Yun Jiuqing now understood—the ancients placed great importance on propriety, and a woman’s reputation was something that could not afford the slightest blemish.
Though the road to exile was harsh, with her own family protecting her, Yuanyuan would not fare too poorly.
But if she were to enter the Jiaofang Si, it would be like yellow mud falling into one’s trousers—even if it wasn’t shit, it would be shit.
Thinking this way, her gaze toward the little girl Yuanyuan unconsciously softened by a few degrees.
Yet she heard the old steward continue: “The Grand Lady’s father is also a muddle-headed man. The one sending her things is her full-blooded younger brother, Young Master Wen. As for Lord Wen and that second wife of his, they stopped caring about the Grand Lady’s life or death long ago.
The Grand Lady wants to comfort the Princess. The Yun family’s cold-heartedness is not the Princess’s fault.
The Prince’s household falling into ruin is also not the Princess’s fault. Those words from Third Madame—the Princess shouldn’t take them to heart.”
Yun Jiuqing shook her head. “Words spoken by irrelevant people, from irrelevant people—why should I care what she says?”
She gazed into the distance ahead. “We’re in luck tonight; we should be staying at a post station.
You all guard the Prince carefully. No matter what sounds you hear, don’t act rashly.”
The steward raised an eyebrow in surprise at her words. “This is the post station closest to Chu Jing. Even if someone wanted the Prince’s life, they wouldn’t choose to make a move here, would they? That would be too obvious?”
The guards also showed expressions of agreement.
No one said it outright, but everyone tacitly understood that the one to guard against was the Emperor.
The knife-hairpin in Yun Jiuqing’s hand kept fidgeting as she spoke with a sarcastic tone and bold words. “Is the Emperor the only enemy your Prince has?
Even you all know that if anything happened to him here, the world would first suspect the Emperor. Wouldn’t others think of that too?
With such a ready-made scapegoat available, would you all just leave it unused?”
This incisive remark left not only the old steward and the guards speechless, but even the person feigning unconsciousness on the stretcher couldn’t help but twitch.
Yun Jiuqing abruptly pressed the tail of the wolf pelt onto the man’s face, speaking in a soft, gentle voice, “If you’re going to fake unconsciousness, commit to it fully. Don’t let the act slip.”
The old steward and the guards watched their Prince, whose face was being slapped by the wolf tail, twitching at the corners of his mouth as if he’d suffered a stroke.
“I’m so tired. Can we rest a bit before continuing?”
A hoarse female voice rang out. Yun Jiuqing turned to look and saw a woman with a cold, aloof countenance. Despite wearing coarse cloth garments, she still maintained the haughty bearing of a noble lady from a prestigious family.
If this were at a banquet among the powerful and noble, such an elegant, refined woman would surely be the center of attention in the crowd.
However, among a group of exiles, this kind of standing-out arrogance seemed rather out of place.
Sure enough, while Yun Jiuqing was still wondering who this was, the officer’s whip lashed out.
“Rest? Rest what? We’ve barely walked any distance!
Still think you’re the pampered young miss of Cheng En Gong Fu? Move faster, damn it!
If anyone delays our arrival at the post station, I’ll whip them to death!”
With a crack, the whip lashed out—but struck a young man in plain clothing.
Though he was saving the woman, the young man only loosely blocked himself in front of her, as if afraid of offending her.
He took the officer’s vicious lash across his shoulder and back, but didn’t even bother to cry out in pain, only asking with a face full of concern, “Bing’er, are you alright?”
The woman shook her head coldly. “I’m fine.”
Just two simple words, without even a trace of concern, as her gaze fixed directly on Yun Jiuqing.
The moment their eyes met, Yun Jiuqing clearly sensed the woman’s naked hostility toward her.
Seeing that the woman was fine, the man turned to argue with the officer. “She only wanted to rest for a moment. What right do you have to strike people without a word?”
