“Hmm?”
Xu Ao had woken up at some point.
He was still wearing the same clothes from last night, but after a night, the snow-white collar was stained in a messy pattern with herbal juices, the faint green hue making his complexion appear even paler.
Sang Zhixia was stunned for a long moment before she rubbed her forehead in slight annoyance.
“You’re awake?”
So the things she found last night actually worked?
Xu Ao gave a faint hum in response.
In her daze, Sang Zhixia found a shadow large enough to cover her falling over her, and before she could look up, two half-green, half-red wild fruits were dropped into her lap.
These clearly couldn’t have been given by the jailers.
Xu Ao tossed the fruits and was about to leave when someone suddenly shouted: “Sang Zhixia has silver on her!”
Auntie Xu the Second pointed at her and said: “I saw it last night! She used something to bribe someone to get medicine for Xu Ao!”
“She’s hiding valuables on her! Why should Xu Ao be the only one to benefit?!”
Those who hadn’t noticed her before turned their heads at the commotion, and Sang Zhixia, who had been invisible for two days, instantly became the center of attention.
Sang Zhixia’s brow furrowed deeply.
Xu Ao’s voice followed immediately: “Has Second Aunt gone delirious from hunger?”
“The confiscation of property was carried out by His Majesty’s trusted aides. She’s merely a newlywed bride—how could she possess what you claim?”
Auntie Xu the Second, coming from a shrewd merchant background and having failed in her suicide attempt, cast aside all restraints of noble conduct now that she was freed from high-society expectations.
She snarled: “Then what did I see yesterday?”
“Xu Ao, it was your father who brought the Xu family to this state! Since Sang Zhixia married into the Xu family, she should take out everything and share it with everyone—you can’t keep it all to yourselves!”
Leading the charge, she didn’t forget to stir up the gloomy-faced Old Madam: “Mother, I saw it with my own eyes! She’s hiding something!”
“It’s one thing for us to eat dry, coarse food, but how can you endure such filth? Make her take out the silver to bribe the guards and get you some decent food to show her respect—isn’t that her duty as a granddaughter-in-law?”
“If she dares deny it, search her! I refuse to believe we won’t find anything!”
Old Madam’s resentment had originally been directed at Xu Ao, and no one had cared about Sang Zhixia’s fate over the past two days.
But with this disruption, everyone suddenly became aware of Sang Zhixia’s presence.
Sang Zhixia was so angry she let out a cold laugh. Just as she was about to stand up, the shadow fell over her again.
Xu Ao had moved to shield her.
She froze, not moving.
Seeing this, Old Madam said darkly: “Xu Ao, the Xu family has no such rules.”
Xu Ao retorted coldly: “But the Xu family also has no tradition of conducting unwarranted searches.”
Second Uncle Xu watched with a cold gaze and said sarcastically: “Protecting her so fiercely—could it be that the accusation is true?”
“Xu Ao, have you really hidden things out of selfishness?”
Sang Zhixia had heard enough. She stood up, pushed aside the mountain-like Xu Ao, and said: “Then Second Aunt, tell me—who did I bribe?”
Auntie Xu the Second pointed at someone without hesitation: “Him!”
Sang Zhixia glanced over and said politely: “Sir, did I really bribe you?”
The accused jailer naturally wouldn’t admit it: “Absolutely not!”
“Well, there you have it?”
She spread her hands in a roguish manner and said: “Second Aunt, having blurred vision is one thing, and spouting nonsense is another.”
“But making accusations requires evidence.”
If she had been caught red-handed, she would have had nothing to say.
But what was the reality?
She subtly flicked her fingertips and said lightly, “Sir, I’ve heard that accepting bribes is a serious crime. If we let some people shout accusations without proof, who knows how many might be implicated if word gets out?”
The group of jailers, who usually shared any benefits equally, immediately glared at her with dark expressions.
But Auntie Xu the Second remained defiant.
“If you claim you haven’t hidden anything, then dare to let me search you?!”
