The assistant minister hesitated before relenting. Mother-in-law and father-in-law supported each other out, while everyone else was also escorted out. They glanced at my face, and I returned a reassuring look and nodded. Yuan Fang was tied up and thrown out, looking aggrieved. Little Huang had probably escaped quickly.
We were thrown into the Ministry of Justice’s prison. Father-in-law and I were placed in adjacent cells, while others were confined elsewhere, and mother-in-law was taken to an unknown location.
Father-in-law looked exhausted, his face pale. The cell was strewn with straw, covering the cold, damp stone floor. He breathed heavily, his weak voice breaking my heart. Two torches lit the room, with two prison guards sitting outside the iron bars, drinking and casting suspicious glances at me.
I smiled at them and pulled out a gold leaf from my sleeve, placing it outside the bars. The guards’ eyes brightened, and they casually picked up the gold leaf, asking quietly, “What do you need?”
“Could you help bring some hot tea and cotton padding for my father-in-law? He’s elderly and has a leg injury.”
The guards exchanged glances and nodded.
One turned and left, presumably to fetch my request.
The other guard looked around, then grinned menacingly through the bars. I was about to step back when he whispered, “I’m Mantis, stationed here to assist. Please give any instructions.” He briefly revealed a small gold badge.
A secret service agent? He smiled at me, respectful despite his fierce demeanor. His previous look was actually a signal… I had thought he was just a thug.
Since Anxin had apparently arranged things even in the prison, I felt somewhat relieved. This was my first time in a cell, and despite being prepared, I still felt depressed. The place was dark, the ground damp and hard, with a musty smell. The straw was prickly. However, all of this was nothing compared to the oppression of losing freedom.
I peeked at my father-in-law, who seemed to have fallen asleep among the straw.
Knowing I couldn’t sleep, I hugged my knees and thought about Anxin. Where would he be now?
An Jinn has always been reliable. Since he said he was confident, it meant he was almost certain. What I could do was protect the An family, keep everyone calm, and wait for his return.
He once said that after coming back, we would find a place in the countryside, buy land, grow small flowers and grass, raise little Yuan Xiao, have two children, and live a carefree life. Imagining the scene he described, warmth filled my heart despite being in a prison cell.
My father-in-law and I didn’t stay long in the Ministry of Justice’s prison before being secretly transferred by carriage. I thought the carriage would take us to the imperial prison, but it brought us directly into the imperial palace.
This was my first time seeing a prison inside the palace. It could hardly be called a prison; it was more like a three-courtyard, five-room mansion, tightly guarded so that even a bird couldn’t fly in. The facilities were quite complete, with warm bedding. My father-in-law, exhausted, went to sleep early. I returned to my room, thinking that His Majesty was considerate, probably worried that we had suffered in the Ministry of Justice’s prison.
I wondered where my mother-in-law had gone. After pondering for a while, the comfortable environment made me drowsy, and I quickly fell asleep.
The next day, two red-robed imperial guards threw Yuan Xiao in.
I hurriedly comforted it about its bruised self-esteem from being tied up like a sausage. It whimpered in my arms for a while, then began running around the new courtyard, trampling many flowers and grass. I didn’t feel sorry; after all, it wasn’t our home.
However, my father-in-law’s complexion was worsening. Yuan Xiao circled around him, making a strange, urgent cry and constantly looking at me. My father-in-law weakly raised his hand to comfort it, but it seemed agitated. I asked the imperial guard at the door to report to His Majesty for a doctor to check, but the guard impatiently waved me back, saying His Majesty had ordered no one could approach, let alone a doctor.
I suddenly had a bad feeling, an inexplicable panic. Something wasn’t right. This was supposed to be a mere show of imprisonment; why take it so seriously?
On the third day, my father, mother, younger sister, and older brother with his wife were brought in. My fears had finally come true. The agreement between An Jin and the Emperor did not include involving my family.
My parents looked haggard, clearly having suffered. My older brother supported Miao Yin, and they were both silent. My younger sister cried with a dirty face, looking at me.
“I’m sorry,” I said, not knowing what else to say, just lowering my head in apology. “I’ve implicated you all in suffering.”
“Mother didn’t ask anything, just squeezed my hand. “Child, don’t say anything. Our family has been through sweet times together, and we must go through bitter times together to be complete. Don’t bear everything alone…” Her eyes reddened as she turned away.
My parents went to see my father-in-law, while my older brother and Miao Yin shared their experiences of the past few days. Not long after the An family was taken away that night, officials imprisoned my family in the Ministry of Justice’s prison. They were held there for two days before being brought here on the third day.
“A Yao, it’s okay,” my older brother and Miao Yin exchanged a glance and smiled. “At least we’re still together.”
“But—my sister-in-law’s condition—” Miao Yin was pregnant, and having stayed in such a damp and cold place, I worried for her well-being.
Miao Yin patted her belly and laughed, “Don’t worry! I’m in great health, and the child takes after me. How could they be weak?”
My older brother, startled, grabbed her hand. “Stop hitting?”
Miao Yin made a face, lifting our spirits momentarily.
My younger sister wanted to laugh but ended up crying. “Second Sister—Brother-in-law he—”
My older brother quickly stopped her: “Younger Sister!”
“An Jin must have his reasons,” I reassured them. “He will definitely find a way to save us.”
My younger sister cried harder, and my older brother and Miao Yin’s expressions were grim. “A Yao…”
My heart sank, and I asked, “What’s wrong?”
Their different expressions conveyed an ominous message.
“What happened to him?” My heart raced. How could they know about An Jin’s situation?
My younger sister finally grabbed my arm. “Brother-in-law… something has happened!”
Chapter Fifty-One: The Schemes of the Eastern Palace
I broke out in a cold sweat, shivering.
Miao Yin supported me. “A Yao, the situation is not yet confirmed. Don’t be anxious, stay calm.”
I waved my hand to indicate I was fine, recalling An Jin’s words to wait for his return. My younger sister wiped her tears, her eyes red.
“Tell me what happened.”
My younger sister was panicked, so my older brother finally explained. The day after they were taken to the Ministry of Justice’s prison, Song Si Tian found a way to visit them.
Her expression was off, and she eventually revealed something.
After hearing about my family’s troubles, she went to find Tang Wei for help. Unexpectedly, she overheard a conversation between Tang Wei and a Tang clan subordinate mentioning An Jin, who had escaped from the imperial prison.
It was shocking. The Tang clan had long received a secret imperial decree to ambush and kill An Jin and the Su family with the imperial palace’s red-robed guards at Suo Long Slope outside Ye City. An Jin was their primary target. According to what Song Si Tian overheard, An Jin and Su Xi had been killed by Tang Wei, stabbed through the heart. Su Qian, Su Hui, and others had escaped during the conflict.
