Zhang Dapeng strode up to Cheng Yao in a few steps. “Cheng Yao! It was you, wasn’t it? What medicine did you give him? Hand it over!”
Cheng Yao raised her head and met his gaze impassively. “What are you talking about, Constable? I don’t understand. My husband is the God of War, a man covered in glorious battle honors. The fact that he woke up may be a blessing from Heaven, or perhaps he simply survived the most difficult part. What does that have to do with me?”
“Nonsense!” Zhang Dapeng cut her off harshly, his finger nearly poking her in the nose. “Stop pretending to be stupid! Do you take me for a three-year-old? He was so badly injured. How could he have recovered so quickly without some miraculous medicine? You’re hiding medicine and refusing to hand it over. That’s a serious crime!”
“Constable Zhang, you’re forcing a crime where there isn’t one. It was merely some medicine for treating wounds given to me by my maternal grandmother. All the constables know that.”
Cheng Yao fearlessly met Zhang Dapeng’s vicious gaze, her voice carrying a hint of grievance. “Other than a withered old bundle, I have nothing of value on me. What could I possibly be hiding?”
Seeing the teasing glint beneath her clear, cool gaze, Zhang Dapeng grew even more furious.
This sly woman had hidden food and medicine without saying a word, and had provoked him time and again. She truly deserved to die!
Zhang Dapeng’s eyes turned dark and sinister. “A vile witch like you must have some secret method of concealment! The fact that we can’t find anything doesn’t mean you have nothing! The sudden improvement in Zhan Haoting’s condition is proof enough! You must have some divine medicine capable of bringing the dead back to life! There are so many injured people in the group. Since you have medicine, hand it over at once so it can be used to treat the others! Otherwise, you’re deliberately acting with ill intentions and disregarding their lives!”
His words were vicious to the extreme, instantly placing Cheng Yao on the opposite side of all the wounded prisoners and their clansmen.
Sure enough, the gazes of some prisoners with injured family members immediately grew complicated, filled with suspicion and faint hope.
Cheng Yao sneered inwardly. Zhang Dapeng certainly knew how to fan the flames.
She swept her gaze over the hopeful and suspicious faces around her, then spoke clearly enough for everyone to hear. “If I truly possessed such miraculous medicine, would I have hidden it all this time while watching our clansmen and all of you constables suffer from your injuries? If Constable Zhang insists that I have it, then I have nothing more to say. But to falsely accuse me and forcibly demand medicine that doesn’t exist—isn’t that simply trying to drive someone to her death?”
“Are you trying to threaten me with death?” Zhang Dapeng scoffed. He suddenly turned around and shouted at all the constables and prisoners, “Convict Cheng has toyed with the authorities, concealed unidentified medicine, and treated a serious criminal. Her intentions are reprehensible! Though there is no concrete evidence, her actions are suspicious and violate the exile regulations, which forbid the private concealment of prohibited goods! To set an example, and to force her to hand over the medicine, I hereby declare—”
He paused, a cruel smile spreading across his face. Then, word by word, he said, “For hiding valuables and medicinal supplies, refusing to confess, and acting deceitfully, the entire Zhan family will be deprived of food and water for three days, effective immediately! I’d like to see whether I can ‘drive you to your death’!”
The moment those words left his mouth, the crowd erupted!
The entire group was to go without provisions for three days? That was tantamount to cutting off their only chance of survival!
The journey into exile was already a struggle of hunger and deprivation. Many people were barely holding on. If they went without food for another three days, the seriously injured and the frail would likely be sent straight to the underworld!
The punishment was utterly vicious!
The members of the Zhan clan were shocked and furious. One after another, they turned to Constable Wang.
Constable Wang’s brows drew tightly together, his face so dark it seemed capable of dripping water.
Zhang Dapeng was clearly using the matter as an excuse to abuse his authority. His intentions were truly despicable!
Yet the accusation Zhang Dapeng had made—concealing medicine and violating the law—seemed somewhat plausible in light of the fact that Zhan Haoting’s injuries had improved so dramatically.
For a moment, Constable Wang found himself in a difficult position.
He pretended to reprimand Zhang Dapeng. “Zhang Dapeng! Since when does one person get to give orders for the entire group?”
“Chief!” Zhang Dapeng protested stubbornly. “I’m simply acting according to the rules! If we don’t do this, how are we supposed to intimidate a convict with such ulterior motives? Are we supposed to wait until she really helps Zhan Haoting recover and then leads everyone in an escape?”
His words were highly inflammatory, and several of the other constables revealed looks of agreement.
