Treason 2

Yuan Yichen's residence.

"I cannot believe he wrote to the court. What are we going to do now, brother Yichen", Yuan Chang said pacing around his brother's study.

"I don't know why is he always so self-righteous. It won't hurt to be flexible", he muttered, once again feeling the urge to punch his older brother.

Yuan Yichen glanced at his younger brother and shook his head, he did not understand why Chang couldn't remain calm. He looked away from his brother when he started feeling lightheaded from his pacing.

He bent down a rubbed between his eyes, "can you stop walking around, it is annoying. This doesn't call for such anxiousness. We already know where the letter is headed, we just have to intercept it before it gets to the capital".

Yuan Chang stopped, "how exactly are we going to intercept it without drawing attention to ourselves. Boran may have someone watching us".

Yuan Yichen's lips curved up, "he might have people watching us but does he have anyone watch his grace. I already sent word to his grace".

"Really? That is good, my boy won't get expelled from the academy", he sighed, "Boran should have been more flexible. Has he grace said anything on how Boran's estate will be shared?"

"....", Yichen glared at his brother silently. Chang leaned away with an awkward smile, it took some minutes for the foolishness of his question to dawn on him.

"I was being too hasty, sorry about that".

Yuan Yichen sneered as he replied, "you better not let Boran find out about our plan".

"Hee Hee, don't worry brother Yichen. I won't".

********

The next day, the Spring courtyard of Yuan Boran's residence

Yuan Liqiu leaned back on the best frame and hugged her knee to her chest tightly, resting her chin on her raised knee.

She ignored the incessant nagging from her nanny, she had zero interest in listening to her nanny criticise her for her "unladylike" character. It was a song she had heard too often.

Nanny Xu went around the room getting everything in check for her bath, it was a hot summer night. The maids went about filling the bath with warm water, although it was hot.

It was very easy to catch a cold, during the summer, especially in Duan, whose temperature drops later in the night.

After everything was set, Nanny Xu turned around and stared at the unusually quiet young teenager seated on the bed.

She instructed the maids to leave, sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the top of Liqiu's head

"it is time to wash up, Young miss. Sitting here like a king that lost his nation won't help you at all, aster is not even here to see you.

"Why bother, master is just mad that you disturbed his meeting. His anger won't last that long, you know that he cares about you so much and cannot stay mad at you for long".

She smiled, placed her hand under Liqiu's chin and wiped the tears running down her cheeks,

"don't cry, this will die down soon and your punishment will be lifted. I already spoke with madam and she promised to speak to master about letting you leave your courtyard. Don't worry, young miss".

Yuan Liqiu glanced at her maid and whispered, "really?"

"Yes", Nanny Yu nodded, "why would I lie to you".

Yuan Liqiu stared at her, for a few seconds as she silently accessed the situation. She nodded and stepped down from the bed when she was convinced that her nanny had indeed done as she said.

Minutes later just as Yuan Liqiu had put on her night dress, there was a loud commotion outside her room. Liqiu grabbed Nanny Yu's hand tightly when she heard rough male voices just outside her room.

"Nanny Xu", she whispered and hid behind the older woman went the room door was pushed open from outside.

Eight armed soldiers drew their swords as they rushed in, they surrounded the maids and held their swords to the maid's neck.

Nanny Xu quickly pushed Liqiu behind her, "What do you think you are doing? This is our young miss room how dare you badge in!"

"Shut it old hag?" One of the soldiers closest to her immediately pushed her forward, pulled Liqiu away and held his sword to Liqiu's neck.

"Your master has been found guilty of treason, do you think any of you have any authority to question us? take them away", the soldier said pushing Liqiu forward.

The soldiers dismissed the cries from Liqiu and the maid and led them out of the compound. Liqiu was chained to her mother with a heavy rusty chain and dragged to the military detainment centre at the garrison stationed at Duan.

Liqiu was thrown into a prison cell with her mother and nanny Yu while the rest of the maids were cramped into tight prison cells.

Apart from when they were transported to the prison, Liqiu never saw her father and brothers. They were not held in the same prison as them because she never saw them no matter how long she searched. The guards all ignored her mother's questions, the guards never paid them any mind.

By the fourth day, Liqiu lost all hope that they were going to ever be released. Her uncles and aunt never visited them, she had always assumed that they too were arrested.

It wasn't until the guards announced on the sixth day that her father and two brothers were found guilty of treason and had been executed.

When her mother had asked about her uncles, the guard happily announced that they were rewarded by the Emperor for reporting her father's traitorous actions to the court.

Liqiu was immediately reminded of the conversation she had overheard days earlier. Her mother Yin-Shi fainted as soon as she heard that,

"Mother", Liqiu screamed as her mothers fell backwards, she ran forward and caught her mother, carefully resting her mother's head on her lap.

Her mother did not respond no matter her much she shook and called put to her. Nanny Xu gasped when she saw blood run down her madam's legs.

She immediately stood and ran to the iron bars, hitting her hand on the bars and crying out to the guard, "Call the physician! Please call the physician! My.... madam is bleeding! please call the physician".

"So loud will you shut it!" The guard held his ear, he Picked up his sword and hit Nanny Xu hard on her forehead with the end of the sheath of his sword and knocked her out.

"Do you still think you are members of a rich merchant family? Please right now you are criminals. It is about time you accepted that fact", he glanced at Liqiu and her mother and sneered before leaving.