Chapter 12

Second Madam Xiao fully understood the logic, yet deep in her heart, she still harbored resentment—she felt that all the kindness shown to her over these past years had been wasted.

Old Madam Xiao knew that her second daughter‐in‐law, though gentle by nature, carried herself with undue pride. She said, “This incident will come sooner or later. It’s better for her to cause a stir early than to do so later. Now, stop being upset and go see your elder sister‐in‐law.”

After persuading Second Madam Xiao to leave, Old Madam Xiao turned to Huo Rou and Wei Wanyun. “Keep these release letters safe.”

“Grandmother…” Huo Rou and Wei Wanyun opened their mouths to speak, but the Old Madam interrupted them: “Listen to what I have to say first.”

“I know you are good children, and I am grateful for your unwavering loyalty to the Xiao family even after my grandson’s death. However, as one cannot predict sudden storms, no one knows what path the Xiao family’s future will take.

“Keep this document with you. You two will remain my daughters‐in‐law in the Xiao family. If the Xiao family can escape this calamity, that is, of course, best—and in the future I will cherish you as though you were my own granddaughters. But if…”

Old Madam Xiao’s voice turned hoarse, “…if the Xiao family cannot avoid disaster, you can use this release letter to barter for your way out.”

Huo Rou and Wei Wanyun, their eyes brimming with red tears, wanted to refuse, but Old Madam Xiao simply stuffed the letter into their arms. “Keep it,” she said.

In the end, the two accepted the release letter, though tears of sorrow clung to their cheeks.

Old Madam Xiao, feeling a twinge of pity, turned to look at Su Jinyuan. Before the Old Madam could speak, Su Jinyuan said, “Since the eldest young master and I have not yet been married, I do not need a release letter. Old Madam, we can set aside all other matters for now—the most important thing is to rescue Xie Yunyan first.”

Huo Rou and Wei Wanyun still did not know that Xie Yunyan had been captured. Huo Rou urgently asked, “What happened to the Sixth Brother?”

Although Xie Yunyan is not a biological son of the Xiao family, the household always refers to him as the Sixth Young Master.

Su Jinyuan replied, “The garrison soldiers captured him, and Captain Luo Yu personally escorted him back to the capital. He is now likely to be sent to the dungeon of the Ministry of Justice.”

“Old Madam, the Ministry of Justice is surely under lock and key these days; sneaking in is no easy matter. I want to ask if anyone in our household has connections that could help me pay a visit to the prison?”

“What do you intend to do?” Old Madam Xiao asked as she looked at her.

With a serious gaze, Su Jinyuan answered, “I must see Xie Yunyan—to tell him that I have returned to the capital and also to let him know that the women of the Xiao family are safe.”

“The defeat at Linchuan was extraordinary in itself, and the charges of treason and colluding with the enemy against General Xiao and the eldest son are equally suspicious.”

“I don’t believe that General Xiao and his men would resort to such measures, but His Majesty has directly issued an edict locking up the few remaining members of the Xiao family—leaving not the slightest bit of room. In the capital, I fear there may be someone colluding with Linchuan with the intent to consign the Xiao family to doom.”

“Xie Yunyan was caught midway, unaware of the full situation. If we don’t let him know what’s going on outside, I worry someone will use the Xiao family people to coerce him.”

Old Madam Xiao’s eyes darkened slightly. “You mean…”

“I’m afraid that those people might use your safety as bait to get him to speak.”

Xie Yunyan has been outside for this past month, knowing nothing of the happenings in the capital and even less of the current state of the Xiao family. He was abruptly locked up and brought into the capital; if anyone intended to persecute the Xiao family, all it would take was to cajole Xie Yunyan into revealing something, and the Xiao family would be doomed.

Old Madam Xiao clearly understood Su Jinyuan’s meaning. Frowning, she said, “Most of the Xiao family’s connections are in the military. Even if there are a few well-connected individuals at court on a normal day, seeing the Xiao family in this state would likely drive them away.”

“Infiltrating the Ministry of Justice’s prison is no simple matter, let alone when the target is Xie Yunyan,” Su Jinyuan remarked, biting her lip. “Then we’ll have to think of another plan.”

