He knew full well that Zhang Dapeng was making a fuss out of nothing to pick on Cheng Yao.
Hongxiu and Xiao Fu had kept to themselves the whole way. From what Li Liming had said, when the wild boars attacked, the two of them had even helped tend to the injured and had never caused any trouble for the rest of the party.
Still, several of his fellow officers had voiced their objections, and they were not entirely unreasonable about it. Non-exiled civilians were not permitted to travel with the exile convoy, and he could not very well force his will on everyone to override the rule.
After much thought, Constable Wang took a deep breath, his voice laced with exhaustion and helplessness. "Lady Cheng, what Bailiff Zhang and the others said is not completely unfounded. Hongxiu and Xiao Fu are not exiles, so it is against the law for them to travel with this party. Today... you shall part ways with the two of them here."
The moment the words fell, Hongxiu's eyes welled up with tears. She grabbed Cheng Yao's sleeve and refused to let go. "Madam, I won't leave! I want to stay with you! What will you do all alone..."
Xiao Fu, too, was sobbing so hard that tears streamed down his old face. He dropped to his knees with a heavy thud. "Constable Wang, I beg you! I am an old man, I have always kept to the straight and narrow and never caused trouble. I only wish to serve the General all the way to the Nine You Prefecture! Please, show us mercy!"
Cheng Yao closed her eyes, her chest heaving violently a few times.
When she opened them again, her gaze was as calm and still as a frozen lake.
She helped Xiao Fu to his feet, then gently patted the back of Hongxiu's hand. She led the two of them off to one side, turning her back to the rest of the crowd, and spoke in a voice so low it was barely a whisper.
"Don't cry. Listen to me. Leaving is not a bad thing. You two will have more freedom to buy and sell supplies. Follow behind our convoy at a distance and bring us what we need. They can hardly chase you away then."
Cheng Yao pulled a token out from her sleeve. "This is the Yan family's keepsake. Along the way, if you come across any shops, carriages, or groups marked with the same totem as this token, you can ask them for help. Remember, no matter how urgent the situation is, your own safety comes first."
She spoke quickly, her tone carrying an unwavering, unquestionable resolve.
Hongxiu and Xiao Fu looked into her calm, determined eyes, and the grief and anger welling up inside them began to ebb away.
Their Madam always had a plan, but she did not know their true identities, and that the Master had...
Xiao Fu glanced instinctively toward Zhan Haoting. When he saw the man give an almost imperceptible nod, his heart settled completely at ease.
"What Madam says is perfectly right. This old servant will remember every word."
Hongxiu nodded through her sobs as well.
Cheng Yao turned back around, not daring to look at them any longer, and spoke to Constable Wang. "Since that is your order, Constable Wang, we will abide by it. Hongxiu, Xiao Fu... go now."
Hongxiu and Xiao Fu looked back again and again as they walked. Under the cold or mocking gazes of the bailiffs, and the mixed, complicated stares of everyone else, they finally faded away slowly at the end of the street.
Cheng Yao stood rooted to the spot for a long time, a look of melancholy on her face.
Zhang Dapeng looked as triumphant as if he had just won a great battle. He said in a cold, sneering tone, "If you're a convict, you ought to act like one. You think you can have servants wait on you while you're being exiled? In your dreams."
Cheng Yao stared right at him, and suddenly laughed.
"Constable Zhang, what am I going to do with you? Back in the remote village when danger lurked everywhere, you hid yourself in a corner. When the wild boar herd came, you cowered under the altar, watching your fellow officers fight a bloody battle all by themselves. A cowardly turtle like you—if I were you, I'd have found a slab of tofu to crash into and kill myself long ago. How dare you show off your authority in front of a weak woman like me!"
"You!" Zhang Dapeng pointed at Cheng Yao, his finger trembling. He could not think of any harsher insults to hurl back, and he did not dare lay a hand on her because he knew Zhan Haoting's hidden guards were watching. A wave of pent-up rage choked him so badly he could barely breathe.
A few suppressed snickers broke out from the surrounding crowd, which only made him burn with shame and fury even more.
Cheng Yao's face hardened. "What's with the 'you'? You're just mad that I stopped you from assaulting Shao Yutong last time, aren't you? You shameless lecher, who only ever thinks about what's in your pants. Your heart is tinier than the tip of a needle. A rotten scumbag like you wastes food by being alive and wastes land when you die. You might as well jump straight into a fire and burn to ash to use as fertilizer, or drown in a river or the sea to feed the fish—at least you wouldn't be wasting all that fat on your body!"
She had the time of her life letting him have it.
They had already torn their faces open and their conflict was out in the open, so there was no need for her to hold back anything anymore.
Besides, Song Ze and the others had probably long since run out of patience with him. His days were numbered, so what was there to fear from him!
"Whoa!"
