Chapter 5: No Wonder the Guo An Marquis Mansion Has Declined
This is Yu Luo’s only friend in the capital. She never expected that at a moment like this, a commoner would dare to step into these murky waters.
“Time’s about up—we’re setting off. Open the barricade!”
Sitting atop his horse, Wu Dahai gave the order, and the wooden barriers on the escorting cart were opened by the prison guards.
One by one, the Yu family was bawling and being shoved into the cart by the guards.
“Ah Bai, I’m leaving! Take care of yourself!”
Yu Luo forced a smile, just like Ye Jiamai did, though inside she felt a deep, heavy emptiness—perhaps due to the lingering consciousness of the original owner.
With that, Yu Luo gracefully turned, and before the guards could shove her, she joined her parents on another cart.
“Wu Commander, please take good care of the three of us Yu family along the way.”
Ah Bai walked up to Wu Dahai’s horse and, with a stealthy motion, slipped his hand into Wu Dahai’s sleeve. Feeling a thick wad of silver bills inside, Wu Dahai’s eyes unexpectedly lit up. “Sure, sure,” he replied.
He never expected that even a useless guy like Yu Haojie would have someone taking care of things for them—this truly was an unexpected windfall!
Even in the early morning, the streets of the capital were bustling and lively. Yet, in the hearts of the Yu family, the scene was one of desolation and bleakness.
Apart from their closest kin, none of the well-connected high officials or nobles dared come to see them off. And the three of them, bound in heavy shackles, looked out at the ancient streets with curiosity—but mostly with fear and uncertainty about the future.
After being pelted all the way with rotten vegetable leaves and stinky eggs by the commoners, they finally trudged out of the imperial city, and the cart began moving faster. The cold wind howled, and inside the cart the Yu family huddled together in dejection, wondering if there was any hope of ever returning.
“How unlucky—to be locked in the same cart as you! My maternal relatives brought us food, while you, with no kin to see you off, what a miserable fate!”
The child’s innocent voice, though soft, carried a chilling tone.
Hearing Yu Xiaoyun’s words, Yu Luo couldn’t help but let a sarcastic smile tug at her lips.
“Yun’er, don’t be so impolite.”
Lan, with a blank expression, leaned against the wooden barrier of the cart and coldly scolded Yu Xiaoyun. The seven-year-old snorted in discontent and turned his face away from Yu Luo.
Even though they were all illegitimate, Yu Xiaoyun and Yu Meiyao carried an air of superiority when compared with Yu Luo’s family. Even Lan, who usually barely glanced at them, today—not only remained silent but actually scolded her own son for their sake.
Seeing the exhaustion in Lan’s slightly closed eyes, Yu Luo said nothing more.
On the first day, they had traveled over 200 li (100km). It wasn’t until the evening that Wu Dahai’s officials handed them a plain black steamed bun.
“Wu Commander, can you please remove our shackles? We old and young can’t possibly attempt an escape halfway, can we?”
Everyone had worn their shackles all day, their arms aching and swollen with discomfort.
Especially for the formerly pampered elderly women and the other female members, they could hardly endure it.
“Yes, and now that we’re over 200 li from the capital, Wu Commander, rest assured.”
“Alright—just for the sake of the An Rong Crown Prince and the Guo An Marquis, you won’t have to keep your shackles on. But the court has a rule: once you’re more than 800 li from the capital, there will be no carriage for the rest of the journey. You all must be prepared for that.”
Hearing this, the faces of the father and son on the cart turned bitter. Perhaps having received enough silver, after removing their shackles, Wu Dahai even kindly allowed them to wear hinged shackles so they could gather firewood and make a fire for warmth nearby.
Receiving Wu Dahai’s approval, the Yu family’s already sorrowful expressions finally brightened a little. If Wu Dahai maintained this attitude, their journey might not be too unbearable.
From then on, the remainder of the journey would be on foot, and they had already steeled themselves for it. At least at this moment, they could take a small measure of comfort.
Who would have thought that just as Yu Haojie was settling his mother and the women to go collect firewood, the old matriarch suddenly spoke in a low voice, “Yu Haojie, get moving—find some firewood quickly, and get a fire going right away!”
Yu Haojie, with shackled feet, paused and turned to look at the old matriarch with an expression of disgust.
Ye Jiamai wouldn’t let them off so easily. Immediately, she shouted back at the legitimate offspring not far away, “Hey, old lady, don’t you have anyone with you? Your eldest son is skilled in martial arts, and your two grandsons have been training since childhood—they’re in good shape. We’re being exiled. Do you think we’re out on a picnic? Are you still treating us like revered ancestors? Can’t you see my husband’s hands are trembling, his body so frail?”
Wu Dahai and the group of officials paid no mind—they drank their wine and ate their food; after all, the Yu family’s feet were shackled, and there was no way they could escape.
Even if one had the courage, one wouldn’t dare face the prospect of the entire family becoming fugitives.
“Ye Jiamai, are you rebelling, or what? I swear, I’ll have you dismissed!”
“Dismiss her? What business is it of yours? If you want to collect firewood, go do it yourself!”
“You—you unfilial wretch… cough, cough, cough!”
No one expected that after a day of silence, Yu Haojie—the once spineless failure—would suddenly change his tune and dare to retort. Yu Hui, the old patriarch, was so enraged he could barely catch his breath. Having suffered a day and night in the cold, coupled with old ailments from the battlefield, he began coughing uncontrollably!
“You unfilial wretch, look how angry your father is!”
Seeing the old man in such distress, the whole family gathered around him in concern, patting his back to soothe him.
A barrage of scolding voices then rained down on Yu Haojie, who merely gave a cold smile and turned to pick up some firewood.
“Yu Haojie, if you keep this up, don’t say I didn’t care about family ties. Soon enough, with your feeble arms and legs, do you really think that with you and the two women, you can survive in the wild chaos of those barbarous lands?”
Just as the old man was beginning to feel slightly better, Yu Zhengqing—the elder brother figure—suddenly fixed a sharp glare on Yu Haojie from a short distance, threatening,
“Quiet, everyone, stop the chatter! After all, you’re all family. Why must you quarrel like this?”
Wu Dahai gulped down a mouthful of liquor as he leaned against a tree trunk, his body warming by the fire. His tone was indifferent, and his expression hardly resembled that of an escorting official.
Wu Dahai, “We guard were only supposed to take you to the Pingyang border, more than 2,000 li (1000km) from the wildlands. Beyond that lies the Jiu Chong Mountains—famed for their treacherous terrain but swarming with bandits.
When the officials come to pick you up, who knows what will happen—it’s all up to fate.
And the wild lands are already a frozen wasteland not to mention the harsh environment, countless ferocious beasts, and the fact that the people there are all from various disreputable backgrounds, criminals who commit every imaginable evil.
Instead of quarreling as soon as you set out, you’d better think carefully about what to do next!
Whether you can survive and reach the wild lands is a question in itself—and you’re still quarreling? No wonder the once-great Guo An Marquis Mansion has suddenly declined.”
