Exile at the start? The princess is no ordinary woman.

Ultimately, everyone in both cells, except for children under ten, was shackled; the men wore one pair on each hand and foot, while the women only wore them on their hands.

There was one exception: Jun Yanchen only wore gloves, because even if he didn't, he couldn't escape, since he was crippled.

In the end, everyone was taken out of the prison, and they were still wearing the clothes they had been wearing when their homes were raided; they hadn't been changed into any jerseys...

They claimed that the emperor, out of consideration for their past relationship and contributions to the court, spared them from prison clothes, shackles, and facial tattooing, and so they were sent on their way in chains.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, outside the prison in the capital, unrest began to stir at dawn as well.

Inside the Minister's residence, it was time to wash up and go to court, but Gu Honglang couldn't get up.

"Master, master, what's wrong? Does it hurt?"

Concubine Zhao held Gu Honglang with deep worry. It was time for court, but he kept crying out in pain, writhing in agony.

"Ouch...it hurts...it hurts so much..."

"What's wrong with my hands? My legs, and my legs... Ouch...it hurts..." Gu Honglang was in so much pain that he was almost delirious, only able to cry out in pain. He didn't know what was wrong with his body; he was usually very healthy, and he was perfectly fine before going to bed last night.

Why do my limbs start to ache from the bones after just one night's sleep?

"Help! Help!"

Seeing Gu Honglang in such pain, Aunt Zhao panicked, but finally calmed down a little and shouted outside.

A few moments later, two maids entered from outside.

"lady"

Although in name Zhao Yiniang is still only a concubine and has not been promoted to the rank of wife, the servants in the mansion have been addressing her as Madam for many years.

"Caiyue, quickly go and fetch the physician! The master is ill, hurry!"

"Caiju, go fetch a basin of water."

Aunt Zhao looked extremely worried. Her husband couldn't possibly fall ill at a time like this. Now that the little hussy was dealt with, they'd agreed to set a date to officially recognize her as the wife after this matter was over. She'd waited so many years for this day; it was finally finally coming.

I don't want to waste a single day now.

Of course, I have truly loved this man all these years, and seeing him in such pain for the first time, I felt heartbroken from the bottom of my heart.

"Yes, ma'am"

"Yes, ma'am."

Caiyue and Caiju quickly bowed and left. Because of Gu Honglang's illness, neither their mistress, Aunt Zhao, nor the two maids, Caiju, noticed anything unusual in their courtyard.

After instructing the two maids, Aunt Zhao bowed her head again to comfort them, "Master, please bear with it. I have already sent a maid to fetch the family physician."

The two waited anxiously for the royal physician to arrive, but instead of a physician, they received a shocking message.

"Madam, Madam, something terrible has happened! A thief has broken into our courtyard!"

How could the person in charge of the inner quarters of a high-ranking official's mansion only have two maids? He has four head maids who serve him personally. He just sent two out to do errands.

The others had also gotten up and were ready to serve their master, and the servants in the courtyard naturally noticed the strange thing immediately.

This is a thief! We must report it to the master immediately.

Aunt Zhao, who was filled with worry for Gu Honglang, was also drawn up by the sound of the servant who rushed in to report.

"What did you say? A thief broke in?"

"Yes, yes, madam, a thief broke into our yard, and all the valuables are gone."

The two maids who barged in were the other two head maids in the courtyard. One knelt on the ground, nervously answering her mistress's questions, while the other remained kneeling. However, as someone who frequently served the mistress closely, she was familiar with the mistress's room.

The moment I stepped inside, I noticed something was wrong. A quick glance revealed that the once-luxurious room was now completely empty; all the valuable decorations were gone.

"Madam, your room has also been burgled; all your belongings are gone!"

Now Aunt Zhao also hurriedly looked around her room. Although it wasn't quite dawn yet, she could already see the changes to the room.

He no longer paid attention to Gu Honglang, and hurriedly climbed out of bed, running barefoot to her dressing table to examine her valuable jewelry.

It's gone, all gone.

She couldn't believe it; she staggered slightly. Forgetting all about appearances, she frantically searched for the key to open the cabinet she usually locked. But before she could find it, the lock was already open. Incredulously, she opened the cabinet.

It's empty, nothing's left.

"It's gone, all gone."

Suddenly, her body went limp and she collapsed to the ground. All the money she had saved over the years was gone.

Upon hearing that a thief had broken in, Gu Honglang seemed to feel the pain in his hands and feet lessen. He struggled to sit up and looked around the room, also noticing Aunt Zhao's condition.

Disregarding her image, Aunt Zhao immediately braced herself and rushed back to the bedside.

"Master, master!"

Gu Honglang, understanding Zhao Yiniang's feelings, suppressed his own discomfort and comforted her, "Madam, don't worry, have a servant call the steward, send someone over..."

Before he could even finish speaking, the butler he mentioned had already arrived at the door.

"Reporting to you, sir, madam, this old servant has urgent business to report." Despite being a steward and a man, and even in his anxiety, he didn't immediately enter the madam's room, but waited at the door to be summoned.

Inside the room, a maidservant, quite perceptive, had already brought an outer robe and draped it over the lady's shoulders.

"Come in"

Upon receiving the order, the butler pushed open the door and entered. Standing outside, separated by a screen, he began to report, "Sir, Madam, the servants report that it seems a thief broke into the manor last night. The kitchen, storeroom... and other areas were all burglarized."

"What? What are the guards in this manor for? What use are you?"

Upon hearing that the entire mansion had been robbed, Gu Honglang felt a lump in his throat and tried to get up, but after struggling, he fell back onto the bed. Aunt Zhao, who was nearby, quickly caught him.

Before anyone could react, another maid rushed in, shouting, "Something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong? Tell me."

"Madam, Madam, something has happened to the Second Miss!"

"My lord, madam, something has happened to the young master!"

"My lord, Jinlan Courtyard has been robbed!"

"My lord, Ruyi Courtyard has been burglarized."

"..."

One after another, the bad news from the servants bombarded Gu Honglang and Aunt Zhao's ears.

"Yue'er, what's wrong with Xuan'er? What happened?"

Upon hearing that her son and daughter were in trouble, Aunt Zhao no longer cared about losing her money; her mind was entirely focused on her children. She quickly stepped out from behind the screen, looking anxiously at the maidservants coming from her son and daughter's courtyard.

Gu Honglang was clearly more concerned about himself at this moment, disregarding the pain in his leg, and struggled to get up, saying, "Someone, quickly help me to the study."

"My lord, madam, please go and see Miss! She can't speak, and her hands and feet have been crippled!"

"Madam, young master, the young master's leg has been crippled!"

Aunt Zhao, whose emotions were already on the verge of collapse, finally broke down completely. The successive news struck her like a thunderbolt, utterly destroying her former gentleness, virtue, and elegance.