"Ning Hai, tell me, did she cry just now?"

Xiao Junzhan's voice was extremely vague, and it was impossible to tell what he was feeling. Ning Hai was terrified, and hurriedly leaned over to the curtain and said carefully, "...I see, it seems that there is nothing."

Fortunately, the girl from the Wei family avoided the improper behavior of the young master from the Gu family. If it were really...

Ning Hai simply didn't dare to think about it. If she really held hands with another man in front of their highness...

The corner of the curtain was slowly lowered, and Xiao Junzhan's calm voice came from inside: "Return to the palace."

………………

The early summer morning was still a little chilly. The sky had just begun to lighten. Not long after the heavy city gate was opened, a half-worn carriage had already stopped in the open space beside the city wall.

The carriage was used by the stewards of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's Mansion to purchase things. Wei Hanzhang and his younger brother sat on one side of the carriage, and Wei Heng and Jiang Shi sat opposite them.

This car was specially arranged by Wei Heng. Since it was used to see off the criminal sentenced to exile, it should be low-key and not attract attention.

"Father, mother," Wei Yunpei woke up too early today and was a little sleepy at the moment. He forced himself to stay awake and asked, "When will my uncle and the others come?"

"It should be soon." Wei Heng glanced at his youngest son and said, "I inquired yesterday and the officers escorting the prisoners will set off immediately after breakfast and will not be delayed any longer."

"Pei'er, are you still sleepy?" Wei Hanzhang put her arm around her brother's shoulder and said softly, "If you feel sleepy, just lean on your sister and take a nap..."

Jiang was dressed in plain clothes and her hairstyle was simple and unattractive. Upon hearing what was said, she took a cloak and covered her young son with it. From time to time, she lifted the curtain to look out, with an anxious look on her face.

As the sky gradually brightened, the city gate became more and more lively. Finally, the team escorting the prisoners arrived.

Wei Hanzhang gently woke up his drowsy brother who was leaning on his shoulder, and followed his parents out of the carriage.

The prisoners exiled to Lingnan were not only Jiang's uncle's family, but most of them had no relatives to see them off.

They were all exiled with their entire families, prisoners with their families, old people and children huddled together, standing there densely, all looking lifeless.

Jiang had not seen his eldest brother for many years and could not find him for a while.

It was only when Wei Hanzhang saw her aunt Wan and third cousin Jiang Zhiqi standing in the crowd with disheveled hair that she pulled her and squeezed in.

"Brother, sister-in-law?" Jiang couldn't recognize that this disheveled woman with shackles on her feet and a foul smell was her sister-in-law.

Wei Hanzhang also felt tears welling up in her eyes. Her aunt was such a straightforward and capable person. She had lived a life of luxury for most of her life. She never thought that at the age when she had grandchildren, she would suffer such a disaster.

Wan was originally standing in the crowd with a dazed expression, but suddenly she heard a familiar voice. She looked up and saw several people standing in front of her, and her eyes gradually brightened.

"Sister, Ranran! Why are you here!" Wan excitedly pulled her sister-in-law's hand. She didn't expect that she could see her relatives again before being exiled.

"The officers won't be staying here long, so keep your conversation brief." After Wei Heng greeted his eldest brother-in-law, he saw that he was deeply shocked and in a daze, so he stopped talking to him and turned to instruct his eldest son Jiang Shengwen.

Jiang held back her tears, looked at the people around her, and took Wan to a corner away from people.

"Yesterday, when I heard that you were going to Lingnan, I immediately sent a few loyal servants who came with my dowry to go there to make arrangements. When you arrive, your life won't be so difficult."

Jiang held Wan's hand, and slipped a bulging purse from her sleeve. She whispered, "There are officials guarding the way, so I can't send anyone to take care of you. You can keep the money for yourself. If you really encounter any problems, don't be reluctant to spend it. Spend it where it's needed. There will be more money when you get to Lingnan."

"Hey, hey!" Wan responded quietly. Knowing that the money was their family's trump card for survival on the road, she put the money away very quickly.

As I listened to my sister-in-law’s words, the despair and deadness in my body gradually disappeared.

There is a way to survive!

Something happened at home, and he was escorted all the way from Xuzhou to Beijing. Not to mention his money, even his valuable jewelry was confiscated by the officers and soldiers. He had nothing. If something really happened during the exile, he would have no money to bribe the officers and soldiers who were escorting him, and they would probably not be bothered to deal with him.

It doesn't matter to her, as she has enjoyed wealth and glory for decades, but her children and grandchildren's lives have just begun. Since there is a way to survive, she cannot let them die on the road to exile.

"Yes, that's how it should be. My brother is not capable of taking on responsibilities, and I have to rely on you, sister-in-law, to take care of the whole family on the road. If you lose your energy and spirit, how can I rest assured in the capital?"

Seeing that her sister-in-law had suffered such a disaster but was not as heartbroken as her eldest brother, Jiang forced a smile with relief. She took out an old ginseng wrapped in brocade and a small jar from her other sleeve, and the two of them once again handed over the things in tacit understanding.

Jiang said softly, "I don't know if you can bring anything, and I don't dare to prepare too much. I only prepared some life-saving tonics and gold ointment."

She hoped that these things could be helpful, but she also hoped that they would have a smooth journey without having to use them.

After explaining everything she had brought, Jiang finally had time to look at her nephews, nieces, and grandnephews who were looking at her expectantly.

In the Jiang family's main house, the youngest, Jiang Zhiyu, is only two years old. He is Jiang Shengwen's eldest son. Fortunately, the exiled woman only had shackles on her feet, unlike the man who needed to wear shackles on his body. Now he can be held in his mother's arms.

Even so, looking at her niece's ankles which were red and broken from being rubbed by the iron handcuffs, Jiang couldn't hold back any longer and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

She was already sobbing and unable to speak, but she was still trying to comfort him, "Don't worry, the Jiang family is not down, you still have a family behind you. I'll send you off and then go to the Dali Temple to pick up your parents. Once the family is settled, I'll send someone to Lingnan to take a look. It's only ten years, you can just think of it as a new place to live. You'll still be a member of the Jiang family when you come back ten years later."

"real?"

Wan and her family were in prison and were only released this morning. They had no idea how the case was judged. When they saw that only their family was released, they thought that the several branches of the Jiang family were sentenced to exile to different places. When they heard Jiang's words, they were overjoyed.

Even Master Jiang, who had been in a daze, looked up and moved his lips to say, "Are Dad and Mom okay?"

His eyes were bloodshot. Since the incident, what he regretted most was that he had harmed his parents and two younger brothers. The Jiang family, which had been passed down in Xuzhou for a hundred years, was destroyed by his one thought.

If death could atone for all his sins, he would have done so long ago.

(End of this chapter)