Jiang Jinyue’s expression was calm as she said unhurriedly: “There are two reasons. Firstly, if Youlong County has truly fallen into chaos, heading any further north will only become more chaotic. Secondly, we lack both water and food. If we don’t resupply now, none of us will be able to hold out.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
That’s right. They had already been cut off from water and food, and the closest place was Youlong County. If they changed course to take a detour, they would simply die prematurely halfway along the road.
Actually, they had one more choice, which was to turn back and head the other way. But without the Emperor’s decree, an exile procession returning to the capital without authorization was tantamount to treason.
Since both changing route and returning meant certain death, the only option left was to continue moving forward in the hope of finding a path to survival.
“Xu agrees with Miss Jiang’s words.” Xu Xiao was the first to state his position.
“We Li family members all agree!” Old Madam Li hurriedly pulled Li Chengle along to raise her hand. She had been keeping her ears pricked up listening this whole time; she couldn’t afford to be outdone by others at a moment like this, as their family of three generations depended entirely on the jinxed girl.
Minister Lu still kept his mouth shut, wearing an expression of having nothing to do with himself and hanging it high.
Wang Yue frowned, and just as she wanted to speak, she noticed Tutor Yu suddenly coughing violently.
“Tutor, is your body feeling uncomfortable?”
Tutor Yu shook his head heavily, signaling with his eyes for her not to speak any further.
Over all these years, the Empress Dowager had protected Her Highness far too well. If everything continued smoothly, as the heir apparent, having stronger opinions wouldn’t be a problem—at times, it would even make her appear exceptionally resolute at a young age.
However, when encountering a low point while still maintaining that high-and-mighty attitude and refusing to brook any rebuttal from others, problems would inevitably surface, just like right now.
When all was said and done, it was also his dereliction of duty as a tutor for failing to anticipate today’s situation…
Wang Yue opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more. Very well, even if she wanted to return to the capital, these people wouldn’t support her; speaking of it now would only invite useless vexation.
Seeing this, Boss Gu gave a wave of his massive hand: “Then we won’t change route. Everyone walk a bit faster, and by tomorrow we’ll reach Youlong County. Regardless of whether it’s fallen into chaos or not, let’s get past there first and figure it out.”
Aside from this, there was no other way, so why hesitate any longer? They needed to get back on the road immediately.
The procession set off once again, yet it felt different from before. For one thing, the Lu family and Censor Gao’s family had been summoned to the front; for another, the impact brought by the fleeing Liu brothers left the atmosphere gloomy and peculiar.
At the rear of the procession, Old Madam Li frowned, alternately glancing at Jiang Jinyue and sweeping her gaze across her two granddaughters, her expression exceptionally complicated.
Walking right alongside the old matriarch, Li Chengle was the first to notice her odd behavior: “Grandmother, what’s wrong with you?”
Old Madam Li sighed, her mouth opening and closing before snapping shut tightly.
Li Chengle blinked her eyes and suddenly smiled: “Sister-in-law, Grandmother has something to say!” Right now, Sister-in-law was the one calling the shots; since Grandmother didn’t want to tell her, she could just tell Sister-in-law.
Old Madam Li reached out and slapped her right on top of the head. This ill-fated child—not sharp when she needed to be, her tongue was certainly nimble at a time like this, and she hadn’t even figured out whether she wanted to speak up yet!
Jiang Jinyue and Li Chenghuan both tilted their heads simultaneously, their gazes landing on the old matriarch’s face.
Old Madam Li hesitated with words on the tip of her tongue, ultimately shaking her head: “Nothing, Chengle this child is just talking nonsense.”
Li Chengle rubbed the back of her own head; it seemed Grandmother didn’t want to talk to Sister-in-law either.
Jiang Jinyue cast a thoughtful glance at the old matriarch without uttering a word.
Li Chengle also perceived that the old matriarch’s words did not match her true intentions, but now wasn’t the right time for talking—she could just ask again once the procession halted.
Beneath the blazing sun, commoners hurried past along the roadside from time to time. Everyone marched onward with numb footsteps, gazing ahead with thirst-parched longing, feeling as though there was not a single shred of hope left.
Anxious to find out what the situation in Youlong County truly was, and coupled with the fact that they had completely run out of food and water, Boss Gu didn’t set a fast marching pace, nor did he urge them on, simply forgoing the midday rest altogether.
It wasn’t until the sun set and darkness descended that he raised a hand to signal the procession to halt.
