"Young master, you must save Madam!" Lian'er, upon seeing Yang Xu, immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly. "Madam is ill, she can't eat or drink, and she's constantly worried. She's even speaking incoherently now."
Yang Xu was taken aback. His dark face showed a mixture of panic and worry. It wasn't just a woman who had lived in comfort for years; even a strong man couldn't endure a few days in prison.
Qiu Jinyu gently patted Yang Xu's shoulder to comfort him, then asked, "Have you had a doctor look at her?"
Lian'er suddenly looked up, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "I bribed them with silver, but the guards at the garrison were unyielding. They only allowed the matron to brew a simple medicine. They're trying to force Madam to her death."
Although Zhang Yiyi was imprisoned in the Xiangwu County jail, the guards were led by Commander Wu and others, who were impervious to bribes. Whether Lian'er tried to bribe them with silver or invoked the name of the Zhenbian Marquis's estate, it was all useless.
Yang Xu's mind conjured the scene of his first meeting with Zhang Yiyi: her meticulously made-up face, her elegant and noble attire, looking more than ten years younger than his father. Now, Yang Xu could only imagine her situation in the jail.
"Young master, please save Madam," Lian'er kowtowed again. After a few thuds, her fair forehead was already scraped and bleeding.
"Madam was forced back then, young master. The Zhang family forced her. If Madam didn't find a protector, she would have been sold to a disreputable place and defiled. Young master..."
Yang Xu was shocked. He had no idea the Zhang family was involved. That was her maiden family; how could they...?
"Xiao Xu, let's find a doctor first," Qiu Jinyu spoke again. Although only a few years older than Yang Xu, he was far more experienced in handling affairs. "It's freezing cold. If she falls ill, her body won't be able to endure. Whatever grievances there are, we can discuss them later."
"Alright," Yang Xu nodded, as if he had found a pillar of support. He looked at Lian'er, who was getting up unsteadily, "You go find some thick clothes and a quilt. Wait for us at the jail entrance."
"Yes, young master. I'll go now." Wiping away her tears with a few swift movements, Lian'er hurried out of the alley, intending to return to the small courtyard on the south gate to fetch the clothes and quilt.
Two quarters of an hour later, at the jail entrance.
"Clear the way, unauthorized personnel!" Two jailers hurried over, driving away Yang Xu and his group. They then angrily berated Lian'er, who was carrying clothes, "Don't you have ears? Madam Zhang is a major criminal. No one is allowed to visit. Scram, or don't blame me for arresting you and keeping you company with Madam Zhang!"
"Officer, I'm just bringing some clothes for Madam..." Before she could finish, Lian'er was pushed by a jailer and stumbled, falling to the ground with a thud.
Yang Xu became enraged, "How dare you hit..."
"Young master, I'm fine," Lian'er quickly got up from the ground, shaking her head with red-rimmed eyes. She pleaded, "Madam is still locked up. We can't offend the officers."
Fists clenched in anger, thinking of Zhang Yiyi imprisoned, Yang Xu could only suppress his rage.
"Oh, a kid whose hair hasn't even grown in, but he's got quite a temper!" The jailer who pushed her burst into laughter, mockingly looking at Yang Xu, who had a stern expression. "If you want to go in, you kowtow to me a few times to wish me a Happy New Year, and I'll be lenient and let you in."
"Old Ma, the one locked inside is his mother. If you become his father, wouldn't that make you a couple with that woman in jail?" another jailer chuckled, a lewd expression on his face. He nudged Old Ma's shoulder. "Want to consummate your marriage tonight? That woman is much better than your old hag."
"Shut up!" Yang Xu roared, like a provoked cub, and lunged forward with his fists.
"Xiao Xu!"
"Young master!"
Almost simultaneously, Qiu Jinyu and Lian'er cried out in alarm. Fortunately, Qiu Jinyu was quick and grabbed Yang Xu's arm, pulling him back.
"Xiao Xu, calm down!" Qiu Jinyu spoke sternly. Looking at Yang Xu, whose eyes were red with anger, he said again, "If you lay a hand on them, they wouldn't dare to offend you. But think about your mother!"
"I..." Yang Xu opened his mouth. He was from the Yang family and had the protection of Grandfather Qiu. Even if he beat these two foul-mouthed jailers, the yamen wouldn't dare to arrest him.
But Zhang Yiyi was still imprisoned. Yang Xu looked at the two detestable jailers. With their arrogance and presumptuousness, even if they couldn't act openly, what about in secret?
Would their meals be spoiled? Or would they deliberately pour cold water on her quilt? Or even more disgustingly, catch rats and throw them into the cell? These jailers had plenty of ways to torment prisoners.
