At dusk, Bao Weida urged them to hurry on their way to a roadside inn in the town ahead to stay overnight.

When I left the city, I walked to Shili Pavilion with all my might.

After resting, my legs hurt so much that I could hardly move them again.

The shackles were heavy, the ropes chafed my wrists with excruciating pain, and my legs felt like lead; I couldn't move even if I died.

Madam Xie discussed with Bao Weida: "Officer, may we ride in the carriage that our relatives gave us?"

He then handed over a silver note.

Bao Weida accepted the silver note, but then lashed out with his whip, saying, "What are you dreaming of? A carriage ride? How about staying in a palace? We've only gone a few steps and you're already dawdling?"

Old Madam Xie endured Bao Weida's whipping without uttering a sound. When you're under someone's roof, if you don't bow your head, you'll bring trouble upon your children and grandchildren.

Seeing her grandmother's forced composure, Xie Zhaozhao said to Yuanyuan, "Kill him!"

Li Yunmu was initially afraid of causing trouble for Xie Zhaozhao and the others, and only threatened Bao Weida with a whip. But now, after hearing Xie Zhaozhao's words, what were they waiting for? They started killing!

Bao Weida was a military household member and was quite skilled in martial arts; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the leader of the escorts.

Yuanyuan pulled out the soft sword, and only then did Bao Weida realize that she was carrying a murder weapon.

More than forty guards surrounded Yuanyuan and tried to kill her.

Xie Anfeng still wanted to reason with Bao Weida, but Bao Weida sneered, "Do you still think you're the all-powerful Lord Xie? What kind of official airs are you using to talk to me?"

Li Yunmu said, "Uncle Xie, don't reason with such a despicable person. Although they have assessments for the 3,000-mile journey, the mortality rate is less than 20%, so they are not punished. People like Grandmother would rather die as soon as possible so they can make up for lost time."

Linglong, a maidservant, also joined the fight.

Seeing that Yuanyuan and Linglong were no match for the group attack, Xie Zhaozhao clapped her hands and shouted, "Cold Blade, No Trace, Zhuanzhu, Jade Spear!"

They were the four assassins given to them by Zhang Yanyan.

The four men suddenly jumped out, their swords flashing like a blur. Several clanging sounds rang out as the weapons clashed. Bao Weida, Li Er, and six other escorts had their necks broken, bleeding profusely.

Xie Zhaozhao calmly said, "It's been dealt with."

The four men silently each carried one, and disappeared in a moment.

The other guards were terrified and knelt down, begging for mercy: "Please spare our lives, Miss."

"Can we ride in the carriage now?"

"Yes, yes, please get on the carriage, Madam." The escorts transformed into horse-riding stools and helped Madam Xie and the others onto the carriage.

That evening, they hurried to Yichuan Town, which was fifty miles from the capital.

After finding the only inn in town, Xie Zhaozhao directly asked the owner for the large dormitory-style bed and all the superior rooms.

Madam Xie was very uneasy and said, "Zhaozhao, I'm afraid they will report this to the local government!"

Xie Anfeng was also worried: "Zhaozhao, killing six escorts is a serious crime, and I'm afraid they won't let it go."

“Then I can’t bear it!” Xie Zhaozhao said calmly to Xie Anfeng. “Grandmother, you can rest with your sister-in-law and aunt. I have something to say to Father and Brother.”

Madam Xie was uneasy, but she was too tired, and Princess Changping was also tired.

None of the women said much; they all went straight to sleep.

Xie Anfeng, Xie Yu, and Xie Zhaozhao were talking.

Xie Zhaozhao still spoke slowly and deliberately, but Xie Anfeng immediately sensed his daughter's unprecedented assertiveness.

“Father, elder brother, the Xie family has been driven to the brink of ruin by His Majesty,” Xie Zhaozhao said. “We have no way out.”

Neither Xie Anfeng nor Xie Yu spoke nonsense; they both understood the situation.

"Father handed over the Black-Clad Guards in exchange for a prefecture of exile. If it's just a difficult journey, we have a 50% chance of survival. But I'm afraid His Majesty won't let us get to our place of exile safely."

He kept his aunt's affair private out of consideration for the royal family's reputation, but his fear of powerful families remained, and he would not hesitate to eliminate them if possible.

The Xie family and the Zhang family were his biggest worries.

Before His Majesty dies, he will pave the way for the next ruler, and the Xie family is merely the first.

Xie Anfeng and Xie Yu remained silent.

We're all old foxes; we all understand. We just hadn't broken through the barrier before.

"Will he kill us?"

"Yes! Today is only our first day out, and we'll likely encounter bandits and robbers frequently along the way."

Xie Anfeng asked Xie Zhaozhao, "What did His Highness say to you?"

"He didn't say anything. He and His Majesty are father and son. He couldn't possibly kill his father, nor would he want to hurt me. He could refuse to be the crown prince, refuse to take over the country, and obstruct His Majesty from killing the Xie family, but the more he does that, the more His Majesty will resent the Xie family. So the best way to protect the Xie family is to stay away from him and draw a clear line."

Xie Zhaozhao said, "The military power is in His Majesty's hands, but His Majesty is also wary of Your Highness."

Xie Yu asked, "What are your plans, little sister?"

“I don’t want to obey the imperial decree and go into exile! My grandmother can’t bear it. We’ll forcibly change our route tomorrow and head east. My guards left the city two days in advance; they will take us to Yejian Port, where my large ship is docked.”

"My sister has a big ship?" Xie Yu was shocked.

"Yes, the Maritime Silk Road, which has become popular in Dali and ten surrounding countries in recent years, is mine!"

Xie Anfeng and Xie Yu were extremely surprised by Xie Zhaozhao's words. The famous Silk Road, the route where every ship's cargo was more valuable than gold, belonged to Xie Zhaozhao?

Xie Zhaozhao stopped hiding the truth and told her father and brothers the part of the story that they could accept about the opening of the sea route. She had to provide sufficient guarantees to persuade her father and brothers to lead the entire clan in resisting the imperial decree!

"That's how it is. The route was opened by me, Yin Jin'an, Li Yunmu, and Zhou Lingyin together."

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!