The prisoners instantly felt as though granted a grand amnesty, with a large majority collapsing onto the ground right on the spot.
Zhou Yuan immediately lit fires for warmth, instructing the prisoners to quickly line up and take their torches; they had no food and nothing to drink, but at least they couldn’t freeze.
Soon, campfires flickered to life in twos and threes, and quite a few prisoners fell headfirst into sleep.
Boss Gu squeezed his water skin, which contained only two sips of liquor left: “Brother Zhou, if we can’t enter Youlong County, what should we do?”
After a whole day of this, they had encountered even more fleeing refugees; Youlong County was probably truly in chaos.
He felt some regret, yet he understood that aside from biting the bullet and pushing forward, he had no other choice. But what if they reached Youlong County only to find they couldn’t enter, or entering meant walking straight to their deaths? He simply didn’t dare to imagine it.
Zhou Yuan’s gaze landed amidst the pile of prisoners, speaking ambiguously: “The chaos in Youlong County is suspicious. Who’s to say whether it might turn out to be our good fortune?”
Gazing at Tutor Yu and Wang Yue conversing in low tones, a flash of dark brilliance crossed the depths of his eyes. If Youlong County had genuinely rebelled, perhaps they wouldn’t need to go to the northern frontier after all.
Good fortune? Boss Gu pondered this for a moment before looking at Zhou Yuan with sheer disbelief.
Seeing that he seemed to have caught on, Zhou Yuan lowered his voice: “Whenever anyone raises troops in rebellion, they all desire a righteous justification. If this Highness of ours was wronged, then Youlong County represents setting things right and restoring order.”
Boss Gu was stunned for a moment, then vigorously shook his head: “But she’s a Grand Princess.” It was an ironclad, nailed-down fact—where on earth was the injustice?
Zhou Yuan, however, remained unimpressed: “Even if she were a stone statue, Youlong County could still hoist her up and carry her into the capital.”
When it truly came down to that sort of pass, who would still care about Wang Yue’s gender? As long as her status was right there, those rebels wouldn’t pass up this opportunity for a righteous banner.
Boss Gu fell silent, though a growing sense of unease churned in his heart. He didn’t want to rebel, nor did he wish for the empire to plunge into chaos; his entire family of old and young was still back in the capital waiting for him to return…
Each harboring their own thoughts, the two of them lapsed into silence.
Deep within the distant dense forest, Li Chenghuan stood stunned, utterly speechless. What on earth had she just heard?
Just moments ago, Old Madam Li had pulled her away from the procession in secret.
“Chenghuan, the Liu family members managed to escape. With your sister-in-law around, wouldn’t it be even easier for us to run away?”
“She has an expert assisting her from the shadows. If she’s willing to run away with us, nothing bad will happen, right?”
“If this world has truly plunged into chaos and Youlong County has actually rebelled, why on earth should we still go to the northern frontier to become exiled convicts?”
A rapid succession of three questions directly left Li Chenghuan bewildered. She would never have imagined that the old matriarch had actually harbored thoughts of wanting to flee.
“Grandmother, we still have so many clan members, and Sister-in-law’s family is also in the capital.”
Old Madam Li turned her head away: “Your eldest brother died just like that, and your parents’ whereabouts remain completely unknown to this day. I only want you and Chengle to survive properly.”
Having been a widow for many years—whether raising her son to adulthood or, after her son and daughter-in-law went missing, toiling to support her grandson’s studies—among all those Li family clansmen, not a single one had ever lent a helping hand. Since the clan members had never helped her, why should she keep them in her thoughts?
In this world, everyone simply swept the snow from their own doorstep; people were inherently selfish. Having lived for the better part of her lifetime, she wanted to be selfish for once too.
“I’m just tossing the idea out there anyway. Your sister-in-law certainly wouldn’t be willing—forget it.” Without waiting for Li Chenghuan to answer further, Old Madam Li simply gave up on her own.
Li Chenghuan remained silent, yet upon returning, she still brought the matter up to Jiang Jinyue. She didn’t know what kind of answer she wanted, or perhaps her heart already held an anticipated answer.
Those two submachine guns and over two hundred bullets had ultimately stirred up some vague, turbulent notions within her.
No great surprise registered on Jiang Jinyue’s face; during the daytime, the old matriarch had shown immense concern over whether the Liu brothers could successfully escape.
Silently pondering for a moment, as if arriving at a certain resolution, she slowly lowered her voice and said: “We cannot act as recklessly and heedlessly as the Liu brothers, but we can escape by another method.”