Blossom in Adversity

C5. Catching Up with the Escort.

Chapter Five: Catching Up with the Escort

Glancing at the sky, she wasted no time and quickly grabbed the reins, urging the horse to a gallop, the rhythmic beat of hooves against the ground filling her ears. Every precious moment counted

She had to get back before the city gates closed.

As Hua Bailin chased after a few steps, his hands clenched into fists, filled with worry for his eldest sister. Could her sister, who usually refused to even go to the rouge shop, really catch up with their father and the others?

Although the customs of Daqing were not very liberal, the young ladies from wealthy families could indeed ride horses. However, a young lady galloping on the road was unheard of.

A carriage, its wheels crunching on the gravel, came to a halt by the roadside. As the curtains parted, a figure of striking elegance emerged. A tall, handsome man stepped down, his gaze fixed on the approaching clatter of hooves.

He instinctively turned his head, revealing a scar on his right cheek from his ear to his mouth. Surprisingly, this scar did not mar his handsome face but added a touch of masculinity.

After seeing the rider clearly, he raised an eyebrow.

"Master, do you want to investigate the identity of that person?"

“I have no influence over the capital’s security.” As she turned onto the main street and slowed down, the man realized she wasn't your average person. She was a savvy individual who wouldn’t be easily fooled or manipulated. She was the kind of person who saw through facades and wasn’t easily swayed by empty promises or false pretenses. This was a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it.

The main street in the city was bustling with people and carriages. Hua Zhi had to tightly control her horse's speed, as only war horses could gallop on this road. Neither nobles nor dignitaries had any privilege here, let alone her, a Hua family lady who had just been raided.

Patiently enduring the stares of onlookers, she finally left the city and spurred her horse.

As a noblewoman, she should have been trembling with fear at the prospect of stepping out into the world. Yet, beneath the veneer of a sheltered young lady, she harbored the wisdom and world-weariness of a soul from another time and place. For the past fifteen years, she had skillfully masked her true nature, playing the part of a delicate and impressionable maiden.

While she had carefully cultivated the delicate, refined manners befitting a young lady of her station, she had secretly nurtured a voracious intellectual appetite. She had delved into a vast array of subjects, immersing herself in countless books and scholarly texts. Her curiosity extended to the far reaches of the realm, as evidenced by her meticulous study of geography books and her fascination with the detailed maps of Daqing, which her grandfather had lovingly shared with her.

She knew the routes to the Northern Lands and that exiles only traveled the official roads. Following this path would lead her to catch up with them.

After galloping for about two quarters of an hour, Hua Zhi could see a dense group of people ahead, with the prisoners dressed in plain clothes and the officials in uniform attire.

The founding emperor of the Daqing Dynasty was originally a commoner who rose up against the oppression of the previous dynasty. The laws he established were not as strict, with the most popular change being the abolishment of the practice of punishing nine generations of a family.

If an official committed a crime, only their immediate family members would be implicated, and even then, the punishment would not extend to married daughters.