“Come! Come and kill me!”

Hearing these words, Luo Wanqing struggled frantically, trying to lunge forward. She thought of nothing, completely giving in to her emotions, screaming with all her might: “Jiang Shaoyan, come back! Come kill me!”

“Hold her down! Shackles! Lock them on! Put shackles on her!”

Completely unexpected that a young lady would have such strength, the nearby jailers quickly swarmed over.

“Gag her, gag her mouth! Drag her back to the holding cell!”

People around shouted urgently, some holding her hands, others gagging her mouth, restraining the completely irrational Luo Wanqing. Then several people lifted her together, carried her through the long corridor to the holding cell door, pulled open the iron bars, and threw her entire body inside before quickly locking the chains and turning to leave.

Luo Wanqing rolled several times on the ground, immediately turned over and got up, crawling to rush to the door. Under everyone’s curious and shocked gazes, she grabbed the iron bars and shook them frantically, screaming.

“Open the door! Let me out! Let me see the Supervision Department!”

“My Luo family is innocent! My father didn’t sell salt! I want to appeal to the Censorate! Court of Judicial Review! Supervision Department! It was Jiang Shaoyan who framed my Luo family—my Luo family is innocent!”

“Let me out! You corrupt officials! Let me out! Let me see Xie Heng! Open the door! I want to file a complaint! This is a wrongful case!”

“Wanqing, what’s wrong with you, Wanqing?”

During her hysterical screaming, Yao Zelan and Su Hui rushed over urgently. The two women pulled at her, but Luo Wanqing seemed oblivious, continuously trying to charge at the iron bars. Nearby, Luo Wenshui was frightened into wailing, people around began whispering, until finally Yao Zelan could bear it no more and shouted angrily: “Luo Wanqing!”

Scolded by her mother like this, Luo Wanqing’s movements stopped. For a moment, it seemed as if her three souls and seven spirits had finally returned. She looked up blankly and saw Yao Zelan’s eyes full of worry.

Seeing her come to her senses, Yao Zelan quickly went over and held her in her arms, comforting: “It’s alright now, Wanqing. Mother is here.”

Hearing these words, Luo Wanqing’s hand gripping the dagger gradually relaxed. She didn’t know what was wrong with her—it felt like long-suppressed grievances suddenly surged up all at once. She bit her lower lip tightly, leaned against Yao Zelan, trembling all over, letting tears fall like rain.

She sobbed quietly. Su Hui watched from the side and said worriedly, “Mother, let’s help Wanqing go back first.”

Yao Zelan nodded. She coaxed Luo Wanqing, and together with Su Hui, they helped Luo Wanqing back to their spot.

The holding cell was one large room housing over a hundred people, each with their territory.

Luo Wanqing followed her family back to their spot, sat crying for a while, and finally gradually regained her composure. Su Hui held her child nearby, watching her calm down before asking with concern: “Wanqing, what happened?”

Hearing the question, Luo Wanqing paused, uncertain whether she should tell the truth.

She remembered that in her past life, on the day her mother heard of her father’s death, her hair turned half white in one night. Her heart couldn’t bear it, so after hesitating a moment, she edited her words: “Jiang Shaoyan said our family’s case is too big—he has no way to help.”

“What else?” Yao Zelan didn’t believe that was all. She stared at Luo Wanqing intently: “What’s going on with Jiang Shaoyan?”

“He has someone else.” Luo Wanqing lowered her head, not daring to tell the truth. “He’s going to marry someone else. He came to say goodbye to me.”

“That bastard!”

Yao Zelan shouted angrily, then realized many people around were watching. She suppressed her anger, took a deep breath, grasped Luo Wanqing’s hand, and said in a low voice: “It’s fine, Wanqing. Don’t be too heartbroken. Your father still has other good friends outside, and I have some connections too. We don’t need to count on him. When we get out someday, Mother will find you another good family and let him regret it!”

Luo Wanqing didn’t dare speak and only nodded in agreement, temporarily appeasing Yao Zelan.

The female prisoners nearby all secretly observed them. Seeing the family quiet down, the holding cell began to liven up again. Everyone whispered among themselves, without deliberately listening, she knew they were discussing Luo Wanqing.

Yao Zelan was both angry and resentful but helpless. Thinking that Luo Wanqing must be the most heartbroken, she was about to offer comfort when she heard Luo Wanqing say, “It’s fine.”

Yao Zelan was stunned. Luo Wanqing turned her head, leaned against the earthen wall, and said calmly: “Mother, it’s not a big deal.”

Being talked about by a few people—what kind of big deal could that be for her?

In that dream, soon the jailers would stop managing them, letting the people in the holding cell bully them. Then they would go to Lingnan and die one by one on the exile road.

That was real suffering.

Thinking of the future, Luo Wanqing closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down.

After venting, everything should return to the right track.

Mutual destruction was just an impulse after all. She couldn’t kill Jiang Shaoyan, so now the most important thing was still her family.

