The Chu family had a total of eight horse-drawn carriages.

The two elders’ carriage was at the front, followed by Lady Jiang’s carriage, with the carriages of Uncle Chu and Second Uncle Chu’s family behind them.

To avoid being searched by officials, the Chu family’s carriages mixed in with those of a wealthy merchant in the city.

The route they were taking out of the city also used that merchant’s travel papers.

There were over twenty carriages, some for passengers and others for goods, blending together.

Having too many people around the carriages could raise suspicion, so the disguised guards stood apart from one another.

Once Lady Jiang got down from her carriage, she headed toward Uncle Chu’s carriage.

In the past, if Sister-in-law Liu dared to stab her in the back like this, Lady Jiang would have long reported it to the matriarch.

But now, living under someone else’s roof, if she caused a scene in front of the matriarch, she would make things difficult for her sister-in-law, and in the future, when they reached Xizhou, her son would still need medical treatment.

With no money at hand, she had to rely on her sister-in-law’s goodwill.

The Chu elders were getting on in years; they had always protected her, but once they were gone, her son would be disabled, her daughter’s reputation ruined, and their chances of marrying would be slim.

She and her two children could only rely on the Chu family, and then it would all depend on her sister-in-law’s whims.

If she offended her sister-in-law now, the future would surely be difficult.

Suppressing her rising anger, Lady Jiang knocked on the carriage window and called, “Elder Brother.”

Uncle Chu and his wife were sitting in the carriage.

When Uncle Chu lifted the curtain, Lady Jiang immediately saw the hand warmer and thick bedding inside.

The items in the carriage were naturally provided by Liu.

Thinking of the thin blanket her son used, Lady Jiang felt a surge of anger and almost started a quarrel with her sister-in-law.

But she held back, adjusting her tone as she said, “We’re out of medicine for Yan Gui. The carriage is bumpy, and he’s sweating from the pain. Elder Brother, that’s your own nephew; can you send someone to buy him some pain relief medicine? If not, he might just die from the pain on the road!”

Uncle Chu impatiently replied, “Where were you earlier? At such a crucial moment, where do you expect me to buy medicine?”

Liu’s gaze flickered for a moment.

Lady Jiang knew she was now living under someone else’s roof, but with decades of fiery temper, she couldn’t change her ways just like that.

After being scolded by Uncle Chu, her temper flared, and she retorted:

“Do you think I want to be a bother at this time? I already told Sister-in-law a couple of days ago that I needed to buy medicine for Yan Gui! It was Sister-in-law who didn’t let anyone go buy it. I know both you and Second Brother are tired of me, but we are siblings, after all; even if the bone is broken, the tendons are still connected! If I had a way out, I wouldn’t bother you and Second Brother, but I can’t just watch Yan Gui die from the pain…”

Hearing this, Uncle Chu glanced at his wife.

Liu awkwardly replied, “I told the servants about it; I suppose the servant responsible for buying it was slacking off and forgot about it this time.”

This was clearly Liu’s excuse.

Lady Jiang looked at Liu’s face and felt an overwhelming urge to slap her twice.

She angrily shouted, “Forgot? How can you forget something as crucial as a person’s life?!”

Uncle Chu did not want to embarrass Liu at this moment.

He snapped at Lady Jiang, “I’ll send someone to buy it. You hurry back to your carriage. There are too many people in the street; if you’re recognized, you could drag a whole family into trouble! Aren’t you causing enough trouble for this family?”

Uncle Chu quickly called over a guard, handed him his purse, and gave him some instructions before the guard hurried off.

Only then did Lady Jiang turn to leave, but she couldn’t help but feel tears prick at her eyes.

What had happened today was clearly Liu’s fault, yet his brother was still scolding her.

The so-called familial bond felt more like a joke at that moment; Lady Jiang truly felt like an outsider in the Chu family.

Once the curtain fell, Uncle Chu turned a cold face to Liu and said, “Yan Gui is still my own nephew; how can you act like this as his aunt?”

Liu slammed down the hand warmer and replied, “How can I act? You don’t understand how precious that small bottle of medicine is. Do you not know the situation at home? Our daughter’s marriage is gone, and we can’t take any of the family assets with us to the capital. I don’t even know how we’re going to save enough for our two daughters’ dowries! If we don’t conserve our money, our entire family will be eating the wind when we get to Xizhou! I haven’t cut off his external and internal medicines, have I? Just a bottle of pain relief pills, and you make it sound like I owe your nephew something! He’s a grown man; can’t he endure a little pain?”

She then changed her tone and said, “Do you think your sister is simple-minded? She came to you for medicine at this time on purpose, just to make you look bad. It makes me seem cruel to them. She returned from the Jiang family with nothing; I don’t believe her elders didn’t secretly give her some money.”

Liu spoke quickly, and Uncle Chu couldn’t argue with her.

