But Xu Yuehuai understood that now, no matter who it was, once someone admitted to it, everyone would be beheaded.
The reason why Lord Ming was in such a hurry to take everyone away was simply because he was worried that things would escalate. Xu Yuehuai figured that once everyone was in prison, they would inevitably be tortured into confessing.
But before they are forced to confess, they still have time and opportunity to fight for their freedom.
Fearing that Zhou Wan might say something outrageous, Xu Yuehuai quickly said, "Everyone, don't panic. This matter has nothing to do with us. I believe the master will give us a fair and just resolution."
Seeing Xu Yuehuai's words, the master snorted coldly, "Take it down."
The crowd surrounded them from all sides, shoving and jostling them into the prison cart that had been prepared in advance.
The prison cart came out from behind the restaurant, and sure enough, Xu Yuehuai saw Li Feng.
Li Feng laughed gleefully, "Oh, isn't this the famous Manager Xu? Where are you going? I forgot, only prisoners are dressed like this. Tell me, what crime have you committed?"
Soon all the neighbors arrived.
Everyone saw that Xu Yuehuai and the others had been forcibly taken away, and they all knew that something was amiss, but no one dared to say anything due to the master's tyrannical power.
Xu Yuehuai looked back at Zhou Wan and San Niang inside the prison cart. Zhou Wan was looking around, seemingly searching for something in the crowd.
Third Sister, on the other hand, burst into a tirade, "Do you think you're some kind of upright official? You're a complete idiot! Did we kill anyone? The presence of a body in the dry well proves what killed them. You're really good at making false accusations. No wonder you'll never rise in rank! Where's the Censor? Fellow villagers, please tell the Censor that we've been wronged. We can withstand any investigation."
Third Sister was about to speak when a servant gagged her with a foot-washing rag.
Third Sister could only sob and whimper.
Luo Feng, who was on the other side, also came over to watch the excitement.
Seeing Xu Yuehuai bound and restrained, he feigned concern and said, "Sir, we should also investigate this thoroughly."
Xu Yuehuai felt disgusted by this face.
Before long, the group left the restaurant and were taken to the jail in the yamen.
The passageway leading to the prison was deep and dark, with a few scattered lamps flickering on the walls on both sides, making the interior seem unfathomable.
Xu Yuehuai and the other two were shoved into a filthy cell.
"Behave yourself and get inside."
The three were exhausted from the ordeal.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Xu Yuehuai sat up with a jolt.
Zhou Wan smelled an unprecedented stench, and out of fear and tension, she subconsciously moved closer to Xu Yuehuai.
As for Chun San Niang, she let out a long sigh.
"Li Feng, that despicable scoundrel who will die without a son, deserves to die a horrible death."
"You," Xu Yuehuai said submissively, reaching out to grab the dry straw on the ground, looking like she was about to rest, "just conserve your energy while waiting for rescue, since we're here, let's make the best of it."
Third Sister was astonished. "What? Are we just going to accept this? They've gone too far!"
Seeing that Third Sister was acting like a fighter, Zhou Wan also tried to persuade her, "When you're under someone's roof, can you not bow your head? The situation has forced us to do this."
"What about the future?" Third Sister asked in terror. "Are we going to die here?"
"Have you forgotten?" Xu Yuehuai said confidently. "The children are still in school. This time, Li Feng's plan is to wipe us all out in one fell swoop."
Xu Yuehuai slowly and methodically explained, "In order to ensure everything goes smoothly, they naturally have to catch us off guard. As for the children, they've become the ones who slipped through the net."
"I hope so."
When Jiang Shichen and his two children were returning home from school, they overheard the neighbors whispering among themselves before they even reached the hotel. Some kind-hearted people even told the three of them, "Don't go back. The house is in complete chaos."
At first, Jiang Shichen thought that people were playing a prank on him.
But as they approached the hotel, the three of them suddenly became alert.
A group of imposing guards were seen pacing back and forth at the hotel entrance.
Some people even travel in all directions.
The tense atmosphere here shows that something terrible has really happened at home. Ah Qi glanced into the distance and said, "We can't go back?"
"What should we do?" Jiang Qianqian was extremely anxious, feeling like she had thorns in her back. "I'll go and find out."
"be safe."
Both of them gave their advice.
A short while later, Jiang Qianqian returned.
She pieced together the various versions of the "story" she had heard and put them into one sentence: "They said they found a dry well in our backyard, and a body was found in the dry well. Now the government has arrested my mother and the others."
"A corpse?" Ah Qi sneered. "Isn't that absurd?"
Jiang Shichen understood that this was a fabricated charge, but what could he do now that things had come to this?
"Don't get close, or we'll all be wiped out."
The three hurriedly retreated.
Inside the inn, the muddle-headed official was already counting Xu Yuehuai and her companions' money. Incredibly, Xu Yuehuai, who seemed to be from a wealthy family, was penniless. In her room, they found only less than twenty taels of silver in loose change.
As for Zhou Wan and San Niang, they had slightly more valuables in the room.
Night falls.
Lord Ming has already sneaked out of the hotel's back door to Old Li's house across the street.
Li Feng had prepared drinks and was waiting. When he saw that Lord Ming had arrived, Li Feng hurriedly invited him.
"It's just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it, sir." Li Feng handed over the money.
Lord Ming was a man who was greedy for money and only cared about profit. When the silver was delivered, he happily grabbed it and said, "I won't eat it. I have a lot of things to do, and I need to get things done quickly."
"Yes, things can change in the long run."
Li Feng stroked his beard and said, "Thank you very much this time."
The two bowed to each other.
Lord Ming ignored the food that others had prepared for him.
After coming out, Lord Ming opened his money bag and saw that there were three hundred taels of silver notes inside. He was overjoyed.
Meanwhile, someone brought food to the prison.
It was naturally leftovers.
In the sweltering summer heat, these foods fermented as soon as they arrived, smelling terrible, and even attracting flies and mosquitoes.
Xu Yuehuai naturally felt disgusted.
She suppressed her human instincts and reached out to grab the chopsticks and eat.
Seeing this, San Niang was terrified and hurriedly tried to dissuade them, but Xu Yuehuai looked at San Niang and Zhou Wan and said, "There is still food to eat, so it's best to eat some. We are now in a protracted war, a tug-of-war. Who knows when we will leave?"
Third Sister felt nauseous and didn't eat a single bite.
As for Zhou Wan, she often went hungry in the countryside, sometimes not knowing where her next meal would come from, yet she still ate this kind of food with relish.
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