Chapter 53: Wailing echoes throughout the prison cells
Xiao Xiuning looked over there and was surprised to see the Duan family.
How did they get exiled too?
After the Duan family, more than a dozen other families were brought over, including the Third Prince's faction, wealthy merchant families, and two or three families of imperial physicians.
The second and third branches of the family, backed by the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, recognized these people. They peered through the pillars, saying, "The Shen family of the Yong'an Earl's Mansion, the Duan family of the General's Mansion..."
"Mr. Wang, the owner of the silk shop in the south of the city; Mr. Huang, the owner of the Treasure Pavilion; Mr. Chen, the owner of the spice shop..."
"Imperial Physician Li, Imperial Physician Liu, Imperial Physician Lu from the Imperial Medical Academy..."
There are so many people!
It turns out that not only their families were exiled, but so many other people were also exiled.
With so many companions on the road to exile, I won't be lonely, hehe~
The Duan family members were escorted through this area.
Xiao Xiuning climbed over the railing and reached out her hand towards Duan Qingyun, asking excitedly, "Brother Duan, how did you get arrested too? Are you going to be exiled as well?"
Duan Qingyun glanced at her, his eyes filled with complex emotions, seemingly mixed with a hint of hatred, and left with the group without saying a word.
Xiao Xiuning was baffled. Why was Brother Duan ignoring her and looking at her with that kind of gaze that sent chills down her spine?
Yun Zhaoxue said irritably, "Do you even need to ask? The whole family is in jail; they'll either be beheaded or exiled."
Seeing her beloved suffer was more painful than her own, and she murmured to herself, "How could this happen? How could this happen? Is the Emperor confused...?"
"Shut up, you'll get yourself into trouble if you keep talking. If you want to die, don't drag us down with you."
Xiao Xiuning couldn't stand her attitude. She always acted like a princess and bullied her. She wasn't a servant.
She was also a young lady of the Xiao family, and she wouldn't swallow her anger. She retorted, "What are you so smug about? Wasn't the Shen family also exiled?"
Yun Zhaoxue said, "The Shen family deserved to be exiled. I'm happy about it."
Xiao Xiuning sneered, "Hmph! Happy? You're happy that you rekindled your old flame with him on the road to exile..."
Yun Zhaoxue's hands were itching to hit someone. She had been provoked by her time and time again. Did they think she was a punching bag or a pushover? She was about to raise her hand.
Xiao Xuanwu covered Xiao Xiuning's mouth and forcefully took her away, saying, "Fourth Sister, go over there, Mother has something to say to you."
Yang said something to her.
She turned her head and saw Xiao Xuance in the next cell, just about to tell him about Yun Zhaoxue.
Xiao Xuance said, "Ning'er, she is your third sister-in-law. Don't make trouble for her unnecessarily."
Xiao Xiuning, "..."
She turned her head to the other side again.
Xiao Xuanwu said, "Fourth Sister, just listen to Third Brother."
Xiao Xiuning simply lowered her head, furious. Why did her family all side with that vicious woman?!
Ugh, she's so infuriating!!!
The empty cell now houses more than a dozen families. Except for two or three, almost all of them are clinging to the bars, crying out for justice, "Guards! We've been framed! Release us! Release us now! You've arrested the wrong person!"
"We want to see the Emperor! We want to plead with the Emperor for mercy..."
The dog emperor wanted to incite hatred against the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
When the Duan family was raided, the imperial edict stated that the Duan family had protected the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion, knowing the truth but failing to report it, and had deceived the emperor; therefore, the Duan family was to be raided and the Duan family exiled.
The Duan family harbored deep hatred for the Northern Prince's family.
Madam Duan cried out her innocence while cursing, "Your Majesty, you are wronged! Our Duan family and the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion have long since severed ties and have no connection whatsoever. It is the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion that deserves to die! Take them out and behead them, feed their corpses to the dogs! Release our Duan family! It is they who deserve to die..."
Xiao Xiuning finally understood why Duan Qingyun was ignoring her; it turned out he was implicated by their Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, and she immediately felt guilty.
Brother Duan, I'm so sorry!
If she had broken off the engagement with him earlier, she wouldn't have implicated the Duan family.
The third prince was drinking tea when he found it noisy and ordered his guards to stop it.
"Shut up, all of you!"
The guards shouted, but no one listened, so they howled even louder.
Just then, several jailers walked over, brandishing their whips and sweeping them left and right, "Crack! Crack! Crack!!!"
"What are you yelling for? No one will come to save you even if you yell until you're hoarse. If you don't want to get beaten up, get back! All of you, get back!"
Some people's hands were still clinging to the railing, and before they could pull them back, their hands were slapped until the skin was torn and bleeding.
"Ouch!! It hurts so much! It hurts so much!"
Uncle Xiao and Wu were experienced; when the jailer came over, they told him they hadn't been selected.
Now everything fell silent, save for the women's desperate, suppressed sobs, "Waaah..."
Yun Zhaoxue was sleepy, so she tidied up a place to sleep.
