Chapter 46
That night, Yuan Qiong, a light sleeper, was awakened by a soft "click". She jumped out of bed, quickly put on her coat, and silently hid behind the door whose lock had been pried open.
"Thump!" The lock fell to the ground, and the door creaked open. Three burly men tiptoed into the room, carrying knives.
"Huh? Nobody's in bed!"
As soon as the burly man finished speaking, a gust of wind swept in from behind. The three of them quickly dodged and turned around, only to see the beautiful young woman who had looked like a fairy during the day standing there gracefully, her long, black hair cascading over her shoulders, her slender fox-like eyes slightly narrowed, exuding both a cool and alluring charm.
"Heh heh, so this young lady knows martial arts?" A burly man licked his upper lip, his smile lewd. "If we had known, we should have prepared some sleeping powder. But I like it strong!"
Feeling disgusted by their gazes, Yuan Qiong felt her stomach churning and wished she could gouge their eyes out!
"Go to hell!"
She struck suddenly, each move deadly, ruthless and leaving no room for error.
The sounds of fighting rang out from the main room, but no one came out to interfere.
"Young lady, don't resist. Your husband's not here, so let us brothers have some fun~"
The three burly men grew increasingly alarmed as they fought, never expecting that the seemingly weak young woman would be so formidable! However, they were seasoned veterans of the martial world, employing a variety of insidious and underhanded tactics, and gradually, Yuan Qiong began to struggle to cope.
"Hehe, little lady, don't struggle, you can't escape!"
Another burly man seized the opportunity and grabbed her arm. Yuan Qiong's hair stood on end instantly. She kicked the man away with all her might, but she couldn't dodge the burly man's palm strike from behind and was slapped hard on the back.
"puff!"
A sharp pain shot through his back, causing his internal organs to ache. Unable to hold back, Yuan Qiong lunged forward, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
For a moment, she felt dizzy and swayed. She managed to steady herself and turned around to see three burly men grinning maliciously as they slowly approached.
"Oh dear, he's vomiting blood! We brothers are so worried about him."
Yuan Qiong stared intently at them, retreating little by little, quickly thinking of a way to deal with them.
"If you want money, just name your price, and I will certainly give it to you. But if you dare to touch me today, I swear I will make your entire family suffer a terrible death!"
Although she appeared disheveled, her long-cultivated aura remained undeniable. The decisiveness and ruthlessness characteristic of those in power left no room for doubt about the veracity of her words.
For a moment, the burly men were indeed stunned. But they quickly recovered.
"Do you think we're stupid? We'll sell you off after we've had our fun! We'll still get our money!"
Despite saying that, the three of them felt a sense of apprehension and hesitated for a moment. Taking advantage of their hesitation, Yuan Qiong slashed down with her hand, turned around, went to the window, and jumped out without hesitation.
"What are you waiting for! Chase after them!"
"She's injured, she can't have gone far!"
Yuan Qiong was completely unfamiliar with Jiangbei County. Driven by desperation, she wandered aimlessly through the city like a headless fly, nearly getting caught several times. Finally, she spotted a patrol of soldiers, and, despite her dizziness, ran up to them, saying, "Take me to see your prefect!" before collapsing into unconsciousness.
Not far away, on a high eave, Lin Qiang stood watching the unconscious Yuan Qiong being taken away by patrol officers. His sexy thin lips were pursed tightly, and his knuckles turned white.
A slightly chubby young man behind him was a little scared, as he rarely saw his usually cheerful boss like this.
"Brother? If you couldn't bear to do it, why didn't you help just now?" If it were Brother who had intervened, those people wouldn't have even been able to touch Miss Yao's clothes.
Lin Qiang was silent for a moment, then said, "You don't understand."
Some people are born noble, and are always fawned over no matter what they do. Others are born humble, and all they see when they look up is hardship.
Noble people don't understand how difficult it is for humble people to live a good life. They will only ask in bewilderment, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?" and then sneer at those humble people for not being good enough or hardworking enough.
The little girl still doesn't understand that, for most ordinary people, just surviving is already incredibly difficult...
“You may think she is mature and rational enough, but in my eyes, she has always been that immature child.”
If you truly care about her, you should guide her, let her spread her wings and fly high, and watch her soar proudly.
And he will always stand behind her, being her safest haven.
"What about the other three people?"
"They've already been captured by our people. Would you like to see them?"
"Don't see them. Chop off their hands! Gouge out their eyes! Throw them into the snake well in the ruins!"
