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.