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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Xiaohan followed the Yard Officer down the path, puzzled that they had not taken her to the Yamen but instead locked her up in a cell.
“Get in there, hurry up! Stop dawdling or you’ll get a beating!” the Yard Officer shoved Ye Xiaohan inside and slammed the cell door shut with force.
Ye Xiaohan did not resist; she knew that fighting back would only lead to more humiliation and unfair treatment. Standing in the cell, she surveyed her surroundings. She had seen her fair share of the world, having attended numerous grand banquets, but this was her first time in a prison.
The cramped space was marked by mottled stains that spread from the inside out. In one corner lay a pile of Last Straw, emitting a musty odor, while on the other side stood a wooden bucket—an overnight chamber pot.
Ye Xiaohan found a relatively clean spot to sit down. With her enemies lurking in the shadows and herself exposed, all she could do was go with the flow and adapt to whatever came her way. The person who wanted to set her up would surely appear; even if he didn’t show himself, he would send someone in his place.
After all, how else could he demonstrate his capabilities? How could he miss out on seeing Ye Xiaohan in such a miserable state?
As expected, even sooner than she anticipated, before she could even warm the ground beneath her, someone entered.
“Boss Ye, what a coincidence! Who would have thought we’d meet here? We really are fated,” Liu Yuan said, fanning himself leisurely.
So it’s you again! You just won’t leave me alone! Ye Xiaohan felt an urge to jab him with a needle to wake him up and make him stop doing such foolish things.
“Oh, it’s Young Master Liu. I didn’t expect you to be here as well. Why don’t you come in and sit for a while? Although I must apologize for not having any tea to offer,” Ye Xiaohan replied without standing up, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him sideways.
Liu Yuan smirked inwardly. “Boss Ye truly has great composure. Even in such dire circumstances, you remain unruffled. I admire that.”
“Very well,” Ye Xiaohan said without changing her expression, dealing with Liu Yuan's taunts.
At this point, even if he were foolish, he should have guessed that her imprisonment was somehow related to him. No wonder these Yard Officers' behavior didn’t follow proper procedure; Liu Yuan must have meddled behind the scenes.
He was the son of the county magistrate, and it was as easy as pie for him to secretly employ some of the Yamen's personnel. Even if someone disapproved, they wouldn't dare to poke a tiger's whiskers, inviting trouble upon themselves.
Ye Xiaohan's heart was far from as calm as it appeared on the surface; in fact, she was extremely anxious. Liu Yuan had directly used the power of the Yamen, and traditionally, commoners did not fight against officials. As a powerless woman, confronting the Government Office head-on would only lead to her own downfall.
In her mind, she imagined Liu Yuan as a cactus, yet in reality, she felt utterly helpless. This time, she was truly in trouble.
Liu Yuan had initially intended to mock Ye Xiaohan, believing that once she was imprisoned, she would be flustered and panicked. He envisioned witnessing her in a state of utter disgrace.
To his surprise, Ye Xiaohan was nothing like he had imagined; not only was she unfazed, but she also appeared relaxed and at ease, as if she were not locked up in prison but rather enjoying a leisurely outing outside the city.
"Hmph!" Not getting the amusement he sought, and knowing that staying any longer would only give Ye Xiaohan the chance to insult him further, Liu Yuan had no interest in lingering. He shrugged off his sleeves and left.
As he stepped out of the prison, Yang Hua was waiting outside for him. Upon seeing him emerge, he rushed over with a fawning demeanor. "Young Master Liu, you finally came out! That place is unlucky; it's easy to get tainted by going in. Let me help you brush it off!"
Just as he was about to pat Liu Yuan's sleeve, Liu Yuan dodged away.
"No need; I'll change into another outfit," Liu Yuan said coldly as he walked a few steps away. Remembering that this person still had some use, he softened his expression slightly and turned back around. "You did well this time; I didn't expect you to find an opportunity so quickly."
This compliment held a hint of sincerity. Liu Yuan had attempted to scheme against Ye Xiaohan countless times but had never succeeded. To prevent any leaks of her secret formula, she took care of everything herself; the secret chamber where she produced her concoctions was always locked tight, not allowing anyone inside.
