Commander Li led his men toward the rear courtyard. He had served as a commander for several years, and this was far from his first time participating in a confiscation. Usually, guards like them would pocket a little extra during such raids. After all, families whose homes were confiscated were almost always wealthy. Today, the guards had intended to do the same as usual. Unexpectedly, after searching every room large and small, they found absolutely nothing.
Commander Li began to panic.
How was he supposed to explain this to his superiors?
He brought his men back to the front hall.
“Old Madam, we are only carrying out orders. You’d better hand over whatever valuables you’ve hidden. Otherwise, it won’t end well for your family, and we won’t be able to report back properly either.”
The Old Madam slowly turned around and looked at him calmly.
“Since before the imperial edict was read, we have all been confined to this front hall. None of us have left. How could we possibly hide anything? We are merely the elderly and children now. Even if we wished to hide something, where could we put it?”
One of the guards suddenly said:
“Wait. The new bride went to the rear courtyard to use the toilet.”
Commander Li’s gaze shifted toward Ziling.
Ziling stepped forward and said firmly:
“I merely went to relieve myself and returned shortly after. How could I possibly hide anything on my person?”
As she spoke, she spread her arms slightly, as if willing to be searched.
The commander also understood that the enormous wealth of the General Manor could never be concealed on a single woman’s body. Glancing at the sky and seeing time running short, he ordered his subordinates to hurry and change the family into prison garments before escorting them to the city gates to hand them over to the exile officers.
Frustrated at losing the chance to profit from the confiscation, the guards cursed under their breath as they threw down piles of prison clothes marked with the character for “criminal.”
“Hurry up! Stop dragging your feet!”
After changing into the prisoner’s clothing, the Old Madam looked around the courtyard with sorrow in her eyes.
“The old general of the General Manor had two sons. The eldest died in battle defending Xichuan before he could even marry. The second son was my husband, the Great General. Now the old general is still away at war, his life and death unknown. My son is missing as well, and now we are falsely accused and framed by villains. Where is justice in this world?”
Every word carried grief and despair.
Every sentence was the helpless cry of an old woman driven to the edge.
Among those following the family into exile, only one elderly maid remained by the Old Madam’s side. She had served her since before marriage, never wed herself, and willingly chose exile in order to continue caring for her mistress.
All the other servants would either be dismissed or sold off to other households.
Once everyone had changed clothes, they were shoved roughly toward the streets. Crowds of commoners lined both sides of the road. Many, not knowing the truth, truly believed the General Manor had colluded with foreign enemies. As the family passed, they cursed loudly and threw vegetable leaves and rotten eggs at them.
Others, however, believed the family had been framed. The General Manor had been loyal for generations; surely they would never commit such treason. Those people could only sigh quietly in sympathy.
Eleven-year-old Gong Hao kept his head lowered, appearing outwardly calm. Yet every now and then, he would stubbornly lift his eyes and glare viciously at the officers shoving his mother and younger sister.
But seven-year-old Gong Ying was in far worse condition. The tiny little girl had been cherished like a treasure by her father, mother, and brothers since birth. In her innocent world, everything had always been beautiful. Her father was a hero praised by everyone.
Now, faced with such a sudden catastrophe, the child simply walked forward blankly, too stunned even to cry.
Ziling reached over and held the little girl’s hand, her heart aching with pity.
In the distance near the city gates, another crowd had gathered.
Inside a prison cart sat a man covered in blood. His head drooped lifelessly, without even a trace of spirit left in him.
Gong Hao spotted the figure first and shouted excitedly:
“Mother! It’s Big Brother! It’s Big Brother!”
The Old Madam also saw the man in the prison cart. Her legs nearly gave out beneath her, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
“My son… my son… Who beat you into this state?”
Ziling had transmigrated and immediately gotten married without ever meeting her husband. And now, this was her first time seeing him.
Judging by his condition, things looked terrible.
Don’t tell me that on the very first day of my marriage, my husband is already crippled?
Hearing the voices, the man in the prison cart slowly lifted his head.
This man was none other than her husband of one day—Gong Mohan.
The moment he saw his mother, younger brother, and little sister, he suddenly grabbed the bars of the prison cart tightly. Anxiety surged through him, and he coughed up another mouthful of blood.
Since exiles were not permitted to remain in prison carts, the escorting guards dragged him out. Gong Mohan’s injuries were clearly severe; he could not even stand properly and collapsed heavily onto the ground the instant they released him.
“Big Brother!”
“Brother!”
“My son!”