
Seeing this, Zhao Ling pouted, "Shi Yuqian, you have to speak from your conscience. When have you ever seen me argue with someone without reason?"
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