Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Banishment

"Lord Li, the Prime Minister has summoned you."

Lord Li furrowed his brow and showed displeasure: "I haven’t finished my task yet, you..."

"I can handle the task for you. Do you intend to keep the Prime Minister waiting, Lord Li?"

Seeing this, Lord Li had no choice but to give way.

However, before he left, the man who arrived later issued an order. "The journey to Wuheng is long and arduous. Remembering Mr. Ruan’s contributions, His Majesty has granted you permission to pack your belongings and journey without shackles, and you may wear regular clothes."

Upon hearing this, Lord Li’s complexion changed drastically!

"When did His Majesty issue this command? There was no mention of it in the Imperial Decree! And the eunuch also..."

"Do you doubt that I am falsely delivering the Emperor’s words? Or do you suspect that the Prime Minister is biased in favor of criminals? Or perhaps... you are questioning His Majesty’s kindness towards his ministers?"

Now, Lord Li dared not speak further.

Ruan Mian looked gratefully at the man, knowing that the Prime Minister must have made arrangements behind the scenes.

It was likely due to her providing him with that piece of evidence, allowing him to conclude the case early.

Although it did not completely clear her brother’s name, it was still a kind gesture from Mr. Xie.

"Lord, please convey my gratitude to Mr. Xie; I am truly grateful for today’s kindness."

The man offered a slight smile: "The master said it was a trivial matter. But now Miss Ruan should quickly pack her belongings and set off."

Ruan Mian bowed slightly before turning to comfort Mrs. Zhang and Ruan Qing.

"Don’t worry, we should pack our things first."

Taking this opportunity, she distributed daggers for self-defense, and ensured everyone had ready some provisions, waterskins, and instructed people to take them.

She also gave each person a small vest made of animal skin.

It’s already snowing heavily in the Capital City; heading north, the cold would only intensify. Traveling without prison clothes was already better than the average exile.

How could the thin prison clothes withstand the severe winter cold? It’s no wonder that, in the original story, many had perished soon after the exile began.

After packing everything up, everyone in the mansion stood in a line.

Outside the house, there was even an ox cart.

The man stated, "The Prime Minister explained that Mr. Ruan’s health is poor, so this convenience is allowed."

This was already a lifesaver; Mrs. Zhang, with tears of gratitude, said: "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Prime Minister, for your mercy!"

But after all, it’s still exile. For the rest of them, it’s just a checkpoint on the road to the Yellow Spring Road.

How many could withstand the hardships of exile?

Thus, those behind them all had pained expressions, and their steps were quite heavy.

As they exited the city, they saw Ruan Qingsong kneeling in the deep snow, kowtowing continually in the direction of the city gates, with blood even flowing from his forehead.

Mrs. Zhang was shocked: "Song’er!"

"It is I who have implicated everyone, it’s I who deserve to die a thousand deaths! It’s I..."

He spoke with a choked voice, the guilt clearly unable to be expressed in just those few words.

She helped Ruan Qingsong up and faced the other members of the Ruan Mansion with determination.

"The matter of exile is already set, brother, regretting it is useless. Besides, the fault is not yours, but rather those who maliciously pushed you to take the blame! You are truly innocent!

Since we cannot change the outcome, we might as well adapt to life. Isn’t it just an exile journey? The Prime Minister has already treated us with kindness. How can such a road defeat so many of us?"

At this moment, more than blaming and regretting, they needed words that would boost morale.

"We carry our belongings, have hands and feet, and the Lords are not intentionally making things difficult for us. Could we truly starve to death? Roads are walked by men, and we will surely reach Wuheng safely. Once there, relying on heaven and earth, we can survive no matter what."

Just as she finished speaking, a sarcastic voice arose from behind.

"Rely on heaven? How can those near death rely on anything? A legitimate daughter who hasn’t even dipped her fingers in spring waters, truly doesn’t know the heights of the sky!"

Following the voice, the speaker was none other than Ruan Jiao, who had mocked her about being exiled, yet she herself had been the first to have her home confiscated!

Behind her was a group of women from the Uncle’s Mansion, and at the very end of the line, there were even familiar faces from the Qi Mansion!

Wasn’t that Ruan Mian’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law?

Well, well, the foes truly meet on a narrow road; they too received their comeuppance!

In the entire group, there were hardly any male members; it seems the authorities combined the women from the two mansions into one group, coincidentally colliding with the group from the Ruan Mansion.

Ruan Mian thought to herself that her transmigration had already altered the original story’s plot.

Now that the Liu Family and Qi Lin no longer had the support of Qi Nanfeng, the two women dared not act out wildly in front of this group of soldiers. Even upon seeing Ruan Mian, they held their tongues, wishing instead to vanish into thin air.

After all, their current state was such a far cry from their once glamorous image.

Ruan Mian shifted her gaze from them back to Ruan Jiao.

Unexpectedly, a smile curled at her lips, yet there was no warmth in her eyes.

She retorted unceremoniously: "I wondered what was barking here, turns out it’s the Uncle’s Mansion’s concubine, Aunt Ruan."

"You...""Aunt Ruan, how did you end up like us? You’ve married out, so you shouldn’t be a Ruan Family member. Oh, I remember, the Princely Heir of the Uncle’s Mansion spread those treasonous nursery rhymes, harbored thoughts of rebellion, colluded with dark factions..."

"Ruan Mian, shut up!! How dare a forsaken woman like you speak of our Princely Heir!"

Ruan Jiao furiously rushed over but was swung aside by Ruan Mian with a flick of her arm.

"Always harping on about being a scorned woman, no wonder you’ll only ever be a mistress who can never lift her head! Near death as you are, still wanting to struggle for breath? You?"

Ruan Mian threw her words right back at her, causing Ruan Jiao to turn red with anger.

Yet the government officer’s glance darkened, and Ruan Jiao dared not act up.

She forced down a breath of frustration, only to be kicked back into the line by the government officer.

How could Ruan Jiao swallow this bitterness after such sarcastic remarks?

Especially seeing Ruan Mian’s group, obviously also exiles, dressed in everyday thick clothes, carrying provisions and even yet to remove their accessories.

While her group of frail women had no choice but to wear thin prison clothes, enduring the biting cold!

Unable to bear it, she boldly asked the government officer.

"Lord! The Ruan Mansion folks are also exiled criminals; why are their finances not confiscated, allowed to keep provisions, and not even changing clothes! Nor wearing shackles? Why only us weak women face such cruelty!

Not only are our clothes thin, we bear shackles, and our funds are seized completely! This is too..."

Before her words of resentment could finish, a whip cracked the air!

A loud "snap" landed in front of Ruan Jiao, scaring her pale-faced.

"Do you even know what your crimes are? How can you question the decisions of those above? Are you seeking death?"

Ruan Jiao trembled in fear, hurriedly kneeling to kowtow and apologize: "Lord, calm your anger, it was my fault, I’ll never speak again."

Her quick change in attitude quenched the government officer’s fire.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com