"promise."
The fifth brother, Toothless, responded and then saw his eldest brother, like a ghost, follow behind the group of soldiers again. He quickly followed.
Lin Qiang didn't stop until he saw the soldiers lead Yuan Qiong to the backyard of the patrol office.
"You stay here."
The fifth brother chuckled twice: "Okay!"
Lin Qiang effortlessly knocked out all the guards, then slowly stepped into the filthy makeshift private prison. Looking at the petite woman curled up unconscious inside the prison through the rough wooden and iron prison door, he felt extremely distressed.
He gently pushed open the cell door, stepped forward, bent down, and carefully pulled the person into his arms.
Even the slightest touch made the woman in his arms wince in pain.
Lin Qiang sighed, his broad hand stroking the wound on her back, using his inner strength to suppress the pain, but he did not heal her wound.
With the pain subsiding, and perhaps sensing the familiar and comforting scent, Yuan Qiong grabbed his collar and nuzzled her fluffy little head against him like a small animal.
He smoothed the stray strands of hair behind her back and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Girl, do you blame me for being heartless?"
Given her stubbornness, she'll surely find it strange.
Lin Qiang chuckled and found the most comfortable position for her. He held her in his arms on the messy haystack, ran his fingers over her long eyelashes, and watched her furrow her brows in dissatisfaction. A hint of doting affection filled Lin Qiang's sparkling eyes.
The unconscious Yuan Qiong nestled obediently in his arms, like a sleeping kitten.
Lin Qiang chuckled and said softly, "My girl is really beautiful."
He lowered his head to kiss her smooth forehead, then couldn't resist sliding down to kiss the tip of her nose.
They didn't leave until dawn.
The next day, Yuan Qiong awoke to the rude shouts of the soldiers and had no recollection of anything that happened while she was unconscious.
She endured the pain in her back as she got up, straightened her clothes and hair, and after taking in her surroundings, she roughly understood her situation. She asked the officer in charge outside the door, "Is this the Jiangbei Provincial Capital's Patrol Office?"
The soldier was surprised by her composure and raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you afraid?"
"Take me to see your prefect."
"Hmph." The soldier chuckled, his handsome face bearing the roguish air typical of a street thug. He casually opened the cell door: "The prefect isn't someone you can just see casually. Young lady, hurry up and leave. Don't go out late at night again. If you get caught again, the others won't be as accommodating as I am."
Yuan Qiong was not in a hurry to go out. She stood there calmly and gracefully, her hands clasped together. "Last night I was chased by thieves and broke the city's curfew. I did not mean to cause trouble. My father-in-law and the prefect are old friends. Just take me there. When I see the prefect, you will certainly be rewarded."
"Benefits?" The officer smiled knowingly, sized her up, and leaned against the prison door with his arms crossed, teasingly saying, "Judging from your bearing, you must be a young lady or lady from a prominent family. I wonder where your husband is? Why isn't he by your side?"
"It's none of your business."
“Young lady, your attitude when asking for help is not good.” The soldier smiled and straightened up: “But I have a good temper and don’t argue with women. Come on, I’ll take you to the prefect’s mansion.”
Ling Chengde, the prefect of Jiangbei, was a disciple of the current prime minister and was about fifty years old. Yuan Qiong had seen him once before in Yuan Su's study. Yuan Qiong was confident that if she saw the prefect again, he would immediately send her back to the capital.
Upon arriving outside the prefectural governor's mansion, the soldier approached with a smile and clasped his hands in greeting. The guards at the gate relaxed slightly upon seeing him: "Hong Xin? Why didn't you patrol the streets today?"
“Last night, one of my men arrested a woman who violated the curfew. The woman claimed to know the prefect, so I came here today to inquire about her.” The soldier, Hong Xin, pointed to Yuan Qiong not far away: “I think her accent is from the capital, and she doesn’t seem to be lying. Please help me inform her, brother.”
Hong Xin was quite popular among the soldiers in Jiangbei, so the guard didn't make things difficult for her. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright, I'll go and inform you, but I can't guarantee whether the prefect will see me."
"Haha, thank you for your trouble, brother. After you finish your shift, call everyone over. I'll treat you all to drinks." Hong Xin finished speaking and beckoned Yuan Qiong to come forward: "Young lady, tell me your name and your relationship with the prefect. My brother will go and inform him."
“My surname is Yuan. I am from the capital. My father-in-law and the prefect are old friends.”
