Chapter 20: Imprisonment
The beauty was like a painting, yet under the sunlight, she resembled a skeleton adorned in rouge. Her words were gentle, but carried an eerie ghostly air. Chen Zhao involuntarily took a step back, feeling a cold sweat break out on his back even in broad daylight.
Seeing this, Zhang Lan laughed and said, "This foolish boy doesn’t know how to speak properly. Don’t worry, Miss. If anything happens, the master will handle it. You just stay put."
Her words were venomous, as if she were certain Jiang Ruan was the mastermind behind the murder, condemning her with a single sentence and leaving no room for rebuttal. Jiang Ruan smiled faintly. "Nanny Lan, why do you speak with such certainty? Could it be that, by some coincidence, you also witnessed me committing murder?"
Zhang Lan was taken aback and forced out a dry laugh. "Well... this old servant certainly did not."
"Then that settles it," Jiang Ruan said softly. "Nanny Lan, please mind your words. Otherwise, one might think you’re deliberately framing me."
Zhang Lan’s heart tightened. She raised her eyes to look at Jiang Ruan, who was smiling at her. Yet the smile didn’t reach her eyes—the spring-like warmth in her gaze was instead a dark abyss, filled with cold mockery.
At that moment, several officers ran over and reported to the pensive constable in charge, "Boss, we found a woman’s corpse in the well."
The announcement struck like a thunderbolt. The maids and servants around them immediately shrank back from Jiang Ruan, their gazes filled with fear and disdain as they looked at the trio.
Lianqiao and Zisu were startled and instinctively turned to look at Jiang Ruan. Yet her expression remained unchanged—she stood there calmly, her frail figure exuding an unshakable resolve that inexplicably brought them comfort. The two maids steadied themselves, ignoring the surrounding crowd as they stood composed and unruffled.
The trio’s composure impressed the constable. In the face of such an incident, it was rare to see someone who showed no trace of emotion. Having worked cases for years, he knew such calmness usually meant innocence.
The constable swept his gaze across the courtyard. Apart from Jiang Ruan and her two maids, everyone else seemed to form their own faction. This was unusual—these servants addressed Jiang Ruan as "Miss," yet their attitudes lacked respect. Moreover, the courtyard was dilapidated, hardly befitting the quarters of a young lady from a noble family. The constable quickly understood. Young ladies sent to manors like this were usually here to reflect on their mistakes. But this young lady seemed particularly unfortunate—not only was her life miserable, but she was also being framed.
"Boss?" one of the officers prompted.
Snapping out of his thoughts, the constable turned to Jiang Ruan. "Miss Jiang, my apologies. Since the corpse was found in your courtyard, we’ll have to trouble you to come with us to the prison for the time being." As he spoke, he observed her reaction.
Jiang Ruan met his gaze with complete composure, even offering a polite curtsy. "As you command, sir."
She neither cried nor protested, as if she were not being taken to prison but attending a banquet instead, her dignity entirely intact. The constable admired her even more and said thoughtfully, "Miss Jiang, you needn’t worry. I, Li Mi, will get to the bottom of this. I won’t let any evildoer escape justice."
His words carried deeper meaning. Jiang Ruan smiled faintly. "Thank you, sir."The surrounding officers were somewhat astonished. Their leader, Li Mi, was known as the "Black-Faced God," always stern with prisoners and notoriously rigid. Yet today, he was being unusually gentle and considerate toward this young girl, which was unexpected.
Chen Zhao also noticed this and smiled, saying, "Sir, you must investigate the case diligently and uphold justice for the people." Then he turned to Jiang Ruan, "Miss, I’ll come to see you in a few days. Please don’t worry too much."
"What nonsense!" Lianqiao snorted. "First, you frame our young lady, then you try to flatter her. Chen Zhao, do you think our lady is a fool to be toyed with? Remember, you’re just the son of a steward. You’ll never have the right to address her by name. Your name is nothing more than 'servant'!" With that, she spat on Chen Zhao’s face. His expression turned from green to white and back again.
Jiang Ruan smiled faintly and said to Li Mi, "Sir, since Chen Zhao claims to have witnessed me committing murder, these two maids have nothing to do with it. I request your permission to let them stay at the estate to send word to my family."
Li Mi thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well, I agree."
Lianqiao, tears welling up, clutched Jiang Ruan’s hand. "Young lady, please be careful. Don’t let anyone bully you." Then, feeling uneasy, she added, "Perhaps I should go with you. I’m not afraid of prison."
Jiang Ruan chuckled and squeezed her hand. "Silly girl, this isn’t a picnic. Why would you need company? I’ll be out soon. If you come with me, who will deliver the message to my family?"
She emphasized the words "deliver the message." Lianqiao froze, and Zisu stepped forward to pull her away, saying to Jiang Ruan, "Young lady, take care of yourself. We will definitely deliver the message."
Jiang Ruan nodded and said to Li Mi, "Let’s go."
The officers were stunned once more. They had never seen someone so willingly walk into prison, and Jiang Ruan’s demeanor made it seem as though she were the master, with the officers merely her escorts. Chen Zhao’s eyes flickered with hidden meaning. He had hoped to see Jiang Ruan in a pitiful state, but even now, she remained composed and graceful, even giving him a faint, mocking smile that made his heart race.
After a long pause, Zhang Lan slapped him hard. "What are you staring at? There’s nothing to see! Disgusting!"
Meanwhile, after Jiang Ruan arrived at the prison, Li Mi arranged for her to be placed in a solitary cell. Other prisoners were also held there, and upon seeing such a delicate young girl, they began hurling vulgar insults. Jiang Ruan, however, remained indifferent, neither angered nor embarrassed.
A prisoner in the neighboring cell, intrigued by her calmness, leaned against the bars to observe her. Seeing that Jiang Ruan showed no intention of engaging, the prisoner called out, "Hey, little girl, why were you brought in?"
Jiang Ruan turned toward the voice and saw a grimy figure covered in dust and mud, with tangled hair obscuring their face. Yet the voice was surprisingly sweet—clearly a young woman’s.
Jiang Ruan glanced at her but did not respond.
The woman persisted, "Hey, why won’t you answer me? Are you deaf? You look so pretty, but it turns out you can’t hear a thing. Tsk tsk, how pitiful."Jiang Ruan looked at her: "What's it to you?"
"So you're not deaf or mute," the woman exclaimed in delight. "I've been bored to death here. Now that you've come, we can keep each other company."
(End of chapter)
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