Chapter 2

Xu Qinyu noticed the unusual situation and looked around at the surrounding mountains and terrain, her expression becoming serious.

The mountains in the southwestern region were a series of peaks. After passing this peak, the terrain ahead would become flat, but not far ahead, there was another peak.

The peak where they were resting had some pine trees, but compared to other peaks, the pine trees were sparse. The slope was mostly exposed rocks and sand, and with such heavy rain, this kind of peak was prone to landslides.

Xu Qinyu couldn’t be sure if a landslide would occur, but it was better to be safe than sorry. No one wanted to gamble with their lives.

No, she had to quickly inform the person in charge to prevent everyone from being buried in this place.

Xu Qinyu looked around. It should be around noon, about two or three in the afternoon. Everyone had been traveling for several hours and was exhausted, taking a rest. Madam Wen was holding her young son and granddaughter, Pei Jianing was leaning against her mother, and even Pei Weixuan had fallen asleep. He had carried her all the way during the day, and his weak body couldn’t withstand the wind and rain, so he had fallen asleep.

Not far away were the soldiers escorting them.

Xu Qinyu got up without disturbing the Pei family and walked to the soldiers, saying, “Excuse me, where is Deputy Officer Chen? I have something to tell him.” Deputy Officer Chen was the superior of these soldiers.

She was shivering from the cold, and the rain was hitting her eyes, making it hard to keep them open.

The soldiers looked Xu Qinyu up and down impatiently and said, “What do you want with our leader?”

Xu Qinyu wiped the rain off her face. “Sir, the rain is too heavy, and the slope is full of sand and rocks. With the heavy rain, it’s easy to cause a landslide. We could all be buried in the mudslide, so I came to find Deputy Officer Chen. We can’t stay here for long. It’s best to keep moving. After passing this section of the mountain road, the terrain ahead is flat, and we can rest properly.”

“What does a little lady like you know?” The soldier sneered, not taking Xu Qinyu’s words seriously, and began to drive her away. “Go, go, go, get back to your group. If you keep causing trouble, don’t blame me for being rude.”

“Ma Liu, what are you doing!” A stern voice shouted from behind. Xu Qinyu turned to see Deputy Officer Chen. He was tall, had a burly build, was around forty years old, and had a full beard. He exuded authority without anger and was known for his fairness, never beating or scolding the exiled prisoners along the way.

Ma Liu immediately put away his impatience and reported to Deputy Officer Chen, “Boss, this young lady says there will be a landslide here and that we should keep moving.”

Deputy Officer Chen looked at Xu Qinyu upon hearing this.

Without saying much, Xu Qinyu walked to the slope under the pouring rain and casually dug into the soil. The mud, mixed with rainwater, flowed down in a stream.

Deputy Officer Chen’s expression changed slightly. He was an experienced officer responsible for escorting exiles, having traveled north and south for twenty years. He could tell that the soil was too loose, which was not right. He immediately signaled Ma Liu to blow the horn and get everyone moving again.

After giving the order, Deputy Officer Chen turned to Xu Qinyu and said, “Thank you for informing us, young lady.”

Xu Qinyu nodded and returned to the group without saying more.

The horn awakened everyone, and they looked ahead. Some were quietly complaining, “We’ve been walking all day. Can’t we rest for a while? We haven’t even rested for half an hour. Are they trying to exhaust us to death?”

In this exile group, besides Pei Weixuan’s family, there were also Madam Wen’s relatives, the former Anping Duke’s family, now reduced to commoners.

There were also some other serious criminals.

These criminals were shackled and had been spared the death penalty by the new emperor’s amnesty but were sent to the border to continue serving as laborers.

Upon reaching the place of exile, Madam Wen’s family would be commoners. They couldn’t enter the capital or take the imperial exams but would live like ordinary people.

Xu Qinyu returned to the group and continued walking. Madam Wen and the Pei family had woken up.

Pei Weixuan also opened his eyes. His pupils were very light, and his eyebrows were well-shaped, with long eyebrows reaching his temples. However, after more than a month of long journeys, hunger, and cold, he was emaciated, with mud all over his body and face. Hearing the horn, he showed no expression, only glancing at Xu Qinyu.

