Chapter 5: Family

The Capital remained as bustling as ever.

At the city gates, a long queue had formed, filled with people waiting to leave the city.

Outside the gates, Ningshuang, Tingxue, and Sui He stood anxiously. The moment they spotted Wei Yunlan sitting at the front shaft of the mule cart—now dressed as an ordinary woman—their tense hearts finally settled.

In the next instant, their eyes reddened with emotion.

Their young mistress, who had never so much as dipped her fingers into menial labor, was now personally driving a cart. When had she ever done such work before?

The mule cart came to a stop before them. Ningshuang suppressed the stinging sensation in her eyes and stepped forward to report, “Miss, I have inquired. The convoy escorting the exiled prisoners left the city half an hour ago and is heading north.”

Wei Yunlan’s heart clenched. Until she saw her natal family with her own eyes, she would never be at ease.

Glancing at the other mule cart, she saw that the flatbed attached to its rear was already piled high with supplies. She pointed to the empty space beside her. “Ningshuang, get on. We need to catch up quickly.”

“Miss, let me drive the cart.”

“That works.”

Since Ningshuang knew exactly which direction the convoy had taken, Wei Yunlan handed her the reins.

However, the moment the reins left her hands, the mule suddenly bolted out of control, charging wildly ahead. It nearly overturned the cart that Sui He was driving in front of them.

Wei Yunlan quickly snatched the reins back, and only then did the unruly mule settle down, obediently following the cart ahead.

Ningshuang patted her chest in lingering fear. “It’s my fault. I almost caused a disaster.”

“How could this be your fault? You’ve never driven a cart before.” Ningshuang and Tingxue were both first-class maids who had always served by her side. Let alone driving a cart, even laundry and mending had never been their duty.

Wei Yunlan herself was also driving for the first time, but she felt she had a natural knack for it.

With a gentle flick of the reins, the mule trotted steadily down the official road.

Unseen by her, a group of people quietly followed her at a distance, neither too close nor too far.

…

The mule cart hadn’t been traveling long when Wei Yunlan saw a group of people stopped by the roadside ahead.

As she drove the cart closer, she noticed several carriages turning back toward the capital from that direction.

The lead carriage had the character “Jiang” on it, and Wei Yunlan guessed it must be the Jiang family from the Duke of Yong’an’s residence, who had been betrothed to her younger brother.

In her past life, when she had learned that her natal family was exiled from the capital, the news that the eldest daughter of the Jiang family had called off the engagement with her younger brother had already spread throughout the capital.

It seemed that the Duke of Yong’an’s residence had sent people at this time to return the engagement token.

A shadow crossed her eyes, but Wei Yunlan quickly steeled herself and urged her mule cart forward to catch up with the departing convoy.

The officer in charge of the convoy, riding a tall horse, noticed the stopped mule cart. His brows furrowed with slight disapproval and impatience.

Tingxue quickly jumped down from the cart and jogged up to hand him a packet of silver.

Seeing this, the officer’s frown eased, and he dismounted. “Stay put and rest here. We’ll depart in a quarter of an hour!”

The subordinates sat down where they were.

The dozens of exiled prisoners in the convoy turned their gazes toward the two mule carts. Their eyes landed on Wei Yunlan, whose appearance and demeanor clearly didn’t match that of a typical woman from the capital, displaying both surprise and curiosity.

Among the crowd, Wei Yunlan’s family members stood frozen, stunned.

Especially the middle-aged man wearing a wooden collar, and the beautiful woman beside him, who had just been wiping sweat from his brow. Both looked toward the approaching figure, their faces clouded with deep concern.

Wei Yunlan removed the veil from her face and, excited, hurried forward. “Father, Mother! Elder Sister-in-law, Mingxuan!”

“Big Sister!”

Wei Mingxuan, who had been listless just a moment ago, immediately jumped to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

“Lan’er, did you come all this way to see us off?” Cheng Yue’e, holding a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, asked with a touch of emotion.

