I started out with seven husbands, and I worked hard to support my family while crying.

Chapter 334: Utterly Vulnerable

Just then, Fang Xiaoxiao learned a shocking piece of news from the smug monk Hua Heshang—the entire Dounan County had been completely taken over by their band of mountain bandits.

The monk's rough, hoarse voice echoed in the cramped space.

"It's alright to tell you, this Dounan County is now my territory!"

Those good-for-nothings in the county government office are utterly incompetent.

Even that arrogant prefect was imprisoned by my brothers like a chick.

Fang Xiaoxiao's face turned deathly pale instantly. Her eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the monk's狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face. A storm raged within her, a mixture of anger, fear, and despair.

The Flower Monk continued arrogantly, "Everyone in this street and alley, every household, has to listen to me! I can have whatever I want, and I can do whatever I want!"

Fang Xiaoxiao bit her lip until it turned white, and her hands were clenched into fists with anger, her knuckles turning white.

"You lawless scoundrels will not have a good end! The imperial court will definitely send troops to wipe you out!" Fang Xiaoxiao's voice trembled, but it was filled with unwavering anger.

The Flower Monk scoffed disdainfully, his face full of contempt: "The imperial court? By the time they send troops, I'll have already taken the looted gold and silver and fled far away to live a carefree life!"

Hua Ruyan struggled fiercely and roared, "You beasts, you'll be punished by heaven sooner or later!"

The monk kicked Pei Yan hard again, and Pei Yan groaned as a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Hua Ruyan was already terrified, her face pale, and she was sobbing softly, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Looking at the tragic scene before her, Fang Xiaoxiao secretly vowed that she would find a way to get out of the predicament, save everyone, and bring these villains to justice no matter what.

Inside the prison.

Seeing Hua Ruyan crying incessantly, Fang Xiaoxiao felt extremely annoyed. She tried to soften her tone and said, "Hua Ruyan, stop crying. What good will this crying do? It's completely useless!"

However, Hua Ruyan seemed not to hear her, her cries growing more sorrowful as she kept muttering, "Everything is over, completely over!"

Fang Xiaoxiao's patience was completely worn out. Unable to bear it any longer, she impulsively raised her hand and slapped Hua Ruyan hard. The slap stopped Hua Ruyan's crying abruptly. She stared blankly at Fang Xiaoxiao, her eyes filled with shock and grievance.

"Cry, cry, all you do is cry! Will crying get us out of here? Will it change the situation?" Fang Xiaoxiao glared angrily and shouted.

At this moment, Pei Yan, who had been silent all along, frowned deeply, his gaze profound, as if he were pondering some important question.

“I’ve been wondering how Dounan County could have been so easily taken over by bandits in such a short time. There must be some shady dealings involved,” Pei Yan said slowly, his voice low and heavy.

Fang Xiaoxiao quickly leaned over and asked, "In your opinion, what exactly happened?"

Pei Yan's face grew increasingly gloomy, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes: "I suspect that this matter is inextricably linked to my elder brother, Pei Zuo."

Fang Xiaoxiao gasped, exclaiming in shock, "How could it be him?"

Pei Yan gritted his teeth and analyzed, "My elder brother has always coveted the position of crown prince and has built up a large following in the court. Perhaps he secretly colluded with these bandits to deliberately create this chaos, with the aim of taking this opportunity to get rid of me so that he can smoothly ascend to the throne."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoxiao's heart tightened, and she said, "If it's really as you guessed, then we've truly fallen into a huge conspiracy."

Pei Yan clenched his fist and said firmly, "But as long as we can leave here alive, we must find out the truth of the matter and never let his evil scheme succeed!"

Fang Xiaoxiao nodded heavily, a spark of hope igniting in her eyes: "That's right, we need to find a way to escape this hellhole first."

For a moment, the cell was eerily quiet. The three men were deep in thought, and the oppressive atmosphere made it almost impossible to breathe.

Just then, a violent coughing sound suddenly came from the next cell, a sound that seemed to be coughing up its own lungs and heart. Fang Xiaoxiao and the others were attracted by this sudden noise and quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

In the dimly lit corner, a figure was huddled up. The man's official robes were tattered, his hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in grime, but his eyes still held a glimmer of clarity.

Pei Yan was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with an expression of unbelievable joy, and he blurted out, "Teacher!"

Fang Xiaoxiao looked puzzled, her gaze shifting back and forth between Pei Yan and the old man: "Who... is he?"

Pei Yan was excited and quickly explained, "Xiao Xiao, this is my former teacher. Back then, he was impeached by the eldest prince Pei Zuo and other treacherous officials for his righteous and outspoken impeachment of Zhang Xuzi of the Imperial Academy in court. In the end, he was demoted to this place and became a minor prefect."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but show sympathy and indignation: "It's truly a dark place in officialdom, where wicked people hold power!"

Pei Yan asked anxiously, "Teacher, how did you end up here too?"

The old man struggled to lift his head, his face etched with wrinkles that seemed to tell a story of hardship and helplessness. He shook his head with a bitter smile, then coughed violently again: "Your Highness, these bandits came too suddenly, as ferocious as wolves. The county government's forces were utterly helpless against them. I wanted to organize the people to evacuate quickly, but I never expected to be captured by these beasts."

Fang Xiaoxiao frowned and asked urgently, "In your opinion, why were these bandits able to capture Dounan County so easily?"

The old man took a few breaths and slowly said, "I heard from the constables who managed to escape from the county government that someone seemed to have tipped off the bandits in advance and had also laid ambushes all over the city. Alas, this is simply a coordinated attack from within and without, impossible to guard against!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan's eyes widened in anger, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "It must have been that treacherous and cunning Pei Zuo who did this! I am his sworn enemy!"

The old man sighed helplessly, his eyes filled with despair: "In this situation, we are trapped here, and it seems impossible for us to escape."

Fang Xiaoxiao, however, had a firm gaze and said in a resounding voice, "Don't be discouraged. There's always a way out. As long as we work together, we'll find a way to escape!"

Hua Ruyan, who had been silent all along, stopped sobbing. Although her voice was still trembling, she said firmly, "Yes, we can't just sit here and wait to die!"