Then, each of them pressed ten copper coins into A Jiu’s hand.
A Jiu stared, astonished. Cheap?
It was true, nowadays it was hard to buy water, let alone water-rich fruits.
A Jiu’s face turned red with embarrassment as she accepted them. "I'll bring two for you two big brothers tomorrow."
"Alright, alright, don't forget." Just then, one of them asked suspiciously,
"Girl, what are you doing here again today? There are rules for visiting the yamen. You can't visit your parents every day. We keep records of comings and goings, which are reported to the prefect."
Hearing this, A Jiu felt truly ashamed.
"To be honest, I'm here to see my grandmother today."
"Your grandmother was arrested too?" The two guards had a very good impression of the girl and now showed a hint of worry in their eyes.
"Yes, the old woman, Madam Wang, who was captured outside the city gate yesterday."
A Jiu looked at Grandpa Niu, who nodded eagerly. "It's her."
The two officers exchanged glances, their eyes clearly widening in alarm.
"The elder who called herself a sorceress is your grandmother? She was here yesterday asking for rain. Her crime isn't ordinary extortion and kidnapping; it's a grave offense of deceiving a court official. You can't just visit her."
The tall, thin guard whispered in A Jiu's ear.
A Jiu was so scared she instinctively covered her mouth. "This... what can we do?"
She thought for a moment and suddenly remembered the dark clouds that had gathered when she returned to Heba Village yesterday. A flash of lightning struck her mind.
Could it be that her grandmother was telling the truth? The dark clouds and lightning were summoned by her skills.
But why didn't it rain in the end?
Now, A Jiu finally understood why it was called the crime of deceiving a court official.
This was a crime punishable by death. "Big brother, please help me think of a way. Otherwise, I don't want this money for the pomegranates; I'll give them to you, okay?"
A Jiu quickly took out the twenty copper coins from her pocket, dropping a few in her nervousness.
Grandpa Niu was also so anxious his old face turned red. He quickly picked them up and pleaded,
"Kind sirs, please have mercy."
"Brother, this..." One of them looked troubled.
"This money should be given to the girl. How about this, I'll take you through the back door. Yun Jie, you stand guard. If there's any movement, use a whistle as a signal."
Saying that, the tall, thin guard led A Jiu around to the back entrance.
A Jiu, feeling uneasy, repeatedly expressed her thanks.
The grandmother and granddaughter entered through the narrow back door. Yun Hao looked back and quickly closed the wooden door.
They arrived in front of another prison cell, above which was written "Heavenly Prison."
A Jiu was stunned when she went in. This heavenly prison was clearly cleaner and tidier than the dungeons.
She had a feeling that the dungeons were dark, damp, and held no serious offenders, so people were left to their fate there.
Thinking this, A Jiu felt a pang of sympathy. Even if the crime wasn't capital punishment, how many people could survive in such an environment for ten or eight years?
She suspected that rheumatism and bone pain alone would torment people to death.
Yun Hao used his waist token to pass through smoothly all the way, bringing A Jiu to Madam Wang's cell. He whispered,
"Hurry up. I'll go and bribe the jailer."
As he approached, he greeted them with a smile, "Brothers, busy today?"
"Life is never as comfortable as yours, constables. Two were executed today, and three were arrested. I just sat down to have some tea. Would you like a cup?"
"Sure, just a cup." Yun Hao looked back and signaled to A Jiu.
A Jiu quickly called out, "Grandma, at a time like this, you still have the heart to sit idly?"
Madam Wang sat there like a broken sack, not looking at A Jiu, which made A Jiu anxious.
A Jiu suddenly saw bloodstains on Madam Wang's white prisoner's uniform. She banged hard on the cell door.
"Grandma, Grandma, what's wrong? Are you hurt? Did they beat you?"
"Sister-in-law, say something," Grandpa Niu paced anxiously beside her.
After a long while, Madam Wang let out a cough and slowly looked up at A Jiu. A flicker of light finally appeared in her tired eyes.
"Jiu'er, you've come at the right time. Quickly... cough, cough, cough."
Before she could finish, Madam Wang coughed up blood.