Constable Wang looked at the agitated constables, then at the prisoners, their faces gaunt and their eyes filled with fear. Finally, he looked toward Cheng Yao, whose back was straight and whose eyes were cold as ice. His heart filled with helplessness.
He knew that if he forcibly overturned Zhang Dapeng’s decision now, his fellow constables would resent him.
Besides, the person behind all this wanted to force Lady Cheng to reveal her miraculous medicine as well…
Constable Wang wearily closed his eyes and waved a hand. His voice was hoarse. “For now, we’ll go along with his decision. Everyone, gather your belongings. We’ll continue on as usual tomorrow morning. As for food and water, find your own solutions.”
This was tantamount to approving Zhang Dapeng’s punishment.
Despair instantly shrouded the entire group.
Curses, sobs, and pleas rang out, but no one could change the cruel decision.
Zhang Dapeng shot Cheng Yao a smug look, as if to say, Let’s see how long you can hold out!
Cheng Yao did not look at him, nor did she look at anyone else.
She slowly sat back down in the corner. Her tightly clenched fists trembled faintly, betraying the fury churning within her.
Three days without food or water!
Zhang Dapeng, you’re courting death!
She looked at Zhan Haoting in the distance. Although he had managed to sit up, he was still weak, and he was gazing at her with a look of reassurance. A thought became increasingly clear in her mind…
From now on, she had to free herself from this situation of being at the mercy of others as quickly as possible—for her own sake, and for his.
…
No matter how much everyone protested, cried, and pleaded, the constables’ decision did not change, and the group continued onward.
News of the shocking disaster in the capital finally began to arrive in fragments, mingling with the clatter of hooves and the hushed whispers of the occasional merchants they passed along the way.
The imperial treasury had been looted clean!
The Emperor’s private vaults, along with those of all his consorts, had been emptied!
The general’s residence had been stripped bare—not even the storage racks or bookshelves had been spared. Even mice would have wept upon entering!
The news was destined to send shock waves throughout the realm and leave the people in a state of panic!
Chaos was about to begin as well—the nation had been emptied. How far could it be from falling?
Surviving in troubled times would be difficult, but such times also offered countless opportunities to rise.
The exile party heard the rumors too. The constables’ expressions filled with shock and uncertainty, and when they looked at Cheng Yao, their eyes held an additional, indescribable wariness and curiosity. The imperial palace and her maternal family were both connected to her, and for some inexplicable reason, they felt that these events were somehow entangled with her.
Cheng Yao kept her head lowered as she walked in silence. Every so often, she glanced toward the capital, a quiet, icy stillness deep within her eyes.
The bastard emperor and those ambitious imperial relatives must be in complete disarray by now, too busy looking after themselves to cause trouble.
Zhan Haoting was a truly great hero, a pillar of the nation. He had already surrendered his military authority, his legs had been crippled, and he had become an idle prince. Like a tiger whose fangs had been pulled, he posed no threat. Yet the bastard emperor still refused to let him go—not only had he exterminated the entire Zhan family, he had also saddled Zhan Haoting with infamy, ensuring that even in death, his name would stink for generations.
Not a single court official had spoken up for him.
The entire dynasty was rotten to the core. In that case, she would simply overturn it!
Besides, without Zhan Haoting’s strategic brilliance to command respect and hold the realm steady, the foreign powers no longer felt threatened. They had become bold and reckless.
By now, they must already have been stirring trouble at the borders and testing the kingdom’s defenses. Three months from now, their iron cavalry would enter the realm, charge straight toward the capital, and take it for themselves.
Whether or not she had emptied the imperial treasury, the mountains and rivers would still have been shattered, and the people would still have suffered amid the flames of war.
It would be better for her to use those possessions to support Zhan Haoting in recruiting troops and building up his forces. Perhaps then there would still be some hope for this country.
Without even looking too far ahead, the situation right before them was already enough. No one would come to assassinate Zhan Haoting, allowing him time to recuperate and rebuild his strength. That alone was a good thing.
That night, the group camped out in the wilderness, and the guards stopped distributing rations.
Fortunately, some of the yams and kudzu roots they had dug up the day before remained. They were just enough to fill half their stomachs.
Even so, both the guards and the prisoners sensed that something was unusual. Every one of them behaved themselves.
Although some people hated Zhang Dapeng, they only dared curse him inwardly and did not dare make a fuss.
The entire group was unusually quiet.
Before night had fully fallen, Cheng Yao searched the surrounding area for medicinal herbs, wild vegetables, and the like. Meanwhile, Zhan Haoting hid in a remote corner far from the others, concealed in the shadows. The guards did not object.
When Cheng Yao reached a certain spot, she regulated her breathing and sank her consciousness into her space.
