I've Got This Cannon Fodder Trope Covered!

Chapter 58

"Ning Hai, do you think... was she crying just now?"

Xiao Junzhan's voice was ethereal, making it impossible to gauge his emotions. Ning Hai felt a surge of anxiety, quickly bowing and moving closer to the carriage curtain, replying carefully, "...Your servant believes she did not."

Fortunately, the young lady of the Wei family had avoided any improper behavior with the Gu family young master just now. If she had...

Ning Hai didn't dare to imagine it—if she had taken his hand in front of His Highness...

The corner of the carriage curtain was slowly lowered, and Xiao Junzhan's calm voice sounded from inside: "Return to the palace."

____

The early summer morning was still cool. Just as the first light broke over the horizon and the heavy city gates opened, a half-worn carriage was parked off to the side near the city wall.

The carriage belonged to the Zhongyong Marquis estate and was typically used by stewards for errands. Inside, Wei Hanzhang sat with her younger brother on one side, while Wei Heng and Madam Jiang sat across from them.

This carriage had been specially arranged by Wei Heng. They were here to send off a convicted official bound for exile, so they needed to keep a low profile.

"Father, Mother," Wei Yunpei, still drowsy from waking so early, struggled to stay alert and asked, "When will Uncle arrive?"

"They should be here soon." Wei Heng glanced at his youngest son and said, "I inquired yesterday; the officials escorting the prisoners will depart immediately after breakfast and won't delay further."

"Pei'er, are you still sleepy?" Wei Hanzhang put her arm around her brother's shoulders and said softly, "If you're tired, rest against me for a bit..."

Dressed in simple clothing with her hair styled plainly, Madam Jiang took a cloak and draped it over her son. She periodically lifted the curtain to look outside, her expression anxious.

As dawn brightened, the area near the city gate grew busier, and finally, the procession of prisoners arrived.

Wei Hanzhang gently shook her brother awake, who had dozed off on her shoulder, and they stepped out of the carriage with their parents.

The prisoners bound for exile in Lingnan included not only her uncle's family from the Jiang family, but most had no relatives to see them off.

Entire families, elderly and children alike, stood huddled together, looking desolate and lifeless.

Madam Jiang hadn't seen her elder brother in years and couldn't find him in the crowd at first.

It was Wei Hanzhang who spotted her Aunt Wan and her cousin Jiang Zhiqi standing disheveled among the crowd. She pulled her mother along, weaving through the people to reach them.

"Elder Brother, Sister-in-law?" Madam Jiang could hardly recognize her eldest sister-in-law, who was now filthy, in shackles, and reeking of an awful stench.

Wei Hanzhang felt a pang in her heart. Her Aunt Wan had once been a capable and noble woman, raised in comfort, and now, at the age when she should be enjoying her grandchildren, she faced this calamity.

Wan Shi had been standing in a daze among the crowd. Upon hearing a familiar voice, she looked up and saw her family standing in front of her, her eyes slowly brightening.

"Little Sister, Ranran! How did you come here?" Wan Shi exclaimed, grabbing her sister-in-law's hand with emotion. She hadn't expected to see family one last time before her exile.

"The officials won't stay here long, so keep it brief," Wei Heng said after greeting his brother-in-law. Noting his dazed state, he chose not to say much to him and instead addressed his eldest nephew, Jiang Shengwen, with some instructions.

To avoid wasting time with tears, he specifically reminded them.

Holding back her tears, Madam Jiang took Wan-shi's hand and moved with her to a corner away from the crowd.

"We received word just yesterday that you were headed to Lingnan. I immediately sent a few loyal servants who came with me as dowry to go ahead and make some arrangements there. When you arrive, life won't be quite as difficult."

Madam Jiang held Wan Shi's hand and slipped a bulging pouch from her sleeve into it, whispering, "There will be officials overseeing your journey, so I can't send anyone to help. Keep this money for yourself and use it when necessary. If you encounter any trouble, don't hesitate to spend it. You'll have more money when you reach Lingnan."

"Yes, yes!" Wan Shi replied quietly, understanding that this money was essential for her family's survival along the journey. She swiftly tucked it away.

Listening to her sister-in-law's words, some of the despair and numbness she had felt began to dissipate.

There was hope!

Since the incident, their valuables had been seized by the soldiers escorting them from Xuzhou to the capital, leaving them with nothing. If they encountered any trouble along the exile route and had no money to smooth things over, the officials might not even bother to help.

She could manage without, having enjoyed decades of wealth and comfort, but her children and grandchildren still had their whole lives ahead. Now that there was hope, she would not let them perish on this journey to exile.

"That's right; you need to think this way. My elder brother isn't capable of handling everything, so it'll be up to you to care for the family on the road. If you lose heart as well, how can I be at ease here in the capital?"

Seeing that her sister-in-law hadn't completely broken down like her brother, Madam Jiang managed a comforting smile. She took a well-wrapped ginseng root and a small jar from her other sleeve, exchanging them discreetly with Wan-shi once again.

Madam Jiang spoke softly, "I wasn't sure if they'd allow you to carry things, so I didn't bring much—just a bit of life-saving medicine and some healing salve."

She hoped these would be helpful, though she also wished they wouldn't need to use them at all.

Having passed along everything she brought, Madam Jiang finally looked over at her nieces, nephews, and grand-nephews, who gazed back at her hopefully.

In the Jiang family's main branch, the youngest, Jiang Zhiyu, was only two years old, the eldest son of Jiang Shengwen. Fortunately, the women in exile wore only ankle shackles, unlike the men who bore heavier restraints. This allowed his mother to hold him in her arms.

Even so, seeing her niece-in-law's ankles rubbed raw by the iron shackles, Madam Jiang couldn't hold back her tears, wiping them away with a handkerchief.

She was crying uncontrollably but still tried to offer comfort, saying, "Don't worry. The Jiang family hasn't fallen. You have family behind you. After I send you off, I'll go to the Dali Temple to bring back our parents. Once everything is settled at home, we'll send people to visit you in Lingnan. It's only ten years—think of it as moving to a different place. You'll return as Jiang family members."

"Really?"

The members of the Wan Shi family, having been held in prison and only released this morning, had no idea of the final verdict. Seeing only their family leaving, they had thought that each branch of the Jiang family had been sentenced to different locations. Hearing Madam Jiang's words, they were overjoyed.

Even Jiang Dalang, who had been in a daze, looked up, his bloodshot eyes showing a glimmer of hope. He moved his lips and asked, "Are our parents safe?"

His eyes were bloodshot. Since the incident, his deepest regret had been dragging down his parents and two younger brothers. The Jiang family, which had thrived in Xuzhou for a century, had been ruined by his single misstep.

If dying could atone for everything, he would have taken his life long ago to atone for his sins.