She had originally hoped to persuade Jiang Shaoyan to save her family, but with her father’s death, they had no room for reversal.

She couldn’t possibly let Jiang Shaoyan live well in this world, so Jiang Shaoyan would not allow the Luo family any possibility of making a comeback.

Jiang Shaoyan couldn’t be counted on—the Ministry of Justice was in collusion with him. Now, in this Yangzhou prison, the only authority that could change the outcome of the Luo family’s case was the Supervision Department.

The Supervision Department was an office personally established by the emperor five years ago. Directly subordinate to the Son of Heaven, independent of the Three Departments, it controlled punishments throughout the realm, investigating princes and officials above, rectifying wrongful cases below. Second only to one person, above ten thousand others, common people even regarded the Chief of the Supervision Department as a deity and worshipped him. The power of the Chief of the Supervision Department could be said to be second only to one person, above ten thousand others.

In that prophetic dream, the Supervision Department’s power continued to expand. Especially after Chief Xie Heng helped Jiang Shaoyan ascend to power, Jiang Shaoyan even became Xie Heng’s puppet for a time. But later, for unknown reasons, Xie Heng died.

And it was death by a thousand cuts.

But after his death, the Supervision Department’s influence never diminished. This gave the second Chief, Qin Jue, the power to depose Jiang Shaoyan from the throne before she died.

In that dream, Xie Heng was Jiang Shaoyan’s benefactor—they were the best partners. Perhaps because of this, she instinctively used Xie Heng to provoke Jiang Shaoyan.

Given Jiang Shaoyan’s temperament, even if he didn’t care about her, he should now have some dislike for Xie Heng.

If only Jiang Shaoyan were more impulsive and attacked Xie Heng.

Luo Wanqing closed her eyes to calm down. Just thinking that Xie Heng might be able to kill Jiang Shaoyan made her blood boil.

But obviously this was just her fantasy. Whether now or in the future, until the very end, Jiang Shaoyan would never dare easily attack Xie Heng.

And now Jiang Shaoyan had only recently recovered his princely status and should have no connection with Xie Heng yet—they weren’t the allies from the dream.

The Supervision Department thus became the Luo family’s only breakthrough for overturning their case.

But what could she use to make the Supervision Department overturn her case?

Luo Wanqing pondered. Jiang Shaoyan had been in her family, and her father had always treated him as a son-in-law, never avoiding him in business matters over the years. If he wanted to frame them, it couldn’t be simpler.

But if it was already an ironclad case, why did Jiang Shaoyan need to see her father and give him pottery shards in advance, making her father kill himself?

Luo Wanqing repeatedly recalled details, thinking about all the information she could use. After thinking for a long time, when she opened her eyes, it was already deep night.

Everyone slept soundly. Dark clouds covered the sky, an oppressive mass.

Luo Wanqing looked at the sky through the iron bars, and her heart was as oppressive and heavy as the sky.

She felt like a trapped beast locked in an iron cage, struggling desperately to no avail.

She had no evidence. Now, the only thing that could move the Supervision Department was her father’s strange death. The Supervision Department could investigate or not—it all depended on the attitude of the Supervision Department personnel.

But Jiang Shaoyan was a prince. Ordinary people in the Supervision Department probably wouldn’t dare investigate. The only one with such courage was Xie Heng, so if she wanted to file a complaint, she could only complain to Xie Heng.

But what kind of person was Xie Heng?

Born into a noble family spanning six generations, a descendant of founding heroes, three generations of prime ministers, and generations of high officials. As a child, he was personally carried into court by the emperor and never left since. At only twenty-three years old, he single-handedly established the Supervision Department, became its Chief-a-a—solitary minister of the Son of Heaven.

Such a figure coming to Jiangnan was already rare. She was just an ordinary merchant’s daughter. Not to mention that Jiang Shaoyan would have people guarding against her—even if Jiang Shaoyan didn’t interfere, where would she get the qualifications to see Xie Heng?

But Xie Heng was her only hope. Besides Xie Heng, who else in the entire Yangzhou prison could contend with Jiang Shaoyan, Zheng Pingsheng, and others to save the Luo family from crisis?

No matter what, she had to see Xie Heng.

To gamble whether Xie Heng would be willing to save the Luo family.

She began searching through all the information about Xie Heng in Yangzhou from her dream. In the dream, she had always been confined to the holding cell and knew little. The only thing she knew about Xie Heng seemed to be that assassins had infiltrated the prison. These assassins were reportedly from Fengyu Pavilion, the premier assassination organization in the martial world. They wanted to kill someone in the prison—unclear who specifically—but in the end, they were all caught by Xie Heng’s ambush.

Except for a woman named Liu Xiniang.

To capture the escaped Liu Xiniang, the prison was turned upside down at the time, especially the women’s holding cell, which was searched over and over by jailers.

Because the assassin who escaped had been hiding in the holding cell all along.

What did that assassin look like?

Keenly sensing this was someone she could use, Luo Wanqing immediately began to recall. But just as she started thinking, she was interrupted by rhythmic bird calls from outside.

