USWHC -Chapter 486 The Imperial Examination (Part 6)

Who knew how long had passed—the carriage kept racing forward.

Yes, it was only a few streets away. At this speed, shouldn’t they have arrived in seconds? Why hadn’t it stopped yet?

Ji Yi couldn’t help but grow suspicious. “Brother, when are we getting there?” He lifted the curtain, about to stick his head out and ask clearly—but bang! he slammed straight into a sheet of iron.

That’s right—the mechanisms around him had already silently dropped into place. Behind the curtain, at some unknown moment, an extra door had appeared. And not just any door—it was a solid black iron gate. As for how thick it was, who knew? But one thing was certain: no headbutt was getting through it. Just look at Ji Yi now, clutching his aching forehead and whining in pain.

What the hell was going on?

Could it be there were actually traffickers kidnapping young men? Was being a man this unsafe nowadays? Ji Yi was completely stunned.

The inside of the carriage was pitch dark, and now it even carried a suffocating, stifling air. Perhaps it was because he was starting to panic—he felt like he could barely breathe.

He secretly gathered his strength and suddenly threw a punch. The wind from his fist howled—clearly a powerful blow. It landed squarely on the carriage wall to his right.

Bang!

A loud crash followed instantly by a miserable howl—

“My hand!”

That punch had been full force, but it felt like hitting solid steel. The pain made him hop around, growling in agony.

The carriage suddenly jolted violently. Losing his balance, Ji Yi slammed into the wall again. This time he felt it clearly—his eyes nearly watered.

Of course it was iron!

Who the hell was so vicious as to use an iron-plated carriage?!

Suppressing the pain, he slowly got up and felt around. Fine. Even the roof was iron. The entire thing was a seamless metal cage!

Ji Yi was instantly furious. Who was it? Who had it out for him like this? He didn’t think he’d offended anyone.

A friendly, kind, universally loved man like him—how could someone go so far as to drag him away in a mobile prison?

Could it be… someone had taken a fancy to his looks?

Just as he was racking his brain, the carriage suddenly jerked and slowly came to a stop.

The curtain was finally lifted again. A man glanced inside and sneered, “I thought this guy was putting up a desperate fight in there. Turns out he’s such a useless weakling—he actually knocked himself out!”

“Those scholars are all show anyway. Isn’t it normal for him to faint?” another man mocked. “Why are you still standing there? Drag him out of the carriage!”

Sensing someone approaching, Ji Yi quickly shut his eyes tightly, pretending to be unconscious.

The man showed not the slightest bit of mercy. Grabbing Ji Yi by the back of his collar and waistband, he hauled him up and threw him straight out.

Whoosh—

Ji Yi felt a brief moment of “free fall” before—

Thud!

He slammed hard onto the ground. He had to grit his teeth to resist the urge to jump up and smash their heads in.

Of course, he memorized that hit. Hmph. A gentleman takes revenge late—but never forgets. Once he figured out what was going on, he’d make them pay back tenfold.

But in the next moment, an unruly foot pressed down hard on his back. A smug laugh sounded from above.

“And this brat dares to flirt with a princess? He really doesn’t know his place!”

Huh? Flirt with a princess?

Had his affair with Zhu Jie been discovered?

That couldn’t be right—he’d always been extremely careful to avoid the hidden guards…

“Stop fooling around. The Prince Consort doesn’t want to see him. Hurry up and deal with him,” another voice said sternly—this one much more composed than the others.

Prince Consort?

Zhu Jie got married?!

Ji Yi froze—then suddenly his eyes widened.

Wait… could it be the Prince Consort of Princess Lanxin?

“Eh? Is this guy awake? I swear I saw his eyes open!” someone suddenly shouted.

Ji Yi immediately squeezed his eyes shut again.

“No way. Aren’t they closed?”

A foul stench wafted over. Ji Yi nearly passed out from it. What the hell—who was talking right in front of him? And what had this guy eaten this morning to smell so bad? Did he eat… manure or something?

“Huh? Why did he close them again?” the first man muttered in confusion.