Chapter 6: Farewell

The mule cart came to a halt beside the convoy bound for exile. The steward stepped down first and cupped his hands respectfully toward the officer in charge of the escort. “By order of the Duke, I’ve come to deliver some supplies. I ask for your leniency, Officer.”

The officer assigned to escort the convicts was merely a low-ranking functionary with no official grade—how could he dare offend someone sent by the Duke’s residence? Especially when the steward discreetly slipped him two thin slips of paper from his sleeve.

Could it be… 200 taels in banknotes?

The smile on the officer’s face instantly turned much more genuine. “Of course, of course. The sun’s still high in the sky—just the right time to take a short break before continuing on our way!”

There were no identifying emblems on the cart, leaving many to speculate which household had sent it.

But soon, they saw the steward heading directly toward the Wei family’s group.

So it was the steward from the Duke of Xu’s Residence!

The Wei family had caused such a huge scandal—yet the Duke of Xu’s household hadn’t cut ties with them?

“Manager Xu.” Wei Maolin was somewhat surprised as well.

The fact that their heads were still intact and they were merely being exiled to Beiguan was already the result of a plea from the virtuous consort in the palace. He had thought the Duke’s residence wouldn’t involve themselves any further…

“You’ve suffered a lot. If the Young Madam were still alive, she’d be beside herself with worry,” Manager Xu sighed, taking a bundle handed to him by the servant behind him and passing it to Wei Mingxuan and Madam Gao, who stood beside Wei Maolin.

The “aunt” that Manager Xu referred to was none other than Wei Maolin’s mother, the late Lady Xu of the Duke of Xu’s Residence, the full-blooded younger sister of the current Duke Xu.

As for the virtuous consort in the palace, she was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Duke—Wei Maolin’s maternal cousin. Though she had long fallen out of favor due to her age, she still held some sway with the Emperor, thanks to giving birth to the eldest princess, who had been married off to the Northern Barbarians in a political alliance.

But that influence was likely quite limited—otherwise, why would the Emperor favor the Second Prince’s faction and order the seizure of Wei Maolin’s estate and their exile, simply for presenting a memorial of remonstrance?

Still, thunder or rain, grace or punishment—it was all considered imperial favor. Whatever the Emperor chose to do was not something they, as subjects, could dare question.

Hadn’t Manager Xu even lowered his voice when he said, “You’ve suffered,” as if afraid others might hear?

“It’s cold up north,” Steward Xu said gently. “There are some warming medicinal herbs in the bundle. The Duke was afraid you wouldn’t have time to prepare, so he also had a few thick garments packed.” As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at the bundle a couple more times.

Wei Maolin understood and nodded, his eyes burning with emotion. “Please, Manager, convey my gratitude to my uncle and cousin. It’s only thanks to them that my family remains intact today.”

“The Duke said you should take good care of yourself at Beiguan,” Manager Xu continued. “Once His Majesty’s anger subsides, he’ll try to think of a way.”

“And regarding Young Master Mingyi, the Duke will send someone to keep searching. If there’s any news, he’ll make sure a message is delivered to Beiguan.”

Wei Maolin was at a loss for words. His heart swelled with emotion. Wearing a wooden cangue, he turned to face the direction of the capital and, with great difficulty, knelt down and bowed deeply. This bow was not for the almighty Emperor in the capital, but for the maternal family who had truly extended a hand in support.

Manager Xu helped him up, then took a slightly smaller bundle from the servant behind him. “This was given to me at the gate of the Duke’s manor just now by Master Tong San,” he said.

“He asked me to pass on a message—your cousin wanted to come see you off, but she couldn’t get away… He told you not to blame her, and if you must blame someone, blame him instead.”

A delicate fragrance of flowers and pastries wafted from the bundle. The moment Wei Yunlan caught the scent, she knew—inside were surely the flower pastries personally baked by her aunt, Lady Tong San.

Her aunt was a gentle, soft-hearted woman, and her uncle had the refined air of a scholar. But the elders in their household were not easy to deal with. No doubt, at this very moment, her cousin was being kept indoors by Lord Tong and the old madam. Wei Yunlan could understand it, and naturally so could Wei Maolin.

