Infected by her family's emotions, Shen Xingyan also started to shed tears, which gave Shen Xingmian a bit of a headache.
After calming the group of crying children down, she rushed back to her mother's side as if fleeing, gently patting her chest and sighing, "Luckily, Mother and Father didn't cry back then, otherwise I wouldn't know how to comfort them!"
Shen Yunting recalled for a moment and said with a smile, "It was all because of what you said that was too explosive. Your mother didn't even have time to prepare herself before you took her to the princess's residence."
"Haha, it's still better that way. The sadness is washed away by the happiness, and now when I think about it, it's not too painful."
Shen Xingmian was very fortunate.
"Hey Mom, here's something delicious for you. Keep your head down and don't get caught."
She mysteriously and quickly stuffed a grape into Chen Yunting's mouth, then waited expectantly for her mother to praise her.
Sure enough, Shen Yunting showed the same surprised expression as her grandfather, chewed slightly, and swallowed before exclaiming in delight, "My dear daughter, these grapes are so delicious!"
Shen Yunting has always loved sweets, but the grapes here are all sour, some even quite astringent, so she particularly dislikes eating grapes.
My daughter didn't mention it, so she didn't realize that this thing was actually a grape.
So juicy and purely sweet, and such a big one doesn't have a sour taste at all, it's so delicious!
Oh no, she swallowed the seeds too! She should have saved them and planted them all over the yard after she settled down!
Wait, that's not right.
Do these grapes really have seeds? She didn't feel any at all, and the skin wasn't even astringent. She just naturally ate the whole grape.
"Is there any more, my dear? Let your father and grandfather have some too." Shen Yunting looked expectant, making it hard not to suspect that she was more concerned about her beloved husband.
“Grandpa ate it last night. I already gave it to him when we sneaked out,” Shen Xingmian said obediently.
Then she slipped a few grapes into her mother's hand, indicating that she could feed her husband herself.
Shen Yunting went happily, his expression relatively composed, but his upright posture made it seem as if something good was about to happen.
That won't do; they need to keep a low profile.
She looked around and found that many people were still immersed in the fear brought by the whip in the morning, with their heads down and focused on their journey, having no time to care about anything else.
Shen Xingmian didn't believe that the whip had such a great deterrent effect; today's incident was just the prisoners testing them.
If they keep eating this kind of thing, the conflict between the two sides will eventually become irreconcilable.
However, according to my grandfather, prisoners were exiled to various places almost every year. Some were sent to the harsh and cold North to do hard labor, while others were sent to Lingnan to face poisonous insects and miasma.
To date, there has never been a time when all the prisoners escaped; the constables must have had a backup plan.
I just don't know what their backup plan is.
That's good, since the prisoners are preoccupied with their own thoughts, she won't need to worry too much about being found out as abnormal for the time being.
In fact, their family was the only one with a cart. Among these exiled people, apart from the eldest grandson of the emperor, who held a high position, their family was the most distinguished.
So no one questioned the existence of the handcart.
The General's Mansion has always had a good reputation. Most of these prisoners are not vicious criminals, but rather people who have been implicated in the crime. Therefore, they have both respect for the Shen family and sympathy for their plight.
Some people even feel sympathy for them when they see their old, weak, sick, and disabled condition, and then they no longer find their own situation so unbearable.
Humans are such complex beings; sometimes we need to use the pitiful and tragic stories of others to comfort ourselves.
Look, they're all living in such dire straits, so what reason do I have not to live? I'm better off than them, aren't I?
Shen Xingmian completely understands this feeling, but she really doesn't want to become an example of self-comfort for others.
Moreover, their family's situation is only superficially miserable; in reality, it's not miserable at all!
With her around, this is already the lowest point for the Shen family; things will only get better and better from now on.
She still had that much confidence.
Thinking of the farce that morning, Shen Xingmian deliberately tiptoed to find the man who had been whipped. Seeing him walking ahead as if he didn't feel any pain, she couldn't help but admire him even more.
That must take an incredible amount of pain. In wartime, that would make someone an outstanding soldier who would rather die than surrender.
She admired such a person and began to consider the possibility of bringing him under her wing.
Moving closer to the donkey cart, she pretended to check on her grandfather, then poked her head into the newly arranged curtain her cousin had made and whispered, "Grandpa, do you know that uncle who got whipped today? I think his willpower is far beyond that of ordinary people, should we..."
Shen Zhiheng had also been thinking about this matter, and upon hearing this, he replied, "I know. He is a former subordinate of His Highness the Crown Prince, a fierce general, who was deliberately sent here to be humiliated."
Before the emperor ascended the throne, he had sent his men to win him over, but they failed. Now, they are deliberately trying to make him feel that he missed a golden opportunity and was blind to the emperor's talent.
Shen Xingmian was puzzled: "Since he is such a fierce general, how could he be captured so easily? Wouldn't it be easy for him to escape?"
"It's not that easy. One person's strength is ultimately limited. Just like in our family, the kind-hearted are always more likely to be hindered than the heartless and ungrateful. Alas."
Speaking of "goodness," Shen Xingmian recalled the situation at the time. That person could have left that position earlier, but he stood still and endured the severe whipping that frightened many people.
So, that person stood there on purpose?
Even though he wasn't among those making a scene, he still suffered things he shouldn't have had to bear.
Is this the spirit of the soldiers of this era?
Even if he had no responsibility of his own, even if he had become a prisoner, he would still put ordinary people behind him.
That's so stupid.
From the moment he became a prisoner, he was able to abandon his responsibilities as a soldier; he should have thought more about himself before protecting others.
His wound wasn't treated at all. In this hot weather, with such a deep and long wound, it was easy for it to fester and ooze pus without any medicine.
Even if a doctor were willing to treat him then, it would be too late to save him.
Seeing her grandfather's reluctant expression, Shen Xingmian patted his arm reassuringly: "Grandpa, don't worry, leave it to me. I won't let anything happen to him."
Seeing the child beside her suddenly open his eyes and look at her, Shen Xingmian smiled, her eyes narrowing:
"Your Highness, please rest assured. Since that person is a former subordinate of the Crown Prince, he should be very willing to serve you. In that case, wouldn't our camp gain another powerful general?"
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