Huo Rou suddenly interjected from the side, “Su Jinyuan, do you really intend to help the Xiao family?”

Su Jinyuan replied, “If it weren’t for the Xiao family, I wouldn’t have returned to the capital now.”

Huo Rou gave her a long, piercing look. Remembering Su Jinyuan’s engagement to Xiao Yunxi, she gritted her teeth and said, “I know of a method that might let you break into the Ministry of Justice’s prison without alerting anyone else—but it’s a bit risky.”

Instantly, Su Jinyuan asked, “What method?”

Huo Rou explained, “Last time when I was out of the city for a spring outing with Fourth Brother, I happened to run into Deputy Minister Yang Hong of the Ministry of Justice. By chance, I learned that he’s been keeping a mistress over in Danfu Lane—she even bore him a son who’s nearly two years old.”

She continued, “Yang Hong’s wife is the daughter of the Imperial Secretary from the prestigious Liang family. His marriage was already a significant upward match, and his rise to Deputy Minister wouldn’t have been possible without the Liang family’s backing. If his wife’s family finds out that he’s been maintaining a mistress, his current position will likely be finished.”

Su Jinyuan’s eyes lit up. “But do you know where that mistress is in Danfu Lane?”

Huo Rou shook her head. “I only know she’s somewhere in Danfu Lane—I’m not sure which household she belongs to. If you truly want to break into the Ministry of Justice’s prison, you might be able to exploit this angle.”

After a brief pause, Huo Rou offered, “I’ll go with you.”

But Su Jinyuan quickly refused, “You can’t go!”

Before Huo Rou could protest, Su Jinyuan continued, “Right now, guards are stationed all around the General’s mansion. Too many people know your identity and appearance. Venturing out recklessly and being seen would only invite trouble.”

The palace has issued an edict confining all members of the Xiao family. As Huo Rou is the wife of the Fourth Young Master of the Xiao family, if she were to step outside, it would be an act of defiance against the decree and a blatant display of disrespect—and on top of that, she’d become an even larger target.

Su Jinyuan said, “Not many of those outside know me, and I’m just going for a quick trip—I’ll be back soon.”

Having leverage makes things easier; although it’s somewhat dangerous, with caution, it should be achievable.

“This is too risky,” Old Madam Xiao said in a low tone. “What if you get caught…”

“If I do get caught, at least the eldest young master and I aren’t yet wed, so it won’t drag down the Xiao family,” Su Jinyuan replied bluntly. “In that case, I can just come up with an excuse—at worst, I’ll get a beating, but it won’t be a death sentence.”

Old Madam Xiao objected, “I won’t recklessly gamble with other people’s lives to cover for our own.”

But Su Jinyuan was stubborn; once she had decided, she wouldn’t heed anyone’s advice. She forbade Huo Rou from following her and instead handed over the medicinal herbs she’d gathered to Old Madam Xiao, also giving her some of the heart-saving pills.

Once the household was settled and after changing into a set of inconspicuous servant’s clothes, Su Jinyuan tied up her long dark hair and disguised herself in men’s attire. Then, taking advantage of the dimming light, she quietly crawled out through the doghole at the back of the mansion.

That doghole was dark and gloomy, with patches of dead grass.

Su Jinyuan had learned about this passage from a maid, but she never imagined that the tunnel was so long—it actually curved from the corner of the General’s mansion’s backyard to the outside of the neighboring courtyard wall.

After she finally managed to crawl through in a crouched position, she barely had her head emerge before crashing head-on into a man standing there.

The man was utterly intoxicated, holding a wine pot in one hand while tugging at his loose belt with the other as he was about to urinate. Who would have expected a head to appear from the wall’s corner suddenly?

Startled, he shuddered and, in the next instant, opened his mouth and screamed, “A ghost!!!”

Su Jinyuan’s expression darkened. She rolled out from the doghole and immediately pounced on the man, knocking him unconscious. However, in doing so, she also alerted the guards stationed outside the General’s mansion.

“Who’s there?” someone called.

“Who?!” came a startled reply.

Su Jinyuan dashed off, but those coming from the other side were even faster. Hearing the sound of people converging, she instinctively tried to crawl back into the doghole to take cover. But someone suddenly grabbed her waist and hoisted her into the air.