Chapter 13: My father, who embezzled military funds!
Chapter 13
Ye Xiren looked up.
Steward Jiang arrived quickly with several guards. His expression was solemn, and his face was even somewhat ugly. After bowing, he extended his hand and said, "Young Master, Second Miss, please leave with me immediately."
The tone was resolute and brooked no argument.
"Uncle Jiang, what's wrong?" As if sensing something unusual, Ye Changming stood up in confusion. The small table was overturned, and melon seeds fell all over the floor, making a soft clattering sound.
But nobody cared.
Ye Xixin's heart skipped a beat. Jiang Sui used to be Ye Pei's pageboy. The two grew up together and were as close as brothers. To them, Jiang Sui was not a servant, but an uncle who watched them grow up and whom they could trust unconditionally.
Jiang Sui shook her head but did not explain. She only said, "It was the master's arrangement. Eldest son and second daughter, come with me quickly. You will know when you see the old lady and the madam."
The two exchanged a glance, then followed him blankly, completely bewildered.
They walked along the backyard toward the small gate, and when they reached the gate, they saw a very ordinary carriage parked outside. Fat Gold and Thin Silver, along with a group of servants, stood beside it. The horses had been fed, and the carriage was ready to go.
The two became increasingly puzzled.
"What exactly happened?" Ye Changming murmured.
Jiang Sui still didn't answer, but turned her head and asked anxiously, "Why haven't the old lady and madam arrived yet? Go and urge them!"
He seemed very anxious, glancing at the sky every now and then. Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead, but his eyes were filled with despair, as if he had lost all hope.
The servant responded and ran back.
Soon, Ms. Liao was helped out. Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying. She walked unsteadily, as if she had suffered a serious injury and could barely stand.
"Mother!" Ye Xiren stepped forward.
Liao wiped her eyes, perked up, and pointed to the carriage, "You two siblings, get in the carriage immediately."
Ye Xiren and Ye Changming exchanged another glance, their brows furrowing simultaneously. However, seeing Liao's unyielding and unpleasant expression, they were worried about upsetting her and dared not say anything more, so they obediently got into the car.
As soon as she boarded the carriage, Ye Xiren noticed that the seemingly ordinary carriage contained a lot of dry food and several large bundles piled together. She casually opened one of them, and inside were some gold and silver and a few changes of clothes, which had neatly packed the luggage for the two siblings' trip.
...Run away?
Ye Xiren turned around abruptly, and no one noticed the shock and anger in her eyes. "Mother, what does this mean?"
"Don't ask anything, don't worry about anything." Liao stared sharply at the brother and sister. "Once your grandmother arrives, set off immediately."
At this moment, Zhao approached the small door, leaning on her cane. She was dressed in her official robes, and her gray hair was neatly combed, exuding solemnity and reverence.
When Liao Changying and Jiang Sui saw her wearing this outfit, their expressions changed simultaneously. They knew that when escaping, one should try to be as discreet as possible, and this attire clearly indicated that Zhao was not planning to leave.
"Changying, get in the carriage. I'll stay at the Ye residence," Zhao said calmly.
"Mother!" Liao Changying's eyes reddened again.
Tears streamed down Liao's face as she shook her head desperately. "I won't leave. I'm husband and wife, we're one. If he's guilty, I'm guilty of protecting him. If he dies, I won't live alone. I have to stay so I can do something..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao's eyes also reddened. She grabbed Liao's wrist, her fingers trembling, and asked, "Have you thought this through?"
Liao smiled through her tears, her eyes resolute, "I didn't pack my bags, I never intended to leave."
Moreover...
Only if they stay behind will those who haven't completely emptied and ransacked the Ye family stop focusing on Changming and Xixi, thus creating a way for the siblings to survive!
Ye Changming was completely bewildered. He sat inside the carriage and poked his head out, asking, "Grandmother, Mother, what are you talking about? What are we doing? Why are you all crying?"
He instinctively wanted to get off the bus.
Liao turned around and scolded, "Sit down! If they are still my children, they'd better obey me!"
After saying that, she looked at the two of them with longing in her eyes and gave them some instructions with concern: "From now on, you two siblings will depend on each other for survival. The travel permits and letters that your father had prepared are in the hidden compartment of your bundle. When you leave the city later, someone will let you out."
"Changming, you are the older brother. Xixi is still young. You must take good care of her in the future. Girls always suffer more in this world. You must remember that you are the older brother."
“Xixi, I know you are smart. Although your brother is older than you, he is not as thoughtful as you. If there is anything he cannot think of, you should help him fill in the gaps... You should take care of each other. The world is vast, and don’t go back to Nandu again.”
Liao wiped away her tears that kept falling. Her vision was blurred by the wetness, so she quickly wiped them away and stared intently at her two children, not daring to miss them for even a moment, as if she wanted to etch them into her heart.
"Mother..." Ye Changming opened his mouth, a bad premonition spreading through him.
Ye Xiren grabbed the carriage door tightly, refusing to let the driver close it. Her fingertips turned white, and her eyes were fixed on Liao Shi and the others, her anger rising. She spoke each word with venom:
"So, my father has been framed again for embezzling military funds, and our Ye family is going to... be executed along with our entire clan?"
The last four words were spoken almost through gritted teeth.
This situation, this arrangement—isn't this just preparation for escaping before the entire family is about to be executed?!
Liao was shocked. She never expected that Ye Xiren knew the answer. She opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to answer.
