I started out with seven husbands, and I worked hard to support my family while crying.

Chapter 478: Captured Immediately After Escaping

After walking for a while, a fork in the road appeared ahead.

"Which way should we take?" Li Wan'er asked, somewhat fearfully.

Fang Xiaoxiao listened carefully and said, "There seems to be the sound of water on the left. Let's go to the left."

The three of them walked towards the passage on the left. Suddenly, Fang Xiaoxiao slipped and almost fell.

"Watch out!" Hongxiu caught her.

Just then, a commotion arose from behind.

"Oh no, they're catching up!" Fang Xiaoxiao exclaimed.

The three quickened their pace and ran forward as fast as they could.

I don't know how long I ran, but I finally saw a glimmer of light ahead.

"It's the exit!" Li Wan'er exclaimed excitedly.

However, when they reached the exit, they found themselves in an unfamiliar place surrounded by wilderness.

"Where is this?" Hongxiu asked.

Fang Xiaoxiao looked around and said, "Never mind, let's get out of here first."

They had only taken a few steps when they heard the sound of horses' hooves behind them.

"Oh no, they're catching up!" Fang Xiaoxiao's expression changed drastically.

Just as they were at a loss, a carriage came from a distance.

Fang Xiaoxiao and her two companions were ultimately unable to escape and were captured and taken back to Fuxiang Pavilion.

Jin Sanniang was furious, and her heavily made-up face looked particularly ferocious. She ordered the three women to be hung up and beaten, and her whip lashed them mercilessly, leaving them with torn and bleeding skin.

Hongxiu was in the worst condition; all ten of her fingers and toes were pierced by sewing needles, bleeding profusely. Jin Sanniang angrily berated Hongxiu, calling her an ingrate, "I've fed and clothed you well, and you're thinking of running away! You should reflect on your actions here!"

The three were taken to a small, dark room again. Fang Xiaoxiao looked at Hongxiu's injuries and felt heartbroken. She took out three silver needles from her hair. Hongxiu asked weakly, puzzled, "What are these for?"

Fang Xiaoxiao looked at the other person firmly and said, "I know medicine. Let me help you relieve your pain first. Don't worry."

As she spoke, Fang Xiaoxiao carefully inserted silver needles into Hongxiu's acupoints, trying to alleviate her pain.

Li Wan'er watched from the side, tears streaming down her face: "It's all my fault. If I weren't so useless, we wouldn't have been caught and brought back."

Fang Xiaoxiao comforted her, "It's not your fault, those people are too vicious. We will definitely have another chance to escape."

Just then, footsteps came from outside the door, and Fang Xiaoxiao quickly hid the silver needles.

The door opened, and a servant came in, tossing them a few steamed buns and a pot of water. "Eat quickly, don't starve! We still need to earn money for Mama!"

Fang Xiaoxiao picked up the steamed buns and handed them to Hongxiu and Li Wan'er, saying, "Eat something first to conserve your energy."

The three of them ate their steamed buns in silence, each pondering their next move.

A few days later, Jin Sanniang came to see them again. Seeing that Hongxiu's injuries had improved somewhat, she sneered, "Hmph, you're lucky. You'll be performing on stage tomorrow. If you dare to make any mistakes, you'll be in big trouble!"

Fang Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and said, "We understand."

After Jin San Niang left, Fang Xiaoxiao said to Hongxiu and Li Wan'er, "We need to think of a way to create chaos during the performance and take the opportunity to escape."

Li Wan'er nodded: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

The next day, the three were taken to the stage. The audience was filled with all sorts of people. Fang Xiaoxiao performed while observing her surroundings.

While keeping an eye on the crowd around her, Fang Xiaoxiao plotted her best escape. She noticed a tall manager standing in the center of the stage, seemingly the person in charge, gazing at the three of them. "We need to find a chance to get out," she murmured softly.

Hongxiu and Li Wan'er also noticed the growing commotion among the crowd around them. Fang Xiaoxiao quickly hid the silver needles in her hand in a corner, then took out a prepared brocade pouch from her hair and whispered to the two of them, "Let's leave now."

Li Wan'er hesitated for a moment, then said with concern, "But...we haven't decided how to leave yet."

Fang Xiaoxiao resolutely interrupted her: "We have to leave now. We'll plan things out later. The most important thing right now is to get away."

Hongxiu clutched her hair tightly and whispered, "I really don't know what to do."

Tears welled up in Li Wan'er's eyes again. She raised her hand to wipe them away and choked out, "We must find a way to get out of here. I miss my mother."

Fang Xiaoxiao gently stroked Hongxiu's head and softly comforted her, "We will definitely find a way. Let's wait until the night is a little darker, then we'll find our own way to leave."

Hongxiu nodded, a resolute light shining in her eyes.

Just then, the manager in the center of the stage spoke up: "These three are all injured, and tonight's performance needs to be handled with extra care."

Jin Sanniang's voice suddenly rang out, "Let them perform on stage tonight! I have conditions! If they escape, I will definitely settle the score with you!"

Fang Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance with Hongxiu and Li Wan'er, then turned around.

As night deepened, the stage lights began to dim. Fang Xiaoxiao and her two companions pretended nothing was amiss and quietly headed towards the exit.

However, as they reached the door, a burly man suddenly appeared, holding a lantern, and said, "Let you go!"

Li Wan'er was so frightened that she shrank into a corner, and Jin San Niang's silver needle slipped from her hand.

Fang Xiaoxiao and Hongxiu reacted at the same time, and the three of them ran away together. The sound of horses' hooves came in the night wind, and there was more noise, as if someone was chasing them.

Jin Sanniang caught up, waving a long-handled silk fan, "Let you go!"

Li Wan'er tried to hide in a corner, but Hongxiu grabbed her hand: "Don't be afraid, we can do it."

Fang Xiaoxiao also took out silver needles from her pouch and showed them to Jin Sanniang.

Jin Sanniang's expression changed drastically. "You! Just you wait!" Her voice trembled. "Send them back to Fuxiang Pavilion!"

Li Wan'er sobbed, "We're just seeking a chance to survive, not intending to escape."

Fang Xiaoxiao firmly stated, "This is our destiny, and we will go back."

Jin Sanniang glanced at the three people on the stage one last time and said coldly, "That's enough, let's wrap this up!"

Pei Yan received news from his subordinates about his wife, Fang Xiaoxiao, and Li Wan'er, indicating that they had appeared in Jiangnan Province. Upon hearing this, Ouyang Tuoba immediately set off. The two of them hurried towards Jiangnan Province, their hearts filled with anxiety, wishing they could fly to Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er's side as soon as possible.

But they didn't know that all of this was a treacherous scheme by the eldest prince, Pei Zuo. Pei Zuo deliberately spread false information to lure Pei Yan and Ouyang Tuoba away from the capital so that he could carry out his plot.

Fang Xiaoxiao, Li Wan'er, and Hongxiu were taken back to their room and locked up. Ignoring her own injuries, Fang Xiaoxiao busied herself treating Hongxiu's wounds. Li Wan'er, meanwhile, wiped the sweat from their brows, her expression anxious and concerned.

With tears in her eyes, Hongxiu said gratefully, "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to do."