The constable asked in an unfriendly tone, "Who is the Lady of Pingyang?"

Tu asked timidly, "What's wrong?"

Prefect Meng Benchu ​​slowly stepped forward and said, "Madam, did you sell four hundred soldiers?"

Madam Tu hurriedly explained, "We only sold one hundred people this time, but they've all run away..."

Lord Meng said, "I ask you, where did you get those indentures?"

"Yes, it was given to me by the Third Madam."

Lord Meng's face suddenly darkened, and he said, "You're full of lies. Think about it again. What is the date on that indenture?"

"This..." Madam Tu was somewhat flustered; she really didn't remember the date of the indenture.

Gu Chengyan was helped out and said, "Lord Meng, please just tell me what's wrong. My mother manages all the affairs of the household, how could she remember everything!"

"All the contracts of servitude are fake!"

"ah?"

The people inside the mansion and the onlookers at the gate were all stunned.

Are the indenture contracts all fake?

Lord Meng shouted, "The Marquis of Pingyang's household forged indentures! Oh, and another thing, some of those soldiers you mentioned might be law-abiding citizens from the outskirts of the capital. The Marquis's household is committing fraud and buying and selling innocent people! Take them away!"

Tu was terrified and still tried to argue, but Meng Benchu ​​wouldn't listen to her nonsense. The fierce constables locked her in chains and took her away.

Fraud and trafficking in innocent people are serious crimes!

Gu Chengyan chased after him in a panic: "Lord Meng, are you sure you haven't made a mistake...?"

"Is Young Master Gu questioning my ability to handle cases? Steward Zhang Qing has already confessed, why are you still trying to deny it? The Lady of Pingyang is the mastermind, whether others in the household are involved remains to be investigated! No one in the household may leave the capital without permission."

Upon arriving at the Kyoto Prefectural Hall, they were first imprisoned, and a court hearing was scheduled for another day.

Meng Benchu ​​whispered to the head constable, "This woman is despicable. Even His Majesty is heartbroken, and she's already eager to divide up Grand Secretary Gu's fortune. Lock her up for a few days and teach her a lesson..."

Despite never currying favor with anyone or forming cliques, Grand Secretary Gu has won the respect and admiration of various departments by achieving three goals with one move and remaining incorruptible.

Therefore, the head constable and the jailer understood what Lord Meng meant by that one sentence.

As Tu entered the prison, she walked down a low, damp, and dark narrow passage. Suddenly, she felt a chill on her feet and cried out, "Ah!" The jailer behind her immediately lashed out with his whip, yelling, "What are you howling about?"

Tu was whipped on the ear and half of her face, and she screamed in pain again.

Just hearing that scream made me want to punch someone, and the jailer lashed out with his whip repeatedly.

Tu covered her head and cried out, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I won't scream anymore, ah~"

She was stepping on something soft when a mouse darted past her.

As a result, he was whipped again.

He was beaten eight times in just thirty zhang, leaving him dizzy and disheveled.

The jailer opened a cell and pushed her inside. She lost her balance and fell face-first onto the damp straw floor.

He couldn't get up for a long time.

The jailer snorted, locked the door, and left.

She lay on the ground and heard rustling sounds coming quickly. The prisoners she was locked up with pounced on her and tried to snatch her jewelry.

A pair of hands nearly ripped her ear off in an attempt to snatch the earring from her ear.

The group fought over the hairpin in her hair and almost pulled out a few clumps of her hair.

Jewelry and bracelets were all stolen.

Tu was screaming in pain, and the prisoners, annoyed by the noise, held her down and beat her severely.

The jailers ignored her completely. Tu clung to the bars, desperately calling for help, but no one paid her any attention.

The female prisoners continued to beat her.

Tu hated them all, hated these prisoners, hated these lowly jailers, hated... hated Guan Yingying, hated Xie Zhaozhao!

Because there was no trial, and to prevent collusion, visits to the prison were not allowed.

The mansion was in complete chaos when suddenly someone at the gate shouted, "Consort Xi has sent someone!"

Gu Boyu, Gu Chengyan, and the old lady came out trembling again, and saw Liuli, the head maid of Consort Xi, coming to the Earl's mansion to reprimand the old lady and Gu Boyu.

"The sudden accident that befell Grand Secretary Gu and his wife has caused grief and sorrow throughout the nation. Yet you have dared to scramble for their property and sell off their servants. Your brother is unkind and your mother is unloving, which is heartbreaking. I hereby condemn you and order you to cease your actions immediately and repent."

After reprimanding them, Liuli said sternly, "Lord Gu, Madam, you'd better watch yourselves!"

Gu Boyu was furious and cursed at the old lady: "You all just cause trouble all day long! You've taken away all the credit that Father risked his life for! Let's all die together!"

The old lady wept bitterly, saying, "Isn't it all because you're all so troublesome? And you're blaming me?"

But no matter how much you complain, saving lives is the priority!

Gu Zhongyu and his wife were full of resentment, blaming Tu for dragging down the Earl's family.

Gu Chengyan and Guan Yingying, despite their injuries, went to find the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince said that if they wanted money or to save lives, they could get a panacea!

Guan Yingying took a pound of panacea and asked the Crown Prince for a token to visit him in prison.

Upon seeing Madam Tu, Madam Tu said in a panic, "I beg the Crown Prince, I beg the Crown Prince to tell Lord Meng that I have not bought or sold any good people!"

The law of the Great Deeds states that buying and selling innocent people is punishable by exile for three thousand miles, and serious offenses result in immediate beheading.

When Xie Xiangxiang heard that Gu Chengyan and Aunt Yue had actually obtained money and tokens from the Crown Prince to visit him in prison, and that they even had a way to get the Crown Prince to pardon Tu Shi's crime of "buying and selling good people," she suddenly became curious.

Why does the Crown Prince listen to Consort Yue?

Is Aunt Yue really that capable?

Both in the previous and current lives, it is said that Gu Chengyan and the Crown Prince had an excellent relationship. What does Aunt Yue have to do with it?

She remained calm and listened quietly to their discussion. When everyone expressed their opinions, she echoed, "Let's bring Mother back first."

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