“If that’s not what you meant, then shut your mouth!” Constable Wang barked. “Save your strength for walking and staying alive, will you? Why stir up trouble for no reason?”
Constable Wang was usually quite even-tempered, but whenever he lost his temper, he possessed an imposing, chilling authority.
Zhang Dapeng could not save face, yet he did not dare argue further. He shot Cheng Yao a vicious glare, then could only lower his head and retreat to the side in sullen embarrassment. His resentment toward Cheng Yao reached an entirely new height.
Constable Wang exhaled heavily and rubbed his brow before saying to Cheng Yao, “Go on, then. Walk along the street outside the temple gates, but don’t go far. Take a look around and come back. Keep track of the time and don’t dawdle.”
He paused, then added, “Your safety comes first.”
“Thank you, Constable Wang.” Cheng Yao inclined her head slightly. When she looked up by chance, she met Zhan Qingrou’s eyes, filled with envy and longing.
The little girl was actually kindhearted and had become much more sensible lately. She must have been stifled after being cooped up on the road for so long.
But Cheng Yao wasn’t her mother, so why should she take her along?
Pretending not to notice, Cheng Yao watched as Zhan Qingrou’s shoulders drooped in disappointment.
Sister-in-law had clearly seen her, but still refused to take her along!
Had she still not forgiven her?
Sister-in-law was being a little petty…
Cheng Yao walked out of Jishi Hall and swept her sharp gaze over the shops lining both sides of the street, as well as the scattered stalls set up on the ground. She began carefully examining the mountain goods, hides, medicinal herbs, and other wares.
Suddenly, the discussions at a tea stall by the roadside caught her attention.
“How wicked! I heard the Treasury God was angered, and everything was gone overnight!”
“Nonsense! It was clearly the Fox Immortal Lady who moved it all. They say His Majesty…” The speaker lowered his voice until the rest became indistinct.
“It wasn’t just the imperial palace! The general’s residence was hit too. Tsk, tsk—even the rice in the rats’ holes was scraped clean!”
“How terrifying… With so much wealth, how could there have been no sound at all? The soldiers guarding the storehouses all said they never saw anyone. If it wasn’t the work of ghosts or gods, what else could it be?”
“The imperial court is furious. They’ve arrested a great many people…”
The corners of Cheng Yao’s lips curled upward.
The unprecedented theft that had shaken the entire realm had made its way out here!
She could imagine the Emperor’s fury and shock upon discovering that both his private treasury and the state treasury were completely empty.
She could imagine the Empress screaming and fainting when she found her treasured collection gone without a trace.
And she could imagine her deadbeat father and his concubines collapsing in despair upon discovering that their many years of savings had vanished, then turning on one another in suspicion and tearing each other apart…
Ahahaha!
Cheng Yao could barely resist planting her hands on her hips and throwing her head back in laughter.
At long last, she had vented the grievance of the original owner and her mother!
So satisfying! It felt wonderful!
Cheng Yao walked with light, quick steps, her entire body and spirit refreshed. The pent-up anger in her chest from arguing with Zhang Dapeng had completely dissipated.
She bought cured meat, dried fish, rice, grain, salt, ready-made clothes, wooden buckets, spoons, and various other things, filling bag after bag. In a secluded spot, she also took some fresh fruit and vegetables from her space, along with some lightly worn clothes, and pretended she had bought those as well.
Then she suddenly remembered that Xiao Fu was no longer with the group. Zhan Haochen must be struggling to carry Zhan Haoting by himself, so she went and bought a wheelbarrow.
She piled everything onto it and pushed it back.
When she returned to the medicinal hall, everyone asked where she had gotten all those things. She simply replied, “Hongxiu and Uncle Xiao bought them.”
Everyone was instantly green with envy.
Faithful servants were common enough, but servants who remained loyal, accompanied their master through exile and hardship, and still possessed such financial means were rare indeed.
It seemed Zhan Haoting’s fortunes had truly begun to turn.
Zhang Dapeng cast her a sinister look. Before he could pick a quarrel, Cheng Yao spoke first.
“What is it, Constable Zhang? Are you planning to confiscate them?”
Zhang Dapeng was rendered speechless again.
Strictly speaking, it had been wrong for the constables to seize the belongings sent by relatives to members of the exile party earlier.
The law stated that the possessions of exiled criminals were to be confiscated, but it did not say that gifts from other people had to be seized.
However, someone had specifically instructed them to do so back then. Now that they were so far from the capital, if he continued acting that way, he might not live long enough to see the next day’s sun.
Who would have thought that forcing the two servants away would instead make it easier for this wretched woman to act?
What a blunder!
Zhang Dapeng ground his teeth in hatred. In the end, he could only snort and turn away, choosing to keep out of sight.
