The official was quite satisfied when he came to collect the rope.
"Good, good…"
After saying this, he took the keys from his person and prepared to remove the chains from Chen Shiyi.
Unexpectedly, a loud voice from the side stopped the official's action.
"Sir, this woman is a maid from my household. What she did was for the sake of her masters. If the chains are to be removed, they should be removed from the masters."
Chen Shiyi's heart sank. She looked up toward the source of the voice.
The young lady from the Marquis's Mansion slightly lifted her chin, her eyes looking down on Chen Shiyi with disdain, as if gazing at a disobedient object.
Chen Shiyi was very anxious, hoping only that the official would not listen to Miss Wen's words. Otherwise, all the suffering she endured last night would have been in vain.
The official looked left and right, a faint, almost imperceptible, mocking smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"You say they should be removed from whom?"
Miss Wen turned her head away with an arrogant expression.
"Naturally, they should be removed from the Mistress of the Household, my mother."
The official pondered for a moment, then strode toward the side.
Chen Shiyi hurriedly grabbed the official's sleeve.
"Sir, I did all this work. You promised me last night."
"Aren't you her family's maid?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Shiyi felt a wave of helplessness rise in her heart.
She had clearly done the work herself, so why must the benefits always go to others?
But here, did she even have the right to speak?
She could only watch helplessly as the official walked toward the Wen family.
Turning around, she clenched her teeth and forcefully swallowed this bitter resentment.
Suddenly, the official turned back, his expression quite unpleasant as he unlocked the chains from Chen Shiyi.
Following behind him was the Marquis Mansion's Eldest Son, looking weary, yet offering Chen Shiyi an apologetic smile.
"I apologize. Zhirou is immature and spoke recklessly. Please do not take it to heart."
Chen Shiyi no longer felt the earlier joy; instead, she was filled with waves of grievance and heartache.
"That was what I rightfully deserved…"
"Yes, Zhirou forced the issue and tried to take credit for your efforts. That was her fault. I will discipline her properly from now on."
Chen Shiyi said nothing more. Turning away, the relief in her heart now outweighed the physical relief.
She never expected that someone who had previously been so harsh and severe would now speak to her softly with an apology.
She did not know why the Marquis Mansion's Eldest Son had sided with her at this critical moment. Before, he had indeed been unfriendly toward her, just like that young lady from the Marquis's Mansion. Why would they, as masters, lower their noble heads for a mere maid?
But at this moment, she did not want to speculate too much.
"Brother, what's the matter with you? Mother's legs are already red and swollen. We finally got this opportunity, and you just gave it up?"
Wen Zhirou could not understand why her eldest brother had done this.
Madam Wen tugged at Wen Zhirou's sleeve.
"Zhirou, your eldest brother has his own considerations. I am fine."
Wen Zhiheng sighed helplessly and explained to everyone.
"Zhiyuan and I are wearing cangues on our shoulders and can do nothing. None of you have ever suffered hardship. On this journey, we still need to rely on that maid to help us a little. If we offend her completely, once we reach the exile location, it doesn't matter if we suffer a bit, but what about Rui'er? He is still a child."
Everyone sighed and fell silent.
Wen Zhirou felt deeply heartbroken upon hearing this, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.
"Big brother, what are we going to do now? Just when you were about to marry Mo Xunyan from the Chancellor's Estate, this happened. She… probably won't wait for you anymore, right?"
Wen Zhiheng's head stiffened slightly.
"If she doesn't wait, then so be it. My marriage with her has always been delayed repeatedly, full of twists and turns. Five years ago, her grandfather passed away, and she observed three years of mourning. After those three years, her mother died, requiring another three years of mourning. Now, before she could complete her mourning period, my entire family has been exiled. Perhaps it's true that a fortunate woman does not enter an unfortunate household."
"But you two grew up together…"
Wen Zhiheng smiled bitterly.
"Grew up together? It was merely an arranged engagement since childhood. Now, as convicted criminals, we are even less than commoners. Let's not entertain such delusions."
"Will we ever be able to return?"
Who knows about the future?
This matter came too suddenly, without any warning beforehand. He had been involved in his father's affairs. The crime listed in the Imperial Edict was embezzlement of funds for dike repairs—how could that be possible? Those correspondence letters, the confessions extracted under torture—it all seemed fabricated out of thin air, suddenly laid bare before everyone as if preparations had been made long ago.
They must have been framed.
But who possessed such immense power?
After all, the Marquis's Mansion held considerable influence throughout Daye.
Enough. The past is now like fleeting smoke.
However, if given the opportunity in this lifetime, he is determined to overturn the false charges imposed on the Marquis's Mansion.
Freed from the shackles, Chen Shiyi felt much lighter. Walking that short distance each day was no trouble at all.
Without Lü Erniang's constant nagging in her ears, without endless firewood to chop, clothes to wash, or meals to prepare—now it was just walking and enjoying the scenery on both sides. Chen Shiyi felt that this life of exile was far more carefree than her days in Xiangyang Village.
The spring air carried a slight chill. Some winter grasses had already sensed the change of seasons, slowly sprouting tender new buds. The bleakness of winter was gradually fading away.
Ahead, they unexpectedly passed by a large elm tree.
Chen Shiyi remembered that back in the village, at the edge of the open fields, there had been just such an elm tree. Every spring, its winged seeds would appear alongside fresh green leaves, hanging in clusters like strings of copper coins adorning the branches.
She was most skilled at climbing trees—no one in Xiangyang Village could match her.
Every year, the tenderest seeds and leaves from that elm tree had always been hers.
This elm tree was even taller and larger than the one in the village.
It had been a long time since she last climbed a tree. Surely her skills hadn't rusted?
As luck would have it, their resting spot along the way happened to be right under this elm tree.
Seizing the opportunity, Chen Shiyi used both hands and feet, climbing up swiftly and nimbly.
Rui'er craned his neck upward.
"Sister, be careful! Don't fall!"
Hearing Rui'er's childish voice, Chen Shiyi broke off a few branches and quickly slid down the tree.
She handed one of the green branches to Rui'er.
"Sister, what is this?"
"These are elm seeds. They're tasty, sweet and juicy."
Rui'er's chubby little hands mimicked Chen Shiyi, plucking a few pieces and putting them in his mouth. His eyes lit up.
He quickly asked, "Sister, can I—"
Before Rui'er could finish, Chen Shiyi promptly stuffed a few more branches into his hands and patted his head.
"Take them…"
Overjoyed, Rui'er brought the elm seeds back to the Wen family, handing one branch to each person. He barely ate any himself, instead feeding them one after another to Wen Zhiheng.
"Uncle, is it tasty? Is it sweet?"
Wen Zhiheng, his hands shackled in cuffs, leaned against the tree trunk, eating the elm seeds given by Rui'er, unable to suppress a delighted expression on his face.
"It's very delicious. Rui'er is a good child, eat it yourself. If Uncle finishes it, you won't have any left."
Wen Zhirou held the green branch, looking it over left and right, seeming somewhat uneasy.
"What is this? Can it really be eaten?"
Wen Zhiyuan said with a smile.
"This is elm seeds. Ancient texts record that not only can they be eaten, but they also have the effects of clearing heat, calming the mind, aiding digestion, and resolving stagnation."
The second young mistress plucked a few elm seeds and fed them to Wen Zhiyuan, whispering.
"Sister Zhirou, eat quickly. Although that maid is unfamiliar to us, her heart is kind. It's already good that she shares food with us."
Madam Wen nodded.
"We are in a difficult situation now, so we shouldn't be picky…"
Wen Zhirou curled her lips.
"I've never seen it before, I was just asking…"