After tidying up, I realized that I had used up most of the straw in the cell and then set aside the other half.
"Kids, you can sleep here and get some rest. We'll probably be traveling all day tomorrow."
The three little ones raised their dark eyes and glanced at her, then shrank back into their mother's arms in fright.
Yun Zhaoxue, "..."
Is she really that scary?
Why were the kids afraid of her when she was hurling such nasty insults at them?
She's not a man-eating monster.
"If you don't want to sleep next to me, then go sleep over there." She became more patient with the few adorable children.
She's used to being alone and isn't used to being next to others.
Xie Wanyun and Song Mingyan put down the child in their arms, spread straw in a corner not far away, and then took off their own coats and spread them on the straw.
They sat down against the wall, let the children lie on their laps, covered them with an outer garment, gently patted their backs, and comforted them, telling them not to be afraid.
Yun Zhaoxue lay down and closed her eyes to rest, as if she were asleep.
No one else could sleep, and the children, knowing something had happened at home, kept their eyes open and dared not sleep.
The eldest sister-in-law, Xie Wanyun, had a son and a daughter, Xiao Chengjun and Xiao Xian, who were 10 and 7 years old respectively.
Second sister-in-law Song Mingyan has a son, Xiao Chengming, who is 8 years old this year.
The children, now fatherless and starting school, have learned a great deal. They know their family has suffered a calamity, they are to be exiled, and they will be driven to a very, very far place where they may perish on the way.
Xian'er nestled in her mother's arms and secretly wiped away her tears.
Yang and her two children sat down against the wall, using the remaining straw spread on the ground.
A son and a daughter stayed by her side.
Unable to sleep, Xiao Xiuning looked around and saw Yun Zhaoxue sleeping. She muttered to herself, "How can she still sleep?"
Tomorrow they will be herded from the capital to Lingnan like livestock. The journey will be long and arduous, and while everyone else is crying, she is sleeping soundly.
Yang, who was resting with her eyes closed, said, "Ning'er, Xue'er did the right thing. Only by getting enough sleep and resting can you withstand the long journey tomorrow. You should go to sleep too."
Xiao Xiuning shook her head, "Mother, I can't sleep."
No wonder she can't sleep.
Most people can't sleep the night before, and only when they can't stay awake any longer in the second half of the night do they lie down on the floor or lean against the wall to sleep.
The next day, the sky was still dimly lit, but the cell was still shrouded in darkness, with only a sliver of light filtering through the narrow iron window.
The sound of chains clanging grew louder as they approached.
Some light sleepers are those who haven't slept at all, staring at the jailer with their eyes open.
A dozen or so prison guards came over carrying several baskets of prison uniforms and chains.
When you get to the front of the building, roughly count how many people are inside, and then take that many sets of prison uniforms, handcuffs, and shackles.
"Wake up, wake up, everyone! Get up, change your clothes, put on your handcuffs and shackles and go to exile."
Iron chain with ring handcuffs at both ends to lock the wrists.
Restricting hand movement prevents escape or resistance, making it more flexible, but equally heavy.
Seeing the dirty prison uniform on the ground, Yun Jiaoyue's eyes were filled with disgust and resistance. She grasped the Third Prince's arm, "Your Highness, I don't want to change into this tattered prison uniform, and I don't want to wear those heavy instruments of torture..."
She didn't want to, and the Third Prince wanted to even less. As a prince of the imperial family, if he were seen walking from the Dali Temple to the city gate in dirty and tattered prison clothes, he would be laughed to death.
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince, in particular, were waiting to see him make a fool of himself, and they gave the guards a meaningful look.
The guard took out a bag of silver and handed it to the head jailer.
The head jailer noticed their fine clothes and said, "Your Highness, these clothes are too conspicuous. Why don't you wear your prison uniforms over your clothes and not take off your inner ones?"
Everyone else has changed, but they're still dressed in fancy clothes; that doesn't make sense.
"I may wear it, but go and fetch a few clean sets."
The head jailer twirled his thumb and forefinger. “A new one is fine, but… you’ll have to pay extra.”
The third prince was disgusted by the jailer's insatiable greed, but being under someone else's roof, he had no choice but to lower his head and give the guard a look.
The guard then took out another silver note from his pocket and handed it over.
Some people complained that the prison uniforms were dirty or had been worn by others and refused to change, or they were slow to move around, and some even asked the guards to bring them new ones before they would change.
The jailers stormed into the cells and started beating them mercilessly, making them howl in pain, "Smack! Smack! Smack!"
"Aaaaaah!!! Help! Stop hitting me!"
"Stop hitting us, stop hitting us! We'll never do it again, we don't want any more."
"You're lucky you're not already naked, and you want new ones? Heh, still dreaming. You don't even know your place now, you won't even know how you died."
The jailer gave the men a severe beating and then threw the prison uniforms into the cell and onto them, saying, "Change quickly! You have one incense stick's time. If you're not dressed by then, we'll change you for you."
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