Chapter 130: Added to the Death List
The group took out their simple pots and bowls, scooped up snow from the ground, and placed it in a large iron pot to melt.
During these rest stops, they rarely built fires to cook. Typically, they would gather some firewood, boil the snow into water, and eat their prepared dried rations to get by.
As he drank the hot water, Zhang Yuan’s eyes welled up again, unable to stop the tears from flowing.
His heart was full of untold stories, the suffering he had endured during their separation, yet he had no one to confide in.
The Yu family, along with the Bai and Liu families, acted as if they had agreed not to ask. No one showed the slightest curiosity about Zhang Yuan’s experiences during their separation, and no one approached him to speak.
Everyone sat on thick coats they weren’t wearing, gathered around the fire for warmth, drinking hot water and eating dry rations. Even when they did converse, it was in hushed voices.
Their relationship could never return to what it was before. It was impossible to erase the betrayal of the Zhang family when they selfishly abandoned the group.
Even though Zhang Yuan and his group were injured, Yu Zhengqing didn’t offer them any medicine. He only gave them a bit of food. Once everyone had eaten, they took a short rest before preparing to continue their journey.
“Father, now we have eight more people, but they don’t have sleds or horses. How are they supposed to keep up?”
“It’s fine. We have at most two more days of travel left. Even though we have sleds, prisoners aren’t allowed to ride them. We may have to abandon some of them anyway.”
“Why abandon them? We worked hard to make these. When the time comes, you can bribe those officers and casually mention An Rong’s identity and the situation in the capital. No one would dare make things difficult for you.”
Yu Haojie had already planned ahead—he would insist on keeping at least two sleds and horses. They had been hard-won resources. If they hadn’t taken down the bandits and the corrupt officers, they wouldn’t have had any of these supplies, and they might not have even survived.
It was rare for his younger brother to speak directly to him, so Yu Zhengqing felt a surge of emotion. However, his expression remained neutral.
“That might work. We’ll have to see how things go when we meet the officers.”
With the addition of Zhang Yuan’s group, they had to squeeze the women and children together to make space, which slowed them down significantly.
The next afternoon, the group disembarked from the sleds and started walking.
In the distance, they spotted a stone building standing alone in the snowy landscape. Two uniformed officers sat outside, tending a fire and looking very relaxed.
The strong aroma of roasting meat drifted through the air, carried by the rising smoke.
After walking for another half an hour, they secured their shackles, tied themselves up with ropes, and donned their prisoner uniforms.
“Well, well, new arrivals? Quite a lot this time. Where’s Liang Chao? Are you new?”
The two officers had noticed the approaching group from afar. Such a large group, complete with sleds and carts, was surprising.
What was even more shocking was that over a hundred prisoners had survived—including many women and children.
That was unheard of.
Everyone knew the reality: crossing Jiuzhong Mountain meant encountering bandits and criminals. If this many women and children had made it through, it was clear that Liang Chao hadn’t been in charge. He was too much of a schemer to leave so many survivors.
The two officers, covered in snow, sat on low stools by the fire. As Yu Zhengqing, dressed as an officer, approached, they barely glanced at him. Their focus remained on the meat roasting over the flames, which they lazily turned, their demeanor indifferent as if they had long become one with this desolate land.
“Honorable officers, this is my first time leading a transport. Commander Liang has been reassigned elsewhere. From now on, I will be handling prisoner deliveries.”
“What? Liang Chao got reassigned? That was sudden. Damn, he really lucked out!”
The younger officer, holding a skewer of roasted meat, finally showed a hint of surprise. His eyes flickered with envy.
“Yes, he was fortunate. He happened to meet a noble from the capital. After some flattery, a single word from that noble got him reassigned.”
“Of course. Everyone knows this posting is miserable. Liang Chao has been doing this for over ten years. He’s stuffed his pockets full by now. If he had the chance to get out, why wouldn’t he take it? If it were me, I’d get out of here as fast as possible.”
The older officer sighed, then casually tossed his skewer to the younger one.
“Alright, hand over the ledger. Let’s get inside and stamp it.”
Yu Zhengqing could tell at a glance that these two had been stationed here for a long time.
Hearing the older officer’s words, he quickly took out the prisoner register he had taken from Liang Chao and handed it over.
The register contained a list of all the prisoners originally assigned to Liang Chao, including the number of survivors.
Anyone who didn’t make it was assumed dead.
Even if they had escaped, the transporting officers would report them as deceased.
If an escape was acknowledged, the higher-ups would blame the officers for negligence, and punishment was inevitable.
But prisoners dying along the way?
That was normal.
Thus, the names of those who hadn’t arrived were added to the death list.
Of course, after eliminating the officers and parting ways with those who had left, Yu Zhengqing had also written their names into the death register.
To him, those people were as good as dead.
To the local officials here, they were dead as well.
And to the rest of the world, they had ceased to exist.
Even if they had escaped, they would spend the rest of their lives hiding in the mountains, living as fugitives.
“Damn, this exile group is huge. Nearly 100 people died along the way, but you still have over 100 left, including so many women and children…”
The older officer shook his head as he signed the register and pulled out his official seal.
Without even checking if the numbers matched the actual prisoners present, he stamped the document.
Yu Zhengqing, who had been prepared to slip him some silver notes discreetly, quietly withdrew his hand.
