Chapter 747, Farewell
There was always something new happening in the capital. Last month, everyone was still discussing the Emperor's decree granting marriage to Xiao Yeyang and Princess Shengping. This month, everyone was discussing the misfortune of the Jiang family and the closure of the case against the Eight Kings' gang.
"It's really rare that the Jiang family would stumble."
"That's right. First, Jiang Jinghui, the eldest grandson of the Jiang family, failed to protect the tribute, causing several ships of fine brocade to be burned. The Emperor didn't even give face to the Empress Dowager and the Empress, and directly dismissed Jiang Jinghui from his post."
"Not long after that, Jiang Jingyao, the third son of the Jiang family, had another accident at the horse farm. His left leg was stepped on and broken. The second master, Jiang, was already lying on the bed, and now he's recovered, but his son is also lame!"
"The Jiang family has been in trouble one after another. Could it be that they have offended someone?"
"Who dares to provoke the Jiang family? I think the Jiang family must have acted too much and they are suffering retribution!"
"Shh, keep your voice down, don't say that anymore. The Jiang family has great influence in the court, be careful of being suppressed."
"Isn't this something I should only discuss with my brother in private?"
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I heard that the prisoners exiled to Xiliang were taken away today. Let's go take a look."
Xizhimen, hundreds of prisoners exiled to Xiliang were brought here.
Outside the city gate, in addition to prisoners and escorts, there were also people who came to see them off.
Among the crowd, the people from the Dong family were very silent.
Compared to other families, there were more or less relatives and friends coming to see them off, but they didn't have anyone coming to see them off.
There was no way out. Dong Yuanyao killed Luo Hongyuan, and it could be said that he had made a mortal enemy with the Weiguo Mansion. Even those who were related to the Dong family by marriage did not dare to show any intention of getting close to them at this time.
Mr. Dong Er looked at Old Master Dong with a worried look on his face. Old Master Dong was pale and almost his whole body was pressed on his son. Ever since his eldest brother was beheaded, his father had been ill. They had no way of getting treatment in the cell. Now he was going to be escorted to Xiliang immediately. The journey was long and the conditions were difficult. He really didn't know how long his father could hold on?
Not to mention his seriously ill father, he had no confidence that the other family members could survive this.
Mrs. Dong Er supported Old Mrs. Dong, her eyes constantly looking around, as if she was looking for something.
“Stop looking!”
Old Madam Dong shook Madam Dong's hand and said, "Thanks to the young prince's help, he reported that Yuan Yao had been promised to someone else, which saved her from disaster."
"The people from the Duke of Wei's Mansion are watching us now. If Yuan Yao sees you and rushes out, it will harm her. We don't have the ability to resist the Duke of Wei's Mansion at all."
Mrs. Dong's eyes were red. "I know. I just want to see the capital again. I'm afraid I won't be able to come back in this lifetime."
Hearing this, Old Mrs. Dong sighed deeply. She had never imagined that she, who had lived a life of luxury all her life, would be exiled in her old age.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were both able to withstand the hardship and did not grieve for long. However, when they saw the people around them being secretly given money by their relatives and friends, they could not help but start to worry about what would happen during their exile.
When they were arrested and imprisoned, they had almost nothing with them. Now they don't have any money on them. The road to Xiliang is thousands of miles away. Is it possible for them to arrive safely?
Not long after, the escort began to drive away the relatives and friends who had sent the people away, and called out the names with a list.
After counting the people, the captain said loudly: "Okay, it's time for us to set off."
After saying this, the escorts began to urge the prisoners to set off.
Amid the urging and cursing of the escorts, this group of former dignitaries were moving away from the capital step by step.
When the team had walked about ten miles away, the head escort suddenly asked the prisoners to stop and rest.
"Boss, why are you resting so soon? We still have a long way to go." A bailiff asked in confusion.
The chief escort ignored them and just looked at the people in the pavilion not far away.
"Yuan Xuan and the others are prisoners exiled by the emperor's uncle after all. When you get there later, remember to keep your conversation short. We can't stay too long, okay?" In the pavilion, Xiao Yeyang gave instructions while helping Daohua put on her veil hat.
Daohua nodded repeatedly: "I know."
Yan Wentao, Yan Wenkai and Zhou Chengye didn't wait for them and walked straight out of the pavilion and towards the group of prisoners.
On the other side, the Dong family also noticed Xiao Yeyang and his group, and they couldn't help but show excitement.
Dong Yuanxuan handed Old Master Dong to his father, and with tears in his eyes he looked at Yan Wentao and the other two who were walking towards them, as well as Xiao Yeyang and Daohua who were walking side by side behind them.
As Yan Wenkai approached the team, he did not go to the Dong family, but instead walked towards the escorts carrying a large watermelon: "Brothers, you have worked hard. It's such a hot day, and this job is tough."
The chief escort knew Xiao Yeyang, but he didn't dare to act arrogantly. He quickly said with a smile, "It's not hard. We are all working for the emperor."
Yan Wenkai gave him a look that said 'you can do it', then pulled out a dagger and cut the watermelon: "Come and try it, a piece of watermelon is the best way to quench your thirst on a hot day."
The escorts all looked at the chief escort.
The chief escort knew they were there to escort the Dong family, so he didn't stop them. He just said, "Sir, we have a fixed distance to travel each day, so we can't delay too long."
Yan Wenkai patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we are here to do our job. We won't make things difficult for you and your brothers."
Hearing this, the chief escort's expression relaxed, and then he invited his men to eat watermelon.
“So sweet!”
Yan Wenkai looked at the escorts with a smile. While talking to the leader of the escorts, he turned to look at Xiao Yeyang and others who had already spoken to the Dong family.
