On the official road, a bailiff in his thirties rode on horseback.
Holding a whip in his hand, he shouted loudly as he rode:
“Since we were delayed leaving the city today, we’ll reduce the distance. We’re supposed to travel fifty li a day—today, we’ll do thirty!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the Wang family was shocked.
Thirty li?
What kind of concept was that?
From the inner city to the suburban estate was only thirty li.
And when they usually went there, they rode horses or took carriages.
Even so, it would still take one to two hours.
But now, these damned officers wanted them to carry wooden cangues and wear chains, walking step by step for thirty li!
This… this was practically killing them.
When they set off, the bailiff leader—Zhang Sanlang—checked the time and said it was the first quarter of the Si hour (10:15).
There was only a little more than half a day left, and that even included time for the afternoon meal. How could they possibly finish thirty li?
“Officer? Thirty li… that’s going to kill us!”
“Yes, yes! We’re old, weak, sick—we really can’t walk anymore!”
“Officer, please show some mercy. Let us walk less, or—” let them ride in a carriage, at least!
Their necks were chafed raw by the restraints, their shoulders felt like they were about to collapse.
And their feet—like stepping on blades, or burning iron plates.
Each step brought piercing pain, like being cut or scorched.
When their house was confiscated, the entire marquis residence had been unprepared.
The men were better off—they wore thick-soled black leather boots.
But the women and children, being at home, wore soft-soled embroidered shoes.
The soles were thin, soft, and comfortable.
Inside the residence, there were covered corridors and stone-paved floors—flat and smooth.
The official road was completely different.
Hard-packed dirt, with deep wheel ruts.
Avoid the ruts, and the rest of the road was scattered with small stones.
The women and children stepped on them, their delicate shoes quickly covered in dirt and grass.
The soles wore thin, and when they stepped on stones, the already blistered and bleeding feet ached unbearably.
The pain was like torture.
They were all pampered nobles—normally even a small scrape would hurt for half a day.
Now, with soft shoes and bloodied feet, they only wished for death.
Wang Jiao had already gone numb from the pain.
Her eyes were red, and she could barely cry anymore.
It hurt so much.
Mother, I regret it!
I don’t want to be exiled!
Wang Si!
Wang Seven, you wretched girl—where are you? Come back! I want to switch back!
Only now did Wang Jiao realize:
Even if she wanted to seize Wang Si’s life, she didn’t have to go into exile.
She could have followed her mother to the Duke’s residence.
After a month or two, the Wang family would have reached the frontier.
At that time, she could beg her mother to ask her uncle to arrange an escort to send her there.
After all, there was still a year before Prince An would be exiled.
And Wang Si didn’t meet the young general of the Zhe family immediately upon arriving at the frontier.
Fine—even if she did meet him early, Wang Jiao could accept losing one devoted admirer.
As long as she secured Prince An, that was enough.
The young general was just a bonus—not essential.
“Why didn’t I think of this yesterday?”
The more Wang Jiao thought, the more she regretted it.
She refused to admit her own foolishness, instead making excuses:
“I must have just been reborn and not fully clear-headed yet!”
“And Wang Seven is cunning! If she wanted to go into exile, why didn’t she insist?”
“When I said I’d go, she didn’t even try to stop me!”
“Hmph, she was just pretending. Deep down, she probably wanted to stay in the capital and enjoy life!”
“That ungrateful girl—you must be eating fine food at the Duke’s residence right now, lounging comfortably in Haitang Courtyard!”
Wang Jiao’s heart had already been twisted in her previous life.
Now it was even worse—if it could be seen, it would be emitting dark smoke.
As she stewed in regret and resentment, she heard Zhang Sanlang shouting again.
“Head Zhang, please show mercy! Let us walk less today!”
Wang Yong could no longer endure it.
He struggled to lift his head from the cangue and pleaded.
Wang Zhi Li, Wang Zhi Yi, and the others joined in.
Zhang Sanlang sneered.
“You people are no longer lofty marquises and young masters—you are exiled criminals!”
“I am not negotiating. I am giving orders!”
Wang Yong and the others wailed, still trying to plead:
“Officer! The law should have some compassion!”
“Compassion? Fine! I’ll give you some compassion!”
Zhang Sanlang narrowed his eyes, leaned forward on his saddle, and looked them in the eye.
“I take back what I said earlier. We won’t do thirty li today!”
Before they could rejoice, he added coldly:
“Today, we’ll still do fifty li!”
“If you fall short by even one li, you won’t be allowed to sleep. Even if you have to walk through the night, you will complete fifty li!”
Everyone’s faces fell instantly.
They tried to speak again.
Zhang Sanlang straightened and flicked his whip.
“Say another word—sixty li!”
He was riding a horse—he wasn’t tired.
But these pampered masters? They might not survive it.
“…Officer!”
Their faces were full of grief and anger, unable to believe someone could be so cruel.
This time, Zhang Sanlang didn’t bother talking.
He simply swung his whip.
Crack! Crack!
He lashed out wildly, striking Wang Yong and the others.
The sturdy leather whip, lined with barbs, left bloody welts with each strike.
“Ah!”
“Stop hitting!”
“Officer, we were wrong! We won’t dare again!”
“We’ll walk! We’ll walk!”
Fifty li it was.
It would be exhausting and painful—but better than being whipped.
“Hmph, just a bunch of wretches!”
Zhang Sanlang put away his whip and urged his horse to patrol the group.
The Wang family gritted their teeth, their feet bleeding, dragging themselves forward step by step.
They didn’t know how long they walked.
The sun rose to its peak, then began to tilt westward.
They were like soulless puppets, moving mechanically.
Finally, Zhang Sanlang spotted a tea stall by the roadside and halted.
“Alright! Stop and eat!”
At his command, the prisoners were driven to the roadside.
The officers took baskets of dry rations from their carts.
“…What is this? Even pigs and dogs wouldn’t eat it!”
Wang Jiao sat on the ground.
When a guard tossed her a dark, coarse wild-vegetable bun, she exploded in anger.
She threw the bun away…