RWNEFE -Chapter 14 The Grand Gifts!

What her daughter had brought was clearly cornbread mixed with white flour—freshly made, carrying a rich, grainy fragrance. Having already fallen to such a state, there was no point in quibbling over gains and losses anymore.

After Shen Congwen came to terms with it, his stomach rumbled loudly. Just as he was about to bring the cornbread to his mouth, noisy arguing suddenly erupted from the quarters where his brothers’ families were staying.

“Is this really enough to eat? Yuanjing, we’re all family. You can’t let your family go hungry while you eat your fill, can you?”

“Yuanjing, this is where you’re in the wrong. If you had food, why didn’t you first present it to Grandfather and Grandmother out of filial piety? This is grossly unfilial…”

…

Shen Lanxi had already returned to the carriage and finished her midday meal. It was early spring now, and the weather wasn’t too hot. Even so, the ready-made food they had brought couldn’t be stored for more than three days. These three days could be relatively easy, but once they passed, they would have to light fires and cook. By then, just to get one proper meal, they would have to wait an hour or two.

She took a cherished bite of a sugar bun, eating it with pickled vegetables and fermented bean curd, while gazing distantly in the direction of the capital.

The “grand gift” she had left for Zhou Ruyuan should have been unpacked and inspected by now, right?

Thinking of the ridiculous expressions Zhou Ruyuan and Bai Qingling must be wearing, she ate another large steamed bun.

—

When Zhou Ruyuan and Bai Qingling returned to the residence, dawn was already breaking.

So many guards in the residence had been injured at once, and with so many eyes watching the Prince of Zhennan’s estate, calling the residence physician immediately would have been far too conspicuous. Who knew whether there were spies planted inside the manor?

Zhou Ruyuan endured the pain until daybreak. Cold sweat soaked his body nonstop. As soon as the servants in the residence began moving about, he immediately ordered that the injured guards be brought to the martial training grounds.

Under the legitimate pretext that he had been injured while sparring with his guards, Zhou Ruyuan summoned the residence physician for treatment.

“Your Highness has only strained his tendons and bones. There is no serious damage to the bones. As long as you refrain from exerting your right arm for half a month, it will recover fully.”

At the mention of Shen Lanxi, Bai Qingling was filled with fury. She carefully wiped the thin layer of sweat from Zhou Ruyuan’s forehead, tears of distress slipping down her cheeks.

“Your Highness, Shen Lanxi actually dared to injure you so badly. How vicious her heart is.”

“Your Highness only went easy on her because she’s a weak woman. Who would have thought she’d take advantage of that and strike so ruthlessly at you!”

Zhou Ruyuan stared darkly at his fingers, which still twitched from time to time. Only he himself knew the truth—he had used all his strength. When Shen Lanxi’s staff came crashing down, it felt like a massive boulder weighing thousands of jin. The only reason his arm hadn’t broken like the guards’ was because he had dodged quickly enough!

Shen Lanxi had been deliberately hiding her true ability all along!

Thinking of the humiliating words she had spoken when she left, Zhou Ruyuan’s face flushed red. He clenched his fists hard, unable to suppress the surge of unwilling resentment in his heart, even as pain shot through his right arm.

When had she become so powerful? And why had she never told him?

“Your Highness, Your Highness—quickly loosen your grip! The physician said your right hand mustn’t exert force!” Bai Qingling cried anxiously, believing that Zhou Ruyuan already hated Shen Lanxi to the bone.

On one hand, she felt heartache for the prince; on the other, she felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

The prince had completely given up on Shen Lanxi. Her best ending would be to die on the road to exile—preferably with her relatives forced to watch her die with their own eyes!

“Bad news, Your Highness…” A young servant from the residence rushed in to report.

Zhou Ruyuan snapped back to himself, gritting his teeth as he barked, “What is it?”

The servant trembled in fright, bowing so low his head nearly touched his chest. In a small voice, he muttered, “The whole city is spreading rumors about the Prince’s residence.”

He didn’t dare say the rest.