…
Yun Jiuqing awkwardly turned her face away. “Where did these two fools come from?”
In this situation, even if the officer killed someone, they’d have to endure it.
If you had the ability, you’d resist. If you didn’t, you’d shut your mouth.
Running your mouth would only invite worse humiliation.
Sure enough, the officer swung his whip and lashed out. “You dare ask me what right?
I’ll tell you what right—I’m the official, and you’re the criminals!
You dare question me? You’ve lost your rest for the entire day!
Blame it on that fool of a man!
Full speed until dark—no one stops until we reach Ningjiang Yizhan!
Anyone who cries tired again gets the whip!”
And so, a strangely haughty woman and a fool of a young man successfully cost everyone their first lunch break and rest time.
Yun Jiuqing’s face darkened. She had wanted to use the rest period to try moving some things from Chu Jing!
If they had to walk all the way to the post station, who knew whether the Strategic Space System could still reach the things in Chu Jing?
Even if it could, her physical energy consumption would be several times greater, wouldn’t it?
Thinking of this, Yun Jiuqing couldn’t help but grind her teeth, wanting to devour those two brainless men and women alive!
Xuan Lie was frightened by her gnashing-teeth expression and muttered quietly, “Those are the Prince’s full-blooded cousins. Especially Young Master Ruoyu—he grew up with the Prince since childhood, as close as brothers.
They’ve probably been suddenly exiled and haven’t yet wrapped their heads around it. Princess, please calm your anger. Once he adapts to exile life, he won’t be like this anymore.”
And look, Third Master and Old Madame are already instructing him.”
Yun Jiuqing followed the gaze. Old Madame Ning and Third Master Ning were indeed saying something to the young man, while Ning Ruobing stood nearby, cold and aloof, as if nothing concerned her.
When her eyes met Yun Jiuqing’s, she gave a brief glance, as if she had seen something filthy, then quickly looked away.
This provoked Yun Jiuqing—I haven’t even scorned you yet, and you dare to scorn me?
The knife-hairpin in her hand nearly flew at Ning Ruobing’s face, but the latter slowly turned away.
Yun Jiuqing felt like she had punched a wad of cotton—not angry, but her nerves snapped taut.
She had always believed one thing: there is no love without reason in this world, and no hatred without reason either.
Ning Ruobing’s hostility toward her was utterly inexplicable, but since the other had done nothing yet, she couldn’t very well cut her down over a few hostile glances.
Staying vigilant was, after all, the right call.
And indeed, reality proved to Yun Jiuqing that caution keeps one safe for ten thousand years.
Thanks to Ning Ruoyu and Ning Ruobing, the siblings, no one rested or ate on the first day—they kept marching without pause.
Finally, just before they collapsed from exhaustion, they reached their stopping point.
However, “Didn’t we say we’d stop at a post station? Why have we come to Nangu Ying?”
This time, the one raising the objection was not the meddlesome Ning siblings, but Third Master Ning.
And even the guards of Prince Yan’s Residence wore expressions of discontent.
The escorting officers, exhausted from a day’s travel, were as irritable as powder kegs, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
Seeing this, one of them kicked heavily at the wooden bed frame nearby. “What’s this, what’s this? All of you looking to rebel?
Once we’re out of Chu Jing, as long as we deliver you to Bei Huang on time, what does it matter which road I take?
If you want to flaunt your young master’s authority, then don’t commit crimes—now get the hell inside!”
The speaker was the escort officer in charge of this exile. He hadn’t been overly harsh with them along the way, but every time he spoke, it was a decision that affected everyone completely.
Everyone knew that when a tiger falls to the plains, it must bow its head, but for some reason, this time Third Master Ning displayed unprecedented defiance.
He craned his neck, face flushed red, and said, “Wang Jingkang, don’t you go waving a chicken feather as if it were a command arrow!
The real officer in charge of this escort is Captain Liang. What are you, a purchased Jiuzhou Xunpu, putting on airs for…”