Part 1: A Dream Within A Dream / Rebirth of Ill Fated Concubine

Chapter 021 Shufen

After a moment of silence, Jiang Ruan asked, "Have you been here for a long time?"

Seeing that Jiang Ruan was willing to speak, the woman, who was probably very suffocated on weekdays, immediately spoke like a bamboo tube pouring beans: "I have been here for almost a year, and no one has come here for most of the year. Little girl, what did you do to be locked up here?"

Jiang Ruan smiled faintly: "I didn't do anything."

"Then how..." The woman was stunned and was about to speak, and seemed to understand something: "Could it be that you were also wrongly accused and came in, but I see that you look like a lady from a rich family, how dare they..."

Jiang Ruan looked at her: "What do you mean?"

The woman dodged a little and said: "No, nothing."

Jiang Ruan sighed softly, and this sigh contained helplessness, as if she had experienced some great pain in her life, weighing heavily on her heart, making people feel sad. The woman looked at Jiang Ruan quietly through her hair covering her eyes. Jiang Ruan looked over with a smile. 

Her upturned eyes were full of strength and warmth, which seemed to be reassuring. She was clearly just a little girl in her teens, but her eyes were full of convincing power, and seemed to have a bit of bewitching look, which made people unable to help but pour out their thoughts.

The woman swallowed her saliva: "You just came here, you don't know, to get out of here you need money. I was originally a little woman. One year after we got married, my husband went out to sea for business and encountered bandits, and he didn't come back. I lived with my eighty-year-old mother-in-law alone."  

"Who knew that my brother-in-law...he coveted the money left by the husband, and strangled my mother-in-law while I was out, and then put the blame on me. The prefect here is a corrupt official. He took the money from my brother-in-law and arrested me in jail without saying a word."  

"I was tortured into confessing. Although I was not executed, I had to stay in jail for a long time." The woman was hoarse when she talked about the sad part, but she didn't shed tears. Perhaps her tears had dried up in the year in jail. Although she was heartbroken, she could only accept her fate.

Seeing Jiang Ruan silent, the woman slowed down and said, "But little girl, you look different from me. Although your clothes don't look very good, I know that you must not be the daughter of an ordinary family. How can you fall to this?"

Jiang Ruan smiled slightly: "The small family is so complicated, how can the rich family be free of intrigue?"

The woman thought it made sense when she heard it, and looked at Jiang Ruan with more pity: "Little girl, the prison is not like the outside. I have been here for a year. This is not a place for people to stay. Since you and I are both miserable people, it is best to take care of each other on weekdays. My name is Shufen, you call me Sister Fen."

Jiang Ruan nodded: "Sister Fen." She looked around: "Are all the people imprisoned here wronged?"

Shufen shook her head: "Not all, but most of them are. Some people here have the same experience as me, and some have really committed crimes but don't have enough money to redeem themselves. Anyone who has committed a crime but has money will be let go by Qian Wanli."

Qian Wanli is the prefect here. Jiang Ruan remembers clearly that he is extremely greedy for money. He is the kind of person who would pluck a few feathers from a wild goose flying by. He has been taking advantage of this place for many years. This time, he must have taken Chen Zhao's money, but Qian Wanli thought more than Chen Zhao. He locked her up even though he knew her identity. He wanted to make another fortune from Jiang Quan.

Jiang Quan will definitely make this deal, and Jiang Susu and her mother are also eager for it, but she will not let these people get what they want. Qian Wanli wants to eat a fat man in one bite, and she doesn't mind letting him taste the fate of being stuffed to death.

"If there is a chance to seek justice, are you willing to cry out for it?" Jiang Ruan said to Shufen.

Shufen was stunned and looked at her inquiringly: "How can there be a chance to seek justice? I have been here for a year and have seen clearly that there is no fairness and justice here. If you want to seek justice, you are totally wrong. I advise you not to do that, otherwise you will suffer."

Jiang Ruan smiled slightly: "Sister Fen, don't forget that my father is not an ordinary person. If he knows that I am here, he will definitely do his best to rescue me and clear my name. I will never forget you if I get this opportunity."

Hearing Jiang Ruan mention her father, Shufen's expression was a little hesitant: "Does your father really have such ability?"

Jiang Ruan nodded.

"If that's the case, it couldn't be better." A glimmer of hope suddenly rose in Shufen's eyes, but she doubted again in an instant: "How could your father let you fall into such a situation if he loves you so much?"

Jiang Ruan lowered her head, and a small ray of sunlight from the dark window of the cell shone on her white neck. The slightly drooping eyelashes concealed the emotions in her eyes, making people feel that the weak shoulders were so fragile, and the posture was involuntarily pitiful.

Shufen sighed: "Forget it, I won't ask about your family affairs. It's just... Will your father really come to save you?"

"Yes, the girl next to me has gone back to pass the message, and my father will send someone to pick me up soon." Jiang Ruan blinked.

"When?" Shufen was still a little sceptical.

"Tomorrow." Jiang Ruan smiled: "I think there will be a chance to cry out for injustice tomorrow, Sister Fen. By then, not only you, but also the prisoners in this cell, must seize this opportunity and cry out for injustice. You must remember that the harder you cry, the greater the possibility that you will be released." Qian Wanli will die more miserably.

Shufen got this opportunity, so she nodded constantly, opened her voice and told the whole cell about this matter.

One night passed quickly. On the tenth day, the sun was completely hidden in the thick clouds. Goose feathers and heavy snow fell from the sky. There were large pieces of snow in the air. 

The cell was dark and damp, and several places were frozen. Shufen found some straw on her side and gave it to Jiang Ruan, so that Jiang Ruan could use it as a cushion to make her feel warmer.

Jiang Ruan shook her head gently. The cell here was like a paradise on earth compared to the sky prison where she had stayed in her previous life. At that time, she was accused of being a scourge to the country and was placed in the most terrifying and dark water prison. 

Most of the pool was filled with water. She was completely immersed in the cold and wet water. There were fat rats in the water gnawing at her body. The water flow hit her body, making her feel cold from head to toe. Even if there was another heavy snow like this, it would not be half as cold as there.

Now it seemed like the scene was re-enacted. She was imprisoned again, but this time she would not be as helpless and miserable as in her last life, being tortured to her heart's content. 

Now she was still here, but she had to pay back her debts. She had to pay back all the suffering she was going through now, as well as the pain she suffered in her last life, from those people! 

Then, let's see who will have a worse end!

(End of this chapter)

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