Liang Xing and An An: The Beginning of Lu Bai House of Children

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In a matter of hours Liang Xing had snuck into his father's study and commandeered his father's most trusted possession. This item was the seal bestowed to the Liang family by the Emperor. The seal allowed his family to call on the limited number of all available soldiers within the capital three times when the Liang family found themselves in need.

The seal was proof of the Emperor's trust in the Liang family and proved just how noble their status was; otherwise, how could the Emperor allow the military to be controlled by someone other than him.

For those exact reasons General Liang treasured the seal like a second child or perhaps an Ancestor, yet Liang Xing had brought it out at this time. Clearly, this time if he could not properly explain himself to his father he really would get a beating!

Thanks to the seal there was not a single spot in the Capitol that was not being searched. Save for the home of the most noble, who simply could not be offended, everywhere else had a soldier rummaging the place and overturning even the smallest rock.

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In a dark room lit only dimly by a small fire lamp.

Two women lay down in deep sleep for several hours.

Su Su was the first to stir. "Hmm." She groggily complained as she opened her eyes.

She tried to move but found that she could not freely do so. That realization startled her into fully awakening. That's when she realized her hands were chained together and so were her feet. 

After an initial struggle to release herself, which failed miserably, she thought about her lady. Luckily her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and she found An An was near her, though still asleep. 

Rolling her body Su Su moved closer to An An. "Miss, Miss!" She whispered as loudly as she could while at the same trying not to draw attention. She had no idea where they were, so she was trying to act prudently.

An An with her eyes closed and no movement from her body looked like an ice sculpture. She was pristine and beautiful, except for the oxidized chains that hung heavily on her hands, feet, and around her neck. Unlike Su Su she was literally chained to the floor. The chain on her neck was attached to rings which were sealed to the floor. If An An had not been such a quiet sleeper she might even have chocked herself to death by simply shifting slightly.

Finally, after Su Su whispered An An's name hundreds of times An An stirred.

Slowly she opened her eyes and waited until her vision focused. 

Taking a good look around she realized she was in a dungeon of some sort. Her brows slightly furrowed in confusion, but she had not idea what was going no matter how she thought. 

"Su Su, this is...?" An An wondered if Su Su knew any more than she did. 

"I do not know Miss. I have been calling you for quite some time but no one else has come by." Su Su said with a tremble in her tone. She was afraid, so afraid.
Though she was only a servant Su Su had still been quite lucky because the Ru family had treated her very well. Even a son from a normal middle-class family would not have had the chance to see and experience all the exquisite and unique things she had. So, for her sheltered self to land in this situation, how could she not be afraid?

An An on the other hand took in everything calmly. She tried to move, but even her head was stuck in place due to the chain around her neck. She pursed her lips because she had cut her neck when she had moved, bust she made no noise of pain since she did not want to worry Su Su.

Unlike Su Su, An An's chains had little spikes almost unnoticeable in the dark which dug into her flesh like tiny needles with her every move. They were extremely painful, but Su Su's eyes were already wide with fear and An An truly did not want to make the situation worse by expressing her pain.

"Su Su, are your chains just as tight as mine?" An An said as she moved back and forth in a few more times despite the new pricks and cuts she continued to suffer not just on her neck but also legs and hands.

Su Su tried to more seriously escape from her chains but they were very tight, they seemed to be made just for her tiny wrists!

"No Miss. I cannot remove them, they are very tight." Su Su finally replied as an air of defeat surrounded her.

An An sighed. This was not good at all. They did not know where they were, who had kidnapped them, or why. Furthermore, what she did know was very concerning. For sure their chains were very sturdy, the room was very dark, and it was full of warm hay, where rats were likely nesting quietly until night fell.

"Su Su call out for someone. There has to be someone who can tell us why they have brought us here." An An ordered and laid her head back on the floor, her neck was tired.

At this point it was better to face the matter straight on then continue to worry in fear and cause their bodies to become even more tired.

Su Su immediately started to yell at the top of her lungs. "Hello! Is anyone there? My lady wants to talk to you right now!" Su Su also kicked at the floor repeatedly so the little bells she always wore on her ankles would make noise too.