Sang Zhixia scoffed, “Why should I let you search me?”
“During the confiscation of property, the men sent by His Majesty already conducted a search. Are you saying you’ve grasped His Majesty’s intentions out here in the wilderness and now wish to reenact the search on his behalf?”
“Enough of this nonsense!”
Third Uncle Xu, who had remained silent until now, frowned and interrupted, his voice trembling with fear. “The Xu family’s troubles are already grave enough. We must not stir up more!”
Sang Zhixia had casually invoked the emperor’s authority.
If such words were to spread, it would bring another catastrophic disaster!
Xu Ao also turned to her and said, “Do not speak recklessly.”
Sang Zhixia had done it deliberately. Hearing this, she simply smiled and pretended ignorance.
But with the argument reaching this point, no one actually dared to search her anymore.
The Old Madam, who had hoped to exchange for some food, was so enraged by the obstruction that she snorted fiercely.
“Well, well! I hadn’t noticed before, but this new bride is quite the sharp-tongued troublemaker!”
“What a fine daughter-in-law you’ve picked for Xu Ao!”
Xu Wenxiu, who had stayed silent throughout and suffered unjustly from the commotion, blinked in confusion and instinctively looked at Sang Zhixia. “You…”
“I haven’t.”
Sang Zhixia had little fondness for this timid, tearful mother-in-law and dismissed her with two perfunctory words before adding, “If you don’t believe me, come and search me then.”
Let’s see who dares to search me!
The search became a farce, but resentment silently simmered.
Over the following days, Sang Zhixia lost count of the wary and disgusted glares she received. Fortunately, she couldn’t care less.
Xu Ao’s face remained alarmingly pale, but he was as silent as ever.
If not for the occasional cough that brought up a mouthful or two of blood, Sang Zhixia would hardly have realized he was in such discomfort.
To avoid drawing attention and causing more trouble, the jailers who had accepted her bribes didn’t dare summon a physician. So, Sang Zhixia took it upon herself to find medicinal herbs for him whenever she had a spare moment.
However, as they moved from place to place, the herbs she gathered each time looked different.
Xu Wenxiu, being timid, tried to stop her whenever she saw these unfamiliar wild plants.
But Xu Ao chewed them without batting an eye.
One day, as Xu Ao continued munching on herbs, Sang Zhixia rubbed the stubborn herbal stains on her hands and asked curiously, “Aren’t you afraid that one day I might pick poisonous plants that could kill you?”
Xu Ao stuffed a thorny herb into his mouth without looking up, chewing like a ruminating ox, and answered succinctly, “Won’t die. Injury healing.”
As the one “tasting a hundred herbs,” he knew best whether what he ingested had any medicinal effect.
The herbs Sang Zhixia gathered might not be highly potent, but the churning turmoil in his chest had indeed gradually subsided day by day.
They were harmless.
Finally, he finished chewing the last stalk with a stoic expression, stood up, and suddenly asked, “How do you know about herbs?”
Sang Zhixia waved a hand, her expression complicated. “When I was little and fell ill, we couldn’t afford a doctor. I had to find random plants to chew.”
The answer? Experience gained through trial and error!
Xu Ao’s eyes flickered with shifting shadows as he curled his fingers and said, “Next time if there’s an alternative, could you avoid picking the kind with thorns?”
Sang Zhixia let out a puzzled sound.
“What’s wrong?”
“They prick my mouth.”
“What the…???”
Xu Ao, who had gotten a mouthful of thorns, stood up and left. After a moment of bewilderment, Sang Zhixia suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
A person who spat blood daily without batting an eye was actually afraid of getting pricked in the mouth?
Are you messing with me?
No matter how interesting the person was, the journey had to continue.
On the eighth day of the Exile, the Old Master, who had been barely conscious and could only be fed small amounts of water, finally began to regain clarity.
Their group had also completely left behind the bustling prosperity of the capital.
Further ahead lay the bitter cold of the Northwest…