Chapter 2 Arrival in Lingnan

Zhao Xiang sighed with guilt: "Ya'er, it's Dad who has implicated you!"

Zhao Liya glanced at him with mixed feelings.

He didn't know yet that his daughter was actually dead.

The family was originally happy and harmonious, but unexpectedly something happened that broke the world apart.

Zhao Liya slowly shook her head and smiled. "Don't blame Dad. Whatever he does, he has his reasons. Besides, everything we have was given by Dad. There's no need to blame him. Let's go to Lingnan first. Lingnan should be pretty good. We can definitely live a good life there."

This is all I can think of for now, and take it one step at a time.

Zhao Xiang felt relieved, and his eyes lit up. "Good, Daddy's Ya'er has grown up and become sensible! You're right, we will definitely be fine in Lingnan."

"Yes, I will."

The father and daughter smiled at each other.

At this moment, Zhao Liya suddenly felt a sense of closeness from the bottom of her heart. Is this the innate power of blood connection?

She secretly told herself that from this moment on, she would be the Zhao Liya of this world! So what if she was exiled? She, Zhao Liya, swore to herself that she would carve out a niche for herself in that isolated, remote, and difficult place!

When I set out again, although my steps were still heavy and I was still panting, I no longer had that dead despair.

Under normal circumstances, one would have to travel fifty or sixty miles a day during the exile. That night, he spent the night at an inn in Anding Town, fifty miles away from Beijing.

As expected, the third-class steward of the Duke of Liguo's Mansion arrived. With a sullen face, he exchanged Zhao Liya's letter of withdrawal of engagement for two thousand taels of silver notes and a nice carriage, and took away the letter.

That’s right, the Duke of Liguo’s Mansion took a tough stance and only offered two thousand taels.

Zhao Liya had already prepared for their bargaining when she asked for a high price, so she was not disappointed.

With the carriage and banknotes, the Zhao family all breathed a sigh of relief.

God knows how hard and painful it was to walk the fifty miles to Anding Town Post Station today. Everyone's feet were covered in blisters and burning with pain.

The two nine-year-old twin children, Zhao Lixiang and Zhao Lin, were so tired that they kept crying. Zhao Liya couldn't bear it and took turns carrying them for a while.

Deng's mother had wanted to carry the child on her back, but she couldn't bear it. She stumbled and fell to the ground, breaking both of her knees. She gritted her teeth and continued on her journey, only to discover at the post station that her knees were horribly swollen and bloody.

Fortunately, there was a carriage.

Zhao Liya quickly calculated in her mind how to spend the money and how to maximize the use of the carriage.

She discussed it with her parents, and then presented Liu Tou with three hundred taels of silver: "Thank you for your hard work on the journey. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please take this and have a cup of tea first."

Among the officers responsible for escorting the exiles, the leader Liu Touer had a cold face and didn't say a word. He scolded and forced them to hurry along the way, but he didn't deliberately make trouble or use force. For Zhao Liya's family, this was a great luck.

Liu Tou'er took the banknote with a big hand, a smile on his face: "Okay, okay, we are going to travel together, and we just hope for a safe and smooth journey, right?"

"Yes, you are right. Don't worry, we will save trouble!" Zhao Liya smiled and nodded.

What Liu Touer meant was that as long as they didn't cause trouble, everything else could be discussed, which was exactly what Zhao Liya wanted.

Zhao Liya wasn't worried that the escorting officers would openly rob the money. Each industry had its own rules and taboos, and only a very few heartless people would do such a sinister thing. Besides, they didn't know how much silver they had.

According to the laws of the Qin Dynasty, when escorting exiled prisoners, it must be ensured that 80% of the prisoners arrive safely, otherwise the escorting officials will be punished.

Knowing this, Zhao Liya felt more at ease.

The only food the post station provided to the exiled prisoners was hard, stale, coarse steamed bread, and they lived in a dark and damp woodshed.

If you want to eat well and live well, you have to pay for it yourself.

Zhao Liya didn't intend to compromise on food and accommodation. It was a journey of more than 4,000 miles, and the traffic conditions were like those in ancient times. It would be bumpy and windy all the way, and it would be impossible to make it without a good body.

Otherwise, even if he managed to reach Lingnan, he probably wouldn't live for many years.

That night, they spent one tael of silver on white flour buns and chicken soup, and another two taels of silver on two simple rooms that at least had beds.

The things in the post station are ridiculously expensive, it's no different from robbery.

But there is no way, we can only be slaughtered on someone else's territory.

As they were criminals, they couldn't move freely, so Zhao Liya had no choice but to use some money to beg Liu Tou'er to buy some things for them. She made a list: clothes, shoes, socks, blankets, common medicines, storable food, and so on.

Why had Zhao Xiang and Deng ever had to deal with these trivial matters personally before? Unconsciously, Zhao Liya was making all the decisions on the road.

With these things, everyone felt much more at ease when they set out on the road the next day.

In any case, there is a guarantee along the way. This guarantee, if nothing unexpected happens, can ensure that they arrive in Lingnan alive.

Staying alive is the only thing they need to care about right now.

Setting out in early February, they journeyed south, the weather growing warmer day by day. Along the way, they watched as grass sprouted, flowers blossomed, and branches brimmed with green leaves and fruits. From the chill of spring to the blazing sun, their journey was marked by smooth sailing, wind and rain, and after many bumps and bruises, they finally reached Gaolian County, the southern prefecture, in mid-May.

This was the final destination of their family's exile.

"We're finally here!"

After Liu Tou'er and his entourage handed them over to Gao Lian's county government, they returned to Beijing. However, Zhao Liya and her family had to live here from then on, and perhaps they would never have the chance to leave again!

With Liu Tou'er and his group's departure, they were completely cut off from everything in the capital! Zhao Xiang and Deng's eyes were red, and they felt extremely sad.

Zhao Liya wasn't the original owner, so she didn't have that feeling. The two children were still young and didn't understand. But Zhao Liya could understand her parents' emotions. Beijing was their hometown.

The next day, the family was led to the resettlement village by Yu Gongcao, who was in charge of managing the exiled prisoners.

The group asked Yu Gongcao to hire a donkey cart. Horses were scarce in those days, and Zhao Liya was tactful. At Yu Gongcao's suggestion, she offered both the horse and the cart to the county government.

After leaving the county town, we were bumpy and shaking all the way and finally arrived at our destination after almost an hour.

"Look, Yan Village is just ahead. Go there by yourselves."

Outside the village entrance, Yu Gongcao nodded towards the village and said, "I think it's unlucky, so I won't set foot in Yan Village easily."

"Thank you very much, sir. Thank you for your hard work!" Zhao Liya bent down to express her gratitude.

Hearing her thanks, the Zhao family members hurriedly thanked her as well.

Gongcao had no rank or class, so he was not worthy of being called "Sir". However, he was still very happy to be treated with such respect.

You know, when he brought people here in the past, seeing this desolate place with weeds taller than people and nothing to see, they were all filled with sorrow, some even bursting into tears. Forget thanking him, some even glared at him with resentment - really, what did it have to do with him? He was just an errand boy!

The Zhao family was so polite that he looked up to them.

It’s a pity that now that I’ve come to this place, there’s no way I’ll ever be able to make a breakthrough in this life or the next.

(End of this chapter)