Imprisonment (Part 6)

As night fell, Mu Chuan carried the food box and walked step by step up the dungeon steps.

The guards, who were sitting in a circle on a low stool drinking and bragging, suddenly swarmed around them.

They smiled obsequiously and said, "Miss, you've arrived. You may come in today."

Mu Chuan nodded slightly, signaling the leader to lead the way, and followed the guards without looking to the side, stepping into the dungeon gate.

After the guards escorted him inside, they breathed a sigh of relief and began to discuss among themselves.

"That tigress is really intimidating."

“You were just intimidated by her. She actually dislocated my arm and put it back on. My arm still hurts.”

"Serves you right. Who told you to try to touch her just because she's pretty? She's almost half a head taller than you, with a frame as big as a man's, and her eyes are like arrows on a bowstring. She's definitely not a nice person."

"You didn't have any evil intentions back then?"

"Tsk, but you're not that impatient."

"Thanks, brother, for risking your life."

A young woman, alone, came to visit him in prison late at night. She was stunningly beautiful with a cool and aloof demeanor, a slender waist, and long legs; anyone would find her irresistible.

Who would have thought this woman would be such a shrew?

The group still felt a bit scared when they thought about the night shifts they had taken the previous two days.

The guard, whose arm had been dislocated, moved his injured area and grimaced, "Well, she's got a lot of connections, so we're not losing out. Let her in, and don't bring this up again."

The others nodded in agreement, then sat back down at the small table and continued drinking and making merry.

Inside the dungeon.

Wang Pan'er was awakened by the sound of chains being unlocked and doors being pushed open. She turned her head and looked outside, her eyes lighting up instantly.

She quickly got up, brushed her messy hair, and dusted off her wrinkled sleeves and skirt before heading towards the door.

The jailer opened the door and let Mu Chuan in, then instructed him, "The time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Mu Chuan smiled back and slipped a silver ingot into the jailer's hand.

The jailer was somewhat surprised. He weighed the silver in his hand and raised an eyebrow: "Then hurry up."

Mu Chuan bowed, entered the cell, immediately squatted down, took out a candle from his sleeve and lit it, then opened the food box, took out a plate of dishes, and greeted Wang Pan'er with a smile.

The gourd chicken, braised pork, sweet and sour meatballs, and braised pork knuckle were making Wang Pan'er, who hadn't had any oily food for days, craved it.

All four dishes were meat-based, and the main course was a vegetable and dumpling soup.

Wang Pan'er buried her head and started showing off wildly, completely disregarding her image.

While eating, Mu Chuan told Wang Pan'er about the situation at home: "There is no decent food in the prison. I have already made arrangements with the guards at the dungeon entrance and the jailers inside, so they can bring you food every day from now on. Xiao Yao and Cheng Xi are also very worried about you, but a place like the dungeon is dirty and bloody, so it is not appropriate for girls to come. Therefore, I did not bring the two of them."

He rambled on, talking about his home and then about the situation at the medicinal cuisine restaurant. In short, everything outside was fine.

While listening to Mu Chuan speak, Wang Pan'er ate until she was completely full, with no room left in her stomach, before putting down her chopsticks.

Mu Chuan took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth.

After wiping his mouth, he noticed that the person's face was also covered in dust, so he folded the handkerchief back over to wipe their face again.

After wiping my face, I wiped my body too.

Her hair was unkempt and tangled, her clothes were worn out, and her ankles were chafed.

In just three days, he's been turned into this state.

Mu Chuan's eyes immediately reddened, and he pulled Wang Pan'er into his arms and hugged her tightly.

Wang Pan'er paused for a moment, sensing Mu Chuan's emotions, and gently put her arm around his waist.

Mu Chuan hugged her for a while, finally calming the soreness in his heart. He rested his chin on Wang Pan'er's forehead, gently stroking it, and said, "Today we discovered that the prefect and the Chamber of Commerce destroyed the account books together. Luckily, you had copied a lot of them out beforehand."

Wang Pan'er looked up at Mu Chuan with a smug look in her eyes: "I told you we had to go deep into the enemy camp. No pain, no gain."

"You've gotten all proud." Mu Chuan pouted, lowered his head, and with some force, slammed his forehead against Wang Pan'er's forehead.

With a loud thud, Wang Pan'er immediately covered her head: "No, are you crazy?!"

Mu Chuan said fiercely, "You made your own decisions. It was clearly my duty to come out and suffer for me. What's there to be so smug about?"

"Since I did something for you, you should give me a reward!"

What reward do you want?

Wang Pan'er grabbed Mu Chuan's collar, about to kiss him. Mu Chuan pushed against her shoulder, turning his head to the side: "There are people around."

Is anyone there?

Wang Pan'er turned around, and the uncle next door was glaring at her, which was especially eerie in the dimly lit dungeon.

Upon closer inspection, he was staring at the pile of food left by Wang Pan'er, showing no interest in watching others being affectionate; his only concern was his most primal craving for food.

Even if she was just a glutton, it was still uncomfortable to have a grown man next door, so Wang Pan'er could only reluctantly let go of Mu Chuan's collar.

Mu Chuan suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He gently pulled Wang Pan'er's loosened collar hand, using her figure to block the view from the next room, and pulled her inside his own clothes.

Good heavens, good heavens, good heavens!

Wang Pan'er immediately grinned from ear to ear.

Limited-time offer, grab it while you can!

Wang Pan'er's face was pressed against Mu Chuan's chest muscles, and her hands were also guided by him to trace along his abs and pubic area. Suddenly, she felt a surge of heat rush to the top of her head and then flow down her philtrum.

