bookrebus Chapter 765 The Journey of Exile (1)
Chapter 765 The Journey of Exile (1)
Wangyou ordered a lot of food and supplies for herself before going out, which was her guarantee that she could live well on the road to exile.
As for why Wangyou wanted to be exiled, and why she couldn't just leave, Wangyou said that she had never participated in exile before and wanted to try it out.
Besides, she had a comfortable journey, so wouldn't it be interesting to watch the dogs fight?
Although the general and his wife resembled her parents, she was long past the age where she needed parents, and resemblance and being parents were two different things, which she would not confuse.
A few days later, the crown prince was deposed for treason, and those involved were either killed or exiled. The Lu family was one of the families exiled.
Whether the crown prince was plotting a rebellion or not is not important; what is important is that the emperor believed the crown prince was plotting a rebellion.
Therefore, the crown prince was also among those exiled.
There was a ten-mile slope outside the city where the prisoners were gathered. Wangyou glanced at the crowd and saw that there were many people. This must have been the exile of at least three clans, totaling more than a thousand people.
Besides the General's Mansion, the Crown Prince's tutor, the Crown Prince's maternal family, the former Left Chancellor's family, and some scattered fifth and sixth-rank officials were also exiled, making for a large and impressive procession.
Wangyou looked at the shackles on her body, finding them quite novel. After all, it had been countless lifetimes since she had worn such a thing. Wangyou looked at them from left to right, finding them incredibly fascinating.
However, after the novelty wore off, Wangyou thought that once she left Shilipo, she would ask the escort to retrieve the item for her. Novelty was one thing, but inconvenience was another.
Next, Wangyou witnessed scene after scene of what it means for couples to be like birds in the same forest, but fly away separately when disaster strikes.
However, only a very small number of couples can successfully divorce. First, they must not have children, and second, their maternal family must feel sorry for them. But when it comes to being involved in treason, most people choose to protect themselves.
Wangyou watched as Jiang kept looking towards the city gate, but when the time came, her family members, whom she was waiting for, never came, not even the person who brought the money.
"Hurry up!" The escort raised his whip and urged them on.
Under the scorching sun, the prisoners, wearing heavy shackles and chains, embarked on their journey to exile.
"Brother, could you please help me remove this?" Wangyou took out a fifty-tael silver note and handed it to the head escort.
"Alright." Liu Meng looked at the silver notes in his hand, and then thought that this was a young lady newly found by the General's Mansion. She had not enjoyed much happiness, but had suffered a lot of sins. So he had someone remove the shackles and fetters from her body.
Wangyou felt a sense of relief. As for her adoptive parents, she didn't even bother to look at them. She didn't have much affection for them to begin with, and she had already worn them out during her stay at the General's Mansion.
Wangyou continued walking and refining her body, so she didn't feel too tired.
"Mom, I'm so tired, I don't want to walk anymore!"
"I'm so tired! Let me take a break!"
These were all pampered nobles who had never walked such a long road before, let alone with shackles and chains on their backs.
Looking at the blazing sun, the escorts were exhausted and decided to rest for a while; it was already noon.
Then, the yamen runners began serving meals.
Wangyou stared intently at the hard, dark steamed bun in her hand; it was definitely edible.
"Forget-me-not, here's some water, just soak in it and you'll be fine." Madam Jiang rarely showed such a maternal tenderness.
"No need." Wangyou refused Jiang's kindness; belated affection was worth less than grass.
Wangyou found a spot, quickly devoured a few large steamed buns, and then drank a sip of spiritual spring water, feeling wonderful.
"This child is still distant," Jiang said sadly.
"The journey is still long, take it slow," Lu Xun said with a sigh.
The saying "a person's true character is revealed in times of trouble" is perfectly exemplified in the exiles.
After eating and drinking to her heart's content, she listened to all sorts of complaints around her, then closed her eyes and rested for a while.
A quarter of an hour later, the familiar sound of the constable's whip rang out, and Wangyou opened her eyes accordingly.
This time, the shackles weren't immediately obvious. Many people, even those who had fallen on hard times, still had some silver hidden in their hands, so they bribed the officers to remove the shackles and leg irons.
This way, fewer people will die, and the journey will be faster.
Lu Tingting was carried on Lu Chen and Lu Jing's backs in turns, and they really looked like siblings.
Wangyou rolled her eyes, too lazy to continue watching, and ran to the very back of the line.
She was quite curious about this crown prince. He was highly praised by the common people, but unexpectedly, the royal family had no kinship and deposed him without hesitation.
"Has your Crown Prince woken up?" Wangyou asked a dark-faced guard.
The dark-faced guards didn't want to pay any attention to Wangyou. The Crown Prince had been beaten a hundred times, and his lower body was a bloody mess. They were worried about whether there was any medicine for him, so they didn't have time to bother with Wangyou.
"He seems to be badly injured. If he doesn't receive treatment soon, he might die," Wangyou said, pulling out a handful of melon seeds from somewhere and cracking them open as she spoke.
"You're the one who'll die! Even if you die, my prince won't..." The burly man with the dark face was furious, but because Wangyou was a little girl, he didn't throw a punch.
"If you satisfy my curiosity, the person inside might be rescueable!" Wangyou said with a grin, completely unafraid.
Do you have medicine?
"Not only that, but if I'm happy, I might even save his legs." Wangyou's smile was incredibly irritating, but she genuinely wanted to save the crown prince. Such a patriotic prince, saving him might have unexpected positive effects.
"Are you serious?"
"Believe it or not!" Wangyou clapped her hands, her mouth a little dry from eating melon seeds, and took a sip of water to moisten it.
“If you are willing to save His Highness, I will give you my life.” A pale-faced, beardless eunuch suddenly appeared from inside and knelt down, saying this.
"What are you doing!" The bailiff's whip never stopped for a minute.
I wonder if the officer who kept whipping the man got tired of it.
"Get up first. Do any of you know how to cook?" Wangyou asked the question that she cared about most.
"I can!" Unexpectedly, it was the burly, dark-faced man who spoke.
"Is it good?" Wangyou looked at the man's burly figure and his muscles. "Even a chef couldn't have built that up!"
"Delicious! This kid's cooking is amazing. I was planning to become a chef after I retired from the military, but I never expected it to turn out like this," the eunuch said hurriedly.
"Alright, show me your skills tonight. If I'm satisfied, I'll save your prince." After saying that, Wangyou skipped off again.
"Isn't she tired? She's been walking for so long, and she's still full of energy. She has amazing stamina."
"If I'm not mistaken, that girl should be a martial artist," the dark-faced man whispered.
Forget-Me-Not, for the sake of her stomach, didn't slack off on the way. She secretly transferred a drop of spiritual spring water from her space, rubbed it in her hands, and soon, pheasants and rabbits of all sizes arrived.
"Brother Liu, these two rabbits and two chickens are for you, the rest are mine." After bribing the constable enthusiastically, Wangyou carried a string of prey and went to find the burly man with the dark face to cook her a delicious meal.