The large exile procession stopped shortly after setting foot on the official road.
Because Prince Cheng was lying on a stretcher, the guards didn't walk too fast, or perhaps the escorts did it intentionally...
The exiled prisoners from Prince Cheng's residence were at the very back of the procession.
The head escort ordered his men to remove the shackles and chains from the people in the palace, restoring their freedom.
He bowed deeply to Xie Zhun and said, "Your Highness, I will escort you this far..."
"Due to time constraints and concerns about your health, I request that you and your household staff proceed on your own..."
"The rest of you... I'll take my men and go ahead..."
Xie Zhun smiled slightly, and even in this situation, his noble air was still undeniable.
Seeing that Xie Zhun had no objections, the head escort kindly reminded him, "This humble officer dares to suggest that we, with our troops, expect to arrive in about a month..."
"According to regulations, at the latest... Your Highness and your men should arrive within two months. Any later..."
He didn't say the rest. If it got any later, the officials in charge of the border annexation would report to the imperial court, and things wouldn't be as simple as exile...
Knowing full well their ill intentions, Eunuch Xu deliberately teased, "Chief, aren't you worried we'll drag the Prince away somewhere else?"
The head escort smiled and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect. "Sir, please don't frighten me. With His Highness Prince Cheng's character, what is there for me to worry about?!"
Before Eunuch Xu could discuss the matter in detail, and fearing that His Highness Prince Cheng might change his mind, he quickly ordered his men to depart...
"Wait!"
Xie Zhun, who was on the stretcher, suddenly spoke.
The escort leader, relieved, was now on tenterhooks again.
This kind of job usually allows them to make a lot of money off the families of convicts, making both their subordinates and themselves happy...
But this time the person being exiled is Prince Cheng; any mishap will make him a scapegoat...
He was only pushed forward to take on this job because he had no one backing him...
But in all those years he served, what kind of exile hadn't he sent out?
This is no problem for him!
The head of the escorts immediately put on a smile and ran back to Xie Zhun's side.
"Your Highness, is there anything else you require?"
“We can go alone, but we’ll leave the people from the Duke of Huguo’s mansion behind.”
Xie Zhun's words were concise and to the point.
The head of the escorts looked troubled. There were only about eighty people in the Prince Cheng's mansion, and apart from Prince Cheng Xie Zhun, the others were all insignificant figures.
Having just seen them off, apart from the imposing manner of Ning Xu, the second young master of the Marquis's mansion, the others didn't seem to care much about the disfigured princess...
Of those exiled, only one or two out of ten survived to reach the desolate realm.
As long as Prince Cheng, Xie Zhun, doesn't run away, the others...
Insignificant.
But the Duke of Protectorate's mansion is different; it has veterans of three reigns, two generals, and the others hold positions in the court to varying degrees...
The implications are far-reaching. If even a few manage to escape, and the matter is investigated in the future, you'll be in deep trouble!
Seeing the leader hesitate, Xie Zhun slowly smiled and said, "What? Didn't you just say you trusted my character?"
"Now, this person's character is no longer trustworthy?"
The head of the escorts gave an awkward laugh.
Xie Zhun said to his subordinates, "Let's stay with the group! The Duke and his wife are elderly, and I can't bear to see them suffer alone. I must accompany them..."
Although they removed the shackles and chains, Prince Cheng insisted on following the exile procession, and the head escort could not possibly order his men to drive him away...
The head escort was startled and quickly ordered his men to remove the shackles and chains from the hands of the two hundred or so men from the Duke of Huguo's mansion...
They were to act according to Prince Cheng's wishes, but the head of the escorts still reminded them, "Your Highness, even if it costs me my life, I dare not disobey your orders..."
"This is the journey I've taken; I implore you, for the sake of my subordinates and the lives of over two hundred men, to arrive as soon as possible..."
Xie Zhun nodded slightly in response.
The head of the escorts gritted his teeth and quickly drove the group away to avoid Prince Cheng, Xie Zhun, suddenly changing his mind and making any other excessive demands.
"Your Highness, did the head escort have a change of heart or something?"
The lock on the Duke of Huguo's mansion was removed. General Zheng Ye, who was in charge of pacifying the south, rushed to Xie Zhun's side and asked in confusion.
Otherwise, why would they be so kind to them, freeing them from their constraints, and allowing them to travel three thousand miles...
How much less suffering you'll endure!
"snort!"
Xie Zhun scoffed, "They're not that kind!"
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