Everyone in the medicine shop and in the exile convoy turned to stare at Zhang Dapeng. Their gazes, brimming with contempt, loathing, mockery, and anger, felt like tangible arrows piercing right through him.
"Cheng Yao, you... you vicious shrew! You are slandering me on purpose!" Zhang Dapeng pointed at Cheng Yao, his face turning a bright, livid purple. "Your filthy mouth must have eaten shit for it to reek so bad. I'm going to tear that mouth of yours to pieces!"
He completely lost his head and lunged forward to attack her.
Zhan Haoting's fingers twitched. Hidden in the shadows, Song Ze had already gripped a hidden weapon, ready to strike at any moment.
Even Cheng Yao herself had a silver needle clutched in her hand. If he so much as dared to take one more step toward her, she would drive that needle right into him.
"Stop!"
Constable Wang hurried over and shoved Zhang Dapeng away hard. "What is wrong with you? You are always stirring up trouble! Lady Cheng has done nothing against the law. Why do you keep picking on her nonstop!"
Zhang Dapeng could not believe Constable Wang was taking Cheng Yao's side. "Boss! This woman insulted an officer of the law first! How come I am the one in the wrong!"
Constable Wang's face was full of impatience. "Enough. You know perfectly well why she said those things about you."
Zhang Dapeng's face darkened. "Boss, if you're going to say that, then I have to argue my case..."
"Argue what?" Constable Wang cut him off, his voice rising with anger. "We all saw that little girl begging you for mercy that night. Do you really want me to spell it all out in front of everyone?"
Zhang Dapeng was left speechless by the retort. He tried to think of a defense, but every face he laid eyes on was filled with nothing but disgust. Not a single person was on his side. His fellow officers all knew exactly what had happened that night. Burning with rage and humiliation, he decided to throw all caution to the wind.
"She was the little slut who came onto me first! A tender little flower like that—any man would have wanted a piece of her! I just made the same mistake every man in the world makes. Why can't you all just let it go?"
Everyone let out a cold snort of disdain, no one bothering to respond.
Only Madam Lan said quietly, "That girl is young enough to be your granddaughter. You still tried to force yourself on her. You are worse than an animal!"
Zhang Dapeng, who was seething with rage at the entrance of the medicine hall, did not catch those words, but everyone inside heard them loud and clear, and their contempt for him deepened even further.
Cheng Yao paid no more attention to that rabid dog. She gave Constable Wang a slight curtsy, her tone returning to its usual gentle calm. "Constable, thank you for speaking up justly."
Constable Wang waved his hand, looking worn out. "It's nothing."
Cheng Yao then shifted her tone. "Constable, right now we don't have a single copper to our names, and the road ahead is long. We can't keep making things difficult for you all this way. Could you allow me to walk through the streets of this small town to see what kinds of mountain goods the local vendors are selling? That way, if we come across the same things along the road later, we can forage and collect them to sell for cash. Then we can pay back the medical fees we owe you as soon as possible."
She kept her posture humble, acting as if she was thinking entirely for the good of the convoy and to ease Constable Wang's burden. That sum of money for medical fees had been weighing on Constable Wang like a rock. Now that Cheng Yao was offering to find a way to pay it back on her own, he was naturally very tempted by the idea.
Before Constable Wang could open his mouth, Zhang Dapeng, who had just caught his breath, yelped as if someone had stepped on his tail and immediately objected loudly, "Cheng Yao, don't you know when you've been given a favor and should be grateful! You're a transported convict! Trekking all the way to the Nine You Prefecture is your fate! How dare you even think about wandering around the town? Who knows if you're just trying to take the chance to run away? Or go hook up with some random man to get you supplies?"
He hurled vicious speculations, trying to stir up muddy waters.
Cheng Yao did not even lift an eyelid, not deigning to argue with him at all.
Constable Wang finally lost his patience. He snapped his head around, his sharp gaze shooting straight at Zhang Dapeng, his voice laced with suppressed fury, "Zhang Dapeng! Will you ever shut up?!"
Zhang Dapeng flinched from the roar, but still forced himself to argue back, "Chief, I'm just looking out for all of our safety! She's a convict woman..."
Constable Wang cut him off, his voice icy and firm, "I think you're just eager to stir up chaos for no reason! If Lady Cheng wanted to run, there were plenty of chances out on the road, why would she wait until now?"
He stepped forward, looming closer, "Lady Cheng just paid off all the remaining medical bills. If you can come up with that sum of silver, I'll immediately go along with what you said, tie her up and lock her under strict guard! Can you come up with that money?"
Zhang Dapeng was struck speechless at once, his face flushing pale then red in turns.
Thirty-five taels of silver was a huge sum for a lowly bailiff like him, there was no way he could afford it.
He stammered, "Chief, that's not what I meant..."
