The following days were remarkably calm.
The Marquis's Mansion seemed to have instilled excellent discipline in its members. Throughout the journey, aside from the initial threats from the Shizi and a few puzzled remarks from the young lady, no one else discussed her further.
Perhaps they were exhausted, or perhaps they felt that at this point, further talk was futile.
As she was about to doze off by the campfire, her gaze caught sight of a guard.
He was whispering with another guard, their eyes constantly scanning the members of the Wen family.
Their eyes were filled with greed and calculation.
Chen Shiyi felt uneasy.
Should she warn the Marquis Mansion's Eldest Son? After all, if anything happened to them, she would be implicated as well.
The spring rain continued to drizzle without any sign of stopping.
On the exile journey, everyone had caught a cold to some extent.
The severity of a cold varied from person to person. For someone like her, who had never taken medicine bought with copper coins, a bit of activity to work up a sweat was enough to recover.
But the members of the Marquis's Mansion, accustomed to a life of luxury, fell ill one after another.
This was not a good sign.
According to the Wen family's second young master, they were now over four hundred li from the capital, having covered about half the journey.
The next resting place was Panshui Post Station.
This was the first post station they had encountered on the exile route.
Built with blue bricks and gray tiles, it was desolate and barren. Inside, only a few guards stationed there remained lazily in place, not even stirring at the sight of newcomers.
The guards escorting the prisoners seemed accustomed to this. They simply assigned everyone their resting areas, left two guards on watch, and the rest went to rest.
Chen Shiyi followed the Marquis's Mansion members into a low, old house. Inside, there was a row of communal beds that could accommodate many people.
Finally, a place with a roof over their heads.
She went to fetch hot water from the pot over the campfire. As she turned a corner by a wall on her way back, a guard blocked her path.
"You, come here."
Chen Shiyi was puzzled.
When she approached the guard, he revealed a sinister smile and whispered close to her ear.
"Since your chains have been removed, you must obey me. Go quietly and call out the young lady you're following. Don't alert anyone. If you complete this task, I'll give you ten copper coins."
Chen Shiyi was stunned for a moment, then spoke loudly.
"What do you want with the Wen family's young lady?"
The guard's face darkened. This foolish woman—shouting so loudly, how could he possibly act now?
The prisoners' room was right next door; it was likely everyone inside had heard.
Although they were already beyond the capital's jurisdiction, and sleeping with a female prisoner might not be a big deal, the boss had already ordered that they were not to be touched.
But the Wen family's young lady was truly captivating—her graceful figure, her slender waist like a willow swaying in the wind—he had been craving her for a long time.
Furious, he pointed a threatening finger at Chen Shiyi before quickly slipping away to hide.
Chen Shiyi breathed a sigh of relief, her legs feeling weak as she hurried back into the house.
As soon as she entered the room, all the Wen family members looked up at her—some confused, some suspicious, some resentful, some calm…
Chen Shiyi did not sleep on the communal bed. She lowered her head, shrinking into a corner by the wall, not daring to make a sound.
She had just closed her eyes to feign sleep when she heard footsteps stop in front of her.
Opening her eyes, she saw the Shizi sitting beside her. Leaning against the wall with the shackles on his body, his dark hair draped over his neck and shoulders, his face weary but his eyes sharp.
"You are very clever."
Chen Shiyi pondered how she should respond—perhaps with some modest words, saying she wasn't that clever, or "you're welcome," or even stating that she had now aligned herself with him and hoped he would protect her in the future.
However, her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own.
"You're wearing shackles that can't be removed. What do you do when you need to relieve yourself?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Chen Shiyi felt as though she had been possessed by some mischievous spirit, spouting nothing but nonsense.
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhiheng was momentarily stunned, an unnatural expression flickering across his face before vanishing in an instant.
Above her head, a gentle yet hoarse voice sounded.
"What? Do you want to watch?"
Chen Shiyi buried her face in her arms, not daring to utter another word.
