Chapter 18: Bribery

“Father, I want to go to Fangzhou with you,” Lin Zhiyi said.

“No!” Lin Fu immediately rebutted.

The journey to Fangzhou was long and arduous; how could a frail girl like her endure such hardship?

“Father, I have made up my mind,” Lin Zhiyi insisted.

The second and third branches of the family watched Lin Zhiyi, who only had a shabby bundle slung over her shoulder, and they exchanged glances, their faces filled with schadenfreude.

Lin Xiuran suggested, “Father, since my sister wants to go, let her. At least she’ll be under our watch, and that will make us feel more at ease.”

Lin Xiuyan also agreed, “If she can’t make it to Fangzhou, I’m here. I have the strength, and I can carry her there. I won’t let her suffer.”

A warm feeling rose in Lin Zhiyi’s heart.

In the memories of the original owner, her two older brothers had always pampered her. Their usual words were, “Little sister, if you want the stars from the sky, I’ll build you a star-gathering platform.”

…

Lin Fu was silent for a moment. “Alright.”

Song Ruolan also agreed.

She took Lin Zhiyi’s hand. “Don’t worry, daughter. As long as I have a meal, I won’t let you go hungry.”

Although she said this, her brows were still furrowed with worry.

Since the Lin family fell, the families that had been friendly with them had kept their distance, fearing that they might be implicated.

No one had visited them so far, and they had no money left.

With Zhiyi following them, they would have to endure great hardship.

But at least her daughter was with her. When she opened her eyes, she would be able to see her.

Lin Fu, after saying these few words, seemed exhausted and was supported by Lin Xiuran to sit down.

Lin Zhiyi knew that these people were just supporting characters in the book. She only knew that Lin Fu had been severely punished with fifty strokes of the cane for pleading on behalf of the deposed crown prince, and the cruel emperor had shown no mercy.

He was originally a civil servant, not as strong as a military officer. Fifty strokes was indeed a heavy punishment, and since his injuries hadn’t healed before they set out, he eventually died on the way.

Seeing Song Ruolan’s worried face, Lin Zhiyi comforted her, “Mother, don’t worry. I’ve prepared medicine and a cart. I’ll go speak to the officer in charge and ask him to allow Father to sit in the cart during the journey to reduce the suffering from the bumpy road.”

Since traveling and preparing medicine on the road was inconvenient, Lin Zhiyi had specifically prepared pill medicines and ointment for bruises and injuries.

Moreover, since she often traveled and explored, she had a variety of medicinal supplies, including antiseptic cotton swabs, alcohol pads, hydrogen peroxide, sterile gauze for bandaging, elastic bandages, band-aids, and hemostatic powder.

She also had various oral medicines, such as those for allergies and insect repellent.

With her around, Lin Fu wouldn’t die on the way.

Song Ruolan looked at her daughter with gratitude. She had truly grown up and had learned to care for her parents.

At that moment, Chai Ya parked the cart to the side and walked over, reassuring Song Ruolan, “Madam, don’t worry. I’m strong enough. I can pull the old master’s cart and make sure he gets to Fangzhou safely.”

Song Ruolan looked up, saw it was Chai Ya, and smiled. “Good child.”

Song Ruolan remembered Chai Ya because she had come to the Lin residence as a young girl, sold by her family.

At first, the housekeeper refused to take her in.

When Chai Ya saw Song Ruolan leaving the house, she immediately knelt in front of her and begged her to take her in.

She promised that she would not ask for wages as long as she could have enough to eat.

At that time, Chai Ya was only ten years old.

After learning more about her situation, Song Ruolan found out that Chai Ya’s family couldn’t afford to feed her properly, which led her to sell herself.

Song Ruolan decided to keep her and asked her where she wanted to work. Chai Ya replied without hesitation, “I want to work in the kitchen.”

Her reason was simple: working in the kitchen would guarantee that she would have enough to eat.

Song Ruolan smiled, thinking that this child was very sincere.

Now, seeing that only Chai Ya was with her daughter, Song Ruolan understood everything. It seemed that the other servants couldn’t be relied upon, and only Chai Ya remained.

