Chapter 271 She is a sinner; look, she's wearing shackles.

Zhou Zhining led Xiao'er down from the carriage.

She walked slowly and steadily toward the "criminals," standing at the front of the crowd, watching them pass by with a smirk.

Although the Marquis of Zhongyong had never experienced a glorious and spectacular life, compared to many others, he was a superior person, and had never been so miserable before.

He walked forward with his head down.

The women behind kept pulling at their hair to cover their faces.

Marquis Zhongyong thought that as the head of the family, he would surely be the one most criticized, but he suddenly realized that the voices were coming from behind him.

He couldn't help but turn his head to look, only to find that people didn't care about him at all; their attention was entirely on Yao Qingling.

For a moment, I didn't know whether to feel fortunate or angry.

Even at a time like this, Yao Qingling is still able to steal the spotlight?

Marquis Zhongyong suddenly seemed somewhat bewildered.

He slowed down, taking one step at a time, and was pushed by the guard: "Hurry up, stop dawdling!"

Marquis Zhongyong looked at him, then pointed at the yamen runner: "I'll remember you, I'll remember you..."

He mumbled it twice, but swallowed it back down under the fierce and piercing gaze of the constable.

The constable said viciously, "So what if you remember me? Do you still think you have a chance to get out of jail?" He sneered, "Let me tell you, in the West Gate jail alone, twenty-two corpses were thrown out yesterday."

It was freezing cold, and the prison was damp and chilly. These pampered nobles were already terrified. They fell ill on their first day in prison. After three days, their condition worsened. They were breathing less and exhaling more. After another night, they stopped breathing altogether.

As soon as one person dies, fear permeates the entire prison. Even those who are not sick will fall ill from the fright. Death will spread throughout the prison like a plague.

There was no need for any investigation; officials who couldn't bear it would voluntarily confess their crimes, simply seeking a quick death.

As the constable drove them away, he spoke loudly, so loudly that people behind him could hear him, and even the people on the street could hear him.

The women no longer cared about their appearance, letting their messy hair cover their faces, and they began to sob softly.

Nobody wants to die.

The people realized that the Marquis of Zhongyong had committed a crime that implicated the entire household.

A scholar stopped Lin Shiyuan and asked, "Sir, this Madam Yao is the daughter of General Mingwei, and has no relation to Marquis Zhongyong. Why were she and her child arrested as well?"

Lin Shiyuan glanced coldly at Yao Qingling and said, "She also has the surname Yao."

He didn't say another word, his coldness bordering on inhumanity.

Zhou Zhining was secretly delighted to see Yao Qingling in such a disheveled state.

She thought maliciously that no matter how capable Yao Qingling was, she wouldn't be able to turn the tables this time.

It's a done deal that Marquis Zhongyong bought and sold rare and exotic animals; she's doomed!

Just as Yao Qingling passed in front of Zhou Zhining, Xiao'er suddenly pointed at Yao Qingling and said, "Mother, it's the young mistress."

—When they were in the new mansion, Zhou Zhining and Zhan Xingzhuo addressed each other as brother and sister. Xiao'er should have called Qingling "Little Aunt," but Zhou Zhining taught him to call her "Aunt." At the time, Qingling was a little confused, but Zhan Xingzhuo said that calling her "Aunt" would be more intimate.

At the time, Qingling didn't think much of it, but later, after learning about the affair between Zhou Zhining and Zhan Xingzhuo, she found the word "aunt" disgusting and wouldn't allow him to call her that anymore.

Xiao'er was a bit late in learning to speak, and when they left the new mansion, he could only say a few simple words. However, under Zhou Zhining's care, the child only wanted to stick to Zhan Xingzhuo and never got close to Qingling. He hadn't even learned to call her "Young Madam".

At this moment, the child clearly called out "Young Madam," which suggests that he had memorized the way people addressed Qingling before, and now that he was fluent in the language, he could pronounce it.

But it was under these circumstances.

It's both heartbreaking and laughable.

It was somewhat surprising that Xiao'er still remembered Yao Qingling after so long.

She held the child, glanced at Xiao'er indifferently, and nodded slightly to him.

Zhou Zhining was displeased by the title "Young Madam." She sneered and said to Xiao'er, "Xiao'er, she is not the Young Madam. She is a sinner. Look, she is wearing shackles."

There was a time when Yao Qingling would frequently humiliate Zhou Zhining with terms like "daughter of a disgraced official" and "official slave."

Now, fortunes have changed.

Zhou Zhining looked at Yao Qingling with a mocking and malicious gaze.

Yao Qingling also gazed at her calmly, her lips moving slightly as if she were saying something.

Zhou Zhining frowned; she hadn't clearly seen what she said. But seeing Yao Qingling's calm and composed demeanor, showing no fear whatsoever, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.

With Yao Qingling facing certain death, is there any way for her to escape punishment?

Ha, it's nothing but a show of bravado and a pretense of fear.

Zhou Zhining chuckled and turned her head to watch Yao Qingling slowly walk forward.

...

Arriving in prison is when the fear and despair become even more intense.

As soon as you enter, you can hear ghostly wails and howls. If you move even slightly to the side, you will be grabbed by a hand that suddenly reaches out.

The people inside were disheveled and filthy, making it almost impossible to see what they looked like, which was terrifying.

Zhao's concubine screamed repeatedly, almost going crazy with fright.

She suddenly collapsed to the ground, but was picked up by the bailiffs behind her like a chick and shoved into the cell.

There have been many arrests lately, and almost every cell is packed with people.

Yao Qingling suddenly understood why Tian Zhu said that Yao Laosan was completely unaware of the situation and therefore did not arrest him.

At the time, she found the reason somewhat far-fetched. According to their arrest rules, it was a collective punishment system; if even one person committed a crime, the entire household would be arrested.

It seems there are just too many people here, and they can't fit everyone in.

Qingling and several other women were crammed into a cell full of female prisoners.

Among these female prisoners, some had already changed into prison uniforms, while others were still wearing the clothes they wore in the mansion.

There were probably too many people, and the jailer was too lazy to move the cells. Anyway, once you're in this place, those who can endure it will live a few more days, and those who can't will go to see the King of Hell sooner or later.

Zhao'er woke up and cried loudly. Qingling comforted the little baby with heartache.

A female prisoner next to me said, "This child is so small, not even a year old yet, how come he's been arrested?"

Qingling looked up at the person and paused for a moment: "Madam Min?"

Madam Min's husband worked at the Court of State Ceremonial. When Qingling was at the Duke's Mansion, she met him once at a banquet hosted by the Grand Princess.

The woman froze, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's the young mistress..." She wiped her eyes, suppressing a sob. "Oh, no, I can't call you young mistress anymore. Madam Yao, what brings you in?"

Qingling shook her head: "I don't know either. Officials suddenly came this morning and started arresting people. They're waiting to interrogate them. What about you?"

Overwhelmed with grief, Madam Min burst into tears.

Her family has already been tried and convicted.

When the Court of State Ceremonial received foreign envoys, these envoys secretly gave gifts to Min Shaoqing, and he was convicted of a serious crime. Because he had private contact with the envoys and accepted tribute gifts, he was suspected of colluding with foreign powers.

"...The Min family has no hope." Madam Min sat on the ground with a look of despair.

A rat crawled over her, and the others screamed in fright, but Madam Min's lips curled into a slight smile.

She said, "When you're alive, you can feel these living things; when you're dead, you can't feel anything anymore."

One sentence silenced everyone in the cell.