Listening to Gu Jingheng's understated description of his experiences over the past few years, Old Mrs. Chen was already in tears, heartbroken over her son's ordeal and pain.
Su Yun'er was also quite saddened. She had thought that her husband had either died on the battlefield or had become successful and abandoned his wife and children, but it turned out that he was not an unfaithful, unjust, or unfilial person.
After this incident, the whole city knew that a General Anguo had come to Yongning City, and that the General Anguo's mother, wife, and children lived in the same household in Liangshui Lane.
Upon learning the news, Sun Chengye, as the prefect, immediately ordered people to prepare accommodations for Gu Jingheng and his family.
Gu Jingheng did not refuse, after all, it was better to live in a relatively independent house than in a noisy alley.
Not long after moving into the residence prepared by Xu Chengye, another imperial decree arrived, this time bringing about a complete upheaval in the officialdom of Qingshui County.
Sun Chengye was convicted of embezzlement, bribery, and sabotage of military supplies and was exiled to the harsh and cold Xinzhou. His son and female relatives were all implicated.
Besides the Sun family, all officials and businessmen who had dealings with them were purged, including the Qiu family.
The Sun family and others had their homes ransacked, and all their property was confiscated.
The raid lasted for more than three months, and the house was completely emptied inside and out. What's more, new evidence of Sun Chengye's collusion with foreign countries was also discovered.
After the confiscation of their property, the women of the Sun family and other households were to be exiled to the southwestern border.
Before dawn that day, Su Yun'er waited outside the city gate, wanting to see Sun Wanqing again.
As the exile procession approached from afar, even in the dim light, Su Yun'er immediately recognized Sun Wanqing in the group. Sun Wanqing also saw her.
Lian Yingtong walked over and said something to the escorting officers, took out a silver ingot, and the escorting officers then told Lian Yingtong to take Sun Wanqing and come over to Su Yun'er.
In just a few months, their identities were completely reversed.
Sun Wanqing had bruises under her eyes, looked exhausted, and was no longer as radiant as before. Her hair and clothes were also messy and dirty, and she was no longer the young lady she used to be.
Sun Wanqing and Su Yun'er gazed at each other silently, tears welling up in Sun Wanqing's eyes. They hugged each other and cried their hearts out.
"The journey to exile will be arduous, and there's not much I can do to help you. I can only ask the general to arrange for someone to secretly follow you. She's skilled and has money with her. Money talks, and she'll help you when you're in trouble. Once you get there, I'll find a way to make your life a little better..."
Su Yun'er held Sun Wanqing's hand. The two had so much to say, but the exile procession had a time limit for departure. Su Yun'er saw the escorting soldiers urging them on. Watching Sun Wanqing's retreating figure, she called out worriedly, "Wanqing..." but her words caught in her throat. Sun Wanqing smiled sadly, "Sister Yun'er, you don't need to be sad for me. This is probably fate. Please take care. In the future... we'll meet again if fate allows."
After saying this, Sun Wanqing turned and walked back to the group.
Against the rising morning light, her slender yet resolute figure brought tears to Su Yun'er's eyes.
She had lived a life of luxury and had never experienced hardship. Due to poor health, she had always been very thin, and during her time in prison, she had become even thinner.
During this time, Su Yun'er often visited Sun Wanqing in prison, bringing her food and medicine as much as possible to ensure that she and Old Mrs. Huo were well-fed.
She had asked Gu Jingheng whether her actions would cause him trouble, but Gu Jingheng just smiled gently, patted her head, and said, "Don't worry."
Tears streamed down her face, and Su Yun'er felt a deep sense of desolation. Fate really knew how to play tricks on people.
Lian Yingtong comforted her, saying, "The people who will take care of Miss Sun along the way have been arranged, so Madam need not worry."
As the exiled procession walked away, Su Yun'er felt a sharp gaze. She looked over and saw that it was a young girl in the procession.
Her gaze held defiance, resentment, and jealousy, but with her hands bound by ropes and connected to those in front and behind her, she could only be forced to walk further and further away.
Su Yun'er had no impression of her and did not recognize the person, so she asked Lian Ying who the person was.
Lian Yingtong paused for a moment before saying, "That person is Qiu Pingshuang, the eldest daughter of the Qiu family who committed the crime. She... has feelings for the general."
It turns out she was a so-called love rival.
Watching her rival walk away with the exiled procession, Su Yun'er felt no pleasure whatsoever. Qiu Pingshuang, Sun Wanqing, and many of the children and women whose homes were raided and who were exiled were all merely victims of the power struggles within the elite circles.
Some say they enjoyed the illegally acquired money and luxurious lifestyle, and therefore should bear the consequences; others say they were not the perpetrators of those crimes and should not be implicated. Still others say that who can truly understand the rights and wrongs within powerful families?
Su Yun'er's heart was filled with a thousand thoughts, but in the end, they all turned into a sigh.
After seeing off Sun Wanqing and the others, some time passed, and Gu Jingheng and his men also sorted out the major and minor affairs of Qingshui County.
Over this period of time, Su Yun'er and Gu Jingheng's relationship has become increasingly harmonious. Although Su Yun'er has not been in many romantic relationships, she knows that she has gradually developed some feelings for this husband she has taken for granted.
Not only Su Yun'er and Gu Jingheng, but Lin Moniang and Xu Meng's relationship also finally developed.
It is said that one day, encouraged by Lian Yingtong, Xu Meng drank a jar of wine to bolster his courage, and then confessed his feelings to Lin Moniang, and the two naturally got together.
After finishing all the military and political affairs, Gu Jingheng specially approved leave, and Xu Meng and Lin Moniang got married in the small courtyard they had previously rented.
On the night of Xu Meng's wedding, Lian Yingtong carried a pot of wine, flew up to the roof, and stared blankly in the direction where the exile procession had gone. The image of that thin but determined figure appeared before his eyes.
With many important matters settled, Gu Jingheng requested permission to return to Beidu to report on his duties.
This was the first time Su Yun'er had come to a place outside Yongning City since she came to this world, and the prosperity of the capital city was far beyond Su Yun'er's imagination.
Because of the rectification of the officialdom in the four northern prefectures and the exposure of traitors who colluded with foreign powers, Gu Jingheng made great contributions. The emperor specially held a banquet in the palace to celebrate, and officials were allowed to bring their families to the banquet.
When the imperial edict was delivered to the Gu family mansion in the capital, Su Yun'er was planting vegetables with Old Madam Chen in the backyard of the Gu family mansion. The eunuch who delivered the edict was invited into the house for tea.
During the conversation, it was revealed that Gu Jingheng had reported the discovery of his mother, wife, and children to the emperor. The emperor had hosted this banquet to meet Gu Jingheng's family. When Old Madam Chen tried to decline, the angel smiled and comforted her with her delicate fingers, saying, "Madam, you have nurtured a talent like General Gu for the court. You are a meritorious official. As General Gu's biological mother, you deserve this honor."
Su Yun'er had seen it many times in movies, TV series and novels before, so she wasn't surprised. However, after hearing the news, Old Mrs. Chen looked grave and worried.
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