"Young master, for Madam's sake, please bear with it," Lian'er said with a sob, pleadingly looking at Yang Xu. "Madam is weak and cannot endure any more hardship."
Seeing Yang Xu's sudden deflation, Qiu Jinyu walked over to negotiate with the two jailers. "Officers, no matter what, Madam Zhang has not yet been brought to trial. If she falls ill and dies, I'm afraid the garrison guards will not bear the responsibility."
As he finished speaking, Shu Shan, the bookboy following Qiu Jinyu, immediately slipped them two silver ingots, ten taels each. A total of twenty taels, equivalent to a jailer's annual salary.
They accepted the silver, but their attitude remained hostile. Old Ma spoke sarcastically, "You're the only one speaking sense. Unlike this brat who wants to cause trouble at the yamen. Fine, it's not that we're being unreasonable. The higher-ups have ordered that no unauthorized personnel are allowed to visit. Even our Lord Zhu cannot come to visit the prison. You should leave now. I'll pretend I didn't see you!"
Zhang Yiyi was guarded by Commander Wu and others, who were acting on the orders of Commander Dou. Commander Dou, in turn, had received orders from the Imperial Guard to arrest Zhang Yiyi. The jailer's words were, in fact, the truth.
"Officers, please be accommodating. We won't go in. How about letting the doctor go in?" Qiu Jinyu said earnestly. Shu Shan then slipped them another twenty taels of silver.
Money offered on a silver platter would not be refused. Old Ma, after accepting the silver, still waved his hands and drove them away with harsh words, "Enough, stop your incessant chatter. No visiting the prison means no visiting. Doctors are also not allowed. If you don't leave, I'll arrest you all!"
Seeing Qiu Jinyu, a scholar who had achieved the second position in the imperial examinations, bowing to two jailers, Yang Xu quickly stepped forward, "Brother Qiu, forget it."
The old doctor beside them also advised, "They took the silver but are still not cooperating. It's unlikely they'll let anyone in. You should find another way. Otherwise, no amount of money will be useful."
Qiu Jinyu looked at Yang Xu, who had calmed his emotions, and said gently, "Wait here for a moment. I'll go find Magistrate Zhu. The name of the Qiu family from Qianzhong Circuit can still be useful."
"Brother Qiu," Yang Xu knew that scholars held a noble status. If it weren't for him, Brother Qiu wouldn't have to seek out that incompetent magistrate, and might even have to owe him a favor.
However, thinking of Zhang Yiyi, who was gravely ill in the prison, Yang Xu couldn't find the words to stop him. He could only remember Qiu Jinyu's kindness in his heart.
"You call me brother, and this is what I should do," Qiu Jinyu smiled and then strode towards the court.
Magistrate Zhu was merely a minor official. The current head of the Qiu family in Qianzhong Circuit was a second-rank Provincial Administration Commissioner. Moreover, Qiu Jinyu was also a scholar who had achieved the second position, and might even become a jinshi in a few years. Therefore, Magistrate Zhu would surely give him face.
A quarter of an hour later, at the jail.
"It's freezing cold. Brothers, my lord has asked the cook to prepare roast lamb and a pot of wine," Old Ma said with a sly smile. "You brothers go eat, and we'll stand guard here."
Being burly men, what they enjoyed most was meat and wine. Besides, their job was just to guard prisoners. After being persuaded by Old Ma, the four soldiers left together to eat.
As soon as the people left, Yang Xu, Qiu Jinyu, and the others quickly emerged from the corner. Led by Old Ma, they headed towards the women's prison.
"You have two quarters of an hour. Hurry up! If anything goes wrong, no one can take responsibility!" Old Ma instructed, then called over the matron on duty, "Don't say what you shouldn't, don't ask what you shouldn't!"
The matron nodded, took the five taels of silver handed over by Old Ma, and her wrinkled old face lit up with joy. "Follow me."
From the dim prison, a heart-wrenching cough could be heard. Lian'er rushed towards the cell, "Madam, Madam..."
Through the cell door, Yang Xu stared blankly at the woman lying on the tattered quilt. Gone was her former radiance. She was curled up on her side, her hair disheveled, coughing incessantly, as if trying to expel all her internal organs.
On such a cold day, the prison cell still carried a musty and foul odor. At the cell door, there was a chipped porcelain bowl with turbid water and two pieces of straw floating in it.
Beside it lay a coarse grain bun, black and hard, looking like a block of stone at first glance. Such simple and rough food, let alone Zhang Yiyi, even Yang Xu couldn't endure it.
The matron took out the key hanging from her waistband and opened the cell door. Lian'er rushed in, embracing Zhang Yiyi and bursting into tears, "Madam, wake up. Young master has brought a doctor."