But thinking of how spoiled the Chu family’s elders were, he felt quite displeased: “When she got married, our parents practically gave her half of the Chu family as a dowry. And now, all that dowry has benefited the Jiang family.”

Liu had a bellyful of grievances: “Let’s not talk about the past; I suspect the two elders still intend to divide the family assets and give our daughter a share.”

When it came to dividing the family assets, the couple’s expressions darkened even further.

At this moment, Lady Jiang had also reached Yan Gui’s carriage.

She was just about to get on when someone called out to her from behind, “Chu Wanping?”

At first, Lady Jiang thought she was hearing things.

When she turned around, it was indeed Jiang Shangshu standing not far away.

Recalling the plight of her two children, she felt a mix of sadness and hatred, wishing she could slap him, but some rationality kept her in check.

She knew this was a critical moment as the family was leaving the city.

Lady Jiang chose not to respond, pretending not to recognize him, and directly boarded the carriage.

Jiang Shangshu frowned at her attitude.

Moreover… how did she appear here while the Chu family was under the watch of the imperial guards?

All these carriages were heading out of the city.

Jiang Shangshu’s eyelids twitched.

After years of experience in the court, he quickly pieced together the situation: The Chu family had offended the emperor, and it was only a matter of time before the emperor dealt with them.

Leaving the capital amidst the chaos was indeed the best option.

Though he didn’t know how the Chu family managed to leave the mansion, his only son was still in their hands.

As long as Yan Gui remained with the Chu family, the Jiang family would inevitably suffer when the emperor took action against the Chus.

At that moment, he felt somewhat fortunate.

If he hadn’t scheduled to meet Lin Taifu at the teahouse by the city gate today, he would have been left in the dark about the Chu family’s escape.

Jiang Shangshu stepped forward, but the disguised guards quickly blocked his path.

The attendants beside him tensed up, ready for a confrontation.

The hidden lookout in the teahouse also noticed the commotion and quickly signaled to the people below.

As a third-rank official, Jiang Shangshu was recognized by the people sent to assist, which was why they didn’t dare act recklessly on the street.

Jiang Shangshu had several skilled fighters with him.

If a fight broke out and the guards at the city gate were alerted, everything would be ruined.

The head of the assist team stepped forward to negotiate with Jiang Shangshu: “Lord Jiang, you and the Chu family are in-laws; you should spare them.”

Jiang Shangshu glanced at the person.

He didn’t recognize him and noted his imposing demeanor.

He couldn’t tell whether this person had been won over by the Chu family or had connections to a significant figure.

He replied, “Please convey a message to the head of the Chu family: as long as you leave my son behind today, I, Jiang, will pretend I never saw these carriages.”

Family matters between the Jiang and Chu families were not something outsiders could meddle in.

The head of the assist team quickly gave a glance to a nearby guard, who immediately ran towards the carriage where the Chu elders were.

A moment later, Old Master Chu, leaning on his cane, stepped down from the carriage.

The recent upheaval had clearly taken a toll on him, making him appear more haggard in his plain clothes.

He approached Jiang Shangshu and greeted him, “Peace to you.”

Jiang Shangshu clasped his hands in salute and replied, “Father-in-law.”

Old Master Chu waved his hand: “I can’t take that title from you. Our Chu family has treated you well. When you were promoted to the Ministry of Revenue, Sanlang helped you behind the scenes. I don’t ask you to consider our ten-plus years of friendship with Ping’er; I only ask you to remember Sanlang’s kindness and let my family leave the city today.”

His words were not accusatory but felt more like an accusation.

Jiang Shangshu stood upright, and despite the long beard he had grown, he still resembled the handsome scholar who had roamed Chang’an.

However, after years of political ups and downs, there was a cunningness in his eyes that others could not see through.

Jiang Shangshu replied, “Old Master Chu, as the head of a family, you should understand the heavy burden I carry. The Chu family is originally from Huai’an, and you can still flee when disaster strikes. My Jiang family has built our foundation in the capital for a hundred years. If my son leaves with you and a death sentence hangs over my Jiang family, who will spare my family then?”

The Jiang family had originally been former officials of the previous dynasty.

They had already passed their prime, and at a time when their family was declining, they faced a political upheaval.

The Jiang family was among the first to betray their old loyalties, and for this reason, Jiang Shangshu continued to be criticized to this day.

Old Master Chu understood that without handing over Yan Gui today, they would not be able to leave the city.

The jammed carriages ahead were slowly moving forward, and they would soon reach the city gate; time was of the essence.

With a heavy heart, he instructed a nearby guard a couple of things, and the guard hurried to where Lady Jiang was.

Old Master Chu then said to Jiang Shangshu, “You and my daughter have become estranged; this engagement should be considered dissolved. Write her a letter of divorce.”

Jiang Shangshu did not immediately respond; after a moment, he finally said one word: “Agreed.”

Since boarding the carriage, Lady Jiang had been restless, constantly holding her son’s hand and murmuring, “Yan Gui, we will definitely make it to Xizhou…”