Chapter 72: Taking Advantage of the Chaos to Teach Her a Lesson
The more careful you are, the more things tend to go wrong!
Suddenly, Old Madam Chen lifted her foot and kicked Lady Lan straight in the chest!
“Useless! As expected, you’re nothing but a worthless thing. I’ve been bullied, and none of you dare to speak up? Are you all mute?”
Luckily, they were dressed warmly, so although the kick didn’t cause much pain to Lady Lan’s chest, it did send her sprawling to the ground in a rather embarrassing manner.
Seeing this, Yu Meiyao immediately stopped massaging Old Madam Chen’s shoulders and hurriedly ran to help Lady Lan up, not daring to utter a single word.
“Mother… Zhengqing said we need to stay united. After all, we’re all family…”
“Don’t call me mother! I don’t have a daughter-in-law like you! You’re the noble consort of a prince, yet you’re not even as good as Lady Lan, a mere concubine. You’re so clueless! Before, we needed to stay united, but now that they’re going to rely on us in the future, why should I take crap from those three cheap things? And look at you, stopping Yingying when she was defending me. What’s your intention? Believe me, once we’re back in the capital, the first thing I’ll do is have Zhengqing divorce you!”
“Grandmother, stop scolding my mother already! All these years, my mother has respected you enough. Look at her, a proper consort of a prince, yet you keep comparing her to a mere concubine like Lady Lan. That’s not fair at all.”
Just then, Yu Xiaoxuan, who had just returned from helping the men pack, overheard Old Madam Chen scolding his mother. His face darkened, and he couldn’t help but snap back at her.
With her son backing her up, Chang Huilan didn’t feel comforted at all. Instead, she felt even more aggrieved.
She had been so humble as Old Madam Chen’s daughter-in-law for years, and in the capital’s noble circles, there was hardly anyone who suffered the same daily scolding, being compared to a concubine.
Old Madam Chen was already in a fit of rage. Being bullied with no one to stand up for her was one thing, but having her grandson defend his mother instead of her made her feel as if all her years of doting were wasted!
Meanwhile, on Yu Luo’s side, things were going smoothly. They had everything packed and were just waiting for the others to finish loading the horses.
For Yu Haojie, carrying a large basket was hardly a burden thanks to his newfound divine strength. He didn’t want to mix their belongings with others’, so he continued to carry the basket by himself, walking alongside his wife and daughter.
“Once the time is right, I’ll release one of the horses too. That way, our family can take turns riding.”
“Why not release all three? Then each of us can have one to ride!”
Ye Jiamei looked at her husband carrying the large basket. Even though he showed no signs of strain, she still couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
“That could work. I was actually thinking we could get a carriage instead. It might be more comfortable, but I’m not sure if the road to the frontier is suitable for carriages.”
“True, it might be a waste if the road isn’t suitable. But I heard them discussing getting a carriage earlier. I’ll go talk to them later. If we manage to get one, you two can stay warm inside.”
“Alright, and try to gather more information about the frontier from those men while you’re at it. We should be prepared.”
Ye Jiamei reminded him.
Originally, the convoy had about 250 people, including the guards. After the 50 guards were wiped out and over 50 people chose to escape rather than head to the frontier, only about 120 people remained.
With no more guards to torment them, even though they knew the road ahead would be harsh, everyone’s mood was visibly lighter.
By noon, the group stopped to rest, started fires to warm up, and even managed to have a proper meal instead of the usual half a piece of black bread and a handful of snow.
They continued on their way after eating, and by evening, the men would scout out a relatively safe spot to set up camp for the night.
They traveled for three peaceful days. Occasionally, passersby would cast curious glances at the group of prisoners without shackles or chains, but no one was foolish enough to approach and ask questions.
On the afternoon of the third day, just as the group was preparing to press on, rocks suddenly started rolling down the mountain, sending the horses into a frenzy and causing the women and children to scatter in fear!
[Ding! Friendly Reminder: Bandits detected ahead—30 of them. Please be prepared!]
“Bandits!”
Upon hearing this, Yu Luo quickly shouted to warn Yu Zhengqing and the others at the front!
Bandits weren’t just after the guards’ wealth. In such remote places, they were also after women and children—women to take back as wives for their brothers and children to sell for a few taels of silver.
At Yu Luo’s warning, Yu Zhengqing and the others immediately drew their weapons, ready to fight for their lives.
Fortunately, the rocks didn’t keep falling. It seemed more like a scare tactic than an actual attack.
Just as Yu Luo’s family took cover behind three large trees, crossbows at the ready, arrows started raining down from the mountainside, aimed straight at the guards in disguise!
Raising her eyes to the snow-covered mountain, Yu Luo quickly spotted the bandits hiding among the pines, thanks to the system’s prompt.
Her fingers tightened around the trigger, and countless bolts shot out, hitting the bandits hiding in the forest!
The bandits, who had initially thought the group was easy prey, were completely caught off guard as their comrades started dropping like flies!
“Retreat!”
With only five or six of the original thirty bandits left, the leader, who had been confident of an easy haul, was now horrified!
Hearing the leader’s order to retreat, the bandits quickly scattered. Yu Zhengqing, seeing the figures fleeing up the slope, turned to look in Yu Luo’s direction.
“Mother, y-you’re hit by an arrow again!”
Upon hearing Chang Huilan’s exclamation, Old Madam Chen nearly slapped her across the face out of sheer frustration!
Ye Jiamei glanced at Yu Luo, her smirk growing wider and wider. She raised a thumb in admiration.
“Well played! You actually took advantage of the chaos to teach that old hag a lesson!”
