Seeing that she seemed completely unaware, the jailer slowly began to speak: "Ever since Cao was thrown into the death row, her mother has been kneeling in front of the government office every day, crying and pleading for justice for her daughter. Normally, such behavior that disrupts the court should result in her being expelled, but the magistrate saw that she was all alone and did not order anyone to use force, but simply ordered that she be ignored."
At this point, a hint of sympathy flashed in his eyes.
"I heard that before the incident, Cao was a wealthy merchant. However, her mother has recently been unable to afford even a simple inn and has to sleep under the walls of the government office, relying on the charity of passersby to survive. How is she any different from a beggar?"
"How is this possible!"
Jiang Huaiyu's gaze was deep and his expression solemn.
Clearly, this must have been the work of the Cao clan.
She became increasingly convinced that Miss Cao had been framed.
Otherwise, why did the Cao clan seize her workshop as soon as she was imprisoned? How could Cao's mother, a weak woman, possibly protect the family's property?
Luo'er Yin Yanzhi's sales performance in Wanfu County was excellent, and Miss Cao's bonus was quite generous. Her mother could not possibly be without financial resources. If it weren't for the bullying and coercion of the Cao clan, how could she have fallen into such a miserable state?
The mother and daughter were undoubtedly ruthlessly stripped of everything!
The jailer sighed and said with emotion, "To be honest, I visited that woman a few days ago. Alas... she looked frail and sickly. She had been exposed to the elements for many days and was only able to hold on by her last breath. If she hears Cao's verdict, I'm afraid she won't be able to hold on any longer."
"This mother and daughter, one suffering greatly in prison and the other enduring hardship in the world, their fates are truly pitiful."
As these words fell, the group gradually entered the darkest depths of the state prison, the place where condemned prisoners were held.
The jailer pointed to a small cell at the end of a corridor and said in a heavy tone, "Cao is imprisoned here."
Jiang Huaiyu's gaze pierced through the dimness and landed on the cell. Although the cell was not spacious, it was crowded with more than a dozen female prisoners, all of whom looked haggard and covered in grime, making them almost unrecognizable.
Jiang Huaiyu frowned and asked in confusion, "I've heard that prisoners sentenced to death are usually kept in solitary confinement. Why is this place so crowded? Have all these women committed capital crimes?"
The jailer patiently explained, "That's not the case. It's just that there are relatively few female prisoners in this prison, and it's always inconvenient to imprison female prisoners, so it has always been customary to put them together in one place."
He stepped forward, gently tapping the cell door with his scabbard, his voice icy: "Cao, someone has come to visit you!"
However, the cell remained silent, with no response.
Helpless, the jailer could only call out again, "Cao, why do you still not answer?"
Laughter immediately filled the cell, but no one showed up.
Faced with this situation, the jailer seemed to suddenly realize something, and his face immediately turned gloomy. "I told you all to behave yourselves, but you didn't take it to heart. Do you want to taste the feeling of being whipped?"
"We didn't do anything, sir, please don't misunderstand us!"
After saying this, a voluptuous female prisoner rudely kicked a figure huddled in the corner. "Hey, ugly fellow, why aren't you saying anything when the officers are asking you questions?"
Jiang Huaiyu then noticed that there was someone hiding at the very back of the cell.
The person was extremely thin, and huddled in a corner, curled up into a small ball. Even when the female prisoner kicked her to the ground, she simply got up silently and squatted down again.
She had a large, dark birthmark that extended from her left eye to her forehead, which was still very noticeable despite the dim lighting in the cell.
That's right, that person is Miss Cao.
Just as Jiang Huaiyu was about to speak, the voluptuous female prisoner who had kicked Miss Cao earlier started talking again. She seemed very dissatisfied with Miss Cao's attitude, and grabbed her ear, saying, "Say something, are you mute?"
Miss Cao glanced at her, then quickly looked away, seemingly filled with fear of the person in front of her.
"I didn't kill anyone..." she kept repeating this sentence.
The voluptuous female prisoner sneered, "Ugly bastard, keep pretending. If you hadn't killed anyone, how did you end up like this? Did someone else die of fright because of your appearance? Honestly, I feel disgusted just being in the same cell as you!"
Although the other female prisoners remained silent, they all sneered repeatedly, clearly indicating that their mockery and bullying of Miss Cao had become commonplace.
Jiang Huaiyu's anger surged within her, her gaze sharp as a sword, fixed on the prison warden, her tone full of reproach: "They bullied Miss Cao like this, were you just going to sit idly by and do nothing?"
The prison warden sighed helplessly, as if the helplessness in his heart was surging like a tide. "Of course we have to manage it, but there are always blind spots that we can't see in twelve hours a day."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tapped the prison door lightly with his knife again, making a crisp sound.
"Disperse! What kind of behavior is this, gathering here like this? Who laid a hand on anyone? Step forward!" His eyes flashed like lightning as he glared at the female prisoner who had committed the assault.
Under his imposing gaze, the plump female prisoner hurriedly withdrew her hand, a fawning smile plastered on her face.
"Sir, this Miss Cao is disobeying your orders. Isn't that a clear sign that she doesn't respect you? I just wanted to teach her a lesson for you, I had no other intentions..." she explained.
Jiang Huaiyu suddenly spoke, his tone resolute: "Please open the cell door, I want to go in and visit Miss Cao."
Seeing her resolute expression and remembering the instructions given by the magistrate to try to meet her demands, the prison warden did not refuse.
He walked to the cell door, took out the key, carefully opened the cell door, and then herded all the prisoners except Miss Cao to the corner before inviting Jiang Huaiyu in.
A person entered the cell, but Miss Cao still didn't react. She just curled up in the corner, as if trying to hide herself and minimize her presence.
Jiang Huaiyu knelt down in front of her and called softly, "Miss Cao?"
Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze. Cao Shuwan couldn't help but look up at her, but she saw a completely unfamiliar face and quickly lowered her head again.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Huaiyu felt a surge of tenderness in her heart. She gently comforted her, "Miss Cao, don't be afraid. My name is Jiang Huaiyu. You should have heard of me, right?"
Cao Shuwan was stunned for a moment before asking in surprise, "You...you are the boss?"
Jiang Huaiyu nodded and said firmly, "That's right, I came to Wusu this time to rescue you. You just said that you didn't kill anyone, is that true?"
Upon hearing this, Cao Shuwan seemed to instantly fall into an out-of-control vortex, her eyes flashing with deep terror. She desperately retreated, like a wounded fawn.
"I...I didn't kill anyone! Really...I really didn't...Please, don't hit me..."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
