Tang Qingluo felt a sinking heaviness in her chest; Tong Xu’s actions made her feel awful.
It seemed that the Xie Guogong Manor had gotten into serious trouble.
As she contemplated the worst possible outcome, she quickly removed the jewelry from her head, neck, and hands, along with her pouch and pendants, placing everything into the box designated by the authorities.
“Sir, I’ve put everything in.”
The supervising junior officer glanced at the contents of the box and thought Tang Qingluo was sensible.
He didn’t make things difficult for her and let her step aside. Among the crowd, Xie Wanying, the legitimate second daughter of the main branch, glared fiercely at Tang Qingluo.
“What are you looking at? Hurry up!” The junior officer impatiently shoved Xie Wanying, nearly making her fall flat on her face.
Xie Wanying’s temper flared. She was about to lash out but was firmly held back by her mother, Lady Wang, the Marchioness of the Guogong, wife of Xie Bozhi, the Xie Guogong.
Lady Wang was a first-rank titled lady and mother of two daughters and a son.
The eldest daughter, Xie Wanjing, was already married. The second daughter, ranked sixth in the household, was Xie Wanying. Her son, Xie Lanyi—Tang Qingluo’s nominal husband—was the eldest and had been appointed heir from birth.
At this moment, both Xie Guogong Xie Bozhi and the heir Xie Lanyi were not in the manor. Lady Wang didn’t know what had happened to them in the palace, which was why the imperial guards had come to surround the manor.
She could only signal Xie Wanying not to lose her temper.
Following Tang Qingluo’s example, Xie Wanying quickly removed all her jewelry and accessories, putting them into the box.
“Hurry up, I’ll talk to you later,” Lady Wang said, helping her daughter clear everything off her body, then pulled her over to stand beside Tang Qingluo.
“Those at the back, move quickly, don’t dawdle.”
Seeing that even Lady Wang of the main branch had complied, and hearing the junior officer’s urging, the rest of the six branch families dared not delay. One by one, they stepped forward and removed their jewelry and accessories.
Tong Xu, realizing there was no more loot to be had, ordered his men to tie up everyone.
On the street, they rode ahead on horses, while Tang Qingluo and the rest of the Xie Guogong household followed, their hands bound as they walked.
[Mission Released: Win a fight once. Reward: a dagger. Completion time: one day. Failure to complete the mission within one day will result in electric shock punishment. Mission countdown begins…]
The voice in her head rang out, and Tang Qingluo immediately felt like she was about to explode.
These imperial guards were not weaklings—fight? Did they want her to get beaten up?
Thinking about the electric shock she would face at this time tomorrow, Tang Qingluo felt utterly defeated. Her low spirits continued all the way until they reached the gates of the Kyoto prison, where she remained listless.
It wasn’t until a fierce-looking woman arrived at the prison gate carrying meals, shouting, “Meal time! Meal time!” that Tang Qingluo perked up slightly.
The woman placed a few chipped bowls, brought over a bucket of watery congee, and took out a plate of slightly sour steamed buns.
“Eat quickly, don’t keep me from my dinner.”
Xie Wanying looked at the congee, sniffed the buns, and turned pale.
“Is this even edible? The congee is like water, and the buns are sour. How can anyone eat this? I’m not eating.” She threw the bun in her hand to the ground and stomped it a few times to vent her frustration.
This time, Lady Wang didn’t try to persuade Xie Wanying, knowing she wouldn’t eat anyway.
Tang Qingluo, however, picked up a chipped bowl, scooped some watery congee, and drank it. It wasn’t hot, so she finished it in one gulp. One bowl wasn’t enough, so she had two more, finally filling her stomach a little.
As for the steamed buns, she picked one up but didn’t eat it—she tucked it into her lap.
“Mom, look at her! She can even enjoy this kind of food,” Xie Wanying complained, scrunching up her face and waving her hand under her nose. “It smells sour and disgusting, really stinks!” She glared at Tang Qingluo and stepped back several paces, afraid of contamination.
Tang Qingluo ignored her and squatted in a corner, leaning back with her eyes closed.
In the middle of the night, curled up in the corner, Tang Qingluo murmured quietly to herself while hugging her knees.
“Sea cucumber… abalone… shark fin… dried scallops… fish lips… soft-shell turtle… deer tendon…”
She smacked her lips and smiled as if she had just eaten a rare delicacy, her grin never fading.
Suddenly—
A scream rang out. “My Buddha Jumps Over the Wall—”
Tang Qingluo’s anger flared. She woke up, rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight the woman who had taken her delicious food.
But she froze instantly.
Every pair of eyes in the prison stared straight at her.
“At a time like this, and you’re still thinking about food? Tang Qingluo, don’t you care at all? Aren’t you worried about our elder brothers?” The one who always jumped out to scold her was Sixth Miss Xie Wanying, and Tang Qingluo was used to her antics.
Worried?
Would worrying help? Useless emotions were better spent sleeping a little longer—at least in dreams, one wouldn’t go hungry.
Tang Qingluo rolled her eyes, too lazy to argue.
Seeing Tang Qingluo’s attitude, Xie Wanying rushed over in displeasure.
“Tang Qingluo, what do you mean by this? Get up! I won’t let you sleep!”
Since being captured and imprisoned in the afternoon, the family members didn’t know what was happening outside. They worried about their father, uncles, and brother—whether they were safe or in danger.
But Tang Qingluo? She could eat, sleep well, and had no worries. Xie Wanying couldn’t stand it.
She grabbed Tang Qingluo’s arm, unwilling to let her rest.
“Tang Qingluo, haven’t you always considered yourself a noble lady? How come now you’re even coarser than me, yelling at your sister-in-law? Is this the behavior of a lady?” Tang Qingluo snapped.
“Try pulling me again, and I’ll act. As a sister-in-law disciplining a disrespectful junior sister, I don’t think anyone would say I went too far. What about you, mother?” Tang Qingluo glanced at the middle-aged noblewoman, Lady Wang of the Xie Guogong Manor.
“Wanying, mind your manners!” Lady Wang scolded, and Xie Wanying had to let go. She stomped her foot, walked to Lady Wang’s side, and threw one last glare at Tang Qingluo.
Tang Qingluo ignored her provocation. Let her glare—she wasn’t going to lose anything.
Besides, with tomorrow uncertain, it was better to save her energy.
She closed her eyes and went back to sleep, as always seeing things lightly.