Seeing that Su Qingcai remained silent, Su Xiaoning sighed softly and didn't pay much attention. She was already starving, so she sat down to eat. In the quiet cell, only the occasional clinking of bowls and chopsticks could be heard.
Su Qingcai frowned, seemingly lost in thought. After Su Xiaoning had finished eating and drinking, he said calmly, "Come out with me."
"What?" Su Xiaoning was stunned and hadn't realized what this meant before Su Qingcai pulled her out of the cell.
She was shocked and instinctively shook him off: "Are you crazy? It was the Emperor who ordered me to be arrested. You think you can just take me away like that?"
"These are not problems. I will naturally go to the Emperor to apologize. Now, come out with me."
"no!"
Su Xiaoning shook her head, put her hands behind her back, and took a few steps back into the cell until her back was against the gray stone wall. Then she said in a muffled voice, "Since we're already in here, what difference will it make if you take me back now? I don't want you to be punished by the Emperor again. Let's find out the truth."
“This is my judgment, and you should trust me.” Su Qingcai slowly walked up to Su Xiaoning and looked directly into her eyes. “It’s no longer safe here. Su Qinghe might make a move against you one day. We can find evidence slowly, but your safety is the most important thing.”
God knows how panicked he was when he learned that Su Qinghe was personally interrogating Su Xiaoning. All he could think about was whether Su Qinghe would kill her. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without Su Xiaoning.
Su Xiaoning understood Su Qingcai's thoughts and was slightly touched, but she had her own considerations and still did not agree to his request: "If I leave now, I'm afraid Qin Yunyun and Su Qinghe will pin another crime on me. Will you still be able to protect me then? Let me stay here, and I can also see what Qin Yunyun plans to do next."
You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Su Qinghe's actions made Su Xiaoning vaguely realize something. Although life in the prison was tough, it wasn't entirely unbearable.
Su Qingcai frowned slightly and pulled her along almost forcefully: "No!"
"I'm not leaving! You'd be better off using this time to investigate the truth!" Su Xiaoning insisted on staying put, stubbornly arguing with Su Qingcai.
The two argued endlessly, when suddenly the beggar chuckled. He idly picked at his ear and uttered a few words.
"The one who tied the knot must untie it."
These seven words seemed to contain profound meaning. Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai both fell silent, exchanged glances, and seemed to have thought of something.
Su Xiaoning hurriedly turned her head, wanting to ask the beggar what he meant, but the beggar ignored them, turned over on the pile of straw, and silently turned his back to them.
Su Qingcai stroked his chin, pondering, "I think I already know."
A look of relief appeared on his face. He stopped pressuring Su Xiaoning and turned to leave, saying, "Stay inside and take care of yourself. I'll get you out as soon as possible."
"You should be careful too," Su Xiaoning called out. Su Qingcai had already hurriedly left the cell, and no one knew what he had realized.
Pearl followed Su Qingcai out. Su Xiaoning glanced at the beggar who seemed to be asleep, then sat down, hugging her knees. She buried her head deeply in her knees, still hoping to see what Su Qingcai would do, despite the loneliness of the prison.
...
The next day, the gate of the Seventh Prince's Mansion was bustling with activity as people flocked there, their noise carrying deep into the mansion.
Early in the morning, Qin Yunyun was still immersed in her dream. She groggily pulled the quilt over herself, trying to cover herself from the ever-increasing waves of sound, but the noise was still deafening, disturbing her peace.
Left with no other choice, Qin Yunyun had to get up with dark circles under her eyes. A servant came to report that Su Qinghe was still asleep, so she went to Su Qinghe's room.
Su Qinghe was different from usual. He lay on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, looking as if he was in great pain. Cold sweat was pouring down his forehead, and he was making strange "hoarse" sounds in his throat, as if he was in extreme fear.
"Your Highness?" Qin Yunyun called softly, and cautiously reached out her hand to Su Qinghe, but just as she touched Su Qinghe's cheek, Su Qinghe slapped her hand away and pushed her away hard.
"Ah!" Qin Yunyun fell hard to the ground, and tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.
Su Qinghe suddenly woke up from a nightmare. He opened his eyes abruptly, sat up in bed, and gasped for breath.
He actually dreamt that he was being chased by rats and was so scared that he kept trying to run away. That's ridiculous...
"Your Highness, what's wrong? There's such a commotion outside. I just wanted to wake you up."
Qin Yunyun cried out in grievance and stood up with the help of the servants.
Su Qinghe then noticed Qin Yunyun. Recalling the absurd scene in his dream, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his heart and shouted, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!"
Qin Yunyun was startled by his shout and shut her mouth, not daring to utter a sound, not even daring to complain of the pain.
Su Qinghe didn't want to pay attention to Qin Yunyun. When the noisy sounds outside reached his ears, he immediately got up, quickly washed up, and walked towards the gate of the Prince's Mansion. Qin Yunyun hurriedly followed behind him.
As soon as he opened the gates of the Prince's Mansion, all he could see were the heads of countless commoners, and at the very front stood a person he hated with a passion.
"What trick are you trying to pull?" Su Qinghe stared coldly at Su Qingcai, a bad feeling creeping into her heart.
"I'm just here to apologize to the Seventh Prince." Su Qingcai smiled slightly, his tone very sincere, but he didn't reveal his true intentions.
Su Qinghe scoffed and said sarcastically, "You hurt my concubine, and you were so stubborn back then. Now you know to apologize? I can't accept your apology!"
"What do you mean?" Su Qingcai tilted his head slightly, feigning confusion. "I came here sincerely to apologize. These people are all witnesses and have given the Seventh Prince a lot of face."
After the beggar's advice yesterday, he had come up with a solution. Since there was no way to prove that Su Xiaoning had not done anything to harm anyone, he might as well admit it and force her to forgive him.
Su Qinghe had no idea what Su Qingcai was thinking. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Ninth Prince, there's no need for you to apologize. This matter is entirely Su Xiaoning's fault. Since she is unwilling to admit her mistake, there's no need for you to bother me."
"No, this matter was entirely caused by the dog's gluttony. How can it be simply blamed on Su Xiaoning? I have brought the real culprit here. Please take a look."
Su Qingcai pointed, and Su Qinghe frowned as she looked over. To her surprise, she saw a small white dog kneeling in the crowd, with a sign around its neck that read "Sinner".
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