I insist

Chapter 217: Even Worse

If I hadn't been so stubborn back then, Song Miqiu certainly wouldn't have gone to confront the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture for my sake. It must have been around that time that Song Miqiu was targeted by powerful figures.

They couldn't possibly go to the Shuntian Prefecture Prefect to cause trouble. Qiu Tianlei and Tian Yumei, the couple, understood perfectly well that it must be related to the power behind that scoundrel.

Yu Huailin was stunned for a moment, completely unable to process what had happened to Song Miqiu. In Yu Huailin's eyes, Song Miqiu was cautious in his actions and would never cause trouble. So how could he have gotten into trouble?

He originally intended to deal directly with Song Miqiu's matter, but found that the news had almost spread, and with Song Miqiu's imprisonment, Qiu Tianlei and Tian Yumei must have received the news.

After thinking it over, Yu Huailin decided to put aside dealing with Song Miqiu's matter for the time being. He immediately returned home and saw Qiu Tianlei and Tian Yumei sitting on the ground, looking very remorseful.

He strode over and looked at the other person, who seemed somewhat bewildered.

"What are you two doing sitting on the ground for no reason?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Qiu Tianlei and Tian Yumei looked up in perfect unison and saw Yu Huailin standing in front of them, looking travel-worn.

The two exchanged a glance. Thinking about how Yu Huailin had been able to resolve almost all the troublesome issues that had previously troubled them, they wondered if Yu Huailin could also easily resolve Song Miqiu's situation this time.

Qiu Tianlei was the first to stand up. He grabbed Yu Huailin's arm and told him about Song Miqiu's imprisonment. "They all say my mother went to jail for committing a crime, but I don't believe it! How could my mother have committed a crime? She tells me every day not to do anything wrong, for fear that I'll go to jail. Someone must be jealous of my mother!"

"Yu Huailin, as my stepfather, you must have a way to resolve this, right? Can you help me find my mother?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Yumei quickly stood up from the ground. She walked up to Yu Huailin, hastily wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, and said to the person in front of her, "You must have a way. Can you help us bring Mother back?"

Seeing that the two were very agitated, Yu Huailin knew that he had made the right decision to come back. He comforted them, saying, "Don't worry, I'll figure something out. You two can stay at home or go sell breakfast."

"Oh dear, at this critical juncture, who among us is in the mood to sell things?" Tian Yumei said irritably. The thought of the grievances Song Miqiu suffered in prison made them both very worried, let alone go out to sell things as leisurely as usual.

It was only after Yu Huailin calmed them down that their emotions calmed down. He told Tian Yumei and her husband to stay at home and not go anywhere.

He left home, found a random place to disguise himself, and then returned to the palace, striding towards the East Palace.

In prison.

Song Miqiu huddled in a corner, hugging her thigh with one hand, looking around with a hint of disgust in her eyes.

She looked around and was surprised to find that the environment here was in such a bad state!

Leaving aside the mottled marks on the wall, which Song Miqiu could ignore, she didn't expect that the straw used for sleeping would be so disgusting!

The straw was sparse, and lying on it was almost like there was no straw at all. Song Miqiu could feel the cold, damp floor pressed against her chest.

The weather had already turned cold, which Song Miqiu found unbearable. She could only curl up in a corner with her head against the wall, but the chill on her scalp instantly sobered her up.

At the same time, Song Miqiu noticed that some of the straw was already tangled and short, with spots of insect bites on it. In addition, she could clearly see rats and many cockroaches scurrying around in a corner.

Upon seeing this, a look of disgust appeared on Song Miqiu's face. She hadn't expected the prison to be so disgusting; she had thought it would at least be tidy.

At the same time, Song Miqiu caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye, and she subconsciously sniffed. A nauseating smell was coming from a corner not far away.

Her eyes rolled back, as if she was about to vomit up everything she had eaten that morning. Song Miqiu covered her nose and quickly retreated.

Upon seeing that thing, Song Miqiu instantly felt goosebumps all over her body. She looked around, thinking about what had been in that corner earlier, and suddenly remembered something, looking back at where she was sitting.

I am also in a corner.

Thinking of this, Song Miqiu jumped up instantly. She subconsciously glanced at her own backside and then looked at the corner. Seeing that the corner was at least clean, she felt a little more at ease.

She couldn't help but want to look up and scream. Song Miqiu hadn't expected the prison cell to be so disgusting.

This treatment is even worse than before!

Not long after Song Miqiu collapsed, she suddenly heard footsteps in the distance. She frowned and turned her head to look, and saw several yamen runners walking over.

She had assumed that someone outside had cleared her name, and a smile appeared on Song Miqiu's face. She strode toward the cell door, about to say something, when she saw that the other person's face clearly held a malicious smile.

Upon seeing this, Song Miqiu paused for a moment, instinctively taking a step back, a hint of wariness flashing in her lowered eyes.

"Why are you backing away? There's nothing we can do to you." One of the constables found Song Miqiu's action amusing. He looked at his brothers and teased him with a smile.

"Yes, but I just want to take you somewhere." Another constable said. They weren't interested in Song Miqiu, an old woman, but they enjoyed watching others make fools of themselves.

Song Miqiu ignored them completely. She took a step back repeatedly, then suddenly realized the direction she had retreated and looked behind her in surprise. Seeing that she hadn't stepped on anything, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to the constables, but they clearly wouldn't listen to her. Two of them exchanged a glance, strode over to Song Miqiu, grabbed her arm, and dragged her out.

Only now did Song Miqiu have a chance to speak. She struggled restlessly, her voice filled with panic, "Where are you taking me?!"

She was terrified that they would take her to a place even worse than the prison she was in now. After all, she had caused trouble for the Empress Dowager, and given how much the Emperor doted on her, he would certainly not let her off the hook.

"Don't you know who you are now! Where are we taking you? Do you think you can resist us?!" one of the constables said impatiently.