Not long after, in the darkness, the faint sound of dragging chains arose beside her, moving toward the door outside.
Wen Zhiheng walked into the courtyard. Outside, a light drizzle still fell, dampening his shoulders once more.
Finally, the leading officer arrived.
The officer appeared calm, a faint, almost imperceptible sneer curling at the corner of his lips, yet he dared not display it openly, giving him an absurdly conflicted expression.
"What matter does the Shizi have with this humble official?"
Wen Zhiheng's demeanor was neither submissive nor arrogant, his eyes indifferent.
"It is truly an offense to disturb Officer Hu's rest so late, but I hope you will keep your subordinates in check. If anything happens to my family, it would be unfortunate for you to face the consequences as well."
Officer Hu scoffed disdainfully at Wen Zhiheng's threat.
"Mind your tone, Shizi. You are now a criminal exiled by His Majesty's Imperial Edict, no longer the lofty Marquis Mansion's Eldest Son. That I still address you as Shizi here is already giving you ample face."
Unperturbed, Wen Zhiheng replied calmly, "The other exiled convicts traveling with us are chained together in groups, yet we are allowed to move separately and freely. My maid, for merely performing a trivial task, had her handcuffs and shackles entirely removed. I presume no prisoner has ever received such treatment before?"
Officer Hu crossed his arms, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"It's good that the Shizi understands."
"Therefore, the one who spoke so arrogantly earlier must die."
At this, Officer Hu's expression instantly turned grave.
"You have no say in matters here. I have already taken a risk by granting your family special treatment. Harming an escorting officer—how am I to report back on that?"
Wen Zhiheng's gaze deepened as he glanced coolly at Officer Hu.
"You have made a show of it on the surface, and I, Wen, acknowledge this favor from you. As for what the future holds, no one can say. Perhaps, due to your kindness this time, your prospects may become vast and boundless!"
"A mere exiled criminal, and you dare to paint such an illusory picture for me?"
"That depends on whether Officer Hu is willing to take the gamble."
With that, Wen Zhiheng retreated into the room.
Outside, under the flickering light of the bonfire, Officer Hu's expression shifted between shadow and light, uncertain and unsettled.
Chen Shiyi was awakened by a sudden cry of alarm.
On the wooden communal bed, the Second Young Mistress held Rui'er, her eyes reddened, her face pressed tightly against the child's forehead as she wept silently.
The Wen family had all risen by now, gazing at Rui'er with deep concern.
Chen Shiyi looked and saw Rui'er's cheeks flushed bright red, his lips purplish and cracked in several small places—he was burning with a high fever.
Dawn had not yet fully broken, the world outside still shrouded in deep gray.
She rekindled the extinguished bonfire, heated the water in the iron pot, took a nearby broken bowl, filled it with hot water, and carried it over.
"Give him some water to drink."
The second young mistress took the water, blew on it to cool it slightly, and fed it into Rui'er's mouth.
Chen Shiyi tore off half of her sleeve, went outside, rinsed it clean with cold water, and returned to the room.
"Place this on his forehead. It will make him feel much more comfortable."
Wen Zhiheng glanced at her, his gaze lingering on her half-empty sleeve, his dark eyes profound.
Madam Wen, her face streaked with tears, expressed her gratitude.
"Young lady, thank you."
Chen Shiyi lowered her head and spoke softly.
"We must bring down the fever quickly. With no shelter from the wind and rain on the road, I fear it will be unbearable."
Wen Zhiyuan paced anxiously in circles.
"We could use acupuncture to reduce the fever, but we don’t even have a single needle."
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhiheng hurried outside.
A moment later, he returned with an embroidery needle in hand.
"Will this work?"
Wen Zhiyuan nodded and quickly pricked Rui'er a few times.
A few drops of bright red blood oozed from the pricked spots. Chen Shiyi changed the water in the sleeve cloth several times, and gradually, Rui'er's fever subsided.
The weight in their hearts finally lifted.