The bailiff’s voice carried quiet authority. “Oh? And what exactly are you reporting?”
The officer was one of the emperor’s trusted men, so even the palace eunuch didn’t dare offend him. He stopped where he was, keeping Lin Yurou beside him.
Jiang Wanyue gritted her teeth and forced herself to stay upright, speaking calmly despite her weakness.
“This commoner just noticed that Lin Yurou’s pouch is bulging at her waist. I suspect she’s secretly hiding banknotes.
“And the hairpins in her hair… as well as the clothes she’s wearing…”
The moment she said that, everyone from the Lin family turned to look at Lin Yurou.
The pouch at her waist was clearly stuffed full, making her waistline noticeably bulkier than usual. Her hair was adorned with countless expensive hairpins, one of which was even the Lin family’s ancestral jade hairpin.
Not to mention the exquisite pair of jade bracelets peeking out from beneath her sleeves.
Having been exposed, Lin Yurou glared at Jiang Wanyue furiously.
“Those are all mine! What business is it of yours?”
“But didn’t you insist you aren’t a daughter of the Lin family? If that’s true, then none of those things belong to you. Besides, the Lin residence is currently being confiscated. Are you planning to defy an imperial decree?”
The words defy an imperial decree instantly drained the color from Lin Yurou’s face.
Terrified, she looked toward the person who had always doted on her the most—her eldest brother, Lin Xiuran—hoping he would defend her.
“Big Brother… don’t you love me the most? Please help me!”
But this time, Lin Xiuran only looked at her with deep disappointment.
“Rou’er… you’ve truly disappointed me. From this day forward, I no longer have a sister like you.”
Lin Xiuran had always been a refined gentleman, gracious and kind. He had never once spoken harshly to Lin Yurou.
Seeing this side of him twisted Lin Yurou’s expression with resentment.
“Why? How can you be so heartless? Second Brother! Third Brother!”
Lin Chengyu, who practiced martial arts and was known for his straightforward temperament, had bloodshot eyes from anger.
“Lin Yurou, our family has never treated you unfairly. After everything we’ve done for you, do you have any conscience at all?”
She bit back fiercely,
“Conscience?
“Your Lin family is about to lose everything! If you truly cared about me, you’d help me.
“But now I see—you never genuinely loved me. You won’t even do this one little favor.
“Have you ever thought about how a weak woman like me is supposed to survive without money?
“That butcher girl has only just returned, yet you’ve already chosen her over me!”
“Can’t you see she’s deliberately targeting me? Since all of you are so cruel…”
The third brother, Lin Zhixu, who rarely spoke, simply lowered his head in silence, lost in thought.
Seeing no one from the eldest branch come to her rescue, Lin Yurou turned to her grandmother, who had always spoiled her the most.
But Old Madam Lin had already fainted from the shock of the family’s confiscation.
As for the members of the second and third branches, they all wished they could bury their heads in the ground. Not one of them dared step forward.
Before Lin Yurou could continue speaking, a soldier called over an older maid.
“Enough. Search her.”
The maid dragged Lin Yurou toward a nearby room despite her struggles.
“Don’t touch me! Those are my things! Let go! Ah! You filthy servants!”
Moments later, she was dragged back out.
Every hairpin had been removed.
The bulging pouch at her waist was gone.
Even her luxurious outer robe had been stripped away and replaced with coarse hemp clothing.
Her finely embroidered pearl shoes had also been taken, leaving her barefoot on the ground.
Her hair hung in complete disarray.
Compared to the others, she now looked even more miserable.
Only then did Jiang Wanyue finally feel a little satisfied.
Hmph.
Since you dragged me down with you, don’t expect to profit from this.
Those things all belonged to the Lin family. Even if everything was being confiscated, she wasn’t about to let Lin Yurou keep them.
The maid conducting the search reported everything she had found to the commanding officer.
“Recovered: twenty thousand taels in banknotes, eighteen hairpins, fifteen taels of loose silver, one pouch of South Sea pearls, three pairs of jade bracelets, one gold-thread brocade robe, one pair of Shu brocade pearl-embroidered shoes…”
With each item announced, Jiang Wanyue felt increasingly relieved.
Lin Yurou certainly had an eye for valuables.
Everything she had hidden was among the Lin family’s finest treasures.
At that moment, Lin Yurou wanted nothing more than to tear Jiang Wanyue apart with her own hands.
She had spent so long preparing all of this.
Now every single item was gone.
It felt as though her heart was bleeding.
