Madam Gong looked puzzled as Gong Xiaohua brought back all the things and asked, "Xiaohua, what's going on? Why did you bring everything back?"
"Mother, I've been blacklisted by the Qin Residence. They specifically named me and forbade me from approaching the residence. So, I brought everything back. It's convenient to have them at home for our own use," Xiaohua explained.
"What? You've been blacklisted? Did you cause trouble?" Madam Gong asked in surprise.
"I've been working at the Ministry of Justice for a month. I don't have the time to cause trouble at the Qin Residence. It's that Third Madam Qin who's a bit abnormal in the head, always picking on me for no reason," Xiaohua shrugged, preparing to put the things back in the kitchen.
Madam Gong lightly patted Xiaohua on the shoulder and said, "This child has a loose tongue. We should discipline her. Sooner or later, she'll suffer the consequences of her words."
"You mustn't speak recklessly. Put the things in the kitchen for now. Your little brother will be back from his errand later, and I'll have him go to the Qin Residence," Madam Gong instructed.
"Okay."
The two-day holiday passed by quickly.
Three members of the Gong family were working as officials, and only Dad Gong had not participated in the selection process. His competition was scheduled as the last one at the Dali Temple, and during this time, he was often too busy to come home.
In the morning, Xiaohua arrived at her workplace as usual, preparing to find Wang Dachui to arrange breakfast for the prisoners.
During Xiaohua's two days off, there was a shortage of manpower in the dungeon. Wang Dachui not only had to arrange breakfast for the prisoners every day but also had to stand guard, which made him exhausted.
Today, as soon as Xiaohua returned, she thought of going to help him. Unlike other people who acted as if they had their heads in the clouds after winning a competition, Xiaohua didn't have such an attitude.
Lin Prison Chief saw Xiaohua and Wang Dachui preparing to distribute breakfast and called out to Xiaohua, "Xiaohua, starting from today, you don't need to do the logistics work anymore. From now on, you will accompany Daqiang in patrolling in the morning and go to the martial arts training room in the afternoon until the end of the competition."
"Yes, Chief. May I start after we distribute breakfast to the prisoners?" Xiaohua asked.
Lin Prison Chief looked at Wang Dachui's hopeful eyes and nodded in agreement. It was true that dealing with meals for hundreds of prisoners every day was not an easy job. He gave her a nod to indicate his approval.
In the women's prison:
"Sister, you're back!" A six-year-old boy joyfully exclaimed.
This little boy was a young prisoner in the cell, known as Xiaohao. Xiaohua called him Xiaohao.
Originally, his family was of a minor official's background. However, due to corruption allegations against the official in their family, their assets were seized, and the entire family was arrested and thrown into prison.
Now, they were waiting for the authorities to investigate the extent of the corruption and the individuals involved before passing sentence.
"Yeah, I'm back. Are you hungry? Here, I brought something for you," Xiaohua said as she handed him a small bun.
The prisoners in the cell were given two meals a day, consisting of a clear soup with visible rice at the bottom.
For adults, it was bearable in the short term, but over time, it became unbearable for anyone, let alone a child.
The first time Xiaohua paid attention to him was when he fainted from hunger. Xiaohua bought a bowl of thick porridge from the kitchen and fed it to him.
When the little boy learned that it was this sister who saved him, he always called her sister with a sweet voice.
Since then, Xiaohua occasionally brought some food for the little boy, so that he wouldn't faint from hunger again.
As Gong Xiaohua gave food to the little boy, he always hesitated to eat it himself and wanted to share it with his mother, sister, and grandmother.
"Thank you, sister. Sister, you're a good person. But in a couple of days, I won't be able to see you anymore."
After saying that, tears started to trickle down his face.
"What's wrong, Xiaohao?"
Gong Xiaohua crouched down and wiped away his tears with her hand.
Seeing the little boy crying, Xiaohao's mother explained to Gong Xiaohua:
"Our sentence has been handed down. The whole family has been sentenced to exile. It will begin the day after tomorrow."
After saying that, she also started to cry.
The young and old in the family, with their property confiscated, will embark on the journey of exile, unsure how many of them will survive.
Gong Xiaohua looked at the young and obedient Xiaohao by her side, so young that it was highly likely he would perish on the way. She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
"What's the matter? Do you sympathize with them?"
On the way back, Wang Dachui noticed Gong Xiaohua's gloomy mood and asked her.
"You haven't seen these kinds of things much. Once you've seen more, you'll become numb."
Then he looked around, saw no one, and whispered to Gong Xiaohua:
"The family you sympathize with, especially Xiaotan, wouldn't have been sentenced to exile if it weren't for someone else taking the blame for them. It's a pity that the innocent family members had to suffer. If you truly feel sorry for that child, prepare some things for them before they are exiled and mention it to the escorting brothers. The rest will be left to fate."
"Blame? Why didn't the authorities...?"
Gong Xiaohua stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Wang Dachui.
Wang Dachui quickly covered Gong Xiaohua's mouth and whispered to her:
"You're courting death if you keep talking nonsense. If anyone hears it and reports us, we'll both be punished. Let me tell you, if he didn't take the blame, the consequences would have been even worse. The intricate scheming in the officialdom is beyond what people like us at the bottom can imagine."
Gong Xiaohua thought for a moment and realized that in modern times, there are countless dark methods between countries, let alone within the officialdom.
She remained silent, removed Wang Dachui's hand, and walked away.
Resources were scarce in ancient times, and if she prepared some things for them, the chances of Xiaohao surviving the exile might be greater.
Gong Xiaohua and Wang Dachui returned the items to the kitchen of the Ministry of Justice.
Now, when people saw her, they no longer teased her about finding a husband.
Some of the husbands in the ministry even blushed when they saw Gong Xiaohua.
After returning from the kitchen, as soon as Gong Xiaohua stepped into the prison gate, she saw Sun Daqiang pacing back and forth.
When Sun Daqiang saw Gong Xiaohua return, he quickly approached her and said, "Xiaohua, come with me."
"Where to?"
"No time to explain. We'll talk as we go."
"Oh."
After saying that, she quickly followed Sun Daqiang's footsteps.
On the way, Gong Xiaohua learned that today some of the officers of the Inspectorate were participating in a competition.
Coincidentally, the Inspectorate had an urgent task and was short on personnel, so they thought of borrowing personnel from various departments.
That's why Gong Xiaohua and Sun Daqiang were sent over by Lin Prison Chief.
This was Gong Xiaohua's first time going out on a mission since arriving at the Ministry of Justice.
Gong Xiaohua followed Sun Daqiang to the Inspectorate of Arrests, where they were each assigned a large knife and a signal token.
They were quickly organized into teams, and Gong Xiaohua found herself standing at the far left of the last row.
Up ahead, Yang Shu noticed Gong Xiaohua's bright, shining eyes fixed on Li Xiaocan, the commander.
Oh, my aching molar! Could it be that this girl is still daydreaming about Commander Li Xiaocan?
Li Xiaocan also noticed Gong Xiaohua and furrowed his brows, asking Yang Shu in a low voice, "Why is there a lady here? You know today's mission. Tell her to go back."
Yang Shu awkwardly replied to Li Xiaocan, "Sir, that lady is a jailer in the dungeon. Her name is Gong Xiaohua, and she defeated my subordinates."
After speaking, Yang Shu glanced at Li Xiaocan with embarrassment, almost saying the words "she's also someone you're familiar with."
Gong Xiaohua? Are you sure this is Gong Xiaohua?
Seeing Li Xiaocan's expression of doubt, Yang Shu silently nodded in confirmation.