Just earlier, people from the Liang and Bai families had come to bid them farewell, but there was no one from the Feng family, who had no influence in the capital. And while the Wei family did have people come, their purpose wasn’t to see them off; rather, it was to take back the engagement…

Wei Maolin and Gao Shi, who had not spoken until now, weren’t as optimistic as their eldest daughter-in-law.

Looking at their daughter, who was dressed in plain clothes, with her hair down and no makeup, Gao Shi’s eyes filled with unease. “Lan’er, why are you dressed like this?”

Wei Yunlan knew she couldn’t hide anything from her parents’ sharp eyes. Without hesitation, she answered truthfully, “I’m leaving the capital with you and heading to Beiguan.”

“I’ve already divorced Shen Feng.”

Even though Gao Shi had already suspected, she was still shocked. She grabbed Wei Yunlan’s hand tightly. “Did the Marquis of Jinyang force you to leave?”

Wei Maolin, who had always been calm and composed, now wore an expression of anger. “How dare the Marquis of Jinyang do such a thing!”

The Wei family had been kind to the Marquis of Jinyang’s family. Now that the Wei family had fallen on hard times, the Marquis of Jinyang abandoned Lan’er—did they think they could do this without facing consequences?

Wei Yunlan didn’t bother defending the Marquis of Jinyang’s family. Although they hadn’t actively forced her to leave, what they had done in her past life was far worse than simply letting her go.

“Shen Feng married his concubine, who lives in Xiping Alley, today, and brought her into the manor as his second wife. There’s no point in me staying any longer. It’s better to leave with you, Father and Mother.”

“Lan’er, you’re being foolish.” Gao Shi, though reluctant to see her daughter suffer the insults of the Marquis of Jinyang’s family, couldn’t bear the thought of her facing the hardships of exile. “Beiguan is cold and harsh, and the journey will be fraught with difficulties. Staying in the capital at least offers some stability…”

“Mother, there’s no stability left.” Wei Yunlan decided to add a final blow to the Marquis of Jinyang’s family, thoroughly extinguishing her parents’ hopes. “After our family fell, they took over ten thousand taels in silver notes from me, promising to help, but then locked me in the manor and allowed Shen Feng to marry Xue Shi as his second wife.”

“Today, when the decree for the confiscation of our family’s property and exile came down, they agreed to break off the engagement. Do you think that if I had stayed in the manor, they might have made me fake my death to cover up the scandal and clear the way for Xue Shi, who was newly favored by my husband?”

Tears finally spilled from Gao Shi’s eyes, and she pulled Wei Yunlan into her embrace, heartbroken. “My poor Lan’er.”

Wei Yunlan wrapped her arms around her mother and gently patted her back, softly comforting her. “Mother, as long as we’re together, I’m not suffering.”

In fact, she wasn’t suffering at all. On the contrary, her heart was filled with motivation and hope.

The Wei family was caught in a flurry of crying and comforting. The two families closest to them exchanged glances, sensing something amiss.

The officer, who had received the bribe and dismounted to rest, now looked at them with added disdain.

They didn’t know the true circumstances of Wei Yunlan’s departure from the Marquis of Jinyang’s manor; they only saw that the Wei family had truly fallen from grace.

The Wei family’s son had been rejected in marriage, and their daughter was discarded. What was once a high-status family had now been reduced to the dust.

The officer glanced at the mule cart, its tarpaulin covering a heap of belongings. He suppressed a fleeting greed and raised his whip, striking the ground with a loud crack.

“Get moving! Stand up!”

“Dammit, stop dawdling!”

Just as everyone was returning to the main road at the officer’s urging, the sound of hooves suddenly rang out from behind them.

Two horse-drawn carriages were approaching from the direction of the capital.

The leading carriage was exquisitely crafted. Judging by its appearance, it was likely from either a royal or a noble house.

Seeing that the convoy was about to move forward, a steward-like figure leaned out of the carriage and urgently called out to them,

“Wait! Hold on a moment!”