Chapter 8: You Are Not In Exile You Are Clearly Traveling!
Chapter 8: Cruelty
The several bailiffs looked at each other, some of them didn't quite believe the rumors they had heard.
So, one of the bailiffs took advantage of Chen Yuan's distraction and searched his pockets, then shook his head at his companion.
He really had no money on him.
They didn't expect the rumors to be true!
Thinking of this, the bailiff couldn't help but look at Chen Yuan with some sympathy. Although he was just a lowly bailiff, he had at least dozens of taels of silver in his pocket, and could occasionally visit the brothels for entertainment.
While Chen Yuan, as a third-rank official, had absolutely no money on him, making it hard for people not to feel sorry for him.
Receiving sympathetic glances from the bailiffs, Chen Yuan felt complicated. He really wanted to explain loudly, "My family is not really poor."
He couldn't quite understand where these rumors had come from. He had only been imprisoned for a few days, but it felt like the world had turned upside down.
However, he turned to look at his daughter, and it seemed like she had just said their family was poor. He was puzzled.
Chen Xue had already prepared a simple reason. Simply put, since the Imperial Censor was present at the time, she pretended to be poor to prove that Chen Yuan was not corrupt, and the Imperial Censor believed her.
Chen Yuan suddenly realized that compared to other aristocratic families, their Chen family had only risen to prominence during his father's time, which was just over ten years ago. For an aristocratic family, they were indeed considered poor.
However, he also knew that overturning the case was almost impossible.
After the perfunctory check, the bailiffs heard one of them say, "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and move on."
Crack!
As the words fell, everyone heard the sound of a whip.
The exiled group had hundreds of people, and the corruption case involved not only his Chen family but also other officials.
However, most of the servants had already been bribed, and only a few followed along in exile.
Moreover, unlike the Chen Xue's family, most of the others were not as decent. Many of them had received lashes and then were branded, so quite a few of them were being supported by their families.
Some couldn't withstand the lashes and died on the spot, which could be considered a release, sparing them from enduring the exile journey.
But regardless, everyone was shackled, walking with difficulty, including Chen Xue's family.
However, Chen Xue didn't want to endure this hardship. After all, wearing these shackles could easily cause abrasions on the wrists and ankles due to friction while walking.
Moreover, once injured, it was easy to get infected, especially in ancient times without penicillin, there would be no cure once infected.
So, Chen Xue had to spend a hundred taels of silver to exchange for Weak Water in her space, not the legendary Weak Water, just a name coincidence.
This bottle of Weak Water, when dropped on an object, would make it as light as a feather, which was very suitable for the shackles on her wrists and ankles.
Of course, she didn't forget to give some to her parents. After all, more things would be exposed in the future, so it was better to find a good reason to tell them.
Moreover, being in a different world and on the road to exile, only her parents could be relied on to protect herself.
The excuse she found was given to her by a senior. She had told her mother before that the things in the Chen mansion were hidden by a senior, and she had also worshipped the senior as her master, and these were gifts from him.
Ancient people were more superstitious and easy to believe in those mysterious things. Although they felt that the master her daughter worshipped seemed to be as powerful as a deity, they quickly accepted it.
"I'll pass!"
Chen Yuan shook his head, "Over time, everyone will notice that our wrists and ankles are not injured by the shackles, and it's easy to suspect. You are women, and no one dares to check if your wrists are really injured, but I am different..."
So, he would rather endure some hardship to protect his wife and daughter. They didn't need to suffer.
Chen Xue had actually considered this a long time ago. After all, she would have to bring out more food and other things in the future, and they would be exposed sooner or later. But thinking that they hadn't left the capital yet and there were eyes everywhere, it was better to be low-key.
Thinking about it, she cut a few pieces of cloth from her space and let her father tie them around his wrists and ankles. This way, they could avoid abrasions as much as possible.
On the road of exile, it was necessary to ensure good health in order to reach the destination.
Then, she turned to look at the maidservant Xiao Die, who had been quiet and not said a word. She suddenly seemed to be mute.
However, thinking that she was only sixteen years old and was suddenly exiled after her family was raided, it was normal for her to have trouble accepting it.
Xiao Die had grown up with the original owner of the body and was as close as sisters. Even though she didn't want to leave her, she insisted on following her and being exiled together.
With such a loyal little maid, how could she mistreat her?
So, Chen Xue also helped her with the shackles, dropping a drop of Weak Water. Xiao Die was very surprised but smartly didn't ask much.
"Crack!"
"Hurry up, why are you dawdling!"
Suddenly, Chen Yuan was whipped on the back, and he staggered, almost falling to the ground.
Angry, Chen Xue turned around and saw one of the bailiffs who had tried to extort them earlier, Zhao Guang. She had overheard their conversation earlier.
At this moment, he had a fierce look on his face, glaring at them, with a whip in his hand, as if he still wanted to act.
"I'm going, I'm going!"
Chen Yuan quickly protected his wife and daughter and caught up with the group. Although they hadn't fallen behind, Chen Yuan knew that it was easy to provoke trouble, especially when dealing with the underworld.
Seeing the Chen family blend into the crowd, Zhao Guang's face darkened. He was one of Guo Qiang's men, and this time he had received a task to kill Chen Yuan as soon as possible.
So, he looked for an opportunity to provoke Chen Yuan, forcing him to take action, so he could have an excuse to draw his sword.
As a bailiff responsible for exile, he had the right to take action when the prisoners rioted. He could then legitimately kill Chen Yuan to complete the task.
However, Chen Yuan unexpectedly endured it, which made Zhao Guang's face very unpleasant. They were still within the range of the capital, so he didn't dare to openly take action, but the pressure from above was urgent.
Thinking of this, he touched the poison in his pocket, sneering inwardly. There were plenty of ways to make someone die.
"We are still within the range of the capital now, so the bailiffs won't be too overbearing. But after a while, they will become even more ruthless, so let's try to keep a low profile and not provoke them."
While Chen Xue's mother was worried about her husband's injuries, Chen Yuan waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind and reminded them.
Chen Xue nodded in understanding and continued to move forward with the others.
The shackles on her body became lighter, like foam, so she couldn't feel any weight at all, making it very easy to walk.
But it was different for the others in the group. They hadn't experienced this kind of suffering before, and they had also been whipped, so soon, some of them fell to the ground.
Seeing this, the bailiffs not only didn't forgive them but also waved their whips at them, urging them to get up quickly.
Seeing this scene, Chen Xue narrowed her eyes. It could be said that she saw the cruel side of ancient times for the first time.
Some things from her past life were useless in this world. If she wanted to survive in this world, she had to adapt.
However, before that, she decided to quench her thirst a bit.
"Mother, let me wipe your sweat for you!"
Chen Xue said, pretending to wipe her mother's sweat but actually feeding her a few green grapes.
Chen Xue's mother was indeed her mother. She reacted quickly. When she felt Chen Xue stuffing something into her mouth, she didn't suspect anything else, but immediately opened her mouth to cooperate.
Feeling the sweetness in her mouth, Chen's mother was puzzled. Where did Xiao Xue get these grapes? They were quite sweet.
As for Chen Yuan, Chen Xue didn't feed him but instead handed him the grapes and let him find an opportunity to eat them himself. Then she walked while nibbling on the grapes.
Oh, right, she almost forgot about Xiao Die's presence. After all, she didn't know why, but her presence was so low, perhaps because she didn't speak.
After feeding Xiao Die a few grapes, she continued to walk and nibble on the grapes.
She also planted grapes in her space, but it would take some time before they could be harvested. At present, the inventory was enough for her to eat for several days... if she nibbled on them like sunflower seeds.
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