The prison of the prefectural government was packed with hundreds of members of the Xie family.
It was a hot day, and the prison was dark and damp. Occasionally, rats and cockroaches would crawl by, causing the women to scream wildly.
It had been two days since Shen was imprisoned. She sat calmly on the hay. A mouse jumped over the corner of her skirt, but she remained calm and even had the mind to admire the mouse's shiny fur.
"They say Su City has outstanding people and beautiful scenery, and the women are smaller than those in the north, so why are the rats so fat?"
As if sensing the malice in Shen's eyes, the mouse shook its body and quickly fled to the corner of the wall.
Next to Shen sat a pretty, bookish girl. With a hint of worry between her brows, she asked, "Second Aunt, where do these bandits come from? What's Third Brother's situation in the capital?"
Xie Wei's father is the prefect of Sucheng. In terms of family relationship, she is Xie Zhao's cousin.
Ever since the bandits rushed into the city and robbed the caravans of their belongings, the people were so scared that they dared not go out, and the city fell into chaos.
Xie Wei never expected that these bandits, relying on their numbers, bribed the government officials and set their sights on her father.
Even the entire Xie family is the target of bandits!
Shen sighed and said, "Jiangnan is a wealthy country, and there are many bandits nearby, but where have you ever seen so many people gathered in one place?"
For the sake of profit, perhaps there is a bigger master behind the scenes.
When the bandits entered the city, they first occupied the prefectural government office, not just for money.
After Shen figured it out, he suspected it was related to the situation in the capital.
"Then, will it be good for us..."
Xie Wei's face turned pale when she heard that the bandits had raped a woman. She was already engaged and was supposed to get married at the end of May. Now that this had happened, she didn't know if the marriage would go through.
Right now, marriage is a small matter, and whether he is still alive is unknown.
Shen closed her eyes, sighed softly, and said, "Wei'er, if your fiancé despises you because of this, then forget about this marriage."
The Xie family members were captured and were like fish on a chopping board. Once they fell into the hands of the bandits, they had already lost the initiative.
Shen guessed that if the bandits were connected to the mastermind behind the rebellion in the capital, they would not kill the Xie family members for the time being.
Keep it, escort it to the capital, and negotiate a deal with Xie Zhao.
"Second Aunt, wouldn't that be disadvantageous to Third Brother?"
Xie Wei lowered her head, feeling sad.
The rice the bandits sent was rotten, and after being left in a corner overnight, the smell was disgusting.
Xie Wei glanced at the fly landing on it and felt sad.
"Xie Wei, why are you crying?"
Xie Wei's mother, Sun, looked stern and scolded like the eldest daughter-in-law of the clan, "You are a member of the Xie family. Remember, never bring shame to our ancestors."
The Xie family is a century-old family in Jiangnan with strict rules.
The girls in the clan have been taught etiquette by their nannies since childhood. Whether they are walking, sitting or lying down, they are required to follow the standards of noble ladies from aristocratic families. Even if they were placed in the capital, they would not be inferior to the wealthy families.
"That's what mother said."
Xie Wei lowered her head, looking as if she knew she was wrong.
Seeing this, Shen changed the subject and said, "Sister-in-law, my in-laws and Yuanhe are both in the capital, but Yuzhu is in the north. There's no news from either side."
Xie's eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Sun, looked serious and said in a serious tone, "You are worried..."
Needless to say, Shen must be worried about her son Yuanhe, as Yuanhe is the backbone of the Xie family.
Unexpectedly, Shen took over the conversation naturally and said, "I'm worried about Yuzhu. My daughter-in-law is delicate and frail. I don't know if the people around her are taking good care of her. The north is bitterly cold, and there's a shortage of food. How did Yuzhu survive in the winter? My daughter-in-law always reports good news, not bad news..."
Sun: “…”
Because Xie Zhao was the most promising member of the clan, according to the Xie family's rules, Shen was the clan leader's wife.
Shen went to the capital, and no one knew what kind of magic potion had drugged her. Instead of worrying about her own son, she was worried about an outsider. She must be crazy.
"Sister-in-law, you're already in prison, why are you still worried about outsiders?"
Sun couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried, and she had always been wary of her daughter-in-law.
Shen was immediately displeased, and the usually tolerant Shen couldn't help but retort, "What are you talking about? My Yuzhu is no worse than my own daughter, so how can she still be an outsider?"
"What is Yuanhe worried about?"
Shen sneered, "Don't underestimate our Yuzhu, she is a very lucky person!"
"So what if we are blessed? We are just borrowing the light in Jiangnan."
Sun was not without resentment because she did not become the clan leader's wife.
Her daughter-in-law came from a small family in Jiangnan and was not liked by everyone. Her status was far inferior to that of the Jiang family.
In the past, Sun had heard that Xie Zhao and Jiang Yuzhu had a bad relationship and were often sarcastic to each other.
When Shen returned to Jiangnan and talked about the situation in the capital, Sun felt very sad.
Sun even blamed Xie Zhao, saying sarcastically, "Didn't they say Yuanhe had a perfect plan? How could such a huge mistake have occurred?"
I had planned everything, but I didn't expect that members of the Xie family would be imprisoned.
Xie Wei couldn't stand it any longer. Her face flushed red as blood began to drip out. She muttered, "Mom considers herself a noble lady, but she keeps saying such sour words."
It is a good thing for the Xie family that Niang Sun cannot become the clan leader's wife.
Otherwise, if you appear to understand the rules but are actually narrow-minded, your clan will not be in good shape.
Sun was so embarrassed by her daughter's exposure that she could only sulk inwardly.
After being detained for two days, cracks have begun to appear in the harmonious Xie family.
Everyone was worried and couldn't sleep at night, not knowing what their fate would be.
"Madam Shen, listen to see if there is any movement outside?"
Just now, the bandit on guard ran out in panic, and then there was the sound of knives clashing.
Shen paid attention to the movements outside to confirm that she had heard correctly.
Sun no longer cared about bickering. She put her ear to the iron railing and said, "There's chaos outside!"
Could it be that reinforcements have arrived from several nearby cities?
The Xie family members looked at each other with a hint of anticipation.
About half an hour later, the cell door opened and a thin beam of light shone in.
Xie Wei rubbed her eyes, her heart beating faster. She stared at the door, almost daring not to breathe.
The first person to walk in was a beautiful young woman wearing a peony flower dress. She looked like a girl without makeup, but like a lotus emerging from the water, which was out of place in the dark and damp dungeon.
Jiang Yuzhu saw Xie Wei first and was about to ask whether any members of the Xie family were imprisoned here, but then she noticed Shen with her sharp eyes.
"mother!"
Holding up the hem of her skirt, Jiang Yuzhu trotted forward.
A fresh scent with the fragrance of flowers spread out, and Xie Wei hurriedly adjusted her skirt. She had seen a fairy!
"Jade beads?"
Shen opened her eyes, then closed them again, muttering softly, "I'm dreaming, I must be dreaming, I miss Yuzhu so much..."
"Madame Shen!"
Jiang Yuzhu had no choice but to look at Aunt Shen, but Aunt Shen quickly closed her eyes and didn't believe that she would appear at all.
Jiang Yuzhu couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, because she was less than three months pregnant before she set off, and Yan Lin insisted on being mysterious and not allowing her to spread the news, so Jiang Yuzhu didn't send a letter to the Xie family.
"Hongjin, what are you standing there for? Break the lock open."
Jiang Yuzhu was almost vomiting from the unpleasant smell, but she managed to hold it back and gave the order.
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