“You girl…”

Hearing these words, Liu Xiniang turned back in anguish: “Are you not afraid of death?”

Luo Wanqing looked back at her, her expression resolute: “I’m not afraid.”

Liu Xiniang raised her hand to her forehead. She most feared this type of young lady who suddenly decided to do something without understanding anything, because once such people became serious, nine oxen couldn’t pull them back.

“You might not fully understand the Supervision Department,” Liu Xiniang said, seeing that she was unmovable, and began trying to explain the situation to Luo Wanqing. “I’m just a small fry, the kind who runs errands at the very bottom. Even if you report me, you still won’t get to see Xie Heng. If seeing Xie Heng were that easy, our pavilion master would have long ago had his subordinates killed to assassinate Xie Heng. It wouldn’t be your turn.”

“I know.” Luo Wanqing showed no wavering. “But I want to try.”

“Try with my life?!” Liu Xiniang placed her hand on her chest and spoke in shock.

Luo Wanqing nodded, showing serious and firm regret on her face: “I’m sorry. If you don’t help me think of a way, this is my only option.”

Liu Xiniang was speechless.

She thought for a moment, put her hands on her hips, paced back and forth in the courtyard, and began muttering: “What kind of fate is this that I’d meet such a treasure like you? If I could let you see Xie Heng so easily, would I be in this situation? In the end,” Liu Xiniang suddenly realized something and turned to look at Luo Wanqing, “Why exactly do you want to see Xie Heng?”

“I want to file a complaint.”

Luo Wanqing told the truth. Liu Xiniang was stunned, thought about Luo Wanqing’s outburst today, rolled her eyes, and understood: “You think your family’s case is wrongful, and you want to save your family?”

“Yes.”

“Then you don’t necessarily have to find Xie Heng to file a complaint,” Liu Xiniang breathed a sigh of relief. “For wrongful cases, anyone in the Supervision Department can handle it. I’ll help you find someone else…”

“My Luo family was framed by a prince in collusion with the Minister of Justice,” Luo Wanqing said, looking up. Liu Xiniang’s smile froze. Luo Wanqing asked calmly: “Besides Xie Heng, can anyone else handle this?”

Liu Xiniang couldn’t speak. After a long while, she said awkwardly: “How… how did your family end up provoking such powerful figures?”

“Jiang Shaoyan is a prince who was lost among the common people five years ago.”

With this statement from Luo Wanqing, without needing more explanation, Liu Xiniang pieced together the general picture.

Five years ago, when the northern Rong sought peace, Third Prince Li Guiyu volunteered to go to the Rong as a hostage. However, after the alliance was signed and the Great Xia began withdrawing troops, the Rong suddenly launched a surprise attack. The sixteen-year-old Li Guiyu disappeared in the chaos. The fact that the Zheng family’s legitimate daughter, his childhood sweetheart, had been searching for him everywhere was known throughout the realm.

But no one could have imagined that five years later, when this famous prince returned, the first thing he did was imprison his benefactor to facilitate his marriage with the Zheng family daughter.

Such a case indeed couldn’t be handled by just anyone.

Liu Xiniang thought for a while and understood that Luo Wanqing’s decision was currently her only option and the most cost-effective approach.

Luo Wanqing only needed to find a way to see Xie Heng. If Xie Heng took the case, the Luo family might be able to live well again. If Xie Heng didn’t take it, she couldn’t get much worse. Any other approach would just be surviving by stealth.

Understanding Luo Wanqing’s meaning, she also knew she couldn’t dissuade her.

At this time, chaos erupted outside—clearly, Fengyu Pavilion’s people had begun to act. Liu Xiniang immediately became much more serious. After thinking for a while, she said calmly: “It’s not that I don’t want to help you—I’m truly limited in ability. Tonight, neither of us can go over there. Going would mean being accomplices and dying. You’re seeking a way out for your family, not seeking a path to death for yourself. This complaint matter doesn’t have much chance of success to begin with—you’re just gambling. You can’t raise the stakes this high. At least keep your life and prepare a backup plan.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing knew she had persuaded Liu Xiniang. She gazed at Liu Xiniang quietly with clear eyes. Liu Xiniang understood she wanted her to do something and scratched her head: “Seeing Xie Heng is too difficult. You might as well make some request I can fulfill.”

