Chapter 22: Dream-Sent Warning

“What?”

“Lan’er, you’re saying… your maternal grandfather sent you a dream?”

Outside Mount Yueheng, in a guest room of an inn, four pairs of shocked eyes focused on Wei Yunlan.

“Yes.” Wei Yunlan nodded seriously. “My maternal grandfather said that our journey ahead will be turbulent.”

“First, Mingxuan got separated from us, then Father hit his head, and now Mother is seriously ill… disasters keep happening. Before we even reach Beiguan, our family will be torn apart!”

“Hiss.” Except for Jiayan and little Jiarong, who didn’t understand, everyone else in the room gasped.

Madam Gao’s expression was the most solemn. “Lan’er, did your maternal grandfather give us any advice on how to deal with this?”

“He didn’t say anything specific.” Wei Yunlan shook her head. Just when the atmosphere in the room became heavy, she changed the subject. “But he sent us a warning, which means he wants us to turn the situation around. I think the best solution right now is to… separate from this current group.”

“Ah?” This was a possibility the Wei family had never considered.

After all, this wasn’t just any group—it was the exile convoy escorting them to the border!

To leave without permission would be tantamount to defying the law.

That was a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations!

“Lan’er, there’s the Duke’s Manor and your aunt’s family in the capital…”

Wei Yunlan, of course, had considered that. “So we can’t leave directly. We need to come up with a way to make it look like an accident.”

Wei Maolin and Madam Gao looked thoughtful, clearly considering whether this was achievable.

Wei Yunlan seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. “Father, Mother, you saw the situation of our convoy today. Although we’re all exiles, Xie Guan’s attitude towards the Liang family is completely different from his attitude towards the rest of us.”

“In times of crisis, they only care about the safety of the Liang family, and they’re even willing to sacrifice others to save their lives.”

“We cannot trust our lives to such a group. This time it was the Feng family who died—who knows if it will be us next?”

After saying this, Wei Maolin’s expression became complicated. He had originally not wanted to mention it, fearing it would worry his family. “Actually, I also took a blow for Master Liang today.”

“What?”

Madam Gao immediately stood up, and if it weren’t for the children being present, she would have almost reached out to pull Wei Maolin’s clothes. “Where are you hurt?”

“I’m not hurt.” Wei Maolin hurriedly explained. “Wife, I was wearing the golden-thread soft armor Lan’er gave me. The sword couldn’t even penetrate it—at worst it’s just a bruise.”

It was fortunate he had that golden-thread soft armor. Otherwise, he would have probably met the same fate as Fourth Master Feng and breathed his last breath.

“At the time, I was standing between Master Feng and Master Liang. Master Liang was anxious to save his son and stepped forward, exposing himself to the bandits’ swords. I don’t know who pushed me from behind, but I ended up blocking Master Liang.”

Thinking about it now, it was probably the officials who had pushed him—after all, the three convicts were all wearing wooden cangues, making them difficult to move.

“What exactly did the Liang family do?” Madam Gao suddenly asked Wei Maolin.

As sharp as she was, she had already sensed something unusual from these events.

“It also has something to do with the palace witchcraft case five years ago, but I don’t know the details,” Wei Maolin replied with a frown.

“Father, Mother, this is my second concern.”

Wei Yunlan continued, “The Liang family is clearly not right. No matter what they’re doing in Beiguan, if we get too close to them, what if one day they—or the people behind them—decide to eliminate us to prevent their secrets from being leaked?”

The room fell silent. This concern was even scarier than the first.

The Liang family had close ties to the court.
 No matter who they were working for, it was ultimately related to the royal family.

Thinking about the royal family’s hidden methods, the Wei family felt a chill run down their spines.

“Lan’er is right, we can’t stay in this convoy anymore.”

Madam Gao looked at Wei Maolin and Cheng Yue’e, waiting for them to express their opinions.

Wei Maolin pondered for a moment before nodding seriously.

Cheng Yue’e didn’t think much about it. “I’ll listen to Mother.”

As soon as she finished speaking, little Jiayan, who was nestled in her arms, followed suit, puffing out his chest. “I’ll listen to Mother!”

Little Jiarong, held in her arms, let out a series of “aa” sounds.

Wei Mingxuan looked around. “Why don’t you ask me what I think?”

No one had actually thought to ask him, as the decision was settled with four votes.

Wei Mingxuan shrugged. “Alright, I also think we should listen to Big Sister and Mother, and leave this convoy.”

The family reached a consensus. The next challenge was how to create an accidental separation from the convoy.

Wei Maolin asked Wei Yunlan to recount the details of her maternal grandfather’s dream.

“Mingxuan got separated from us right before we left Liangzhou. Liangzhou is only 300 li across, north to south. Now we’ve already entered Liangzhou territory, and it will only take five or six days to leave Liangzhou and reach Huizhou.”

“That means, at the latest, we’ll encounter the displaced refugees within six days.” Wei Maolin didn’t doubt the accuracy of the message—after all, he knew his wife’s grandfather’s abilities. “They were able to scatter people, which means this group of refugees must be numerous. This is the best opportunity we can use!”

No one objected. Now there was only one final challenge.

“We can agree on a meeting place beforehand. If we get scattered, we can meet there afterwards. But how do we ensure everyone’s safety?”

Displaced refugees were not ordinary people. If they couldn’t solve this problem, everything they had planned would be useless.

However, this wasn’t a problem for Wei Yunlan. She suddenly spoke up. “There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

“Before leaving the capital, I hired a team of guards. There are ten of them in total—they’re incredibly skilled. I can have them follow each of you secretly to provide protection.”

“Is that true?” Wei Maolin was shocked.

“Big Sister, where are they? I’ve never seen them before.” Wei Mingxuan was full of curiosity.

Cheng Yue’e exclaimed, “Yunlan is truly farsighted.”

Madam Gao cast Wei Yunlan a worried glance, her brows furrowed slightly before quickly smoothing out. “No wonder we repelled the bandits so easily today—it turns out it was the guards Lan’er hired who were helping us in secret.”

The basic outline of the plan was set. The sky was getting dark, and the Wei family members each returned to their rooms to rest.

There were quite a few vacant rooms in this inn. Tonight, Wei Yunlan was alone in her room.

Just when she was about to lie down, the door gently knocked from outside. Madam Gao walked in, carrying a blanket.

“Mother?” Wei Yunlan was puzzled. “Aren’t you going to stay with Father?”

“What’s there to stay with him for?” Madam Gao lay down beside her daughter. “Lan’er, I’ll sleep with you tonight.”

The candle was extinguished, and Wei Yunlan drifted off to sleep in the darkness.

Suddenly, she heard her mother’s soft voice beside her.

“Lan’er, when did you have this dream?”

Before Wei Yunlan could answer, the voice beside her echoed again, filled with a hint of suppressed trembling.

“Did you choose to divorce and leave the Marquis’s residence, to be exiled with us, because of this dream?”

Wei Yunlan was slightly stunned. It turned out her mother had guessed.

“Mother, actually…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Madam Gao softly interrupted. “Lan’er, you don’t need to tell Mother your secret, or anyone else.”

Madam Gao’s warm embrace enveloped Wei Yunlan tightly, her voice filled with tenderness. “Just remember, Lan’er, we are a family—we should face this together. Don’t carry all the burden on your own. Even if the sky falls, your father and I will be there to hold it up.”