bestfiction Chapter 156 Only by ascending to a high position.
Chapter 156 Only by ascending to a high position.
Shen Yuan's crying made the officer in charge frown.
Before the officer in charge could get angry, Xiao Ling shoved Shen Yuan away.
"Is money more important or your life? Do you still want to get out?"
"Waaah... That's five hundred taels! All our family's money! It was meant to buy a house in Jizhou City!" Shen Yuan covered her face with her sleeve and sobbed uncontrollably.
Xiao Ling frowned and scolded, "Still crying? Stop crying!"
As he spoke, he knelt down a few more steps and handed the silver notes in his hand to the officer in charge.
The officer in charge took the silver notes, spat on his hand, counted them, checked their authenticity, and then stuffed them into his sleeve.
He waved his hand, indicating that Xiao Ling and Shen Yuan could leave.
Xiao Ling hurriedly pulled Shen Yuan, who was crying uncontrollably, away from the torture chamber.
After leaving the torture chamber, Shen Yuan immediately wiped away her tears and glanced at Xiao Ling.
Xiao Ling held her elbow and asked, "Did you hurt yourself just now?"
Shen Yuan shook her head: "No."
After saying that, she sighed inwardly.
From the moment she was brought into this prison, Shen Yuan knew that she and Xiao Ling were going to suffer a great loss.
But she also knew that she couldn't refuse to pay, nor could she pay too much, lest she attract the attention of the officers and soldiers.
That's why she and Xiao Ling staged this whole thing.
It's just a pity about those five hundred taels!
That's five hundred taels!
Even though Xiao Ling took the money from Jiang Yuchen, Shen Yuan still felt a pang of heartache!
This money can be spent anywhere, but it's a real shame to feed it to vicious dogs.
Although they paid the life-saving money, Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling are still unable to leave for the time being.
After the two returned to their cell, Shen Yuan tugged at Xiao Ling's sleeve and said, "Take off your shirt and let me see your injuries!"
Xiao Ling, sitting in the corner, adjusted his collar upon hearing this: "I'm not injured."
"How is that possible? That whip was used so forcefully, how could there be no injury?"
Seeing that Xiao Ling refused to take off his clothes, Shen Yuan frowned and said, "Next time this happens, don't shield me. We're all just mortals; it hurts no one if someone gets hit. I'd feel bad if you got hurt, so I'd rather take the whip myself!"
"..."
After a moment of silence, Xiao Ling reached out and pulled open his collar, dragging his clothes down to reveal the injury on his shoulder.
Just like the waiter's body, Xiao Ling's whip wound on his shoulder blade was a finger's length long, with the skin and flesh torn open and blood flowing down the whip mark, staining Xiao Ling's inner clothes red.
Upon seeing the injuries on Xiao Ling's body, Shen Yuan gasped.
She dared not imagine what her face would look like if that whip had landed on it.
Shen Yuan pulled out a clean cotton cloth and a medicine bottle from her bosom. Holding the medicine, she softened her tone and said, "Applying the medicine will hurt a little, so please bear with it!"
Xiao Ling chuckled softly, "I'm not afraid of pain."
"Aren't you afraid of pain? What, did you drink some anesthetic this morning?" Shen Yuan cleaned the wound on Xiao Ling's shoulder with a clean cotton cloth, not forgetting to retort to him.
But the movements were very gentle.
After cleaning the wound, Shen Yuan applied medicine to Xiao Ling. It hurt a little when the medicine was applied, but Xiao Ling only frowned and his expression didn't change at all.
After applying the medicine, Shen Yuan tore the cotton cloth into thin strips, bandaged Xiao Ling's wound, and tied it with a pretty bow.
Finally, she looked up at Xiao Ling's mask and said, "This mask is indeed conspicuous. Once we get out, I'll wrap it with gauze to avoid any questions from others."
Xiao Ling nodded and said okay.
He put on a mask as soon as he entered Jizhou. Although he was either in the Cold Palace or on Qingyun Mountain two years ago, very few people knew his identity or had seen him, Jizhou was too close to the capital, so he had to be extra careful.
However, the mask was indeed too conspicuous. If it hadn't been for the ointment applied to cover it up before entering the torture chamber, it would have been difficult to explain.
Only Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling have returned to the prison cell for now.
The two leaned against the wall. Shen Yuan packed her things and heard the sounds of whipping and wailing coming from the torture chamber. Her beautiful face gradually turned frosty.
She looked at the torture chamber and suddenly asked, "Xiao Ling, do you feel wronged?"
Although the sentence seemed nonsensical, Xiao Ling still understood the meaning behind Shen Yuan's words.
She was asking him whether it was unfair for a prince to kneel before a lowly military officer in Jizhou City.
Xiao Ling lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Shen Yuan added, "Given your status, they're the ones who should be kneeling and begging for mercy! Making you kneel before him, he's not afraid of being struck by lightning tomorrow!"
Shen Yuan spoke very softly, but every word was heard by Xiao Ling with perfect clarity.
He chuckled and then gently patted Shen Yuan's hand, as if coaxing her: "It's just kneeling to a dying person. Respect for the dead is paramount. Consider it as sending him off early."
Hearing this, Shen Yuan felt a little better.
Just pretend that she and Xiao Ling were kneeling on dead people!
Just then, Xiao Ling said, "It won't be long."
But his voice was so soft that Shen Yuan hadn't heard him clearly before Xiao Ling turned his head away.
Shen Yuan continued, "In the past, I disliked scholars like Chu Yuning who were obsessed with climbing the social ladder and becoming officials, because I thought they were opportunistic and worldly. But now I find that I can gradually understand Chu Yuning."
Upon hearing Chu Yuning's name, Xiao Ling picked up some thatch from the ground and rubbed it between his fingertips.
"This world is full of injustice, humiliation, and cruelty. Ordinary people like us are born to be inferior to those kings and generals. No matter how hard we try, how kind we are, or how diligent we are, to those high and mighty people, we are nothing more than a bunch of ants that can be crushed at any time!"
After Shen Yuan finished speaking, her gaze fell on the waiter lying on the straw in the next cell. She took a deep breath and said quietly, "Perhaps only by standing in a high position can we change these injustices, humiliations, and cruelties!"
Whether it was Xiao Yunyan in her previous life or the officers and soldiers blocking her way now, they were all just people with a higher status than her, which is why they could bully her at will.
But if...
Shen Yuan turned to look at Xiao Ling, only to meet a pair of deep, dark eyes.
Their eyes met, and in that instant, they understood each other's thoughts.
Xiao Ling leaned back against the wall, his voice deep and resonant: "You're right. Perhaps only by standing in that position can things change..."
What are you two whispering and babbling about over there?
The jailer suddenly shouted, interrupting Xiao Ling.
Shen Yuan grabbed Xiao Ling and leaned on his shoulder, exclaiming, "Husband, I'm scared!"
The jailer glared at Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling before walking away.
Because of the rats in the cell, Shen Yuan didn't sleep very well that night, but fortunately, they were released by the jailers early the next morning.
But before they were released, everyone was ransacked by the jailers again.
Fortunately, Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling had hidden the silver notes in her hair bun, so they couldn't be found even if they were searched.
She gave the jailer only two silver hairpins and was released from prison.
After being released from prison, Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling returned to the inn.
Because their luggage and carriage were still left at the inn.
But after returning to the inn with the innkeeper, as soon as he pushed open the inn's door—