Chapter 21 Visiting the Villainous Husband in Prison

Back at the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion.

Yun Zhaoxue had three boxes moved to her courtyard.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, Xiao Xiuning appeared out of nowhere again, "You're finally back?"

Yun Zhaoxue said, "Fourth Sister, you haven't been waiting for me all this time, have you? Thank you for your concern, Fourth Sister."

Xiao Xiuning said irritably, "Who cares about you? If you weren't pregnant, I wouldn't even bother to look at you, hmph!"

Seeing Hongzao's cheeks, she said, "Oh, what happened to your maid? Her forehead is wrapped in gauze. Was she bullied? Weren't you very arrogant and domineering? How come you can't even protect your maid?"

“I wasn’t there at the time, but I’ve already reported back. I’m going to pay my respects to Mother. Would you like to come with me, Fourth Sister?”

"Who wants to go with you?"

Yun Zhaoxue only brought red dates with her, and told Lüzhi to go back and rest first.

When she arrived, Xie Wanyun and Song Mingyan were attending to Yang Shi at her bedside with several children.

"Greetings to my mother."

"Xue'er, you're here? Have a seat!"

When her elder and younger sisters-in-law saw her arrive, they were like mice before a cat, not daring to stay with her. They rose with their children to take their leave, saying, "Mother, let's take the children downstairs to review their lessons. Let the princess keep you company for a chat."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Xue'er, what brings you here?"

"Mother, I have begged my cousin, the Crown Prince, to allow me to enter the Dali Temple prison to see the Heir Apparent. Is there anything you wish to say to him or anything you would like me to bring to him?"

"Are you going to see Ce'er in jail?"

Lady Yang then asked, "Did you request it yourself, or did the Crown Prince send you?"

"It was the Crown Prince's request. He asked me to pass on a few words for him, but you know the young master's character. He wouldn't be swayed by a few words from me. I can't just pretend to agree without making a scene. Anyway, I can't guarantee it will work out."

"Xue'er, you shouldn't have gone to the banquet today. Getting involved in the court's infighting is extremely dangerous."

“Mother, I’m not afraid. I’m a princess, and they won’t touch me easily. I didn’t say I could definitely do it. The prince must be eating and sleeping poorly in prison. I’m thinking of sending him some silver or food to improve his meals and living conditions so he can have a better time in prison.”

Madam Yang took out a thousand taels of silver from under her pillow. "Xue'er, could I ask you to give these silver notes to Ce'er for me?"

The food in prison was poor; only by occasionally bribing someone with silver could one get a decent meal.

Yun Zhaoxue observed that there was nothing of value in the room, and thought that the money must have come from pawning something.

These are all the despicable things done by the original master. The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion was already so poor, yet he still managed to plunder the last bit of money he had left.

"Mother, please take your money back. I have some extra money here, I can give it to you."

Madam Yang also planned to cook for her to take inside to her third son.

Yun Zhaoxue said a few words to her and then took her leave. At the door, she bumped into Qin Xiaoxiuning.

Yun Zhaoxue pretended not to see her.

Xiao Xiuning chased after her, "Stop! Yun Zhaoxue, you've emptied our manor's coffers. Don't you even want to leave the last bit of money? Do you have any conscience?"

She couldn't hear very clearly, but she heard that her mother was going to give Yun Zhaoxue money.

Yun Zhaoxue retorted, "Conscience? I lost it a long time ago. What? You still have it?"

Xiao Xiuning was so angry at her shamelessness that her heart ached. "Of course I have it! Who is as heartless and shameless as you! You don't cherish those who are good to you, and you rush to please those who look down on you. You deserve it all. But the worst thing you could do was take our Marquis's money and give it to someone else. You wait, I will definitely go to the Marquis's mansion and get our money back."

Yun Zhaoxue shrugged. "Whatever. Just let me know when you go to ask for the money. If I'm in a good mood, I might lend you a hand."

She was thinking of going to collect the debt in a few days, but since someone else was eager to go, she decided to let her go instead.

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), a horse-drawn carriage stopped at Dali Temple.

A woman wearing a black hooded cloak stepped down from the carriage.

The oversized hat covered most of her face, revealing only the lower half of her delicate, fair complexion.

The palace guards, holding tokens, led the way through three layers of iron-clad wooden gates. At each gate, the guards on both sides silently retreated.

The passageway was deep and dark, and the torches cast swaying shadows on the stone walls. The air was filled with the smells of mildew and blood.

The last rusty cell door creaked open, and a chilling aura rushed out.

The guard whispered, "We've arrived."

As soon as Yun Zhaoxue went inside, the door was locked.