Yuan Qiong's words clearly revealed his identity: coming from the capital and bearing the surname Yuan, he was naturally a member of the direct line of the Yuan family. The fact that his elders were old friends with the prefect meant they must be core figures in the direct line of the Yuan family.
The guard dared not delay and said "Wait a moment" before immediately entering the mansion.
Hong Xin, who remained where she was, stared at her with astonishment: "You are actually a direct descendant of the Yuan family?" No wonder she was so calm and composed.
“Women like you are indeed different.” Hong Xin stroked her chin, her smile somewhat mischievous: “I helped you this time, so don’t forget to promote me in the future.”
Yuan Qiong nodded: "Of course."
This patrolling soldier didn't seem like a simple character either, and Yuan Qiong was happy to take him under her command.
A moment later, the guard came out and said, "Please come in, young lady."
Hong Xin waved her hand, watching her slender figure enter the mansion, her heart filled with joy. If she could truly connect with the direct line of the Yuan family this time, her path to advancement would be just around the corner!
From the moment Yuan Qiong stepped into the prefectural governor's mansion, his brows furrowed.
The trees in the courtyard were sparse, the stone bricks underfoot were pitted and uneven, and the area above was a mix of blue and white, with dark moss covering half of the wall.
This prefect's residence is far too shabby!
"Miss Yuan, please come in."
She nodded, lifted her skirt, and entered. The Prefect of Jiangbei was already waiting in the hall. He was taken aback when he saw her.
Yuan Qiong looked at the Jiangbei Prefect, who appeared several years older than she remembered, and smiled faintly, "I wonder if Prefect Ling still remembers me?"
Ling Chengde pondered for a moment, stroked his beard, and gave a smile that was neither too close nor too distant: "The servant just said that you claim to be a member of the Yuan family in the capital. May I ask which branch of the family you belong to? Members of the Yuan family all have a jade token that represents their identity. May I have the honor of seeing your jade token?"
Yuan Qiong's smile vanished, his long, narrow, dark fox eyes revealing a hint of something more: "What is the meaning of this, Prefect?"
In the simple living room, Ling Chengde, the prefect of Jiangbei, dressed in casual clothes, stood in the center with a smile on his face, but his slightly yellowish eyes showed no trace of a smile.
"In the capital, the only members of the Yuan family who can refer to themselves as 'this palace' are the eldest daughter of the Yuan family, the current Empress, and the illegitimate daughter of the Yuan family, the current Consort Zhaoyi. The Empress just passed away not long ago. Does the young lady intend to say that she is Consort Zhaoyi?"
"You don't recognize me?"
"You flatter me, young lady. The young ladies of the Yuan family are all raised in seclusion. How could a man like me possibly meet them?"
Yuan Qiong instantly understood that Ling Chengde had no intention of helping her!
There are only two possibilities: First, Ling Chengde has genuinely forgotten her. Second, Ling Chengde has betrayed his grandfather and allied himself with another power!
She glanced around, her body tensing, secretly preparing to defend herself.
"I understand what the Prefect means. I'll take my leave now, as I've disturbed you!"
As she was about to turn and leave, a voice behind her shouted, "Wait! Guards!" A squad of guards rushed over and surrounded her.
"What does this young lady take my prefectural governor's mansion for? Something she can come and go as she pleases?"
Sure enough, it was the second scenario!
She remained completely calm. For her, dealing with such a cunning old fox was much easier than dealing with a brainless thief.
Yuan Qiong turned around and smiled slightly: "You and I both know my true identity. I dared to come alone today, so I am naturally not afraid of the Prefect. However, I advise you to think carefully before you act. It is alright to become a pawn, but don't become a discarded pawn."
"True identity? Young lady, impersonating a noble lady of the palace is a serious crime." Ling Chengde glanced at her with a half-smile and said to the guards, "Throw this woman into prison and await further orders."
"promise."
Yuan Qiong chuckled lightly, raising her fox-like eyes slightly: "A wise person never puts all their eggs in one basket. If the Prefect changes his mind, he can come to me at any time."
Along the way, the guards saw that she was good-looking, had an impressive presence, and was very cooperative, so they did not dare to be too disrespectful and escorted her to the Jiangbei prison with a gentle attitude.
"The prefect will interrogate this woman again in a few days, so be careful."
They all knew what kind of people the prison guards were. One of the guards gave a word of advice to prevent the guards from taking advantage of the women's beauty and doing anything inappropriate.
