Unlike the frantic ants on a hot pan in the imperial palace.
At the Xiao residence, the hour of Chen had arrived. Sun Tong stood smugly at the gate with the full contingent of soldiers, a pile of heavy iron chains stacked at his feet.
By the emperor’s decree, in consideration of the Xiao family’s merits, they were exempted from wearing cangues. The men would be shackled with iron chains, while the women would only be fettered with leg irons.
But these heavy chains alone were enough to give the Xiao brothers a hard time!
Seeing Xiao Yunqing supporting Xiao Muchen as they walked out, followed by the womenfolk, Sun Tong gave a sinister smile.
“General Xiao, allow me to personally put these on you!”
The address “Young General” was dripping with sarcasm.
After a night of medicine and rest, Xiao Muchen’s wounds had improved. Though his face remained pale, his beautiful phoenix eyes were filled with determination, his nose bridge high and straight. Unperturbed and calm, he lifted his gaze to meet Sun Tong’s eyes.
A flicker of disdain flashed in his eyes, as if he had never regarded the man before him as worthy of attention. “Fine.”
Compared to torment or anger, this silent disregard struck deeper at Sun Tong’s pride. Instantly enraged, he spat, “Fine! Very well! Let’s see how long that stubborn mouth of yours lasts.”
He picked up the heaviest chain and sneered as he approached Xiao Muchen.
These chains used for transporting special prisoners weighed twenty to thirty jin. Wearing them while walking thousands of li over rough roads, constantly rubbing against the neck and wrists, would cause the flesh on the hands and neck to rot and fester by the time they reached their destination.
Moreover, Xiao Muchen was injured, making this journey even more arduous for him than for others.
Xiao Yunqing furrowed his brow angrily and stepped forward. “I’ll do it!” His elder brother’s injuries couldn’t bear such heavy chains. With only women left, he had to step up.
“Don’t rush, everyone will get their turn!”
With a glance from Sun Tong, someone immediately shackled Xiao Yunqing with a twenty-five jin iron chain.
Then, looking down contemptuously at Xiao Muchen, Sun Tong deliberately slowed his movements, waiting to see a trace of fear or even a frown on Xiao Muchen’s face—anything that would give him satisfaction.
But Xiao Muchen showed nothing. No matter what happened, he seemed able to remain composed, which only infuriated Sun Tong further. In a fit of rage, Sun Tong raised his foot to kick him.
Cheng Lan narrowed her eyes slightly, pulled Xiao Muchen aside, hooked her foot around Sun Tong’s leg, and pushed. Sun Tong staggered back a few steps and fell hard on his backside.
With a faint, cold smile curling her lips and icy light in her eyes, she said, “Deputy General Sun, we are about to be exiled. If you provoke my eldest son and he ends up with another life on his hands before we leave, that wouldn’t be good.”
“You!” Sun Tong’s face flushed with rage. As he scrambled to his feet, ready to retaliate, a low shout came from behind.
“The hour has arrived, why the delay?” Zhang Kui, clad in black armor, stood with two squads of soldiers, escorting three people in the middle.
Cheng Lan, now shackled at the ankles, lifted her eyelids to look and recognized the third brother’s family.
At the head was Xiao Fuchuan, a portly man whose clothes could barely contain his protruding belly. His eyes, narrowed to slits, glared venomously at her.
“Wretch! Wretch! How dare you commit such a treasonous act? Why aren’t you dead yet? Go die quickly and apologize to my elder brother!”
Xiao Tongtong, the pearl of the third branch, also looked down her nose at Cheng Lan.
About fourteen years old, with a face as lovely as a flower and the moon, she should have been a beauty. But now, her features twisted with malice, giving her a sharp, angular appearance, much like her mother’s acrid demeanor.
“That’s right! It’s all because of you, you old hag! You should have died long ago! Look at what you’ve done—you’ve ruined our family, ruined my brothers! How dare you still have the face to live?!”
A mocking smile curled at the corner of Cheng Lan’s lips as her gaze swept toward Liu Manwen, who wore a look of utter distraction. “You’ll have to ask your mother about that.”
Suddenly dragged into the conversation, Liu Manwen’s heart skipped a beat. She shot Cheng Lan a disbelieving glance.
Could that wretched woman have found out? No, impossible! That fool Cheng Lan would probably die without ever knowing how it happened!
With that thought, Liu Manwen relaxed, glaring back viciously, her expression growing increasingly venomous and spiteful. At the same time, she cast a meaningful glance toward Zhang Kui.
Hmph! Once they were out of the city, everything would be fine. Let that useless Xiao Fuchuan, who was all talk and no action, stay behind and die with them. She would take her daughter back to enjoy a life of luxury, completely severing ties with the Xiao family!
“Shackle them!” Zhang Kui avoided Liu Manwen’s gaze, his face twisted into a ferocious scowl.
Li Xuerong’s lips were pale as she clutched Nannan tightly, bowing her head and closing her eyes in resignation.
Xiao Qin’er shrank into a corner the moment the leg irons were clamped on.
Cheng Lan and her two sons remained indifferent; in that moment, the expressions on all three faces were identical.
Xiao Fuchuan didn’t dare to act tough and could only glare. Xiao Tongtong, afraid of pain, muttered a few unpleasant words under her breath, while Liu Manwen gave Zhang Kui a meaningful look.
Zhang Kui felt nothing but disgust in his heart. Just as he was about to leave, he saw a soldier stumbling toward him in a panic. His brows furrowed, and he barked, “What’s the matter? Why the panic?!”
The soldier, his face ashen, leaned in to whisper in his ear.
“G-General, the n-national treasury has been robbed!!”
“His Majesty has ordered the immediate sealing of the city gates for a thorough investigation!”
What?!
Zhang Kui staggered back, his eyes widening in disbelief.
With war against the enemy nation imminent and funds desperately needed, what kind of damned scoundrel would dare to rob the national treasury?!
“You insolent fool, speak clearly! What was stolen?”
“E-everything, General!”
Zhang Kui’s legs went weak again, his anger turning to shock.
The national treasury was of utmost importance, guarded in three shifts each day with thirty men per shift, not to mention experts watching from the shadows. And the treasury contained thousands of items! How could someone have stolen everything without anyone noticing?!
Cheng Lan only vaguely overheard something about the national treasury. Seeing Zhang Kui’s livid face, a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
If he knew that his own storeroom was completely empty too, wouldn’t he be so furious he’d drop dead on the spot?
“Bastards! Bastards! What are you standing around for? Seal all the city gates immediately! No one is allowed in or out!” Zhang Kui roared, kicking the soldier aside in a fit of rage before immediately leading the remaining soldiers out in a frantic rush.
Sun Tong watched their departure with a puzzled expression. What on earth was so urgent?
Xiao Tongtong was the most excited, her face lighting up as she grabbed Liu Manwen’s hand. “Mother, since the city gates are being sealed, does that mean we won’t be exiled?”
“Dream on! Move out!” Sun Tong’s command shattered her illusions, his smile sinister. “I’ll personally escort you to ensure you arrive safely.”
“Hey! What are you scaring my daughter for? Watch out, or I’ll call…” Liu Manwen’s eyes widened as she hurriedly shielded her precious daughter, nearly blurting out the words the next second.
She shut her mouth, her expression grim. Hmph! Once the general came to fetch her and her daughter, she’d have him deal with this ungrateful lackey!
Hearing Sun Tong’s words, Cheng Lan curled her lips into a cold smile. Safe? They certainly wouldn’t be safe. Once they left the capital, far from the emperor’s reach, some people would die, and that would be the end of it.
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