Seeing her reaction, Ye Xiren understood everything. This was clearly a fresh start, and what happened today was no different from the last March 3rd. Her reminders were completely useless!
Oh, that works.
They now have a way to "escape"!
Ye Xiren felt as if a fire was burning inside her, her face flushed red, her eyes wide open, wishing she could grab Ye Pei right now and interrogate him fiercely.
"Madam, the time Master gave us is almost up!" Jiang Sui glanced at the sky, her voice filled with anxiety. Time was drawing ever closer, and danger could strike at any moment.
Zhao calmed down and said, "Close the door."
The guards blocked the door, preventing them from coming down.
Liao took a deep breath, suppressing all other emotions, and leaned over the carriage, touching each of their faces one by one. Then she pried open Ye Xiren's fingers one by one, slammed the carriage door shut, and locked it.
She closed her eyes, two tears falling down her cheeks. "Go."
The coachman was prepared and drove directly along the predetermined route. The sound of hooves clattered as they quickly moved away from the Ye family's residence.
Ye Changming peered out the window and shouted, "Grandmother! Mother!"
At the small gate of the Ye residence, Madam Zhao and Madam Liao stood there, motionless, gazing in the direction the two had left, their sorrow and reluctance palpable.
The carriage went further and further away, their shadows grew smaller and smaller, and on the horizon, the setting sun gradually turned fiery red like blood, staining half the sky, as if even the bloody light fell on the high eaves in the distance.
Ye Changming was completely flustered. How could things have suddenly turned out like this?
Thinking back to what he had just heard, he wanted to get off the carriage immediately and turn back to ask for clarification, but the driver had already locked the carriage door from the outside. He pounded hard on the door with his good hand, making loud "bang bang" sounds, but still couldn't budge it an inch.
"What on earth is going on?!" Ye Changming's eyes welled up with tears, and he turned to look at Ye Xiren helplessly.
After the carriage left, Ye Xiren remained extremely quiet.
She had been searching for the so-called "letter" in the car, and now she found it. She skimmed through it; the content was clear and concise—Ye Pei's instructions to her and her brother, especially regarding the escape route and who to look for after they escaped…
【Xixi, don't blame your father.】
Ye Xiren clenched her fist, crumpling the piece of paper into a ball, and almost gritted her teeth as she spoke with difficulty: "He's truly our good father!"
Is there anything else you don't understand?
Ye Pei must have been imprisoned in the Dali Temple again. He must have brought up the military rations case again in court. She tried her best to remind him this morning, but she couldn't change his plans at all.
He knew what the consequences would be from her, so he made these arrangements in advance, waiting for Uncle Jiang to calculate the time or receive some news... to immediately take out the things he had prepared in advance, send them out, and let him be the only one to "die".
Prepare?
The preparations he was to make in the morning were not about how to prevent being plotted against, but rather about preparing travel permits and letters to make arrangements for their escape, which would result in the execution of their entire families!
He knew all along, but he still made the same choice.
"Very good, very good indeed." Ye Xiren trembled with anger.
Ye Changming finally finished reading the letter, grabbed Ye Xiren's wrist, and said, "Xixi, we can't leave like this. Father, grandmother, and mother are still in the Ye family. I have to go back!"
After saying that, he gritted his teeth again and slammed the closed carriage door shut.
"Bang!"
Ye Changming charged forward as if he didn't care about his life. The carriage swayed, and the horse was startled and raised its front hooves, but he still didn't stop.
"Young Master!" Fatty Jin called out anxiously from outside.
Ye Xiren caught Ye Changming, who was about to be knocked unconscious, and said in a low voice, "Leave it to me."
After saying that, she called out loudly:
"Stop right now! My brother was already injured, and now he's covered in blood, his head is bleeding, and he's passed out. Open the carriage door! Aren't you going to leave him here?"
The carriage stopped, and Fat Gold and Thin Silver exchanged a glance.
The second girl's cries of grief and disarray suggested she wasn't faking it, so the two quickly removed the lock from the carriage door and opened it a crack.
Taking this opportunity, Ye Xiren, whose acting skills were becoming increasingly superb, and Ye Changming, who had not spoken, simultaneously raised their legs and kicked the car door hard.
The carriage was simple, and the wooden door was an extremely ordinary carriage door. They simultaneously kicked the wooden plank hard, causing it to fall off and crash outwards.
Ye Changming wanted to run as soon as he got off the carriage, but unfortunately, he had injured one of his feet and couldn't run at all.
Fat King was shocked.
The thin man called out urgently, "Young Master, Second Miss, this is the arrangement of Master and Madam. The Ye family has encountered trouble, and they are sending you to avoid it. Once things are resolved, you will naturally be able to return."
"You're lying to me. The Ye family must have encountered another insurmountable problem, a calamity that could kill our whole family." He limped and tried to walk back. "I want to go back."
The reactions of my grandmother and mother today are just like... entrusting their children to someone else.
If it really is a major calamity, will we be able to wait for them to return?
Ye Xiren grasped his hand, her eyes fixed ahead. From initial anger to calmness, and now to fearless determination, she had repeated this process so many times. She was now bolder and more decisive than before.
“Okay, let’s go back.” Her eyes shone brightly, and she said each word clearly, “Next time, I will definitely save you.” Save us.
This game is ruined, let's start it again!
Next time, she must stop all of this from happening. If she can't count on Ye Pei, then she'll do it herself.
"Go back," Ye Xiren ordered the coachman.
Isn't it just the execution of the entire family?
She is very familiar with it.
A note from the author:
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