"Hehe, don't worry, brothers." The jailers bowed and scraped as they saw off the guards from the prefectural governor's mansion, and prepared a reasonably decent cell for Yuan Qiong: "Go in."
She frowned, her breath filled with the foul air of the prison, which smelled extremely unpleasant.
"What are you standing there for! Go inside!"
A jailer shoved her inside, right onto her wounded back, causing Yuan Qiong to gasp in pain. With a "crack!" the lock clicked shut, she looked up and glared fiercely at the jailer.
"No matter who you are, behave yourself once you're here!" The jailer was not afraid at all. He raised the whip in his hand, then spat as he remembered the guard's instructions and turned to leave.
Yuan Qiong leaned against the prison bars, found a relatively clean spot, and sat down with difficulty. She then began to circulate her internal energy to heal her internal injuries.
From being kidnapped from the palace to the disappearance of the bearded man and then being robbed, a series of unexpected events caused her to lose her composure. She rashly went to find Ling Chengde, which resulted in this predicament.
"A big, black beard..."
Thinking of Yuan Qiong, the culprit, made her grit her teeth in hatred. Being sentimental was indeed a major taboo for those in power! If she hadn't always been soft-hearted, that bandit wouldn't have had the opportunity to take advantage of her!
Ling Chengde was the governor of Jiangbei Commandery, while Yuwen Ting was blocked south of the Yellow River by Guan Xiao, so it was impossible for him to have defected to Yuwen Ting. Furthermore, the small rebel forces could not possibly have won over a high-ranking official, leaving only one possibility: Ling Chengde had defected to Yuwen Zhe!
Although she disliked Yuwen Zhe before, she felt that a cripple couldn't pose much of a threat to her, so she didn't put much effort into dealing with him. Now it seems she underestimated that cripple!
If she can return to the capital this time, the first thing she will do is to eliminate Yuwen Zhe, otherwise this person will definitely become a major threat to her!
In the cell next to Yuan Qiong's, a disheveled, emaciated mother and daughter huddled together. The little girl peeked out from her mother's arms, curiously watching Yuan Qiong sitting cross-legged.
"Mom, what is that lady doing? She's so pretty..."
Shh, don't make a sound.
The woman gently pulled the little girl back into her arms.
She had heard the village storyteller say that only martial arts masters would sit cross-legged like that, and that it was best not to disturb them at this time...
The mother and daughter watched Yuan Qiong heal her wounds until noon, when the jailer rudely brought her food.
"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!"
The other cells each contained two coarse flour buns and a bowl of barely slurred clear soup. But Yuan Qiong's cell had a two-tiered food box.
She looked suspiciously at the meal box the jailer handed her, but didn't take it: "I'll have the same as everyone else, two pieces... two pieces of that yellow food and a bowl of soup will do."
"Hahaha, yellow food?" The jailer seemed to have heard something extremely ridiculous, and tossed her a steamed bun: "Young lady, this is called a cornbread."
Yuan Qiong didn't care about his disdain. She picked up the cornbread, peeled off the dry and dirty outer layer, and took a bite. It was rough, dry, and hard, and difficult to swallow!
How can there be such awful food in the world?!
She chewed calmly, but in reality, she couldn't swallow at all.
"Well, Miss? Do you want this food box? If you really don't want to eat it, then we brothers will have it for free." The jailer opened the food box, and inside were three simple dishes and a soup, with both meat and vegetables, which looked very appetizing.
Yuan Qiong forced down a mouthful of coarse cornbread, picked up a bowl of the same clear soup as the other prisoners, and sat down without saying a word.
The jailer chuckled, "Interesting! There are people who refuse to eat wheat flour and insist on eating cornbread!" With that, he picked up his food box and swaggered away.
"Mom, I want to eat..." The little girl's timid voice made Yuan Qiong raise her head. When she saw the mother and daughter who were covered in dirt, she frowned slightly. How could there be a child in the prison?
The mother carefully broke the cornbread into pieces and fed it to the little girl little by little: "Er Ya, let's eat cornbread, cornbread is delicious."
"Oh." The little girl obediently opened her mouth and chewed the dry, hard cornbread with difficulty.
Yuan Qiong frowned even more. She had just tasted it and knew how awful it was. She couldn't help but say, "Children shouldn't eat this; it'll cause indigestion."
The mother glanced at Yuan Qiong; her delicate skin clearly indicated she was from a wealthy family, not like them, so she didn't reply.
