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Beyond the border, the autumn leaves were as red as frost, staining the entire mountain with their fiery hue. Such breathtaking scenery, upon entering Zhu Yanyu’s eyes, only evoked a sense of sorrow that brought tears.
She had no interest in appreciating the view, holding a steamed bun in her hand, slowly nibbling at it. Occasionally, when she couldn’t bear the hard texture, she would take a sip of water to soothe her throat.
Beside her sat women dressed in tattered clothes, as well as a few girls around her age, each with a look of sorrow and despair.
They were originally noblewomen, but due to their families’ crimes, they had been reduced to slaves and exiled to the northern border.
Zhu Yanyu chewed on the steamed bun, staring blankly at a patch of red maple trees by the roadside. She thought about how, just a month ago, she was a modern single woman. After a car accident, she inexplicably found herself in this era, becoming the daughter of a convicted official whose family had just been seized.
Upon first arriving, she couldn’t believe she had traveled through time and was in a daze for several days. Her family thought she was shocked by her father’s crime and didn’t suspect anything. Later, she pieced together the original owner’s memories and gradually came to her senses.
The dynasty she was in was called “Qi,” a parallel universe following the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. The original peasant emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, who drove out the Mongols, was nowhere to be found. Instead, the founding emperor of the Great Qi was Zhao Fengnian.
Since history had changed in this universe, she didn’t have the ability to foresee the future like other time travelers. Unfortunately, she had ended up in the body of this convicted official’s daughter, exiled as a slave.
Thinking about this, Zhu Yanyu sighed deeply. She didn’t know how the original owner’s father, Zhu Changqing, got involved in the second prince’s rebellion. The second prince was put under house arrest, and the Zhu family was seized. All males over the age of twelve were executed, those under twelve were exiled, and all the women were exiled as well.
The original owner was the eldest daughter of the Zhu family, a beautiful seventeen-year-old who was already engaged. Married daughters could be exempted from punishment, so the original owner’s mother begged her fiancé to marry her earlier. However, he refused to marry the daughter of a criminal and broke off the engagement.
The original owner’s mother couldn’t bear the shock and passed away before they set off. The original owner’s father and brothers were all executed; a fourteen-year-old brother was also killed; an eleven-year-old sister couldn’t bear the hardships of exile and died on the road. Now, only she and an eight-year-old brother were left alive in the family.
Zhu Yanyu looked at her hands, which were covered in green spots, and touched her face, which was also covered in spots. In reality, the original owner had a very beautiful face, elegant and fair, with skin as smooth as jade. However, her mother, worried that she would be dishonored during the exile, had her take a drug that temporarily ruined her good looks.
Fortunately, she now looked ugly, and her chest was tightly bound with cloth strips. She had also become thin due to excessive grief, making her body look like a dry stick, not arousing any man’s desire. Otherwise, she might have been violated by the bold soldiers on the road.
She still remembered one night when two drunken soldiers suddenly barged into the room where the female slaves were staying. Each grabbed a beautiful woman and went to the next room to vent their desires. Hearing the two women’s miserable cries, Zhu Yanyu was filled with fear and anger, hating herself for being powerless and unable to kill those disgusting beasts.
Once it happened, it happened again. After tasting the pleasure, those two women became tools for the soldiers to vent their desires. They went from initial fear and despair to willing degradation. Now, even tied with ropes on the road, they could still flirt shamelessly with the soldiers guarding them.
Every time she saw those two, Zhu Yanyu felt a chill run through her body. No matter what, she didn’t want to end up like them.
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
After the rest and meal, the soldiers started shouting, waving their whips. The women stood up one by one, their hands tied to a long rope, forming a line like a string of dumplings, unable to escape.
The women sitting in another area also stood up, including a few young boys. Zhu Yanyu’s brother, Zhu Xiangyu, was at the end of the line. Taking advantage of the soldiers not paying attention, he quietly approached her to talk.
“Sister, have you eaten enough?”
How could one steamed bun be enough? Zhu Yanyu sighed silently. These days, she was often hungry, barely able to keep walking.
But she didn’t show weakness in front of her brother and smiled slightly. “What about you?”
Zhu Xiangyu looked around to make sure no one was watching them and then whispered, “I’m not full either, but Brother Lin promised to give me two more buns tonight. Sister, I’ll share one with you.”
Brother Lin, whom Zhu Xiangyu mentioned, was the leader of the soldiers guarding them. For some reason, he was particularly kind to Zhu Xiangyu and often secretly gave him food.
Zhu Yanyu looked at her brother, with his red lips, white teeth, and bright eyes. Although he was a young boy, his delicate and handsome features were enough to imagine what a handsome young man he would become in a few years, and what a stunningly handsome man he would be in the future.
If the Zhu family were still the same, her brother would surely be a trendsetter in the capital. What a pity!
Zhu Yanyu couldn’t help but reach out and gently stroke the boy’s head. Although she wasn’t his real sister, after spending more than a month together, she could feel her brother’s complete reliance on her. At least he never ate alone and always shared any good food with her.
In this strange world, she could only rely on this boy.
“Who told you to dawdle at the back? Walk faster!” came an impatient shout from ahead.
Zhu Yanyu was startled and exchanged a glance with her brother before they silently separated, returning to their respective lines.
After nightfall, the group set up camp in the wilderness. As promised, Zhu Xiangyu secretly brought her a bun. Although it was cold and seemed to have been sitting for two or three days, she still wolfed it down, almost biting her own finger.
Seeing her eat with such satisfaction, Zhu Xiangyu was happy and tugged at her hand. “Sister, when I grow up, I will work hard to make money and never let you suffer. Father and brother said that a man should protect his sister. From now on, I will be responsible for protecting you.”
At the mention of his father and brother, Zhu Xiangyu’s face, which had just shown a hint of joy, darkened again, his eyes reddening.
Zhu Yanyu knew that, compared to herself, this young boy had truly experienced the pain of losing his family. His young heart must have been deeply wounded, yet he still remembered to comfort his sister.
What a good kid!
She touched Zhu Xiangyu’s face affectionately. “Good, sister will wait for you to grow up and take care of me, okay?”
“Okay!” The boy nodded vigorously, his eyes shining brightly, as if feeling a sense of responsibility and growing taller because of his sister’s trust.