Chapter 218

Chapter 218

Besides the Shen family, those exiled together with the Han family included Zhao Yongchang, Jiang Wencheng, and their families.

Zhao Yongchang was also on Emperor Taixuan's death list, so there was no way he could escape.

And Jiang Wencheng, on the surface, was also one of the main members involved in "unauthorized use of military supplies and grain," so naturally he too had to be punished.

As for Pan Taining and Wu Xuelin, since their trip to Yunyang had merely been as hangers-on, and with their families pulling strings and greasing palms, the two managed to escape unscathed.

However, on the day of exile, Han Zhang and the others did not depart in complete desolation.

Those who came to see them off included Pan Taining, Wu Xuelin, Shen Qingyue, Shen Qingquan and Chai Wenxuan as a couple, as well as Kang Zhanxun and Han Xianglian.

The natal families of Lü Shurou, Li Huilan, and An Ge'er did not send relatives in person out of fear of the emperor, but they did dispatch servants to deliver food, clothing, and silver notes.

The wind at the city gate was harsher than elsewhere, whipping up yellow sand that stung the face.

Han Zhang wore shackles on his hands and feet, dressed in prison garb. Though his appearance was disheveled, his back remained straight.

He scanned the old friends who had come to see him off, and despite the sorrowful expressions on their faces, not a trace of dejection showed on his own. His smile remained as warm and easygoing as ever:

"Alright, thunder and rain are both the emperor's grace. To have escaped with our lives from the blade is already great fortune. Why weep? It's merely exile. As long as we live, there is still hope."

"The green mountains remain, and the rivers flow on. This parting today is not a parting by death, but a parting in life. I believe we shall meet again. Take care of yourselves, everyone!"

With that, Han Zhang solemnly clasped his hands and bowed to Kang Zhanxun and the others.

Yet though his back appeared straight as if nothing were wrong, the heavy shackles on his limbs and the still-oozing whip wounds on his body were heartbreaking to see.

Kang Zhanxun, Pan Taining, and the others reddened at the eyes.

"Brother Han... take care!"

A thousand words stuck in their throats, ultimately condensing into those two heavy words. Everyone bowed in return, their grief and reluctance plain to see.

While the men kept their emotions in check, the women and the young men were far more outwardly expressive, with quite a lively scene.

Upon learning that Shen Qingquan had almost been divorced, and that Shen Qingyue had already separated by mutual agreement, even cutting ties with her own children, Shen Qinglan, Old Master Shen, and the others all had grim looks on their faces.

Though such things were predictable—when disaster strikes, in-laws naturally distance themselves—the immediate about-face of the Marquis of Wenxiang's household was still hard to accept.

Old Master Shen looked at this eldest daughter, who had been purely sacrificed for his own career, and felt a measure of guilt and heartache.

When his eldest daughter had married, it was precisely the most difficult period of his official career. So even knowing full well that the Marquis of Wenxiang's household was a burning pit, he had still pushed this daughter into it.

Afterward, though Yue'er harbored resentment, she still worked tirelessly within the marquis's household, securing considerable support for her natal family...

At this thought, Old Master Shen's heart softened somewhat.

He stepped forward, reached out and patted his eldest daughter's somewhat thin shoulder, his voice low, with a rare sincerity of fatherly affection:

"Yue'er, from now on... take good care of yourself and the children. Your father... will do his best to find a way and strive to return as soon as possible. Many things in the past—the family has... wronged you."

The words caught in his throat, and he ultimately veered away from saying them.

Regret? He would never regret it. That was simply his nature.

If it were to happen again, for the sake of his own future and interests, he would still sacrifice his children to marriage alliances.

But in the future, he could make amends to this daughter within his means, for Yue'er was truly a dutiful daughter to him.

"Father..."

Shen Qingyue was a sentimental person. No matter how much she resented her father for sacrificing her back then, being cared for by him now still made her eyes redden.