Xu Qinyu understood his meaning and quickly waved her hand, “Fourth Brother, you don’t need to carry me. I’m much better now, and my head isn’t dizzy anymore. I can walk by myself.”

Although they were married, the original owner had never called him husband, and Xu Qinyu couldn’t call a stranger husband either, so she followed Pei Jianing in calling him Fourth Brother.

Pei Weixuan nodded and picked up the two three- or four-year-old children in Madam Wen’s arms.

The girl was the only bloodline left by Pei Weixuan’s eldest brother, and the little boy was Madam Wen’s youngest son. The boy was mentally slow and mute, never having spoken since birth.

Pei Weixuan carried the two children, who continued to sleep on his thin shoulders.

The group slowly moved forward. Deputy Officer Chen gave a few orders to the soldiers, who began urging everyone to move faster.

After walking for more than half an hour, everyone was exhausted and could barely move when the soldiers finally blew the horn to let them rest.

Xu Qinyu looked around. The terrain here was flat, and they had passed the peak. There was no risk of a landslide here.

Finally able to rest, everyone found a place to sit down.

Xu Qinyu and the Anping Duke’s family were at the front of the group, while the serious criminals were at the back.

Xu Qinyu spotted a slanted boulder with a dry spot underneath that the rain hadn’t touched. She quickly ran to the boulder and claimed the spot, waving for Pei Weixuan to bring the children over.

Before Pei Weixuan could bring the two children over, a girl wearing a light yellow, dark-patterned long coat with a raincoat and holding an oil-paper umbrella ran to the boulder. She didn’t even glance at Xu Qinyu under the boulder and waved to someone not far away, shouting, “Grandfather, Grandmother, come sit over here. There’s a boulder that can shield us from the rain.”

This girl was Wen Yunling, Anping Duke’s granddaughter and Madam Wen’s niece.

Back then, the Wen family was just a small noble family with no real power, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them a fallen noble family. Madam Wen was not the legitimate daughter of Anping Duke but an illegitimate one. Her mother was a maidservant of Anping Duke’s wife, who was promoted to concubine to secure her position because Anping Duke was infatuated with another beautiful concubine. When Madam Wen was born, her stepmother taught her to be submissive and weak.

Later, when Emperor Shengjing was selecting concubines, officials of the third rank and above, as well as dukes, marquises, and earls, were required to send a daughter to the palace. The wife of Anping Duke wanted to send her legitimate daughter to the palace to enjoy wealth and honor. However, her own daughter had secretly promised herself to someone else. The wife of Anping Duke didn’t dare to send such a daughter to the palace for selection, so she claimed that her legitimate daughter was ill and could only send her illegitimate daughter, thinking that with her small-minded personality, she wouldn’t be chosen.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Shengjing chose Madam Wen.

Madam Wen’s appearance wasn’t stunning, but she had a delicate and charming look with a gentle and soft demeanor. Madam Wen was also fortunate. Not long after entering the palace, she was favored by Emperor Shengjing and became pregnant, giving birth to the eldest prince.

Previously, Emperor Shengjing had an empress, but she died in childbirth along with her child. The position of empress had been vacant, and although Emperor Shengjing had several princesses, he had no sons. Because Madam Wen gave birth to the eldest prince, her rank rose from a minor concubine to one of the nine concubines. Madam Wen stayed in the palace for decades, giving birth to the fourth prince and the sixth princess. Emperor Shengjing didn’t like influential in-laws, and the Wen family was just a fallen noble family. By then, Madam Wen was one of the four consorts, and the ministers urged the emperor to establish an empress. Emperor Shengjing appointed Madam Wen as the empress, and the Anping Duke’s family was also granted a higher title, becoming a first-class duke. Even the Wen family couldn’t have imagined that the illegitimate daughter they had sent to the palace would become the empress, ruling the world as the nation’s mother.

Unfortunately, it was all an illusion.

When Madam Wen became the empress, the Wen family was overjoyed and used her influence to gain power and prestige, flattered by other noble families.

When Madam Wen was demoted and the Wen family was exiled, they hated her. From the beginning of the exile, the Wen family never showed Madam Wen a good face.

At this moment, Wen Yunling naturally didn’t take Xu Qinyu seriously.