Luo Wanqing didn’t speak immediately. She knew Liu Xiniang was telling the truth.

If seeing Xie Heng were that easy, he would have died ten thousand times already.

She lowered her head, thought for a long time, and finally said: “Who are you trying to kill this time?”

“You’re concerned about this, too?” Liu Xiniang was somewhat surprised.

Luo Wanqing frowned: “Can’t you say?”

“There’s nothing special about it. It’s not my mission anyway. You probably don’t know him—his name is Qin Jue, the son of an official.”

Hearing this name, Luo Wanqing was stunned.

In the dream, this was the second Chief of the Supervision Department—the one who dragged Jiang Shaoyan into the imperial prison.

She hadn’t expected that at this time, he would be in Yangzhou.

“Why are you killing him?”

“I don’t know,” Liu Xiniang shook her head. “It’s not my mission—I was just told to help out. But I know the pavilion issued a Heaven-rank order for him. Heaven-rank orders are non-negotiable kills. If it fails once, there’s a second time, continuing until he dies and the order is canceled. Since Fengyu Pavilion was established, there have only been two Heaven-rank orders:” Liu Xiniang held up two fingers, “one for Xie Heng, and the second for Qin Jue.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing’s mind raced, connecting all the information to understand.

These assassins were targeting Qin Jue, Xie Heng personally set the ambush, and afterward Qin Jue would join the Supervision Department and become its Chief. This showed Qin Jue and Xie Heng had a close relationship.

If he were such an important person, Xie Heng couldn’t possibly leave the case to others. Those assassins who couldn’t be captured, he would interrogate them personally.

“Do you have a prison map?”

Thinking of this, Luo Wanqing immediately spoke. Liu Xiniang laughed dryly: “Where would I get that kind of thing…”

“Then go get one.”

“I have one!”

Hearing that her workload would increase, Liu Xiniang quickly pulled out a handkerchief from her chest and handed it to Luo Wanqing, saying earnestly: “This is a map our Fengyu Pavilion had spies spend several months in prison to draw. There’s nothing more detailed.”

Luo Wanqing ignored her boasting, took the map, and studied it carefully.

The map was extremely detailed, clearly marking the function and size of every room.

“How many people do you have this time?”

Luo Wanqing found the locations of all interrogation rooms on the map and asked Liu Xiniang.

Liu Xiniang hesitated briefly and said vaguely: “Quite a few.”

“More than thirty?”

“I suppose…”

Liu Xiniang didn’t dare answer too specifically, and Luo Wanqing didn’t ask further.

More than thirty people.

From cells to interrogation rooms, prisoners were held nearby, so interrogation rooms surrounded by cells that were too small or too few wouldn’t be used.

These were all assassins—their holding location would be far from ordinary people, so interrogation rooms with too many people nearby wouldn’t be used.

Xie Heng came from a noble family and would definitely love cleanliness. Whether for washing or torture, he would have high requirements for water. The jailers would be lazy and wouldn’t arrange places too far from water sources…

After weighing options, Luo Wanqing’s gaze fell on the interrogation room in the northwest corner.

Liu Xiniang saw she had a target and secretly observed her, then leaned over and said eagerly: “What’s wrong? Did you think of a solution?”

“Xie Heng will most likely personally interrogate the captured assassins.”

“You want me to be bait?!” Liu Xiniang exclaimed in shock.

Luo Wanqing was stunned. After a long pause, she said: “I didn’t have that thought. What I mean is, this path,” Luo Wanqing pointed to the map, “if he chooses this interrogation room, then this is his inevitable route. As long as we can wait on this path, perhaps we can wait for him.”

Hearing her words, Liu Xiniang looked surprised and quickly grabbed the map to examine it. After studying it for a while, she said: “How do you know he’ll choose this interrogation room?”

“A gamble.”

Luo Wanqing didn’t explain further.

