After Liu Xiniang’s wild shouting, she quickly attracted the jailers. After some questioning, they took Liu Xiniang away.

Once Liu Xiniang was gone, Luo Wanqing stood alone in the empty water dungeon, finally realizing how large and quiet this place truly was.

This oppressive silence made Luo Wanqing nearly suffocate. She didn’t know how much time passed before someone finally came to open the water dungeon, saying coldly: “Luo Wanqing, today you go into exile. Come up.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing waded through the water and climbed up from inside.

Over these ten days, her body had become much more agile and her muscles had gained strength. She easily climbed out of the water pit, then followed the jailer outside.

The jailer chattered on, instructing her about exile matters, first taking her to change into prisoner clothing for exiles, then leading her to the prison’s main hall.

Many people were setting out for Lingnan together from dawn today. The court was cleaning up the illegal salt case and had arrested quite a few people in the Jiangnan Circuit. As Luo Wanqing approached the prison’s main hall, she heard the clamor of voices. In the hall, people from both men’s and women’s prisons were mixed, many searching for scattered family members. Luo Wanqing immediately spotted Yao Zelan and Su Hui with Luo Wenshui and hurried over, calling urgently: “Mother, sister-in-law!”

Yao Zelan and Su Hui had already changed into prisoners’ clothing. Seeing Luo Wanqing, Yao Zelan hurriedly came forward, looking her up and down: “Wanqing, are you alright? I heard you fought again in the water dungeon and were held until now. I’ve been worried about you every day, you…”

“I’m fine.” Luo Wanqing comforted Yao Zelan, smiling: “Didn’t I come over? Where’s big brother?”

She looked around, beginning to search for her brother Luo Shangchun.

Seeing she was unharmed, Yao Zelan also began searching for her son, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

After the group looked around for a moment, they heard a familiar loud call: “Mother! A’Hui! Wenshui! Wanqing!”

The person called four names in succession. Luo Wanqing, Yao Zelan, and the others turned around together to see a young man covered in scars pushing through the crowd, looking at them joyfully.

This young man appeared tall and thin, with features somewhat similar to Luo Wanqing’s, looking scholarly and extremely handsome.

“Father!”

Luo Wenshui was the first to react, struggling out of Su Hui’s arms and rushing toward him.

Su Hui quickly followed. Luo Shangchun also squeezed through toward them, bending to scoop Luo Wenshui into his arms, then turning to look at Su Hui, Luo Wanqing and the others.

He scanned his family members. Though he had much to say, when he heard Luo Wenshui ask in confusion, “Father, why are your eyes red?” he didn’t dare ask more, awkwardly wiping away tears and making light of the situation: “Finally, I get to see you all. We’ll walk this road together – let’s consider it a spring outing.”

“How can you say such things?” Su Hui wiped tears while scolding: “Not serious at all.”

“I’m adapting to circumstances,” Luo Shangchun didn’t mention Luo Qushu, only turned to joke with Luo Wenshui: “Father’s here – is Wenshui happy?”

“Happy!”

Luo Wenshui raised both hands, then, feeling like she might fall, quickly hugged Luo Shangchun tightly. Luo Shangchun held his daughter and kissed her, then turned to look at Luo Wanqing and Yao Zelan. Seeing their appearance, his eyes flickered slightly.

“This son is unfilial,” Luo Shangchun said hoarsely, lowering his head: “Making mother suffer.”

“How could this be your fault?” Yao Zelan shook her head.

Luo Shangchun turned to look at Luo Wanqing, wrapped in bandages. Though he seemed unable to bear it, he didn’t dare ask, only saying: “Little sister, big brother is here.”

“I’m fine.”

Luo Wanqing saw the worry in Luo Shangchun’s eyes and said gently: “Let’s get in line first.”

The jailers were calling for everyone to walk toward the search tents ahead. Every prisoner had to be searched before leaving the prison.

Luo Wanqing had Yao Zelan, Su Hui, and Luo Wenshui walk in front while she and Luo Shangchun walked behind.

The siblings walked side by side. Luo Shangchun looked up at Yao Zelan, then back at Luo Wanqing. After hesitating for a long time, he said quietly: “About Jiang Shaoyan, I’ve heard some things…”

“Big brother,” Luo Wanqing knew what Luo Shangchun wanted to say. She interrupted him, instructing softly: “From now on, you’re the one who must care for mother and sister-in-law. You can’t just focus on studying anymore. You need to do more and be more astute in the future.”

Since news of Luo Qushu’s death hadn’t spread yet, Luo Wanqing didn’t tell Luo Shangchun directly. Luo Shangchun only knew their father was sentenced to execution after autumn, so he wasn’t surprised, only puzzled: “Why have you become so mature? Were you bullied?”

This kind of concern made Luo Wanqing’s body tremble involuntarily, feeling her eyes stung.

But she controlled her emotions, only saying: “Mother has leg problems and feels swelling every night. You need to keep her warm and massage her before bed – she’ll be much more comfortable.”

Luo Shangchun was stunned. He’d rarely paid attention to household details in the past, focused wholeheartedly on his studies for the imperial examinations. Hearing Luo Wanqing suddenly mention this, he thought it made sense and nodded: “I understand. I’ll learn more in the future.”

“Sister-in-law often works hunched over accounts, so her cervical spine blood circulation is poor, which causes headaches. When you have time, you should massage her neck too.”

“Wenshui is still young – don’t constrain her because she’s a girl. If she can learn martial arts, let her learn some.”

“For a family, being together is most important. Don’t worry about reputation and such things. Big brother, you must take good care of mother and sister-in-law, always putting them first…”

Luo Wanqing lowered her voice, earnestly instructing about all the details she could think of.