“How could I possibly blame her? Knowing Jingyi’s temperament… Once we leave the capitol, she’ll likely have a hard time in the Tong household. We’ll have to trouble Uncle to keep a closer eye on her.”

“But of course. With the Duke here in the capital, you need not worry,” Manager Xu reassured. He then leaned in to quietly pass along a few more words entrusted to him by the Duke, before stepping aside to make small talk with the escorting officer.

If one looked closely, it seemed something else had once again been discreetly slipped from his sleeve.

Just then, from the second carriage stepped a veiled woman.

Her figure was slim and delicate, as though a breeze could topple her.

Flanking her were two maidservants—one supporting her arm, the other holding a pale yellow cloak embroidered with white plum blossoms.

“Yuying!”

Wei Yunlan recognized her instantly—it was her childhood friend, Xiang Yuying.

In her previous life, she had never left the capital, so this scene had never happened. Yuying had always been frail and rarely left the residence, yet today she had braved the journey outside the city by carriage just to see her off.

A warm current flowed through Wei Yunlan’s heart. Seeing Xiang Yuying gasping for air even as her maid supported her, she hurried forward to steady her from the other side.

“If you had something to say, you could’ve just sent word through your maid. Why trouble yourself to come all this way in person?”

“If I didn’t see you with my own eyes, how could I ever be at ease?” Xiang Yuying’s face was pale, the corners of her eyes tinged with red. “When I heard you had divorced the Heir, I figured you’d be leaving the city.”

“If I hadn’t run into Duke Xu’s carriage at the city gate, I really wouldn’t have known where to find you. I came in such a rush—I didn’t have time to prepare much. Take this cloak. Once you reach Beiguan, remember to wear it when the cold sets in.”

The maid beside Xiang Yuying stepped forward and handed the cloak to Wei Yunlan.

The moment it touched her hands, Wei Yunlan felt its unexpected weight.

She lightly pinched the embroidered area with her fingers and, sure enough, felt several small, firm objects hidden within.

“These plum blossoms… Did you embroider them yourself?” Wei Yunlan looked into Xiang Yuying’s eyes and said solemnly, “I’ll keep this cloak with me always. I’ll wear it all the way to Beiguan.”

Seeing that Wei Yunlan understood her intentions, Xiang Yuying slowly exhaled in relief, then lowered her voice and said, “Yunlan, I won’t say much more. When you’re in Beiguan, you must endure. Tell Lord Wei to hold on too.”

“There has never been a case where a Censor was demoted and exiled like this. My father said the entire Censorate is furious over the matter. The timing just isn’t right now, but when the chance comes, they’ll do everything they can to bring Lord Wei back to the capital.”

Her voice grew softer and softer, until the last two sentences were barely above a whisper—only Wei Yunlan could hear them.

Xiang Yuying’s father, Lord Xiang, was the Deputy Left Censor-in-Chief, and had worked alongside Wei Yunlan’s father for many years. Privately, the two were also close friends.

As the two women finished their conversation, Manager Xu also finished chatting with the escort officer. From the officer’s satisfied expression, it was clear that Manager Xu had provided him with some generous “tips” just now.

When the journey resumed, the two mule carts brought by Wei Yunlan, along with the Liang family’s carriage, were quietly allowed to remain behind.

Perhaps because the carriages from Duke of Xu’s residence and the Xiang family were still there, the escort officer’s whip was much lighter, and his scoldings were mostly directed at the Feng and Bai families, who lacked their own carriages and mules.

When his gaze turned to the Wei family, however, the officer’s look softened. There was less contempt, more careful consideration.

The silver notes in his hands hadn’t even had time to warm up, and with the words from Steward Xu still ringing in his ears, the officer knew he had no choice but to be extra cautious.

Even though the Wei family’s children had been jilted, discarded, and left in disgrace, they still had ties to the Guogong family. Both Xu Duke and the Empress Dowager in the palace still had them in mind.

Who could say that one day, when the Emperor’s anger subsided, they wouldn’t be able to bring the entire Wei family back to the capital?