Inside, she cursed endlessly.
Bitch! Bitch!
Once I become Empress, I’ll make that bitch wish she were dead!
Meanwhile, Jiang Wanyue could no longer hold herself together.
Her vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground.
When Jiang Wanyue regained consciousness, she felt herself swaying gently back and forth, accompanied by the clanking of chains.
She struggled to open her eyes.
The first thing she saw was a pair of venomous eyes staring straight at her.
So hot…
Turning her head away from the blazing sunlight, she squinted and realized she was lying on a wooden door that had been turned into a makeshift stretcher.
Ahead of her was someone’s back—they were carrying her.
She was so weak that she could barely think, and before long, she closed her eyes again.
After what felt like a long journey, a bailiff’s voice rang out.
“Ten Mile Slope ahead. Rest here!”
She was gently lowered onto the ground.
Her throat was parched.
Summoning every bit of strength she had, she whispered,
“…Water…”
The moment the faint word left her lips, a crowd immediately gathered around her.
“Mother! She’s awake!”
A warm, gentle hand rested against her forehead.
The woman let out a sigh of relief.
She let out a sigh of relief. “Good, she doesn’t have a fever.”
Jiang Wanyue felt as though her lips had cracked from thirst. Her throat was unbearably dry, and she rasped,
“Water…”
“Quick, give her some water!”
“She can’t swallow it! What do we do? Wuwuwu…”
“Don’t cry yet. Wet her lips first. If she still can’t drink, carefully force a little water into her mouth.”
The cool moisture touched her lips, instantly easing the burning pain. A small amount of water slid down her throat, and the searing dryness finally began to subside.
After drinking, Jiang Wanyue finally regained a bit of strength and slowly opened her eyes.
The woman beside her cried out in delight.
“She’s awake! She’s finally awake! You were unconscious for two whole shichen! Wuwuwu…”
Two shichen?
That meant four hours.
Had she really been unconscious that long?
Looking around at the desolate wilderness, she realized they had already left the city. They were now on the road to exile.
She tried to sit up, but the spot where her head had been struck still throbbed painfully.
“Y-Young… Miss, are you feeling alright?”
The Lin family was meeting Jiang Wanyue for the first time. None of them knew how to face her, or even what to call her.
The guilt in their eyes was impossible to hide.
So was their genuine concern.
The beautiful middle-aged woman standing beside her kept wiping away her tears. Judging by her appearance, she must be the original owner’s mother.
In her previous life, before transmigrating, Jiang Wanyue had grown up in a family that favored sons over daughters. Her biological mother had tried to sell her to an old bachelor deep in the mountains so her older brother could afford a bride price.
Before the college entrance exam, her mother had even locked her inside the house to stop her from taking it. Jiang Wanyue had fought her way out with a kitchen cleaver, risking her life to escape.
Through relentless determination, she was admitted to a prestigious national university and chose to become a military doctor.
She possessed extraordinary medical talent and was later placed under state protection because of her work.
This transmigration happened after an explosion in the laboratory while she was researching a new type of medicine.
Having survived so much, she adapted to new environments remarkably well. Even after suddenly finding herself in another world, she remained calm and quickly accepted her new identity.
The only thing she wasn’t used to was everyone’s concern.
So…
This was what it felt like to have a family that truly cared.
She spoke softly.
“I’m fine. I’m just hungry. Is there anything to eat?”
“Lin Yurou locked me in the woodshed for three days. I didn’t get a single drop of water or a bite of food.”
At the mention of Lin Yurou, awkward expressions immediately appeared on everyone’s faces.
Shen Qingru stiffened as tears streamed down her face, splashing onto Jiang Wanyue.
“It’s all my fault. I dragged you into this.”
“You should have been the true daughter of the Lin family, cherished and loved by everyone. But when you came home, we didn’t even know it was you. Instead, you were locked in the woodshed and nearly died.”
“And now you’ve been forced into exile with us.”
“Wait here. I’ll ask Mother for something for you to eat.”
Shen Qingru hurried away.
Seeing that Jiang Wanyue had regained consciousness and was no longer in danger, the other men of the Lin family finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At that very moment, Jiang Wanyue felt something gently hook around her little finger.
That familiar sensation!
A flash of joy crossed her heart.
Thank goodness!
Her pet spirit snake, Xiao Jin, had transmigrated with her.
Sure enough, a moment later, the little golden snake’s slightly arrogant voice sounded in her mind.
“Woman, you’re finally awake. Where the heck have we ended up this time?”