The more Luo Shangchun listened, the more puzzled he became. When they reached the search tent, he couldn’t help but smile: “Why do you have so many instructions? You don’t need to say everything at once – we still have plenty of time.” He looked up at the search room: “Go ahead, big brother will wait outside for you to continue nagging.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing’s eyelashes trembled. Finally, she lowered her eyes gently without saying more.

The men’s and women’s search tents were set up separately, so the two parted ways here. Luo Wanqing entered the tent to see a female jailer approach and search her thoroughly.

She took away all of Luo Wanqing’s belongings, but turned a blind eye to her dagger. Finally, she even helped insert the dagger at her waist, whispering: “Hide it well. If it’s discovered on the road, you won’t be able to keep it.”

She looked up at the woman and knew she was one of Jiang Shaoyan’s people. She stared at her quietly.

Noticing she wasn’t moving, the woman frowned: “What are you doing?”

“Please give His Highness a message,” Luo Wanqing looked at her and suddenly smiled gently: “I’ve known His Highness for five years – deep affection but shallow fate. I hope His Highness will remember me. If I unfortunately perish, I request a memorial tablet placed where His Highness can see it day and night, so that on the cold road to the underworld, I won’t be unable to find His Highness.”

“What are you saying…”

“The Zheng clan is His Highness’s temporary measure,” Luo Wanqing knew this jailer wouldn’t work for nothing. She bent slightly forward, leaning close to the jailer’s ear and whispering: “His Highness still cares for me even now. If you convey these words, His Highness will surely remember your merit in the future.”

Seeing the jailer’s eyes light up, Luo Wanqing smiled slightly, bowed, and left.

As she turned and walked out of the search tent, her expression immediately turned cold.

She understood Jiang Shaoyan’s character – he was vicious, but toward her, he wasn’t entirely without genuine feeling.

He didn’t want her to die.

So even though she’d stabbed him, he still looked after her.

Then she would “die” for him to see.

On the exile road, Liu Xiniang would create a fatal accident to escape, ensuring the authorities wouldn’t investigate further.

When news of Liu Xiniang’s death reached Jiang Shaoyan, if he was willing to set up a memorial tablet as she requested, there would inevitably be cracks between Zheng Biyue and Jiang Shaoyan.

Moreover, people always cherish what they’ve lost forever.

Leaving behind the words “the road to the underworld is cold, I fear I won’t find His Highness” meant that to Jiang Shaoyan, she loved him until death.

He thought she would hate, but she loved.

He thought she would live, but she died.

Such unexpected turns could engrave themselves in someone’s heart, then deepen the impression again and again under the witness of that daily-visible memorial tablet. When his life path became increasingly difficult in the future, he would miss this lost person more and more.

If everything went as she hoped, this affection would become her blade.

If not, it didn’t matter either.

Realizing this, Luo Wanqing felt slightly bitter inside.

She’d never thought she’d one day use emotion as calculation, never thought she’d one day think so coldly about the relationship between Jiang Shaoyan and herself.

From age fourteen to nineteen, her greatest daily wish was to marry Jiang Shaoyan.

Now, her greatest wish was to kill Jiang Shaoyan.

She couldn’t help but smile bitterly, feeling this was indeed as Jiang Shaoyan said – whether love or hate, the most important thing in her life seemed to be him.

Luo Wanqing unwillingly closed her eyes, understanding this was Jiang Shaoyan’s open conspiracy.

But so what?

She would hate him for a lifetime, and she would make Jiang Shaoyan carve her name into his world for a lifetime, so that whenever he thought of the three characters “Luo Wanqing,” it would be like flaying skin and gouging flesh, wishing never to meet again in eternity.

Thinking this, she opened her eyes.

Ahead was the prison exit. Outside the exit was a high platform with an official standing there. When each jailer reached their turn, they handed their documents to the official at the gate. The official would read out names and crimes, and after confirming everything was correct, women would be fitted with iron shackles, men with iron shackles and wooden cangues, then sent out together.

Not far from the official, fire basins were placed on both sides to keep the official warm.

This was the place.

She steadied herself and looked up at her family.

She could only escort them this far before turning back to go where she needed to go.

She quietly watched Luo Wanqing’s family members leave one by one. Finally, when it was her turn, the official called loudly: “Next one, hurry up.”

Luo Wanqing’s heartstrings trembled. She didn’t speak, stepped forward, and silently touched the hidden dagger at her waist.

Her body trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on the fire basin. The feel of the scabbard seeped into her hand, the sensation of Jiang Shaoyan’s blood on her hands still lingering.

This cold touch suppressed her fear. Her steps became more urgent. Everyone finally sensed something was wrong, but it was too late.

She didn’t hesitate at all. Amid everyone’s screams, she crashed headfirst into the fire basin!

In the searing pain of flesh splitting open, what appeared before Luo Wanqing’s eyes was Jiang Shaoyan’s gentle smile as he rested his hand on his sword under the afternoon sun in Jiangnan.

In that moment, even the pain became irrelevant. She pressed herself to roll in the burning coals, tasting blood in her mouth.

She felt countless emotions pressing on her chest, finally exploding into a shrill, piercing wail that echoed throughout the prison.

“Ahhhh!!!”

“Save me ahhhhhh——!!!”

Author’s Note:

[Mini Theater]

Luo Wanqing: “My greatest wish now is to kill Jiang Shaoyan.”

Jiang Shaoyan: “In my future life, the name I’ll love most and hate most will be that same person.”

Xie Heng: “Heh, what can I say? Watch me crawl frantically and darkly between you two. Look at me! You’re all looking at me! I’m the strongest!”

Readers fanning themselves: “Crawl? Where are you crawling? Crawl to the front chapters a bit so we can see you!”

Xie Heng: “…”