Liu Xiniang skipped the reasoning and didn’t ask more, only continued thinking: “This place is quite far from our holding cell. There are watchtowers at all four corners of the prison. Any activity in places without a roof cover will be seen. Tonight, the pavilion master first sent people to kill those on the watchtowers before letting us act. With just the two of us, how would you get there? And once there, how would you stay hidden?”

“Here,” Luo Wanqing pointed to a path opposite the necessary route, “here’s the water dungeon. Ten zhang away is the path Xie Heng will take. If we can enter the water dungeon and find a way to open a hole in the wall, we can wait there for Xie Heng.”

“I understand.”

Liu Xiniang clapped her hands, then said with regret: “But you don’t know martial arts, and my martial arts are mediocre. With just us two ambushing Xie Heng, I’m afraid it’s like a meat bun hitting a dog—going but not returning.”

“I’m going to file a complaint,” Luo Wanqing said, stuffing the map back into Liu Xiniang’s chest and reminding this assassin who completely misunderstood the situation, “not to assassinate Xie Heng. If you killed him, I’d have to save him.”

“Don’t worry,” Liu Xiniang said helplessly, tucking the map back into her chest and comforting, “I can’t kill him. I’m just accompanying you for the excitement.”

“You have two tasks: take me to the water dungeon and make a hole in the wall,” Luo Wanqing clarified her thoughts and looked at her with some concern. “Can you do it?”

“Small matter.” Hearing this, Liu Xiniang patted her chest: “Don’t worry. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to the water dungeon to dig holes. This is my specialty!”

“As long as I see Xie Heng, I’ll take your matter to my grave.”

Luo Wanqing pressed her lips together, feeling somewhat embarrassed. She looked up at Liu Xiniang and said seriously, “I will never betray you.”

“Good sister.” Liu Xiniang placed her hand on her shoulder, looking moved, then asked: “In this holding cell, who do you find most unpleasant?”

Luo Wanqing was stunned. She hesitated for a long time and slowly said: “Wang Qiniang, I suppose…”

These past days, Wang Qiniang had caused them the most trouble.

She was a ruffian who had dominated the streets for years, arrested with several old sisters for street fighting. When the Luo family hadn’t fallen from grace, she still dared to come cause trouble, let alone now.

In that dream, it was Wang Qiniang who led people to bully the Luo family women. Her mother, afraid of fighting, kept yielding, finally making people think they were easy to bully—anyone could step on them.

Although the dream events hadn’t happened yet, Wang Qiniang’s cold mockery and actions these past days were enough to make Luo Wanqing detest her.

She didn’t know why Liu Xiniang suddenly asked this and frowned: “Why do you ask?”

“Nothing. Tomorrow, wait for my signal,” Liu Xiniang winked. “To see Xie Heng, work a little harder!”

Luo Wanqing looked at Liu Xiniang in confusion, but Liu Xiniang said no more and turned away: “I’m leaving.”

Turning around, Liu Xiniang’s expression became indifferent. She looked down and rubbed her fingers, seeming to think about something.

After thinking briefly, she looked down and smiled softly.

Seeing Xie Heng…

The two made their plan and quietly returned to the holding cell one after another.

When they returned, everyone was still sleeping soundly. Luo Wanqing sat down, and Yao Zelan sensed her presence, drowsily opening her eyes: “Wanqing?”

“It’s nothing,” Luo Wanqing said, patting her mother’s shoulder gently. “I went to relieve myself.”

Hearing this, Yao Zelan nodded without thinking much and continued sleeping against her.

Luo Wanqing adjusted Yao Zelan’s outer garment, covering her with it, and pulled her mother closer into her arms.

She looked down at the silver strands in her mother’s hair, finally relaxing completely. Gradually withdrawing from the day’s emotional highs and lows, she leaned against the wall and dozily fell asleep.

Vaguely, she seemed to have a dream.

The dream seemed to return to the night she first met Jiang Shaoyan. She was fourteen then, still living in the Eastern Capital.

That day, she went with her mother to burn incense but encountered bandits. She was kidnapped by the bandits and fled to a bamboo house. When the bandits were about to assault her, a short arrow burst through the screen from behind it, and the bandit fell with a cry. She opened her eyes wide as a low, hoarse young voice came from behind the screen: “Don’t turn around.”