Seeing her like this, Yuan Qiong naturally wouldn't make a fool of herself, so she put the cornbread aside and continued to treat her injuries.
For several days in a row, the jailer would bring a food box every meal, but Yuan Qiong refused it all, only taking a cornbread and some clear soup. Although the food was unpalatable, it wouldn't starve her to death, but she would only eat a few bites when she was extremely hungry.
Therefore, when Hong Xin arrived, she was noticeably thinner.
"Young lady, you've lost so much weight in just a few days! Is the food I brought you not to your liking?"
"Did you send that food box?"
Hong Xin nodded, signaling the jailer to open the door, and chuckled, "I was heartbroken to learn that the young lady had been imprisoned by the prefect. I had some urgent business to attend to these past few days and haven't had time to visit her. I was worried that she wouldn't be used to the prison food, so I had my men buy some and send it over. I didn't expect that she would still have lost weight. It seems it really was my fault."
His glib tongue and roguish manner were undeniable, and even his official robes couldn't hide his scoundrel-like air.
Yuan Qiong raised her beautifully shaped chin and glanced at him sideways. They had only met once, and his unsolicited kindness was suspicious.
"Lord Hong, are you heartbroken or disappointed? I've been arrested, and your path to advancement is ruined. You must be very disappointed, right?"
"Hahaha... Young lady, your words are truly sharp, I like them."
Hong Xin waved for the jailer to leave, then suddenly approached. Yuan Qiong instinctively tried to dodge, but he raised his hand and pressed down on her shoulder, pinning her to the spot.
He leaned close to Yuan Qiong's ear and whispered with a smile, "Little lady, if I can get you out of here, how will you repay me?"
Yuan Qiong's raised hand knife stopped in mid-air. She turned her head and looked at the man who was so close to her. At such close range, she couldn't even hear his breathing! This Hong Xin is indeed a master!
"You?" Her narrow, fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, her dry lips pursed, and she forced a fake smile.
Hong Xin felt a sudden itch in her heart at that smile: "Yes, me."
He released his grip, and Yuan Qiong immediately stepped back.
State your terms.
"Heh." He laughed.
After giving the pretty woman a meaningful look, Hong Xin turned and left the prison without saying anything.
"Wait for me, young lady."
Yuan Qiong stared at his retreating figure, her pretty face icy cold.
This feeling of not being in control of anything is just awful!
That evening, the food box was twice the size of what it used to be, and the jailer's attitude towards her changed completely, becoming extremely enthusiastic.
"Young lady, you and Brother Hong have such a good relationship, why didn't you say so beforehand? Oh dear, I was wrong before, please forgive me, just treat me like a fart and let it go."
Yuan Qiong accepted the food box this time, ignoring the jailer's vulgar language. Opening the food box, she found six neatly arranged dishes and a soup, with fish and meat. Not to mention the other prisoners in the cell, even the jailer swallowed hard.
"Aren't you leaving yet?" She glanced at the jailer.
"I'm leaving now, I'm leaving now. Please enjoy your meal." The jailer smiled obsequiously, backed away, locked the door, and quickly left.
People to her left, right, opposite, and even those in the prison were all peering at the food box in her hand, clinging to the bars of the gate.
"Mom, I'm hungry..." the little girl said, sucking on her fingers, but refused to eat the cornbread her mother offered.
Yuan Qiong glanced at her, picked up a small plate, took a little of each dish, then broke off a piece of steamed bun and handed it to the burly man in the other cell.
The burly man swallowed hard and reached out, saying, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, thank you!" He took the food and began to wolf it down. Yuan Qiong stood by the bars watching him.
Yuan Qiong returned to the food box after he finished eating, but still didn't touch his chopsticks.
The mother looked at Yuan Qiong, then at the food, swallowed hard, and mustered her courage to say, "Girl, it will get cold if you don't eat soon."
"etc."
Wait? Wait for what? The mother looked bewildered.
Yuan Qiong stared at the burly man for a while, and seeing that he still showed no abnormality, she got up and handed two dishes and a steamed bun to the mother.
It wasn't that she was overly suspicious or anything, but she had seen too much poisoning and had to be on guard.
"Thank you~ Good deeds are rewarded~ Thank you~" The mother knelt down and kowtowed to her, then immediately went to feed her daughter: "Er Ya, there's meat to eat! There's meat to eat!"
Author's Note: This is the first of three chapters. The third chapter will be posted shortly. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or gave me nutrient solution!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:
hahaha 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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