The Daily Life of a Concubine's Daughter After Transmigrating

The leading soldier's arrogance diminished considerably, and he answered in a trembling voice.

"Yes……"

Liu Yun helped Li Anqi, and they arrived at the outer perimeter of the main hall, surrounded by soldiers.

Hundreds of soldiers stood inside and outside the main hall.

Kneeling in the very center in front of the main hall were Li Miao, Li Anxiu, Zuo Siyun, Aunt Xia, Li Anhua, and Li Ancai.

Zuo Siyun, Aunt Xia, and Li Anhua all had disheveled hair and were crying with tears streaming down their faces.

Li Anqi could imagine the panic they would feel if they were startled awake from their sleep.

Li Anxiu's face was deathly pale, and he looked somewhat dazed and lost in thought.

Li Ancai was the calmest one. Despite his small size, he neither cried nor made a fuss, and even took the initiative to comfort Li Anhua and Aunt Xia.

At the very front of the main hall stood a middle-aged man dressed in official robes.

The middle-aged man was reading the imperial edict in his hand.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Duke Jingguo Li Miao has committed embezzlement and bribery, deceived the Emperor, instigated the prince to embezzle treasury funds, bribed the people, formed cliques for personal gain, and disregarded the majesty of Heaven. His crimes are unforgivable!"

"By imperial decree, Li Miao is stripped of his title of Duke of Jingguo and demoted to a commoner, to be executed at noon today! Li Anxiu is dismissed from his post in the Ministry of Revenue and demoted to a commoner, never to hold office again! The rest of the people are to be imprisoned in the Department of Penitentiary Affairs and sold into slavery! This decree is hereby granted!"

With tears streaming down her face, Li Miao raised her hand and questioned the heavens.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

Li Miao knelt forward, grabbed the man in official robes while crying, and said to him.

"Lord Zhang, please have mercy! Let this humble subject see the Emperor! This humble subject is innocent; I have never instigated the Crown Prince to embezzle treasury funds!"

Zhang Xinjue's face was cold, he held the imperial edict behind his back and didn't look at Li Miao.

"The Left Prime Minister himself accused you! You instigated the First Prince to embezzle funds and use money to buy people's hearts in order to expand the power of the First Prince's faction!"

Zuo Siyun looked up abruptly, her tear-streaked face filled with shock.

Li Miao froze.

He stood there, frozen, his lips trembling, head bowed, looking around as if he had lost his soul.

"Zuo Zhuran, Zuo Zhuran! How could he..."

A soldier with a knife approached Zhang Xinjue and bowed.

"My lord, all the valuables of the Jingguo Mansion are here."

Zhang Xinjue nodded and swung his arm.

"Take everyone back to the prison!"

"Yes!"

The group, their hands bound by a rope, were led away in a line, surrounded by hundreds of soldiers.

Zhang Xinjue is taking stock of the confiscated property.

Li Anqi appeared before him, holding a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Zhang Xinjue calmly sized up Li Anqi.

“I am Li Anqi, the concubine of Prince Xiao. This is the pardon granted by the late Emperor to my great-grandfather of the Jingguo Mansion. Seeing this pardon is like seeing the Emperor! Why does Lord Zhang not kneel?” Li Anqi said.

Zhang Xinjue looked eastward and bowed to the sky.

"Your Majesty, I have only one emperor in my heart!"

Li Anqi took back the token, put it in his sleeve, and covered his slightly trembling hands with his wide sleeve.

Although flustered, Li Anqi's tone remained calm, revealing no flaws.

"The late Emperor's decree is still an imperial decree! Even the Emperor himself cannot disobey it. I wish to use this golden token to exchange for Li Miao's life!"

Zhang Xinjue, with his hands behind his back, looked at Li Anqi.

"Although it is an imperial decree, it was bestowed upon the great-grandfather of the former Jingguo Mansion. Whether it can be used on Lord Li is up to His Majesty to decide!"

Li Anqi lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

Zhang Xinjue said, "Your Majesty, you'd better hurry. Li Miao will be executed at noon today."

Li Anqi said to Liu Yun, "Go back to Prince Xiao's residence and tell Consort Qin about this. Then tell Xiao Shunzi to prepare the carriages and horses; I need to go to the palace to meet the Emperor! Be quick!"

"Yes!"

Liu Yun hurriedly accepted the order and left in a hurry.

Li Anqi looked at Zhang Xinjue and asked, "Does Lord Zhang also believe that it was my father who instigated the Crown Prince to embezzle treasury funds and win over the hearts of the people?"

"Your Majesty is my only believer," Zhang Xinjue said.

Li Anqi paused for a moment, then slowly bowed to Zhang Xinjue.

"I wonder if Your Excellency could make an exception and allow me to see my father."

"..."

Zhang Xinjue remained silent.

"If His Majesty blames me, I will say that I forced my way in and that it has nothing to do with Lord Zhang!"

Zhang Xinjue remained silent.

After a moment, he glanced at the soldiers with swords behind him, then looked away from Li Anqi.

The soldier with the sword stepped forward and bowed to Li Anqi.

"This servant will lead the way for Your Highness."

The soldiers with knives found Li Anqi a carriage and took her to the prison.

Li Anqi followed the soldiers with swords to the dungeon of the Prison Department.

Unlike ordinary prison cells on the ground.

The dungeon was dimly lit, damp, and murky, filled with a despairing stench of decay.

This is a place specifically for imprisoning death row inmates.

When he saw Li Miao again, he still had the same blank look on his face.

Li Anqi frowned and called out to him.

"Father."

Li Miao turned her head slowly, her hands trembling, and brushed aside the white hair that was blocking her view.

His dazed eyes suddenly lit up the moment he saw Li Anqi.

"Chess... Chess, my chess!"

Li Miao suddenly rushed forward, grabbed the two prison pillars with both hands, and cried out loudly to Li Anqi with red eyes.

"The Jingguo Mansion is gone!"

Hearing Li Miao's screams, Li Anqi's heart sank, and tears instantly filled his eyes.

“Father, Qi’er needs to know the truth. Only then might you have a chance to live.”

Perhaps it was Li Anqi's composure that infected Li Miao.

Li Miao paused for a moment, then regained some of his composure.

"Who exactly instigated the Crown Prince to embezzle treasury funds?" Li Anqi continued to ask.

"As your father... I have always been the one advising and correcting myself, following the eldest prince, and I have never instigated the eldest prince to do anything out of line..."

Li Miao's lips trembled as she continued.

"The one who truly advised the Crown Prince to resort to such a desperate measure was..."

Li Miao raised his left hand, trembling, and pointed to the left.