Shen Qinglan stepped forward and embraced his eldest sister, his voice choked up:

"Big Sister, I'm sorry—it's all our fault for dragging you into this... You must take care of yourself and live well. In the future... in the future, I will repay you a thousandfold."

"Don't talk nonsense. Life is unpredictable—what family doesn't have its ups and downs? I don't blame you, nor do I blame the family. In truth, even without today's disaster, I had long intended to leave that Marquis of Wenxiang's household."

"That household is full of sordid goings-on—living there was suffocating. Though I've lost the vain title now, I've gained peace and freedom. That's a good thing."

Shen Qingyue was quite open-minded about it. Speaking of leaving the marquis's household, her face immediately lit up with relief.

Though she had lost the glory of being the marquis's heir's wife, her life had become so much easier!

No more dealing with the marquis household's troubles, and she had a substantial dowry to rely on. Even if she faced some gossip, it was far more comfortable than being in that household.

The divorce—she was genuinely happy about it.

Everyone said their heartfelt goodbyes, but no matter how reluctant they were, the time for parting arrived quickly.

The bailiff's long whip cracked through the air, a sharp sound exploding amid the noisy city gate.

"Move! Don't waste time!"

The group was marched off.

Han Zhang walked among the crowd. As he passed through the city gate, he felt a pull and looked back, spotting the Crown Prince on the city wall.

Their eyes met. The Crown Prince, expressionless, raised a cup of wine, then tilted his hand in a libation gesture, spilling the wine to the ground as his thin lips parted as if to speak.

Others might not have heard.

But Han Zhang, whose five senses were far beyond ordinary, heard it clearly.

It was unmistakably: "Minister Han, go down below and keep my Jiayou company."

Han Zhang's stride faltered slightly, then he nonchalantly looked away, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

He had to admit—the Crown Prince was a good brother.

But he, too, had people he needed to protect.

Since everyone was a hypocrite, if Emperor Taixuan and his son dared to use their imperial authority to crush him, then they couldn't blame him for seizing the throne.

He, Han Zhang, was going to live a long life. The Jiayou Chang Gongjun in the underworld—you can all go keep him company!

...

Though he had prepared long ago, the hardships of exile in ancient times could not be summed up in a few words. Especially now, in the heat of summer, the road became even harder.

By the very first day of exile, everyone was already at their limit.

Especially the children—young and frail to begin with, having grown up as pampered young masters and misses, now being dragged along into exile was sheer misery for them.

Fortunately, Han Zhang had come prepared. Back in Yunyang, he had already secretly used his Power to strengthen the bodies of Xiao Tao'er and the other children.

Even Shen's sister-in-law's newborn baby—Han Zhang found excuses to hold the child and secretly used his Power to protect it.

The kids had it rough, but none of them were in any real danger.

In fact, Xiao Tao'er, who'd been strengthened by Han Zhang's Power even in the womb, was as sturdy as a little calf and even had the energy to take care of the other kids.

The boy kept the kids hooked with his stories, so even though they were tired, not one of them cried or acted up.

Everyone was totally absorbed in the stories of *Journey to the West*, *Calabash Brothers*, and *Nezha* that Xiao Tao'er was telling!

It wasn't just the kids—even grown-ups like Jiang Wencheng couldn't help getting hooked on these modern classics.

Even Lv Shurou, who'd been griping and wailing nonstop, forgot her aching feet as she listened, tugging at Xiao Tao'er and pressing him:

"What happens next? When's the Great Sage Sun getting out from under Five Elements Mountain? Oh, Xiao Tao'er, why are you such a tease, just like your dad?"

"We're not even on the road yet—why are you stopping here? Come on, tell your auntie what happens next with the Great Sage Sun. I'm dying to know!"

The daughter of the Imperial Academy's headmaster got so worked up she slapped her thigh, almost dropping the baby she was holding.