Everyone slept peacefully. These bird sounds didn’t attract anyone’s attention, but Luo Wanqing instinctively felt something was wrong.

In the deep winter night, where would birds come from? And calling so regularly?

As she was thinking, she heard rustling sounds from the crowd. She looked up and saw in a distant corner, a woman who seemed severely injured, supporting herself to stand up, stumbling toward the back courtyard used for relief.

Seeing that figure, Luo Wanqing immediately realized.

It was her!

The assassin who tried to kill Xie Heng and escaped—the salt smuggler whose face had been burned by jailers during interrogation.

That assassination would happen tonight. The bird call just now was their signal to act. Now she was preparing to leave and take action. If she didn’t stop her, she would never see this person again.

Thinking of this, Luo Wanqing no longer hesitated. She quickly got up and followed, pursuing the woman out of the holding cell. But as soon as she reached the back courtyard, she felt fierce palm wind rushing toward her. The other person grabbed her throat and slammed her against the wall, asking coldly: “Why are you following me?”

Luo Wanqing didn’t speak. She only felt icy fingers tightly gripping her windpipe, making breathing difficult.

She raised her head slightly and saw the woman’s appearance.

This woman’s face was covered with burns—her original appearance was completely unrecognizable. Only from those smiling eyes filled with killing intent could some of her original features be discerned. She must have been quite beautiful.

It was Liu Xiniang.

Luo Wanqing confirmed.

She observed the other person, who also stared at her.

Sensing the killing intent from the person before her, Luo Wanqing’s heart raced. She raised her head slightly, trying to make breathing easier, and said with feigned calm: “I want to ask Miss Liu for a favor.”

“What favor?”

“Take me with you.”

The place Liu Xiniang was going, Xie Heng was already lying in ambush. Though going there carried the risk of being killed as an accomplice, this was also her only chance to see Xie Heng.

She was willing to risk her life for this one opportunity.

But hearing her words, the woman before her misunderstood her meaning.

Liu Xiniang relaxed her grip slightly and said helplessly, “I’m not breaking out of prison.”

“I know.” Luo Wanqing responded calmly. “You’re going to kill someone.”

Hearing this, Liu Xiniang looked surprised: “You know all this?”

“Yes.” Luo Wanqing stared at her, half-threatening with a mix of truth and lies: “If you don’t take me, I’ll immediately report to the jailers. And don’t think about killing me to silence me. Before coming here, I had already made arrangements with someone. If I don’t send a safety signal, she’ll report you in a quarter-hour.”

Hearing this, Liu Xiniang looked shocked. She seemed to think for a moment, then understood something. She nodded and said seriously, “I understand.”

Having said this, she actually released Luo Wanqing directly, turned and walked toward the holding cell, waving her hand: “Fine, then I won’t go.”

“Wait!” This shocked Luo Wanqing. She grabbed her sleeve and asked urgently with a frown: “You’re not going? You’ve planned this for so long, you’ve lurked here for this, endured so much torture, and now you say you won’t go?”

“Lurking here was all for the mission—it wasn’t my idea.” Liu Xiniang spoke helplessly but still patiently explained: “But think about it—such a big operation, even you know about it. Can the person I’m supposed to kill not know? With information leaked this badly, if I still go, wouldn’t that be throwing my life away? I’m not stupid!”

This reasoning left Luo Wanqing at a complete loss. She stared blankly at the other person, momentarily not knowing what to do.

Seeing this, Liu Xiniang looked at her sympathetically. After thinking, she sighed, placed her hand on Luo Wanqing’s shoulder, and comforted: “You’re called Luo Wanqing, right? I’m Liu Xiniang. In the future, we can be half-friends in this holding cell. Thanks for the tip-off this time—I owe you a favor. If you need anything in the future, you can find me. Though I might not help, I can still give you some verbal comfort, which counts as support. How about that?”

Luo Wanqing didn’t speak. She lowered her head as if thinking.

Liu Xiniang thought for a moment and smiled awkwardly: “Well, it’s quite cold. Let’s go back to the holding cell first—there are more people there, it’s livelier.”

With that, Liu Xiniang released her and wanted to slip away while Luo Wanqing wasn’t paying attention.

But as soon as she moved, Luo Wanqing spoke, saying stubbornly, “I want to see Xie Heng.”

Liu Xiniang stopped and turned back in shock.

Luo Wanqing raised a pair of clear but obstinate eyes to look at her and said seriously, “If I can’t see him, I’ll report you and gain merit to see him.”

Liu Xiniang said nothing.

She looked at this woman, beautiful as glass. At that moment, she felt the night was too dark.

As dark as Luo Wanqing’s heart.

Author’s Note:

When writing, I looked up real historical prisons and couldn’t construct any plot at all—they were too ugly T T This isn’t my ancient romantic literature.

So the prison rules and prison layout in the text are completely fictional, using the standards within the text. Don’t ask me why the holding cell has a back courtyard with toilets—because I wanted to give them ventilated toilets ==