bestfiction Chapter 157 The Sinister Son's Sister-in-Law 32
Chapter 157 The Sinister Son's Sister-in-Law 32
"If Mother wants to see my eldest brother, she probably won't be able to. It's already quite remarkable that the whole Zhongyong Marquis's family is still alive here."
Qin Shenzhi's words frightened the few timid concubines present, who were already silently shedding tears.
"What do you mean?" After all, Madam Hou had experienced some situations, and she understood the key point from Qin Shenzhi's words.
This is no longer just a matter of the people from the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion committing some crime; their titles are now in jeopardy.
Lady Hou had enjoyed wealth and honor since childhood and married into the Zhongyong Marquis's mansion. She had never suffered any hardship in her life. This prison was the worst place she had ever been.
They thought that if the verdict wasn't handed down directly, but rather the person was taken to prison, there would still be a chance for redress.
Seeing the Marquis's calm demeanor, the Marquis's wife initially thought it was just a normal inspection, and that if they cooperated, they would be able to leave without any problems.
Now it's clear that Qin Shenzhi didn't mean that.
If he hadn't been imprisoned in a separate cell from the Marquis of Zhongyong, the Marquis's wife would already be grabbing his clothes and demanding an explanation.
Unfortunately, all she could see now was that lifeless expression on the Marquis's face, and he didn't even seem to care about her.
"You must think of a way quickly, to plead with the Emperor, at least... at least let us die knowing why." Lady Hou looked at Qin Shenzhi, her eyes still showing some determination.
Xie Qingyu understood that this was because the Lady Hou felt that Prime Minister Wang would definitely not abandon her.
Qin Shenzhi is probably waiting for Prime Minister Wang to make a move.
It seems that having a grandson in poor health did not inspire Prime Minister Wang to use his connections to help him.
The safety of his only surviving daughter will still be somewhat affected.
"It's already a miracle that I'm here now, instead of being in prison with you all. How could I possibly have the chance to see the Emperor again?" Qin Shenzhi said.
Lady Hou hardly noticed that Qin Shenzhi was speaking to her differently than before.
In her eyes, Qin Shenzhi had always been that illegitimate son who lived under her thumb and obeyed her every command.
She's no different from the servants she keeps; how could someone like that possibly be disobedient?
So when she carefully took out the token from her hand and asked him to take it to Prime Minister Wang, she didn't see the expression on Qin Shenzhi's face.
It was completely different from what she remembered.
"I will convey your message." Qin Shenzhi looked up at the cell. "There are many people in the mansion, and it's really uncomfortable for so many women to be in these two cells. I'll have someone change you, at least to separate you a bit."
Qin Shenzhi glanced around the crowd.
His gaze paused for a moment when it met Xie Qingyu's slightly startled eyes.
It seems she was quite frightened. I should have had Hongdou tell her not to be afraid beforehand.
I wonder if she'll be able to sleep well tonight.
All Qin Shenzhi could think of was the image of Xie Qingyu sleeping on the table that night.
Even so, his expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of anything amiss.
However, his gaze stopped when it passed over Gu Qinglian.
Qin Shenzhi was somewhat puzzled by the inexplicable joy in Gu Qinglian's eyes and the "I understand you" expression.
Especially when she noticed Qin Shenzhi's gaze lingering on her, Gu Qinglian's joy intensified.
Qin Shenzhi's gaze lingered on her for a while, but the others were probably too caught up in their panic to notice.
Xie Qingyu did indeed sense it.
She was standing to the right of Gu Qinglian, opposite her, and could basically see the expression on her face.
Xie Qingyu glanced at her face for a moment, then moved her gaze to Qin Shenzhi.
Qin Shenzhi was still subconsciously analyzing the meaning behind Gu Qinglian's gaze, and even felt that it might be close to the somewhat far-fetched reason he had guessed.
When he realized Xie Qingyu was looking at him, he immediately snapped out of his thoughts and panicked for a moment.
He quickly looked away.
She only dared to glance at Xie Qingyu when Qin Shenzhi left.
Her gaze held a hint of confusion.
Clutching the sign tightly in his hand, Qin Shenzhi forced himself to leave quickly to attend to his business.
We should make some arrangements here, preferably so that her two maids can have a separate cell with her, so that she can sleep more peacefully at night.
With that thought in mind, Qin Shenzhi had already left.
After Qin Shenzhi left, some people indeed came and reassigned them to new cells.
After all, it's a prison cell, so the conditions aren't much better.
However, there were too many people in the Marquis's mansion, as well as some servants. If they weren't separated, there wouldn't even be a place to lie down in the prison.
Fortunately, the cases here are usually handled by members of the royal family and nobles, so there aren't too many prisoners in the cells, and there are extra cells available for them.
Normally, when a property is confiscated, the people are either sent to the brothel or sold off while they are still in the mansion; there is no such thing as being imprisoned.
This is also why Lady Hou was not in a hurry at first.
Now, after hearing Qin Shenzhi's words, everyone was filled with anxiety, especially since they were being held in separate cells, and there was a lot of crying.
Xie Qingyu, Hongdou, and Tingling were placed in the same cell.
When Ling saw that only the three of them entered the cell, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Her eyes had been brimming with tears for a long time; they had been in the same cell just moments before, and she hadn't dared to utter a single word.
Now that they finally had a little space, Tingling stepped forward and took Xie Qingyu's hand.
Xie Qingyu looked at her, patted her hand, and signaled her to relax.
If it were a crime serious enough to warrant beheading, they certainly wouldn't have been taken to prison.
Now that they're here, and judging from Qin Shenzhi's reaction it's clear he's playing the long game, they'll inevitably have to stay here for a while.
But this actually proves that they should be fine.
However, this was Xie Qingyu's analysis based on Qin Shenzhi's behavior, and it was something she absolutely could not reveal at this moment.
Fortunately, although Tingling is not very brave, she is loyal enough.
Seeing that Xie Qingyu showed no sign of worry and instead silently comforted her, Tingling immediately wiped away her tears and tried to cheer herself up.
Red Bean, however, did not have the same deep bond as the master and servant, and did not come over.
However, she was quick to act, and upon arriving at her new cell, she immediately began cleaning up the straw on the ground.
Upon seeing this, Tingling immediately joined in the tidying up.
Xie Qingyu didn't pay attention to their behavior; her gaze was still on the faces of the Hou family members scattered in various prison cells.
Especially the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, who sat there motionless ever since he entered the prison.
How much of Qin Shenzhi's plan did he know?
Or was he involved in pushing things along?