This was also why Liu Yuan patiently collaborated with Yang Hua and his wife—they had more opportunities to get close to Ye Xiaohan.
Flattered by Liu Yuan's praise, Yang Hua immediately became somewhat elated and began spilling everything like beans from a bamboo tube.
"This is all thanks to my wife. While that Bitch Ye Xiaohan wasn't paying attention, she sprinkled the powder on herself and then pretended to trip in front of her. When Ye Xiaohan came to help, she rubbed the powder onto her."
Liu Yuan understood immediately and continued, "So when she went to make the rouge, the powder fell into it and was sold to customers. They ended up with rashes and ruined faces. It truly is a poisonous scheme; I can't believe you all thought of it."
Even Liu Yuan himself couldn't have come up with such a convoluted plan. For a meager amount of money, they were willing to go this far.
Yang Hua took this as praise for himself and hurriedly expressed his gratitude, then boasted back, "It's still Liu Gongzi who is more skilled. Knowing that Bitch would try to heal them, you sent someone to capture her before she could act. Now those customers won't get treated and will blame it all on her!"
Liu Yuan smiled, quite pleased with his actions. He had secretly investigated Ye Xiaohan's medical skills, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. However, there was no denying that her methods looked strange but were highly effective—far superior to the town's doctors.
If she were allowed to treat them and actually succeeded, his plans would soon be ruined. Fortunately, he had foreseen this and had already instructed the Yard Officer to seize her at the right moment.
With both strategies working in tandem, this meticulously planned operation meant that Ye Xiaohan wouldn't escape unscathed this time.
Meanwhile, in the prison behind them, Ye Xiaohan likely didn't feel fortunate at all.
She was contemplating how to escape. Despite thinking hard, she couldn't come up with a good plan for now and could only pull at the grass growing between the bricks to pass the time.
"Ye Xiaohan, come out! We're changing cells!" A sharp voice rang out from outside the cell door. The door swung open, revealing a fierce-looking Female Guard who appeared extremely difficult to deal with.
Ye Xiaohan obediently stood up and walked outside. Since she had confirmed that this place was filled with Liu Yuan's people, struggling would be futile; it was better to conserve her strength and avoid unnecessary sacrifices.
Seeing her compliance made the Guard's expression slightly more pleasant, though her tone remained impatient: "Hurry up, this way."
She brought Ye Xiaohan to a crowded cell and dropped a harsh warning, "Stay inside quietly and don’t make a fuss, or you’ll regret it! And you all, keep your heads down! If anyone wants to feel the whip, just go ahead and cause trouble!"
With that, she closed the cell door behind her, leaving a group of silent female prisoners inside.
Once she disappeared around the corner, the inmates began to murmur again. Someone spat at the guard in disgust. The rest turned their attention to Ye Xiaohan.
"Hey! You! New girl, why don’t you come over and greet us?" A few women who clearly didn’t have gentle temperaments started shouting at Ye Xiaohan.
It seemed Liu Yuan had made up her mind to let her suffer a bit inside; otherwise, she wouldn’t have specifically moved her to this crowded cell after leaving.
These women were all criminals; how many of them were innocent? Moreover, Ye Xiaohan could guarantee that with Liu Yuan’s mindset, she would be placed in the most chaotic cell possible.
Well, since she was here, she might as well make the best of it and treat it as a unique life experience.
Ye Xiaohan stepped forward and smiled at them, "Hello everyone, I’m new here. I don’t know when I’ll be able to leave, but I hope we can all get along during my stay."
She thought her words were polite enough, but to the female prisoners, it sounded utterly audacious. This newcomer not only wasn’t afraid of them but also wasn’t crying or begging—who did she think she was?
When they first arrived, they had been so scared that they couldn’t even sleep, pleading with the guards to let them out or allow their families to visit. Yet here was this woman smiling and chatting with them!
This couldn’t be right; why should she be so carefree? If they had suffered so much upon entering, then everyone else should suffer just as much!
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