The cell was damp and suffocating, with a sliver of dim moonlight slanting through the high window. A man could be vaguely seen sitting against the wall, wearing a filthy, blood-stained prison uniform, and shackled with handcuffs and leg irons.

That person is the biggest "villain" in the book.

He fought for his country for nearly ten years and was twice accused of treason.

The first time he was imprisoned, his hands and feet were crippled and his martial arts skills were destroyed, his home was confiscated and he was exiled.

After helping the new emperor unify the country for the second time, he was accused of being a traitor and executed, becoming a notorious traitor and villain in history, leaving a lasting stain on his reputation.

Throughout history, few loyal ministers and virtuous generals have met a good end.

In her past life, she worked tirelessly in a mercenary group, earning countless merits and helping her boss make a fortune. She planned to retire from the mercenary world, but was betrayed by the organization.

We are both in the same boat, suffering the same fate.

Yun Zhaoxue bent down to observe him closely. She saw that his eyes were closed, his long hair was tied up, and a few strands of hair brushed against his brow bone.

Although he was only in his early twenties, his brows held a melancholy that was incongruous with his age—his features were sharp and angular, his eyebrows were thick and bright, his nose was high and straight, his thin lips were tightly pursed, and his jawline was as hard and cold as if it had been carved by a knife.

The collar of the prison uniform was slightly open, revealing a hideous old wound on his collarbone. The shackles on his wrists had been dragged and dug into his flesh many times, leaving bloody marks on his wrists and ankles that were almost deep enough to expose the bone.

I don't know if he was asleep or deliberately closing his eyes to avoid seeing her.

She coughed softly, but still didn't react. She kicked him and said fiercely, "Hey, if you're not dead, make a sound. This princess has come to see you and brought you food."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a mouse squeaked out from scurrying through the hay, "Squeak!!"

Yun Zhaoxue, "..."

There were the Crown Prince's men eavesdropping outside the prison, and she deliberately acted like the original owner of the body, being arrogant and brainless.

Xiao Xuance's voice was hoarse, "Who sent you?"

Yun Zhaoxue took off her hat and said arrogantly, "Can't I come here because I wanted to? Who else but me, this princess, would bother with a prisoner like you?"

"Here you go, my arms are sore from carrying this all the way."

As he spoke, he threw the food box on the ground.

Xiao Xuance glanced at the food box, then looked away, coldly uttering a single word, "Get lost!"

"I am pregnant with your child."

The man seemed not to hear.

Yun Zhaoxue pointed at his nose and cursed, "He's your child too, and you don't care about him at all. You don't even care about your own flesh and blood. You cold-blooded and heartless man, are you even human?"

"If you want your child to live, confess."

Xiao Xuance stared intently at her with his deep phoenix eyes. "Confess? What crime do you want me to confess to? This is the purpose of your pregnancy, isn't it? You are more cold-blooded than me."

If he confesses, not only will he die, but everyone in the Prince's Mansion will die. He will not destroy the Prince's Mansion for the sake of a child who has not yet been born.

Yun Zhaoxue shouted loudly, "Treason and collusion with the enemy! They all say that you deserve to die for colluding with the enemy and betraying your country. If you had confessed earlier, you wouldn't have suffered so much."

People outside the cell were peeking through the window when they heard the two arguing, so they left.

Yun Zhaoxue glanced at the doorway, lowered her voice, and quickly said, "My mother made this herself; she asked me to bring it to you."

She mentioned her mother and the sudden change.

Xiao Xuance paused for a moment, then moved his chapped lips. "Did Mother send you?"

Yun Zhaoxue whispered again, "My mother asked me to pass on a message to you: no matter what happens, you must live well. She and everyone in the Marquis's mansion will hold on until the very end, waiting for you to leave so that the family can be reunited."

Xiao Xuance leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes slightly closed, and said in an almost indifferent voice, "Tell my mother to give you a letter of divorce on my behalf. You can remarry in the future. The child is a burden to you."

The implication is that she can abort the child and marry someone else.

The guards reported that Yun Zhaoxue had suddenly learned martial arts and was involved with the other party's forces, so she was not to be trusted.

He felt indebted to her and didn't want her dead, so he sent her away.

Someone else has arrived outside.

Yun Zhaoxue nodded angrily, "Fine! Since you don't want him, the child will be mine alone from now on, and his life or death is none of your business. If you don't want him, I'll insist on giving birth to him, and when he grows up, I'll tell him that his father is a heartless man who disowns him and abandoned us, mother and child, so that he'll hate you for the rest of his life, trample on your grave, and uproot the grass on your grave..."