She remained rigid as the other person coughed and reminded her: “Don’t look at what you shouldn’t see. Leave when the rain stops. I’ll handle the body.”

She didn’t dare move. In the dream, she was shrouded in terror, rigidly controlling her emotions, trembling as she leaned against the screen, not daring to make a sound.

The person behind the screen seemed to sense her fear. After a long silence, he pushed a grasshopper through the screen.

His voice carried weariness as he comforted her: “This grasshopper is for you. Sleep for a while—nothing will happen.”

It was a grasshopper folded from bamboo leaves. Unlike ordinary grasshoppers, this one was extremely delicate—if you pulled its hind legs, its head would move.

Holding the grasshopper, she suddenly began to cry.

She didn’t know what was wrong with herself in the dream.

Thinking about it, she understood.

In the dream, she felt regret and resentment.

If she hadn’t accepted that grasshopper then, she would have died in that bamboo house. She wouldn’t have owed Jiang Shaoyan this life-saving debt. She wouldn’t have deliberately come to this bamboo house when her family moved from the Eastern Capital the next day, wouldn’t have seen the blood-covered Jiang Shaoyan, wouldn’t have saved him. The Luo family wouldn’t have today’s fate, and her father wouldn’t have died.

It was her fault. Unable to speak of it in reality, she could only hold that grasshopper in the dream and cry heartbreakingly.

She slept for a long time and was awakened by commotion. When she woke, she found her face covered with tears.

She lay on the ground, recovered for a moment, then realized the surroundings were full of arguing. A somewhat familiar female voice echoed in the holding cell, accompanied by intense chasing and fighting sounds, saying crisply: “Wang Qiniang, you shameless old ruffian, do you think I’m dead? You even dare steal my steamed bun—watch me not beat you to death today, you old scoundrel!”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing immediately realized what was happening. She quickly turned over and got up to see that the holding cell had formed a circle. Yao Zelan was patting Luo Wenshui, who was still sleeping in her arms with squinted eyes. Seeing Luo Wanqing awake, she explained: “Someone’s fighting again. Rest—don’t mind them.”

“I’ll take a look.”

Luo Wanqing ignored Yao Zelan’s words and, under her surprised gaze, stood up and frantically pushed into the crowd. Reaching the front, she saw Liu Xiniang grappling with several middle-aged women.

Liu Xiniang didn’t use internal force or any techniques—just grabbing and punching, using the most basic methods to roll around on the ground with several women.

Shouting and fighting sounds intertwined. Luo Wanqing watched in shock as Liu Xiniang pulled hair in the middle of the group of women.

Liu Xiniang noticed Luo Wanqing approaching and, stepping on one woman while pulling another’s hair with her own hair twisted in a third woman’s grasp, turned and shouted at Luo Wanqing: “Come, righteous hero, save me!”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing finally understood Liu Xiniang’s meaning.

To enter the water dungeon, you needed to be someone who had committed an offense. In prison, what was easier than fighting to get into the water dungeon?

Liu Xiniang’s method was to have her join in fighting people.

She had lived nineteen years and never fought anyone, yet Liu Xiniang immediately had her join a group fight!

What did “work harder for Xie Heng” mean? Was this about working hard?

This was asking her to risk her life!

But regardless, Liu Xiniang was already involved—she couldn’t let Liu Xiniang get beaten there alone.

She swallowed hard, her heart racing. Looking at the chaotically moving crowd, she momentarily didn’t know whether to pull people apart or kick them first. Finally deciding that no matter what, she should charge first!

She steeled herself, stopped thinking, and under everyone’s shocked gazes, suddenly accelerated and charged headfirst at Wang Qiniang!

Wang Qiniang was knocked forward by her impact, and she lost balance and fell forward.

Liu Xiniang saw her fall, reached out to catch and pull her behind herself, kicked away a charging woman, then gave her a thumbs up.

“Righteous hero,” Liu Xiniang flashed a smile and praised sincerely, “excellent headbutt—well done!”

Author’s Note:

[Mini Theater]

Liu Xiniang: “Have you ever risked your life for someone?”

Luo Wanqing: “Thank you. Starting today, I have.”

Xie Heng: “Touched, really, so touched.”