The fact that He Mengying was a tainted witness could not be kept secret.

She was not on the list of those being exiled, but other people were not fools. Besides, it was impossible for her to stay in the kitchen all her life, never go out, and have no contact with outsiders, right?

Instead of living in hiding, it is better to go out openly and sell your misery.

Wang Xiang had helped He Mengying before, and now she was going to help in times of need. Others would only say that she had done her best.

Han Zeyu rode Xiao Hei and let He Mengying sit on Lao Huang's back. After sending them to the outer city, he put them down and went to take the horses for a walk.

He Mengying didn't suspect anything and walked towards the city gate with her bag.

Han Zeyu patted Xiao Hei and Lao Huang and said, "You two take a walk together. I have something to do. If anyone tries to steal the horse, catch them and send them to the government. I'll get the reward and buy you two apples."

Xiao Hei nodded, looking forward to some foolish horse thief coming to give him apples.

Old Huang didn't say anything. In Han Zeyu's opinion, this horse looked a bit shifty.

He didn't say anything, patted the two horses, and walked towards an inconspicuous corner.

…

The bay horse is gentle and well-behaved, setting a good example for the two wild horses in the family.

As a means of transportation for officials, horse-drawn carriages have a strict hierarchy.

Officials of different ranks used carriages with different decorations to reflect the differences in their identity and status.

Su Shien didn't even need a servant, let alone a carriage. The chestnut horse would find a "parking space" by itself, so no one had to worry about it.

There was a carriage parked in each compartment, and Xiaohong occupied a single compartment for herself, living a carefree and comfortable life.

It sleeps lying down, standing up, and lying down in various postures.

The other horses were extremely envious. This guy wasn't a good breed. It seemed like we were the only ones working like slaves, and you were here for a relaxing vacation.

That day, Xiaohong's leisurely day was broken by a horseman.

The groom wanted to please a nobleman's son who held an idle position, so he set his sights on the position of the chestnut horse.

For the first time, Xiaohong went out for a walk after eating and drinking, and gave up her seat without any hesitation.

The second time, the groom became more demanding. Xiaohong observed for a while and finally gave in.

Usually, when it was time to get off work, Su Shien was always the first to rush out, and Xiaohong would also wait for him outside in advance, so Su Shien had no idea that his Xiaohong had been wronged.

The third time, the groom wanted to repeat the same trick. He not only asked the chestnut horse to make room in advance, but also took away its apple.

Xiaohong didn't make any noise, but quietly kicked three times.

The first kick stepped on the corner of the groom's robe.

The second kick knocked the man to the ground.

The third kick crushed the apple on the ground.

Su Shien left the yamen and looked towards the door as usual, wondering where his chestnut horse was.

His dog Xiaohong was confronting someone. The horseman said that he was plotted against by this vicious and scheming horse and demanded compensation from the horse owner.

Su Shien heard the commotion and rushed over here, and immediately heard someone talking nonsense.

How dare you ask for compensation? He has no money, but he has his life. With his annual salary of 45 taels, he can barely support his husband, so how can he afford to compensate you?

Without knowing the inside story, Su Shien started the battle to defend his property.

Su Shien argued, "Listen to what you are saying! Ma has plotted against you. You are crazy about money!"

The chestnut horse stood aside with its head drooped, looking pitiful.

As soon as Su Shien opened his mouth, he crushed the opponent one-sidedly, citing classics, speaking in a clear and logical manner, and making every word sound like a gem.

The parties involved couldn't say anything back, and the onlookers couldn't get a word in.

Xiaohong took a few steps, caught Su Shien's attention, and gestured for him to look at the ground.

At this moment, the noble son who had cut in line spoke up to smooth things over: "As a horse herder, how could you not understand the habits of horses? This inferior horse is not easy to teach. Even if you force your way into a group that doesn't belong to it, it will find it difficult to fit in... Ah!"

Half of a crushed and discolored apple hit the man in the face.

Su Shien didn't do it on purpose, he just slipped his hand due to the excitement.

"We scholars have studied diligently for over ten years, hanging our heads on beams and piercing our legs with awls. We are grateful to Your Majesty for not abandoning us and allowing us to serve the country. You, however, are idlers, forgetting your ancestors, and fawning on the powerful. You have forgotten the glory of your ancestors and indulged in extravagance and wastefulness..."

The groom trembled with fear, feeling that he had committed a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of his entire clan.

The second-generation rich kid was also stunned by the scolding. I just said a few mixed words, and you were almost scolding me by name.

What do you mean? It was just an apple that was crushed. The key point is that he didn’t crush it!

More and more people gathered around, and if he continued to be scolded like this, his family would be on the verge of being demoted and stripped of their official titles.

Su Shien had cursed enough and led his chestnut horse away from the place of trouble.

The second-generation rich man is used to bullying the weak and fearing the strong, but he is not a fool and the focus of the conflict must be diverted.

So he spat at the groom, scolding him for wasting food and neglecting his duties...

Forgive his poor vocabulary. He relied on the glory of his ancestors to get a seventh-rank sinecure. His knowledge reserves cannot be compared with those of the sour scholars in the Hanlin Academy.

All the parties involved left, leaving the horseman in a difficult situation.

Su Shien walked to an empty corner and squatted down to check Xiaohong's front hooves.

Then he frowned and scolded her, "Don't waste food in the future. Remember this lesson. You only wiped the soles of your feet, but didn't even wipe the edges."

The chestnut horse lowered its head in shame and reflected. It was the first time for it to destroy evidence, and it was not familiar with the job. It would be more careful next time.

As for He Mengying, she waited in a tea stall outside the city for more than half an hour and finally saw Wang Xiang in prison clothes.

Prisoners who were sent to labor had to travel thousands of miles to reach remote areas where they would serve.

Men had to wear wooden shackles and leg irons, while female prisoners were treated slightly better, with only their hands tied.

He Mengying invited the official to drink cold tea, gave him some benefits, and asked her to say a few words to her sisters.

Wang Xiang's numb expression was not as lively as before.

He Mengying still clearly remembers that when she imagined the future, there was light in her eyes and her tone was full of anticipation.

But Wang Xiang didn't know that the beautiful life she imagined never existed.

After those people adapt to their "new" identities, they will kill them all.

After the case was concluded, Wang Xiang and others learned their sentences and realized that they had been deceived by the people they trusted from beginning to end.

He Mengying had experienced this kind of heart-wrenching pain. She and Wang Xiang hugged each other and cried bitterly, unable to utter a complete sentence.

The time has come and the group is about to set off. He Mengying put the package on Wang Xiang and told her to stay alive, because only by living can there be hope.

She also knew that the so-called hope was nothing more than a miserable existence, but so what?

She doesn't want to die. Death would mean all is over. She still wants revenge!

He Mengying walked back sobbing, not noticing that someone was following her.

The person looked like an ordinary woman in her thirties. She was tidying up neatly and had a bamboo basket covered with a piece of floral cloth on her arm.

Behind the woman, a young man wearing a bamboo hat and waving a palm-leaf fan was following her leisurely...