"Aunt, I brought you two sets of clothes and some common medicine pills. It's a long way to Xiliang, so you must take care of yourself."
Daohua signaled Wang Man'er and Bishi to distribute the bundles they brought to the Dong family members, then she took Madam Dong by the hand and placed the bundle she had been carrying in her hands, saying softly:
"Aunt, the small change in the bundle was prepared by Yuan Yao. She asked me to bring a message to you, asking you to take care of yourselves. She said she would find a chance to visit you in Xiliang."
Hearing this, tears welled up in Mrs. Dong's eyes. She pulled Daohua and said anxiously, "No, let her leave us alone and live her own life. As long as she lives well, we will be satisfied."
Daohua looked at Mrs. Dong and nodded. "I'll pass on the message." Then she asked, "Aunt, do you have anything else to say to Yuanyao?"
Mrs. Dong shook her head, looking hesitant for a moment, but still held Daohua's hand tightly. "Good child, I want to shamelessly ask you for a favor."
Daohua said quickly, "Aunt, it doesn't matter whether I ask for anything or not. Just tell me if you need anything."
Mrs. Dong said with tears and laughter, "The Dong family has fallen on hard times. The marriage certificate between Yuan Yao and Sun Changze was hastily written by the master in the prison cell. I'm really worried that Sun Changze and his family will look down on Yuan Yao in the future because of this. We are far away in Xiliang and cannot support her. If...if Yuan Yao encounters any difficulties in the future, please do help her." As she spoke, she pretended to kneel down to Daohua.
Daohua quickly grabbed Madam Dong and said, "Aunt, what are you doing? Even if you don't tell me, I will do it."
Mrs. Dong shed tears and said, "Good boy, thank you so much!"
On the other side, Xiao Yeyang, Yan Wentao, Zhou Chengye, as well as Master Dong Er and Dong Yuanxuan had almost finished their conversation.
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua, coughed, and reminded her that it was time to leave.
Daohua hurriedly said goodbye to Mrs. Dong and Old Lady Dong, then walked to Xiao Yeyang and the others, said goodbye to Old Master Dong and Second Master Dong, and finally looked at Dong Yuanxuan.
"Brother Dong, as long as you have the green mountains, you will never worry about having no firewood to burn. Please take care of yourself!"
Dong Yuanxuan looked at Daohua deeply, then smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister Yan." He then looked at Xiao Yeyang and said, "I can't attend your wedding, but I wish you two a long and happy marriage in advance."
Xiao Yeyang smiled and patted Dong Yuanxuan on the shoulder: "Thank you! There are often wars and frictions in Xiliang. Although you are an exile, you can still make achievements. Yuanxuan, I believe in you. You can survive this great change in the Dong family."
Dong Yuanxuan's eyes lit up: "Thank you!"
Seeing that Xiao Yeyang and the others had almost finished their conversation, Yan Wenkai pulled the escort leader aside and quietly slipped a few banknotes over to him: "Please take care of him on the way."
The head escort glanced at the face value of the banknote, excitement flashed in his eyes, he put the banknote away without any expression, and nodded with a smile.
"Okay, now that we've rested, it's time to get going!"
Dong Yuanxuan bowed to Xiao Yeyang and the others, then went to help Old Master Dong up.
Later, Mrs. Dong also helped Old Mrs. Dong up.
After the team had walked some distance, Mrs. Dong looked back at the rice flowers and held her daughter-in-law's hand with tears in her eyes: "I shouldn't have taken my anger out on this child."
Mrs. Dong comforted her, "Mother, Yiyi won't take it to heart."
Old Mrs. Dong shook her head and looked at her grandson walking in front of her. She said regretfully, "It's me. I've ruined Yuanxuan's life."
Hearing this, Mrs. Dong was stunned for a moment. Thinking of her daughter-in-law who divorced her son less than half a year after getting married, she couldn't help but think, if it was Yi Yi who married her son, she would definitely share the joys and sorrows with the Dong family, right?
Of course, this is just a thought. Looking at how much the young prince cares about her, he must have already set his eyes on Yi Yi. How could the Dong family snatch her away from him?
On the distant hillside, Dong Yuanyao looked at the escort team with tears in her eyes.
Seeing her crying so hard, Sun Changze said, "Don't worry, the young prince and his men have already said hello, and the escort will treat your family well."
Dong Yuanyao shed tears and said nothing.
Sun Changze thought for a moment and then said, "Once the escort team is far away from the capital, I will send people to see them off along the way and ensure that nothing happens to your family."
Hearing this, Dong Yuanyao finally reacted and turned to look at Sun Changze: "Really?"
Sun Changze nodded: "Of course." He paused and said, "Your family is my family."
Dong Yuanyao fell silent, and cast his gaze back towards the escort team. When he could no longer see them, he asked, "Don't you hate my father?"
Sun Changze took Dong Yuanyao's hand and said, "Yuanyao, I've thought about it. What happened back then was all my fault. My uncle treated me like that because he loved his daughter so much. I can only blame myself for not being worthy of you."
Dong Yuanyao pulled her hand back and smiled bitterly: "I am no longer worthy of you now."
Sun Changze's face was filled with anxiety. He stood in front of Dong Yuanyao and looked her in the eye. "Yuanyao, I know what you are thinking. Yes, the Dong family is in trouble now, but even if you, Dong Yuanyao, are no longer a rich lady, you are more than worthy of me, Sun Changze. If I have any contempt for you, I will not live well."
Dong Yuanyao asked anxiously, "Why are you saying such harsh words? I was just saying it casually."
Sun Changze took Dong Yuanyao's hand again: "Yuanyao, believe me, I will treat you well for the rest of my life."
(End of this chapter)
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