Lin Zhiyi asked Song Ruolan to talk to Chai Ya while she went to speak with the officer in charge.

Because of the special nature of these people’s identities, there was also the deposed crown prince, Li Wenqing, among the criminals. The court had dispatched an eunuch, Wang Dequan, to oversee the punishment.

In addition, there were five inspectors from the Censorate responsible for document examination and process supervision.

Dozens of Imperial Guards, armed with swords, were tasked with escorting the prisoners.

The rest were just regular escort officers.

Lin Zhiyi went directly to find the eunuch in charge—Wang Dequan.

She had already learned about Wang Dequan’s preferences in the past few days.

She took out a bundle of gold coins wrapped in red silk and handed it to Wang Dequan. “Lord Wang, this is a token of respect from this humble woman. I hope you accept it.”

Lin Zhiyi sized up Wang Dequan. He appeared to be about fifty years old, with a round face and a slightly plump figure. Though he wore a friendly smile, his eyes were sharp.

Wang Dequan didn’t take the gold, but stared at Lin Zhiyi and asked, “Speak. What is it?”

“Please take this for now. I have no unreasonable requests. My father has sustained serious injuries, and I ask for your leniency. Allow him to sit on a cart. I am willing to escort him to Fangzhou,” Lin Zhiyi said.

Wang Dequan gave her an appreciative look. “You’re a filial child.”

“Lin Fu’s injuries are indeed severe, but… the court has its own rules,” he responded.

Lin Zhiyi inwardly cursed Wang Dequan for being a crafty, scheming, smiling tiger.

She then took out another bundle. “This is also for you, Lord Wang. Rest assured, this matter will be known only by the heavens, you, and me. No one else will ever know.”

Wang Dequan immediately smiled. “Oh, how could I accept this…”

He weighed the two bundles of gold, and after a moment, a smile spread across his face. “Miss Lin, don’t worry. Your father can sit on the cart.”

It was really not a big deal.

As the eunuch overseeing the punishment, he still had some authority.

“Thank you, Lord Wang,” Lin Zhiyi said, turning to leave. She silently calculated that the road ahead would still be long, and she would eventually make sure to get everything back.

What she didn’t know was that there were always eyes watching her.

It was the female protagonist, Mu Yunzhiao, from the book.

Upon seeing Lin Zhiyi in the exile convoy, Mu Yunzhiao was quite surprised.

She recalled that in the previous life, Lin Zhiyi had not come to see them off. Why was it different this time?

At this moment, Lin Zhiyi had reached Song Ruolan’s side. “Mother, don’t worry. Lord Wang agreed. Perhaps it’s because Father had done many good deeds for the court. Lord Wang is willing to give Father this favor.”

Song Ruolan didn’t doubt her and finally breathed a sigh of relief, instructing the two sons to help their father onto the cart.

Lin Fu waved his hand. “No need.”

Since the emperor had sentenced him to walk to Fangzhou, how could he sit on a cart?

Lin Xiuran persuaded, “Father, please don’t worry us.”

“My injuries are nothing,” Lin Fu replied.

Lin Xiuyan also said, “Father, with your condition, you might not make it to Fangzhou.”

“Who says that?”

Because his daughter had forced him to sign the severance letter, Lin Fu had been heartbroken for a long time.

Now that his daughter was willing to recognize him, and the whole family was together, he didn’t find it scary to walk all the way to Fangzhou.

Seeing that they couldn’t persuade their father, the two older brothers turned to Lin Zhiyi.

Lin Zhiyi instantly understood what they meant.

Recalling how the original owner would often pretend to be angry and pout, Lin Zhiyi followed the memory and turned her back. “If Father continues to waste my good intentions, I’ll never care about him again.”

Sure enough, this trick worked. Lin Fu quickly said, “Alright, alright. I’ll sit on the cart. Once my injuries heal, I’ll walk on my own.”

With Lin Zhiyi and her two brothers supporting him, Lin Fu climbed onto the cart.

The cart was lined with thick bedding to prevent the bumps from worsening his injuries.

Just as Lin Zhiyi was about to ask about her father’s condition, she heard her sister-in-law, Gu Wanyun, speak. “You all should give up on this idea. I won’t separate!”