Hong Yingrong still refused to give up. Her forehead was broken and blood was flowing down her cheek, but she seemed to feel no pain. She just mechanically repeated her kowtow and pleading: "Sir, please be kind and let me see the Queen Mother!"

Jingzhao Yin frowned. He was not a heartless man, but he could not disobey the king's order.

He took a deep breath, squatted down, looked into Hong Yingrong's eyes, and said slowly: "Old Madam, if Miss Xue can save the lives of Old Madam, the eldest son, and others when she goes to Xirong, it would not be a bad thing."

"I don't care about my life!" Hong Yingrong screamed, stumbling and crawling after him, as if she wanted to use up the last bit of strength in her life to fight for that slim hope.

"The prisoner has escaped from prison, catch him quickly!" Jingzhao Yin ordered loudly, and the jailers immediately took action.

Hong Yingrong had clearly been suffering in prison for two days, exhausted both physically and mentally, and had already witnessed the deaths of her son and grandson one after another, which was a huge blow to her.

However, at this moment, she didn't know where the strength came from. Perhaps it was because the end was approaching, and she had a last hurrah, using all she had to make one last desperate effort.

"Let her go, Chun'er, let her go!" Hong Yingrong grabbed her daughter's hand tightly and tried her best to pull her back.

Suddenly, a shrill voice rang out from the shadowy corner. It sounded like a man or a woman, and said in a sarcastic tone, "Old Madam, please don't be reluctant! You just lost a princess, and now you have a daughter who is going to be a princess! The Xue family is truly blessed with a long history of good things!"

Hong Yingrong's eyes were bloodshot as she looked in the direction of the voice angrily, only to see a figure dressed in the robes of a eunuch slowly walking out from the darkness.

The man was Eunuch Chen Jin from Empress Dowager Ci'an Palace. He no longer had the servility he used to have, and his narrow eyes were filled with sinisterness and cruelty.

"The Empress Dowager has issued an imperial decree. Anyone who obstructs the marriage of Princess Rongning will be killed without mercy!" Chen Jin said coldly. "What are you still standing there for?"

Everyone knows that Eunuch Chen is a favorite of the Empress Dowager. His words and actions on weekdays represent the Empress Dowager's wishes, and he cannot be easily offended.

However, at this moment, the imperial guards and jailers were in a dilemma. Although they respected Eunuch Chen, they were more aware of the rules and history of the imperial prison.

This imperial prison had held countless people of prominent status, from royal relatives to criminals labeled as traitors and treacherous officials.

Some of them were eventually convicted and punished, while others were pardoned and acquitted.

Although the old lady of Xingyuan Hou watched her children suffer, she herself has not been charged with any crime so far.

This situation made everyone present dare not act rashly.

Seeing everyone hesitate, Chen Jin's narrow eyes flashed with a hint of coldness.

He raised his voice, his tone harsh: "Why? It's one thing for us not to be listened to, but how dare you turn a deaf ear to the Queen Mother's words?"

As soon as these words were spoken, a royal guard who was keen on scheming for promotion and eager to show off rushed forward and pulled Hong Yingrong roughly.

"Let me go, I'm the wife of Marquis Xingyuan!" Hong Yingrong struggled angrily.

But the royal guard only had the thought of seeking credit from Chen Jin. He was focused and only wanted to take this opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty and ability.

In a hurry, he desperately drew his sword from his waist, and a cold light flashed in the air.

Hong Yingrong suddenly felt a chill across her throat. She subconsciously covered her neck, but it was too late. Gradually, she felt a warmth seeping out from between her fingers.

Seeing this, the jailers hurriedly released her hands and retreated in panic.

Hong Yingrong knelt weakly on the ground. Her throat could no longer make any sound, her hands hung limply, her eyelids felt heavy as if they weighed a thousand pounds, the scenery in front of her eyes gradually became blurred, and she watched her daughter being dragged farther and farther away.

Her daughter's shrill screams gradually turned into thunder in her ears, deafening her.

…

The seventh year of Wulong is the time when all things revive and spring is in full swing.

Spring thunder rumbled across the sky, and the bursts of thunder were like the war drums of the gods, shaking every inch of the land and also shaking Hong Yingrong's heart.

In the Prajna Hall of the Marquis' Mansion, Hong Yingrong knelt in front of a jade statue of Guanyin, tightly clutching a string of Buddhist beads in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the force, her eyes flashing with disbelief and deep shock.

She remembered that she had died in the imperial prison just a moment ago, but she did not expect that on such an early morning, she would open her eyes again in a trance and find herself back in the Buddhist temple of the Marquis' Mansion.

At that moment, Hong Yingrong thought that her soul had returned to her hometown and came here to end her last connection with the world.

It was not until her eyes fell on the white prayer flags fluttering in the yard that the once familiar scene began to emerge in her mind.

Seeing the maids and servants who used to be busy in the courtyard, Hong Yingrong truly felt that she was reborn and returned to three years ago when she was keeping vigil and chanting scriptures for the old marquis Xue Yonghuai in the mansion.

However, the memory of the time in the imperial prison had such a huge impact on her that she was completely confused.

Hong Yingrong was in the Prajna Hall, quietly calming herself down and sorting out her thoughts.

At this moment, Hanqiao, the maid from the inner courtyard who was guarding outside the door, saw with her sharp eyes that Zhao Ma, who was beside the old lady, was slowly walking towards her from the corridor in the distance, followed by an old lady carrying a food box.

Hanqiao immediately slowed down her pace and trotted over to meet him, her face wrinkled with anxiety, as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

"Madam Zhao, you're finally here!" Hanqiao said with a hint of tears in her voice. "Those two spring thunderclaps just now scared me terribly. The old lady didn't make a sound in the Buddhist hall either. I'm so worried, I don't know what to do."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!