Chapter 885 On the Road to Exile 13

He had indeed taken care of the Chu family before, but that was because of the thousand taels of silver. The second young lady said that it was a good deed he had done.

He, the Golden Knife Flying Man, was a bit cunning and despicable, but he was also someone who knew how to repay kindness; he didn't need to express his gratitude in words.

"Second Miss, I think someone has their eye on your Duke's Mansion. Those people have been following us for quite some time. I've been observing them for a while, and they've been keeping a close eye on your eldest son's family. Be careful."

Ning Yan: Sure enough, a seasoned veteran like Jin Daofei is no pushover.

Thank you.

Jin Daofei waved his hand, indicating that he was being too polite, and then bowed and left.

The next day, the group set off, and the atmosphere among the exiles became somewhat eerie.

These people automatically split into three groups: the Chu family, the "rebellious" exiled criminals, and those who didn't want to cause trouble or offend anyone.

Because of Ning Yan's help yesterday, the officials are taking extra care of the Chu family.

All the children squeezed into Ning Yan's car, and they acted as if they didn't see them.

Later, even the old lady and the heir's wife got into the carriage, since Ning Yan had plenty of carriages.

In the blink of an eye, more than two thousand miles had passed, and they finally arrived at the place where Liu Yinyin died in her previous life.

Zhangzishan is a necessary stop on the way from the capital to the northern regions.

It is said to have gotten its name from the many deer that inhabit the mountain.

Nowadays, there are few deer on Zhangzi Mountain, but there is now a local tyrant.

The local tyrant was named Ye Dehai. He was in his thirties and had once served as a county magistrate. Later, he was accused of being greedy and had no choice but to take his family and a group of thugs to join the bandits on Zishan Mountain.

This man was extremely cunning and intelligent. In less than two years, he killed the leader and took his place on the mountain, becoming the leader himself.

He originally didn't intend to rob the passing convicts, since there was no profit to be made and it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

Just the day before the exiled prisoners were to pass by, someone found him and gave him a large sum of money, instructing him to kidnap all the women among the exiled prisoners and take them up the mountain.

"It's a fool not to make money when you can, and besides, you can exchange a woman for some money. Even if you don't exchange her for money, you can still entertain your brothers. It's all beneficial and harmless," so Ye Dehai made his move.

It was here that the Crown Prince's wife was injured in the face and stabbed in the abdomen while fighting back desperately, resulting in her infertility.

Even after she became empress, rumors circulated in the capital that she had been abused during her exile.

Liu Yinyin, who was already quite attractive, became a prime target for suitors.

If she were just an ordinary concubine, the man would definitely have given in. Following a bandit might have given him a better chance of living a good life, but if he went to the north, even if he survived, his life wouldn't be easy.

But Liu Yinyin is different. She's aiming to become a princess, not a bandit.

She even tried to save her husband by standing in front of him, only to be stabbed to death by the bandits.

Sure enough, when they passed Zhangzishan, Ye Dehai deliberately blocked the road with his carriages and horses.

Jin Daofei's heart skipped a beat when he saw Ye Dehai's posture. He had heard of Ye Dehai's name before, but he had never robbed a criminal before.

So he wasn't on guard at all when he passed Zhangzishan.

"Hey! I planted this tree and opened this road! If you want to pass, leave your toll."

Jin Daofei: "Is this Chief Ye here? I am Jin Daofei, escorting prisoners to the north. I really don't have any extra silver on me. I beg Chief Ye to be lenient and let us pass. I would be extremely grateful!"

The bald man behind Ye Dehai yelled, "Damn it, stop wasting your breath on me! Leave all the women in your group, young and old, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, I'll just take them by force!"

Jin Daofei frowned instantly.

He was a womanizer, but the journey to the north was relatively safe.

Why?

Because it's too cold!

It's now the tenth day of the first lunar month, a time when the north is so cold that ears can freeze off. Most of the prisoners who were injured earlier are already dead.

Walking was fine, as my body remained warm, but once I stopped, I felt like my whole body was about to freeze.

In such cold conditions, a man simply couldn't have those thoughts.

Therefore, the further north a woman goes, the safer she becomes.

As for selling people?

Jin Daofei also wanted to.

But as I said before, it was too cold. The number of deaths from typhoid fever and injuries was too high. He dared not sell any more people. Otherwise, if the number of convicts in the north was not right, he wouldn't need to go back to the capital. He could just find a job in the north and save himself the trouble of going through another exile journey.

Now Ye Dehai is demanding that all the female prisoners be kept, which is no different from taking his life.

"Boss Ye, I can't do this. These prisoners are the lives of my whole family. Please, Boss Ye, show mercy."

Ye Dehai: "Looks like you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. Then stop talking nonsense and get to work!"

Ning Yan had already gathered the Chu family together, and then waved to Chu Yu, who immediately squeezed over, "Aunt Ning."

Ning Yan whispered in his ear, "When the fight breaks out, take the women and children and run towards those people behind you, but also be wary of them."

Chu Yu raised an eyebrow. Was Ning Yan planning to use someone else's strength against her?

"Okay, I've got it. Aunt Ning, be careful too. If things get bad, just ride away." She has guards with her, so she shouldn't have much trouble protecting herself.

Moreover, Aunt Ning is skilled in martial arts, and her martial arts prowess is even higher than that of Fourth Uncle, otherwise Fourth Uncle would not dislike her.

Ye Dehai's men were ruthless, their attacks were purely for killing. Jin Daofei's men were injured in the first exchange. Under Ning Yan's instructions, Zhang Qing led his men to help.

However, the number of bandits was too large, and even Ning Yan's side was targeted by them.

Ning Yan turned around and went to the car, quickly returning with two swords.

She grabbed herself and threw her at Chu Yu, saying, "Go!"

Chu Yu took the sword, picked up the old lady, and ran back, saying, "Mother, bring my younger brothers and sisters and follow me."

Chu Laosan and Chu Laosi naturally stayed behind, while Chu Laoer, that good-for-nothing, actually followed the child and ran off!

Ning Yan breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Chu Yu run to the guards who were watching the Chu family. She turned around, flicked her longsword, and killed one of the bandits who was charging at the front.

With each change of sword moves, a life was taken.

She quickly cleared the area around her!

Chu Laosi had already picked up a large knife to fight the enemy. Ning Yan was standing in front of him, so he naturally saw Ning Yan's every move. He never expected that his wife would be so heroic and valiant. This was something he had never seen before.

In his memory, what he remembers most vividly is the day of their wedding, when he took his wife's hand and felt the rough calluses on it.

He disliked her at the time. Although his family was of military background, he only liked delicate women. His wife looked restless. It was only after that that he fell in love with Aunt Chen and eventually took her into his family.