Zhou Ruyuan immediately sensed that it was nothing good. He slammed the table and roared, “If you keep stammering, I’ll have you beaten with twenty strokes before you report back!”

The servant hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing as he spoke. “They’re all saying that on the prince’s wedding night, Your Highness stayed in an outer chamber… and that you called for water three times during the night…”

Zhou Ruyuan sprang to his feet in rage and swept the table aside. Tea ware clattered to the floor, shattering into pieces. The servants in the room trembled like leaves.

Bai Qingling was furious at first, then her face turned pale.

This was a royal scandal. If it escalated, the Emperor wouldn’t do anything to his own son—but he would certainly deal with her!

Bai Qingling lowered her gaze to her flat abdomen, then her eyes hardened with resolve.

“Your Highness, I have an idea…”

That very day, Zhou Ruyuan petitioned to personally lead troops to campaign in the northwest. Unfortunately, he was one step too late—the Emperor had already appointed the commander-in-chief during the morning court. If Zhou Ruyuan wanted to go, he could only serve as a deputy general under the commander’s command.

Zhou Ruyuan stood at the palace gates for a full hour before stepping back into the palace. When he came out again, he was holding the appointment decree for deputy general. He immediately began mustering troops—three days later, they would depart to campaign in the northwest!

As the city gates were about to close, a group of people blended into the common folk and quietly set off toward Dongchuan.

—

Among the exiles, aside from the Shen family, all other men over the age of fifteen were shackled with neck cangues and ankle chains. Their pace was naturally slow.

The yamen escorts knew the Shen family’s status and didn’t dare openly make things difficult for them—but the other prisoners weren’t so fortunate.

“Officer, please show some mercy. My grandmother is thirsty and wants to beg for a bowl of water…”

Before the prisoner could finish speaking, he was kicked to the ground and whipped.

“Water? You’re prisoners—do you think you’re lords or something? No water. There’s urine—want to drink that?”

Curses and cries blended together.

“Cry, cry, cry! Cry again after someone dies! Let me hear any of you crying and you’ll get the whip—” Several prisoners were whipped again, and at last no one dared cry out loud.

Even if they cried, they swallowed the sound back into their throats.

On the first day of exile, the prisoners’ stamina could still hold out. Aside from those who hadn’t yet grasped their situation and were beaten for it, everyone managed to endure.

In the evening, each person received one mixed-grain cornbread bun about the size of a child’s fist—that was dinner.

All the prisoners were herded into the stables to sleep. The escorts had low-grade communal bunks. These were standard arrangements and required no extra payment.

After the escorts settled in, Shen Lanxi calculated the timing and arrived unhurriedly.

Several escorts were eating in the hall.

Shen Lanxi walked over at an easy pace. “You officers work so hard, yet the food isn’t good. Without proper meals, how will you have the strength to travel tomorrow? Bring out the best wine and dishes!”

Seeing that Shen Lanxi was sensible and looked rather gentle and scholarly, and that the people she brought along were either old or young—unlikely to cause trouble—the burly escort relaxed his guard considerably.

“Young brother, what a coincidence—we meet again!”

They had been following right behind the exile convoy the whole way. Even a blind man could see that. Coincidence or not—it was just polite talk.

Shen Lanxi smiled and cupped her fists. “It’s fate between us. In the end, I’m the one benefiting.”

The burly escort raised his thick eyebrows. “How so?”

Shen Lanxi immediately replied ingratiatingly, “To be honest, I transported a batch of goods out of the capital and was worried about encountering bandits along the road. You officers are wearing official uniforms—it’s perfect for deterring petty thieves so they won’t dare set their sights on my cargo. Isn’t that me benefiting from your presence?”

The escorts were flattered by her words—comfortable and unburdened.

Shen Lanxi then called out to the innkeeper, “Arrange the best rooms for these officers—single rooms for all of them. Put it on my tab!”

Under normal circumstances, the escorts might have suspected ill intent—like a weasel paying respects to a chicken. But after being so thoroughly buttered up by Shen Lanxi, they felt the arrangement was only natural.