Like Wen Yunling, the Wen family directly ignored Xu Qinyu and gathered under the boulder, intending to let the old master and mistress shelter from the rain and rest. Compared to the hardships endured by the weak and sickly Pei family, the Anping Duke’s family, although stripped of their titles and exiled, had enough time to sell all their assets. They didn’t bring any large chests, but they had enough gold and silver to buy food, drinks, and necessities from the soldiers. They hadn’t lost much weight, and even in the rain, they had oil-paper umbrellas and raincoats.

When the two elders of the Wen family reached the boulder, Wen Yunling saw Xu Qinyu still standing under it and frowned, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you still standing here? Didn’t you see my grandparents coming? Move aside quickly.”

Xu Qinyu looked at the self-righteous Wen family members and couldn’t help but laugh. Even Madam Wen hesitated, wanting Xu Qinyu to give up her spot.

Pei Jianing gritted her teeth and glared at the Wen family like an angry little beast. Only Pei Weixuan glanced coldly at the Wen family.

Without a word, Xu Qinyu walked to Pei Weixuan and took the two children from his arms. The children were so light that even Xu Qinyu, who had just recovered from an illness, could carry them, showing how thin they were.

Holding the two children, Xu Qinyu returned to the boulder and used her body to push the two elders of the Wen family out from under it.

The boulder was large but could barely accommodate three adults. Xu Qinyu’s push forced the Wen family’s elders into the rain.

Wen Yunling’s face turned pale with anger, “Are you blind? Didn’t you see my grandparents sheltering from the rain?”

“Who’s blind here?” Xu Qinyu sneered, “Didn’t you see me under the boulder earlier? Don’t you understand first come, first served? Feng’er and Yuan’er are only three or four years old and have been drenched in rain all the way. They need shelter more. What? Are you trying to take a child’s spot? Or do you want to force these two children to death?”

Although they all wore raincoats, they were still quite wet after a whole day in the rain.

Wen Yunling was so angry that her face turned white.

Old Madam Wen had never been treated like this before and was trembling with anger. She began to scold Xu Qinyu, “I thought a legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s family would know propriety, integrity, and respect for elders. I don’t know how your mother raised you to be so disrespectful. You and your mother-in-law are truly alike, not fit to be part of a respectable family.” If there were still servants around, the old lady would have ordered them to slap Xu Qinyu.

Xu Qinyu didn’t even look at the old lady, completely ignoring her. After walking all the way, she was hungry, tired, and cold. She just wanted to rest and didn’t want to argue with them. She hugged the two children and called out to Pei Jianing, “Ning Jie’er, come over and rest too.”

As for Madam Wen, she didn’t plan to ask. Madam Wen was afraid of her family and now looked as if she was about to faint. Even if called, she wouldn’t dare come over to shelter from the rain.

Pei Weixuan would definitely give up his spot for his sister and wouldn’t come to shelter from the rain either.

Pei Jianing, without a word, walked towards the boulder. She was a princess raised by the late emperor and had never feared the Wen family, who were mere subjects. Naturally, she wasn’t afraid now.

Just as she was about to walk over, Madam Wen held her back, looking at her daughter with pleading eyes.

Pei Jianing, annoyed, said, “Mother!”

At this moment, the old lady of the Wen family was also furious, pounding her chest and looking as if she was about to faint. The Wen family members were in chaos, calling for their grandmother and trying to help her, giving her water and pinching her philtrum. Wen Yunling even wanted to bring her siblings over to teach Xu Qinyu a lesson.

Xu Qinyu watched them coldly, quietly picking up a sharp stone and holding it in her hand. She had been fighting since she was a child and had never been afraid of anyone. She knew that being kind would only lead to being bullied. The original owner and Madam Wen’s family had been bullied by the Wen family all the way. If they continued to be weak, they would be eaten alive by the Wen family in the future.

Just as Wen Yunling brought her siblings over, Deputy Officer Chen noticed the commotion and came over to scold them, “No fighting. Anyone who causes trouble will be flogged.”

Wen Yunling reluctantly led her siblings away.

After Deputy Officer Chen left, the old lady of the Wen family seemed to recover. The family found a place with many pine trees to sit and rest, but they still glared at Xu Qinyu from time to time.

Xu Qinyu didn’t care about them or whether Pei Jianing came over. She hugged the two children and fell asleep.

After a while, Xu Qinyu suddenly heard a loud rumbling sound in the distance.