Once everyone had their say, Lu Yao smiled and said, “Finished? Then give me the money.”

As long as they paid, she wouldn’t retort, and she could even provide comedic relief.

She called to the guard nearby, “Officer, please, for the two of us, the money will be paid by Old Lady Shen.”

The guards knew the situation of each person they were escorting, and they had been standing nearby, so they naturally knew about this family.

Hearing Lu Yao say this, they were happy to cooperate and immediately took two steps towards Old Lady Wang, silently urging her to pay quickly.

Old Lady Wang was furious and glared fiercely at Lu Yao.

If it weren’t for the inappropriate setting, she would definitely make this little slut taste the power of her cane again.

She could deal with this woman later, but she had to get rid of this officer in front of her immediately.

Her eyes rolled, and she immediately put on a performance, acting as a loving elder who was heartbroken but was being taken advantage of by her ungrateful descendants.

Then, she went on about how her brother was morally corrupt, malicious, envious of his younger siblings, and disrespectful to his elders… she used almost every negative word she could think of.

Her tears flowed freely, making anyone who saw or heard it feel sad and heartbroken.

Finally, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, looking helpless, “Officer, these are all my children.

I also hope that everyone can have their shackles removed and be more comfortable, but I really don’t have enough money, I’m powerless.”

This officer often escorted prisoners and had seen countless people of all kinds.

 On the way to exile, many things happened every day, some touching, some sad, some pitiful, but more often than not, it was the ugliness of human nature.

Therefore,

The old lady’s performance, which she thought was genuine and heartfelt, was nothing more than a hypocritical act of bullying and taking advantage of her age in his eyes.

He was very understanding and nodded, suggesting, “The journey is long and arduous, and we don’t know what will happen. It’s better to keep the silver notes in your hand, it’s more reassuring.”

Old Lady Wang and Wang Yalan nodded repeatedly, “Officer, you’re absolutely right.”

It felt like they had met a kindred spirit, but it was too late.

This officer was definitely different from those fierce and cruel ones.

Just when they were about to talk further and get closer, they heard him say, “Alright, I’ll have someone return the silver notes to you now, so you can have something to rely on.”

He then turned to leave.

They believed in voluntary and friendly interactions, and they wouldn’t force people to death without caring about their lives.

Old Lady Wang was confused and looked at Wang Yalan. How did the topic suddenly change to returning the money?

Wang Yalan, however, didn’t have time to deal with her, and quickly stopped him, “Officer, you’ve misunderstood.”

“What have I misunderstood?” The officer was puzzled, “Didn’t you say you didn’t have any money and wanted to keep some in case of emergencies?”

They weren’t like those heartless people who tried to squeeze every last drop of oil out of them.

“Yes, but…”

Wang Yalan wanted to explain, but the officer didn’t have the patience to listen, “So you’re trying to make fun of this officer?”

This person wasn’t the highest ranking among the escorting guards, but he was still a seventh-rank military officer, so it was appropriate for him to call himself “this officer”.

Seeing the officer’s sudden change of face, everyone’s hearts sank.

Their experiences over the past few days had long since stripped them of their initial arrogance, and they were afraid that he would be unhappy and make things difficult for them.

Old Lady Wang quickly signaled Wang Yalan to find a way out. The latter had no choice but to awkwardly smile and say, “It’s just the children being naughty, please don’t blame them, Officer.”

She then looked bitter and helpless, clearly exhausted by Lu Yao and her husband, those naughty children.

“You’re just too kind and virtuous,” Old Lady Wang patted Wang Yalan’s hand, and said to Officer Wu, “I’m not afraid of losing face, I’ll tell you the truth. That family has nothing to do with my Shen family anymore, Officer, don’t be fooled by them.”

“Grandmother, are you really going to be so heartless?” Lu Yao exclaimed in disbelief, then regretted and reflected, “We should have agreed to take the blame for our brother, and we shouldn’t have asked for our mother’s dowry back.”

Old Lady Wang and Wang Yalan were furious. This little slut, how dare she say anything!

Shen Yaoming’s face turned red and white, and he could only dryly explain, “You’ve misunderstood.”

Lu Yao ignored him and flattered Old Lady Wang, “Rong Ge and I are very capable, as long as you’re willing to pay to remove our shackles, we’ll definitely be obedient and filial.”

“Yes,” Shen Yanrong nodded in agreement, “As long as you can feed us every day, we’ll do whatever you want.”

He then glanced at the direction of the flatbed cart without a trace of emotion.

He had guessed what his wife wanted to do when she spoke first, and while he was touched, he wouldn’t hold her back.

Of course, even if he didn’t know, it wouldn’t stop him from fully cooperating.

“Grandmother, Madam, our family doesn’t eat much,” Lu Yao pressed her forefinger and thumb together, indicating that it was just a little bit.

Seeing that they didn’t react, she pitifully pleaded, “Grandmother, we’re also your younger generation, please don’t cut off ties with us.”

Old Lady Wang and Wang Yalan, who were already furious, were overjoyed when they heard the last sentence.

They exchanged glances and both were determined to immediately sever ties with these blood-sucking leeches.

Lu Yao and Shen Yanrong also exchanged smiles.

Soon, they would be able to truly get rid of this family.

Having achieved their goal, Lu Yao didn’t continue to entangle with them.

Old Lady Wang had protected her money bag and proudly glared at Lu Yao and Shen Yanrong.

Lu Yao didn’t want to pay attention to her, but seeing her like this, she couldn’t help but smile mischievously, full of joy, “Grandmother, did you call for me?”

As long as she nodded, she would immediately go forward to serve her.

“Who called for you!” Old Lady Wang cursed and turned her gaze away, continuing to care about her precious son’s situation.

The illegitimate children of the Shen family were disappointed. Such a good opportunity, why didn’t they continue to make a fuss? If Big Master and the others could succeed, maybe they could also get some benefits.

They looked at each other silently, and in the end, they remained silent.

Only Shen Yulian, with her head lowered, hid the emotions in her eyes. Her concubine was resting with her head on her shoulder, her complexion becoming increasingly worse.

General Lin, who was leading the team, saw that everyone had rested enough (mainly those who wanted to spend money had spent it), so he had people announce that they were ready to leave. It was getting late, and they had to reach the post station before dark.

Lu Yao and Shen Yanrong, with their two children, followed behind the Shen family.

In front of them, several illegitimate sons and daughters, as well as concubines, were dragging shackles and pushing flatbed carts with difficulty, while those who had removed their shackles were walking ahead with their hands free.

The flatbed carts were very slow, and they would urge them to move faster from time to time.

If they were in a hurry and accelerated, and accidentally bumped, they would be scolded for being malicious and trying to harm people.

They grumbled and complained all the way, and there was never a moment of peace. In the end, it was the escorting guards who stepped in to warn them, before they finally calmed down.

Lu Yao, who was born and raised in a new society, couldn’t understand these people who endured oppression. They were all exiled, no one was more noble than anyone else, there was no need to endure the oppression of those people.

However, she could only keep this thought in her heart.

Different eras, different education and knowledge, different choices for each individual.

“Can you hold on?” Shen Yanrong saw his wife’s changing expression and thought there was something wrong, so he offered with concern, “Why don’t we remove the shackles first?”

They had money, there was no need to themselves because of others.

Some things didn’t have to be rushed.

“It’s okay,” Lu Yao gave him a reassuring look, “We’ll hold on for two more days.”

The play had already reached this point, and it would only take three days at most for Old Lady Wang and the others to reach their breaking point. They couldn’t give up now.