Luckily, Second Sister-in-law Li Huilan had quick reflexes and caught the baby just in time, snapping, "Sister-in-law, you almost dropped the kid!"

What kind of mom does that? So irresponsible.

"I-I just got too caught up in the story..."

Lv Shurou said sheepishly, then did her usual thing and blamed someone else: "Oh, it's all Lan Geer's fault! Look what he's taught Xiao Tao'er—can't learn the Four Books and Five Classics, but he's a pro at telling stories. Father and son, neither one has any sense of propriety."

Shen Qinglan: "..."

No wonder he couldn't stand his sister-in-law—there was a good reason.

She could even pin this on him!

Xiao Tao'er, who was fiercely protective of his dad, immediately got back at his aunt. He pretended to be tired, yawned, and scrambled onto Han Zhang, saying, "Papa, hold me, sleepy~"

Then, in one, two, three seconds, he closed his eyes and dozed off, leaving his aunt fuming and stomping her feet, desperate for more.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Shen's father was especially thrilled—his grandson wasn't just smart, he was also so loyal to his dad. What a great kid!

The road to exile was tough, but with Han Zhang secretly using his Power to look after everyone and the kids keeping spirits up, once they got used to the pace, it wasn't so bad.

As for the escorting officers, thanks to Kang Zhanxun, Pan Taining, and others having greased the wheels beforehand, aside from keeping the daily pace strict and overcharging for food and drink to line their own pockets, they didn't bully the women or the young gentlemen.

Of course, that was mostly because Han Zhang had shown off his terrifying fighting skills on the second day after leaving the capital.

Even if the officers had bad intentions, they didn't dare act on them!

The journey was tough, but life was relatively stable.

Emperor Taixuan and his son hadn't sent assassins to attack either, because it would have been useless—Han Zhang had once fought a thousand enemies single-handedly when rescuing Chang Gongjun Jiayou.

And hadn't they sent people to Yunyang Prefecture over the years to assassinate Han Zhang?

Of course they had!

It was precisely because those assassination attempts had failed that they resorted to the open scheme of framing him. Otherwise, why go through all that trouble?

In this decree, Emperor Taixuan not only exiled Han Zhang but also ordered him to serve in the military, hoping he would die on the battlefield.

If assassins numbering in the hundreds or thousands couldn't kill him, then surely in a melee of tens of thousands on the battlefield, Han Zhang couldn't possibly survive!

As for Han Zhang himself—

To avoid alerting Emperor Taixuan and his son to his plans, he didn't end this exile charade right after leaving the capital. Instead, he genuinely traveled the entire way with Zhao Yongchang, Jiang Wencheng, and the others.

If you're going to put on a show, do it thoroughly. As long as he hadn't reached the frontier, he wouldn't let his guard down in the slightest.

After a grueling three-month journey, Han Zhang and his group finally arrived alive at the frontier.

According to Han Zhang's plan, he had intended to spend two years at the frontier, first winning over the troops through grassroots efforts, building authority in the army, then leveraging the military connections of Old General Shao and the Kang family to win over frontier generals.

By then, with eighty percent of Zhao State's military power in hand, he could expose the royal family's scandals and force Emperor Taixuan to abdicate without bloodshed, achieving a change of dynasty while avoiding civilian casualties and national turmoil.

But as the saying goes, plans can't keep up with changes.

Just as Han Zhang arrived at the frontier, several princes in the capital, locked in a struggle for the Crown Prince position, pushed one prince to desperation. He committed treason and colluded with the neighboring Qi State, making a deal with the devil!

Qi State was not only equal in strength to Zhao State, but its reigning monarch was also a ruthless, ambitious emperor.

The consequences of cooperating with such a person were predictable.

Under the cover of that traitorous prince, Qi State seized the opportunity to launch an attack, catching Emperor Taixuan completely off guard. Within just a few months, they captured dozens of Zhao State's cities, and the entire southern border of Zhao fell into enemy hands!