GBP Chapter 424 Meng Tian Visits the Prison
Chapter 424 Meng Tian Visits the Prison
However, how could he contact Meng Tian? The Xianyang prison was heavily guarded; there was no way he could possibly send a message out. Li Si racked his brains, but couldn't come up with a feasible solution.
Just as he was feeling anxious, a series of heavy, slow footsteps came from outside the cell. Li Si's heart tightened, and he stood up alertly, quickly walking to the bars to see who it was.
In the dim light, Li Si could vaguely see a figure slowly walking towards the prison cell. The man was dressed as a jailer and carried a dim lantern. As he walked, the candlelight in the lantern flickered on his face, revealing a cold and indifferent expression.
"I've brought you your food." The jailer's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion. He walked to the fence, passed two worn-out bowls through the gaps, and then turned to leave.
Li Si looked closely and saw that the two bowls contained porridge so thin that one could see their reflection in it, and it also smelled sour and rotten.
Wang Wan completely ignored Li Si's presence, as if he were nothing but air, continuing to be immersed in her own thoughts, unresponsive to anything around her. However, at that moment, Li Si suddenly broke the silence, his voice sounding particularly abrupt in the cell.
"Brother, could you please pass on a message for me?" Li Si's tone revealed a hint of urgency and pleading. As he spoke, he carefully took out a jade pendant from his robes. This jade pendant was clearly a keepsake he always carried with him; its texture was warm and smooth, its carving exquisite, and it was obviously quite valuable.
The jailer's gaze was drawn to the jade pendant; his eyes lit up slightly, a hint of greed flashing across them. But he quickly concealed his emotions, reverting to his indifferent expression.
"What do you think this place is? Trying to send a message? Not so easy," the jailer replied bluntly, his voice icy and leaving no room for negotiation.
Seeing this, Li Si's heart tightened. He knew it wouldn't be easy to get the jailer's help. But he didn't give up and quickly said, "Brother, if you help me with this, I'll reward you handsomely when I get out. This jade pendant is just a deposit; once I'm out, you'll have plenty of gold and silver." His words were full of temptation, trying to sway the jailer's heart.
The jailer hesitated after hearing Li Si's words. After all, such a generous reward was indeed very attractive to an ordinary jailer. However, he also knew that passing messages privately was against the rules, and if discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After some internal struggle, the jailer finally accepted the jade pendant and whispered, "Tell me, who do you want to give it to?"
Li Si was overjoyed and quickly said, "Send this to General Meng Tian, saying that I have something important to discuss with him and asking him to put in a good word for me before the King."
The jailer nodded, hid the jade pendant, and turned to leave. Watching the jailer's departing figure, Li Si felt a mixture of anticipation and unease. He didn't know if the jailer would truly help him deliver the message, nor whether Meng Tian would be willing to intervene on his behalf. But at this moment, it was his only hope.
Wang Wan remained seated in the corner, completely oblivious to everything. His gaze was vacant, as if he had given up the will to live and was simply awaiting his fate. In the darkness of Xianyang Prison, their drastically different reactions foreshadowed their potentially divergent destinies, and the future of the Qin Dynasty became even more unpredictable because of their fates.
Night fell, its darkness as black as ink, enveloping the Xianyang prison. Outside, the wind howled, as if weeping for those within. Li Si leaned against the wall, awaiting Meng Tian's reply.
After an unknown amount of time, a sudden commotion of footsteps and the clanging of weapons erupted outside. Li Si was startled, thinking that the King of Qin had sent men to deal with them, and his body tensed instantly. However, the sounds stopped not far from the prison cell, followed by a low murmur of conversation.
"General, is this the place?" a young voice said.
Just then, Li Si suddenly caught sight of a tall figure striding towards him. He looked closely and saw that it was Meng Tian! In an instant, a faint glimmer of hope flashed in Li Si's eyes.
He quickly stood up, his gaze fixed on Meng Tian, as if he had seen a ray of light in the dark prison cell. Meng Tian's steps were steady and powerful, each step seeming to pound on Li Si's heart, making his heart beat faster involuntarily.
Finally, Meng Tian reached the prison gate and stood facing Li Si across the cold iron door. The moment their eyes met, Li Si felt as if time itself had frozen. He stared at Meng Tian, his lips slightly parted, but he was momentarily speechless, unsure where to begin.
However, Meng Tian did not let the awkward silence last long. He looked directly into Li Si's eyes and slowly asked, "What do you want with me?" His voice was deep and resonant, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
Li Si took a deep breath, his voice urgent, and said, "General Meng, I have been framed and imprisoned by treacherous officials, and I am utterly wronged! I beg you, General, to clear my name before the King!"
Meng Tian frowned slightly, his gaze sharp as a hawk's as he scanned Li Si's face, seemingly trying to see through his outward appearance to his true thoughts. After a while, Meng Tian spoke coldly, "How much do you think this general should believe in you?"
Li Si knew that Meng Tian's question wasn't casual, but rather a form of questioning. He explained, "General, my loyalty to Qin is as clear as day! The King has misunderstood me this time; someone must be spreading rumors and sowing discord before him. For the sake of our many years of working together, please help me, General!"
Meng Tian remained silent for a moment, seemingly pondering Li Si's words. Finally, he slowly said, "Alright."
Li Si had prepared a long speech, intending to persuade Meng Tian with reason and emotion, but he never expected Meng Tian to agree so readily. This greatly surprised Li Si, as his relationship with Meng Tian wasn't particularly close, and Meng Tian's visit to him in prison was already a rare occurrence. Now, not only had Meng Tian come, but he had also agreed to his request so quickly, which was truly beyond Li Si's expectations.
Li Si slowly opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only squeeze out a short but sincere "Thank you." These two simple words contained the deep gratitude in his heart.
Meanwhile, Wang Wan, who was next door, overheard their conversation and was equally astonished. He knew Meng Tian quite well, knowing that this general had virtually no contact with them, the civil officials, and their relationship was, in fact, quite tense. However, to Wang Wan's utter surprise, Meng Tian had agreed to Li Si's request without hesitation—this was completely unexpected!