Mu Chuan was startled and quickly pinched Wang Pan'er's nose to stop the bleeding: "Look at you, so pathetic!"

More than the fact that she had a nosebleed, Wang Pan'er was disappointed by the beauty of the man. She argued, "It must be because I inhaled too much carbon ash in the kiln these past few days."

Mu Chuan ruthlessly pulled away Wang Pan'er's hand that was still pinching his abs: "Then you'll have to take good care of your nose."

Wang Pan'er was greatly disappointed. As she watched Mu Chuan frantically try to stop her bleeding, she feigned a sob and said regretfully, "I'm so miserable. In this dungeon, I can't get enough to eat or sleep, and I have to do corvée labor during the day. You know, in the sweltering summer, going into the kiln is so stifling that you'd practically die. I'd be covered in sweat, and I couldn't even take a bath. Just smell me; I must smell awful!"

Using these methods to manipulate Mu Chuan, you'll be able to get the upper hand every time.

After Mu Chuan stopped Wang Pan'er's bleeding, he patted her head and said, "What other reward do you want?"

Wang Pan'er made an outrageous demand: "Once I get out, I'll be a well-off small business owner with no worries about food or clothing. All I'll lack is a handsome young man to warm my bed. Why don't you marry me and become my husband?"

In this dynasty, the term "son-in-law" carried a somewhat insulting connotation for men. Wang Pan'er couldn't possibly be so delusional as to expect a young master from a wealthy family to stoop to such a position; that's why she made those outrageous and flirtatious remarks.

Unexpectedly, Mu Chuan didn't even hesitate. He smiled shyly at Wang Pan'er and replied with an "okay."

Wang Pan'er's eyes widened: "Are you serious! Can Madam accept this?"

Mu Chuan didn't seem to have any particular reaction to the matter of marrying into another family, and said matter-of-factly, "You forgot, my mother also married into another family."

Wang Pan'er pressed further, "And what about yourself?"

Mu Chuan pondered for a moment: "I really enjoy life in Jinzhou. Every day is full of life and warmth. If I were to think about going to the capital in the future, I would feel bored. Or rather, only when I'm with you can I truly savor the experience."

Such a good Mu Chuan, Wang Pan'er couldn't let him be gossiped about by relatives and friends: "I was just joking with you. We're not talking about marriage or me moving in. We're just getting married and starting our own little family. Anyway, Madam said she would take me in as her goddaughter, so I won't treat Madam as my mother-in-law, but as my own mother. As long as Madam can take care of herself, she can choose the life she wants. If the day comes when Madam can no longer take care of herself, I will serve her at her bedside with you and see her off in her final moments."

Mu Chuan looked at Wang Pan'er, who was looking very serious, with tears welling up in his eyes. He finally couldn't hold back any longer, so he extinguished the candle with his sleeve, cupped Wang Pan'er's face in his hands, and kissed her.

Wang Pan'er was exhausted after a long day, and after playing around with Mu Chuan for a while, she was so exhausted that she started yawning constantly.

Thinking about the hard labor ahead, with Mu Da Mei Ren's body wrapped around her arms, she couldn't bear to fall asleep.

Mu Chuan helped Wang Pan'er gather the scattered straw, pressed her down to lie down, then sat beside her, took her hand and coaxed, "I gave the jailer a full ingot of silver, so he can come every day. You can sleep peacefully, we have to get up early tomorrow to fire the kiln, I'll stay with you until you fall asleep before I leave."

Wang Pan'er was extremely tired. She lay down for only a few breaths before she began to snore softly.

Mu Chuan withdrew his hand and began to clean up the dishes on the floor.

The uncle next door was already awakened by the aroma the moment Mu Chuan opened the food box.

He had been craving it for a long time, his eyes burning with envy. Seeing Mu Chuan carrying the food box to leave, he was so anxious that he forgot everything else: "Miss, hey! Kind girl, we can't eat these leftovers anyway, give them to me, I'll lick the plates clean for you, and you won't have to wash them when we get back!"

The phrase "licked clean" was so vivid that Mu Chuan couldn't help but feel a chill.

However, she could use food to win over a fellow inmate.

He carried the bowls and plates to the space between the two cubicles and placed them down, just out of the uncle's reach.

The sound of the middle-aged man frantically swallowing his saliva was very clear in the quiet space.

Mu Chuan asked in a high-pitched voice, "Want to eat?"

The middle-aged man stretched out his hand, trying his best but still unable to reach the plate, and hurriedly replied to Mu Chuan, "I want to, I want to!"

"Then grant me one request."

The middle-aged man said impatiently, "Girl, tell me quickly, and I will do anything for you."

“You need to take good care of her while the kiln is firing.” Mu Chuan pointed to Wang Pan’er, who was already fast asleep. “If she’s satisfied, I’ll bring an extra meal tomorrow so you can continue to have a treat. If she’s not happy, the meal will be placed in front of you so you can see it but can’t eat it!”

"I can't possibly endure such torture!" the uncle said fearfully, as if afraid the meat he was about to eat would fly away. "Don't worry, young lady, from now on, I will treat her like my mistress!"

"Um."

Mu Chuan nodded in satisfaction, handed over the plate of food, and watched as the uncle devoured all the leftovers.

The uncle handed the bowls and plates back with a fawning expression, and just as he had said, the plates were licked clean.

Mu Chuan looked disgusted. He pinched the edge of the plate, threw the food into the food box, picked up the food box, and left with a frown.

He thought that he had to prepare a new food box for Wang Pan'er tomorrow, and that he would just give the one that was drooled on to the uncle.