As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room gasped and fell silent, staring at Su An as if he were a madman.

This was the first time Chu Yi had ever been so verbally abused. He was stunned for a long time before his face turned ashen with anger.

"How dare this treacherous traitor speak so disrespectfully! Your Majesty, I will kill this female spy for you!" Cheng Chang reacted and shouted, immediately preparing to attack Su An.

"Wait!" Chu Yi stared at Su An, then suddenly let out a sarcastic laugh, squeezing out the words through gritted teeth: "I am a tyrant? Heh, I suppose in your eyes only your imperial uncle should be the ruler of this world?"

"I will not kill you, and I will let you see for yourself who truly holds the reins of this empire, and what fate awaits your beloved uncle!"

Chu Yi seemed to have already seen the day when he would completely rule the country, and he threw his head back and laughed heartily.

"A madman..." Su An looked at him as if he were a demon. He couldn't imagine that such an arrogant and paranoid person would become emperor. It would undoubtedly be a calamity for the people.

She was covered in cold sweat, but she gritted her teeth and didn't beg for mercy.

Even though An Wu was eager to save her, she shook her head to indicate her refusal.

If they were to take action, it would confirm their disobedience, and besides, they simply couldn't defeat the emperor's large force.

She let herself be dragged into jail and became Lin Yong's next-door neighbor.

Unexpectedly, not long after, his own mother and younger siblings were also forcibly locked up inside!

"Xiao An!" Li Guihua's face turned pale. She had no idea what had happened. When she saw Su An, who was also in prison, her eyes immediately filled with tears.

Su Jiang, being sensible, helped his younger siblings, while the three little ones, looking bewildered and with red eyes, gathered around with concern.

"Big sister, have we done something to anger the emperor? Don't be afraid, as long as our family can be together, we can die in peace!" Su Ting said hurriedly.

To avoid offending the emperor, they stayed quietly in the backyard, so they only heard some of the commotion outside but didn't see anything.

But that didn't stop the whole family from being united at that moment, and they all nodded through their tears.

Looking at her family who had suffered an undeserved calamity, Su An felt a lump in her throat and wanted to cry, but she forced herself to raise her hand and rub the three of their heads.

"It's alright. The emperor just needs to investigate some matters, so he's only imprisoning us temporarily. We have nothing to fear, and we'll surely turn misfortune into good fortune."

She herself didn't believe what she was saying, but she wanted to reassure them for the time being to avoid making her family worry.

Besides, if the emperor wanted to kill her, he could have done so long ago; keeping her alive must have been for other reasons.

Su An comforted his family, and in doing so, he comforted himself.

However, this time in prison was clearly not as pleasant as before.

They were imprisoned by the emperor's own orders. Without them, the prison guards dared not question them, keeping them at a distance of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and did not dare to give them food or drink.

It was alright that they slept soundly for one night, but until the second night, no food was brought to them. The third child was the first to break down, his stomach growling with hunger.

"Second brother, Yueyue is so hungry, is Yueyue going to die...?"

Little Su Yue dared not disturb the adults, biting her lip as she leaned on Su Jiang's shoulder and sobbed as she spoke.

Su Ting, who had grown tall quickly and usually had the biggest appetite, was now weak and listless. She tried to encourage him, saying, "Little sister, what nonsense are you talking about? You're fine, just hang in there a little longer and it'll be over soon!"

“That’s right.” Su Jiang pursed his lips like a little adult, his dark eyes full of composure and determination. “As a family, there’s nothing we can’t overcome.”

"But..." Xiao Suyue clutched her stomach, tears welling up in her eyes from hunger, wanting to speak but not daring to.

She was only five years old and, unlike her brothers, couldn't endure the hunger. She instinctively wanted to cry.

Seeing his younger siblings in such a state, Su An could no longer sit still and walked angrily to the prison door.

She didn't know if the withholding of food and water was the emperor's instruction, but she had reached her limit and could only shout at the top of her lungs, "We haven't even been given a sip of water all day! By the time you investigate, it will be ages! Are you trying to starve us to death?"

"Someone come here right now! Explain what exactly you mean!"

"Oh my, Miss Su can still be so lively and energetic, she looks very healthy."

Suddenly a shrill voice rang out, and Fu Hai happened to walk over, his face full of sarcasm.

He held a tray in his hands, on which lay a set of extremely thin, gauze-like clothes, and nothing else.

Disappointment flashed across Su An's eyes, followed by a furious glare. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Eunuch, may I ask what His Majesty the Emperor intends to do by locking us up without food or water? Even if he wants to take the lives of us commoners, there's no need to go to such lengths."

She glared at the white-bearded, shrewd-looking eunuch in front of her, who was clearly some kind of monster, so she decided to be blunt.

Fu Hai chuckled twice, then said nothing more:

“Miss Su’s words offended His Majesty, but this is only a small punishment. Fortunately, His Majesty is kind-hearted. As long as you change into this gauze dress and please His Majesty, he will naturally forgive you.”

Upon hearing this, Su An couldn't help but look at the clothes on the tray again. They were so flimsy and revealing that she was being treated like a prostitute.

A lump formed in her throat, and she said coldly, "If Your Majesty wants to have some fun, you'll have to go to a brothel. I can only cook, not perform any arts!"

"We advise Miss Su to be more discerning. Is there any room for you to refuse now?" Fu Hai glanced contemptuously at Sanwa beside him.

Su An choked, and subconsciously looked over, only to find that the little girl was so hungry that her eyes were blurry, and she was so scared and tired that she was sobbing softly.

"Xiao An, don't listen to them..." Li Guihua's legs were trembling. She had just gotten out of bed to stop them when her vision went black and she collapsed to the ground.

They could manage without food for a day and a night, but they hadn't had a drop of water either. The fact that they didn't faint meant they were in good physical condition from their usual work.

Now even speaking is hoarse and difficult.

Looking at the family's pale faces, Su An felt as if a hole had been torn in her heart, and her eyes suddenly stung with tears.

Yes, how could she possibly refuse in this situation?

She steeled herself and gritted her teeth, saying, "Fine, I'll go, but you have to prepare food and water and bring them over immediately!"

Fu Hai was unusually satisfied with her compromise, clapped his hands indifferently, and told people to prepare things.

...

After Su An changed his clothes, he was taken to the courtyard of the county government office.

Chu Yi, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying himself, lounging in a recliner in the courtyard, sipping wine, and looking quite content as he admired the moon.

Upon seeing Su An's appearance, his eyes suddenly lit up.

The girl, now dressed in a gauze dress, looked completely different. Her eyebrows were like crescent moons, and her eyes were like silver lakes. However, perhaps from anger, her pale cheeks were flushed with a hint of irritation, making her appear even more beautiful, like a peach blossom.

Her usually unremarkable figure was perfectly accentuated by the light and airy gauze dress, revealing the unique gentleness of a young girl.

"No wonder you caught the eye of the Imperial Uncle with your looks, come here!"