"Xu'er?" Her hoarse voice had lost its former charm. Zhang Yiyi opened her eyes and looked towards the cell door. Upon seeing Yang Xu, a smile appeared on her pale, paper-like face. "Xu..."
But before she could finish speaking, another series of violent coughs erupted.
Seeing this, the doctor also hurried in, "Madam, please extend your hand. I will take your pulse."
Yang Xu stood quietly outside the cell, watching Zhang Yiyi silently shed tears. He stubbornly turned his head away, but his peripheral vision kept glancing inside.
When Zhang Yiyi was in her prime, she would speak ill of Yang Shousheng, and Yang Xu could still hate her.
But now, seeing her lying alone and helpless on the dirty, moldy quilt, seeing how thin she had become in just a few days, that hatred suddenly vanished, leaving only bewilderment and a faint worry.
The two quarters of an hour passed quickly. Fortunately, Zhang Yiyi was not seriously ill, just suffering from a cold. Coupled with not eating or drinking for three days, her body had collapsed.
Outside the jail, the old doctor said directly, "After taking the medicine, your mother should recover. But if she continues to stay in the prison, enduring the cold and hunger, she might fall ill again. Once her foundation is damaged and she develops chronic illness, she will suffer in the future."
"Thank you, Doctor," Yang Xu nodded understandingly. He couldn't even stand such an environment.
"Then I shall take my leave," the old doctor said what he needed to say and left with his medicine box.
Lian'er also hurried after him. She still needed to have the medicine brewed at the clinic and then have the matron on duty secretly deliver it to the prison.
...
Worriedly, Yang Xu returned to the Qiu residence and sat on a chair, lost in thought.
For the past eight years in Stone Village, although he was lonely, he had been carefree. He practiced martial arts with his father every day, listened to his grandfather talk about battles, and went hunting in the mountains in his spare time.
But in just over half a month, Yang Xu suddenly felt that Stone Village was better. At least there weren't so many troubles.
Qiu Jinyu did not speak, but picked up a book and began to read quietly.
It wasn't until half an hour later that Yang Xu broke the silence in the room, "Brother Qiu, what should I do?"
"Xiao Xu, I don't know much about your family affairs," Qiu Jinyu replied gently. Because he didn't understand, he didn't know how to advise him. "You wish to support your parents, but they are no longer there. Xiao Xu, you are still young. I don't want you to regret it later."
The Yang family's affairs were not very complicated. Since Yang Xu trusted Qiu Jinyu, he hid nothing and quickly recounted the events of Zhang Yiyi's arrival.
"She abandoned me to my father back then and went to the Zhenbian Marquis's estate herself. This time, she came to have my father petition the imperial court," Yang Xu lowered his head in shame. There were some things he, as a son, could not say.
The Zhenbian Marquis had married Princess Ren'an back then. After the Princess died, the Zhenbian Marquis, mindful of the royal family, dared not remarry. Zhang Yiyi, without any formal status, had followed the Zhenbian Marquis.
Now that the Emperor intended to deal with the Zhenbian Marquis, it was said that if you want to find fault, you can always find a reason. The affair between the Zhenbian Marquis and Zhang Yiyi was a solid crime. That's why Zhang Yiyi was anxious.
She wanted Yang Shousheng to write a letter stating that the Yang family had entrusted the orphaned and pregnant Zhang Yiyi to the Zhenbian Marquis's care back then, and there was no such affair.
The Zhenbian Marquis had also allowed Zhang Yiyi into the Marquis's estate because of the Yang family's entrustment. In essence, it was to get a fig leaf, so that at least the imperial censors could not use this to accuse the Zhenbian Marquis of deceiving the Emperor.
After all, when Princess Ren'an married him, the Zhenbian Marquis had promised to be devoted to her alone. Now that there was Zhang Yiyi, it was a minor offense of improper personal conduct, and a major offense of deceiving the Emperor.
After listening, Qiu Jinyu asked, "Xiao Xu, have you ever considered that your mother was a concubine's daughter? She married into the Yang family as a high-class bride. But after the Yang family fell into trouble, the Zhang family might have indeed kicked your mother when she was down. She had no other choice but to go to the Zhenbian Marquis's estate."
The current Emperor could be considered a benevolent and wise ruler, but many officials were still purged each year. The male heirs were either beheaded or exiled, while the female family members, those with strong wills, would hang themselves in the jail.
Those who were lucky enough to survive were either sold to the brothel or exiled. And what would a female family member endure during exile? Anyone with a brain could imagine. Insult was unavoidable. Even if they managed to survive, what about their future? Sometimes, living was more difficult than dying.