That night, the group spent the night outside the city at the City God Temple.
The plump owner of the medicinal hall even sent people to distribute rice porridge and medicine, along with some pots, bowls, ladles, and old clothes. They had all been collected from several wealthy families in the city.
It was truly aid in the depths of winter. Everyone thanked the visitors profusely, then turned around and thanked Cheng Yao as well.
The next morning, dawn broke through the clouds.
When the constables made their routine inspection of the prisoners, they nearly had their jaws drop.
Zhan Haoting, who had previously either been carried around or lain motionless every day, looking as though he had one foot in the grave, was actually bracing himself with both arms and slowly sitting up!
His face was still as pale as paper, but his eyes had regained their former sharpness and coldness, like those of a lone wolf awakening from slumber.
“Ting’er!” Madam Zhan let out an incredulous whisper, which immediately dissolved into sobs of joy.
Earlier, Ting’er’s entire body had been beaten into a bloody mess, clinging to life by barely a thread.
Everyone had silently assumed that he would never make it to the bitterly cold land of Jiuyou Prefecture.
His wife had cared for him tirelessly, never even taking off her clothes to sleep, and his condition had gradually improved. Yet everyone had believed it was merely a final flash of vitality before death, and none of them had held out much hope for him.
She herself had been sick with worry, praying day and night.
Who could have imagined that he would sit up now?
The Bodhisattvas must truly be protecting them!
“Haoting, your injuries…” Fifth Grandfather’s voice trembled. He could scarcely believe his eyes.
Zhan Haoting leaned against the cold wall. His lips were bloodless, and his sunken eye sockets made his cheekbones appear especially prominent. His plain clothes hung loosely from his gaunt, skeletal frame.
Yet those eyes, once sharp as a falcon’s and capable of looking down upon the battlefield, showed none of the cloudiness or exhaustion one would expect from someone still recovering from grievous injuries. They were deep as an ancient well, inspiring fear in all who looked into them.
“Water…” His throat was dry and raw, but the faint sound he made was clear.
The Zhan clan members gathered around him in an instant, trembling with excitement, tears streaming down their faces.
Several of the women covered their mouths and began to weep quietly.
“Heaven has finally opened its eyes! Haoting is awake!”
“Our ancestors are protecting us! The Zhan family still has hope!”
“Big Brother! How are you feeling?”
“Quick, bring him some water!”
Excitement and joy spread among the Zhan clan like an epidemic, swiftly passing from one person to the next.
Zhan Haoting was their pillar, the soul of the Zhan family.
Now, his sudden recovery was nothing short of a ray of dawn tearing through the darkness for a family trapped in utter desperation.
As long as he was alive, even if they had been exiled, the Zhan family would still have the strength to remain united—and still have hope of rising again!
Cheng Yao also pretended to be pleasantly surprised, but as she watched the clan members celebrate with wild joy, she could not help finding it amusing.
Zhan Haoting had not suddenly appeared in the exile party today. For so long, no one had paid him any attention. The moment they saw him sit up and sensed that he might have a chance of making a comeback, they all rushed to curry favor and ingratiate themselves with him.
These people were far too realistic and snobbish.
Still, Zhan Haoting was quite the actor himself. Aside from his legs, which remained completely numb because of the poison, his upper body had actually regained its strength long ago. He had endured without moving in order to bide his time and lie low—not even she had seen through him.
What was that saying again?
The strong were always ruthless.
Ruthless toward others, and even more ruthless toward themselves.
Now that Xiao Fu had been forced to leave the group, he no longer wanted to keep pretending and add to Zhan Haochen’s burden.
Constable Wang came running at the sound and was stunned to see Zhan Haoting sitting against the wall, his eyes already bright and alert.
These past few days, he had sensed that Zhan Haoting’s injuries were improving. However, the man had always kept his eyes closed, and Constable Wang couldn’t tell whether he was unconscious or merely asleep, so he hadn’t paid much attention.
But judging by his condition now, his injuries had likely recovered by fifty or sixty percent!
Even a month of quiet recuperation wouldn’t have brought about such an improvement!
All these days, it had been Lady Cheng taking care of him…
Constable Wang gazed at Cheng Yao, his expression thoughtful.
Zhang Dapeng, meanwhile, was filled with deep apprehension and jealousy.
Recalling Zhan Haoting’s reputation and ruthless methods in the army, Zhang Dapeng felt a chill run down the back of his neck.
At the same time, doubts began to arise in his mind… How could he possibly recover so quickly? There had to be something suspicious going on!
His gaze swept sharply toward Cheng Yao like that of a venomous snake.
It was her!
This sinister woman must be behind it!
She understood all those strange and unusual medicinal herbs, and had even cowed the owner of Jishi Hall. She must have been the one who saved Zhan Haoting!
