Chapter 16: The Bustling Capital No Longer Concerns Them

Chapter 16: The Bustling Capital No Longer Concerns Them

Regardless, based on He Zhiran's protection of the Mo family just now and her ruthless attack on Cao Ren, he could somewhat deduce one thing.

It seemed that He Zhiran held no ill intentions towards the Mo family at present.

Seeing the officials rush towards the direction of the tree after hearing the muffled sound, and with the Mo family's womenfolk now out of harm's way, Mo Jiuye leaped away from the scene.

Despite the chaos outside, He Zhiran was in for another pleasant surprise when she entered the space. Each of the dagger, mini pistol, and sniper rifle she had just taken out were duplicated.

For He Zhiran, these were the best tools to ensure her survival on this journey, and more was always better.

After waiting about ten minutes in the space, she emerged to find all the officials gone, along with the Mo family's female relatives.

She quickly jumped down from the tree and returned to the bridal chamber.

There, she saw that under the watchful eyes of the officials, her sisters-in-law had already lifted Mo Jiuye onto a door panel.

The four sisters-in-law struggled to carry the door plank out.

The officers kept urging them on.

"Move faster, stop dawdling."

Mo Jiuye, being carried by his sisters-in-law, felt deeply ashamed. It was his incapability that had forced these women to face such adversity while also having to care for him.

Watching his sisters-in-law struggle, He Zhiran suddenly recalled the wooden cart that the officers had just seized.

"Wait a moment," she called out.

The lead officer turned back, displeased. "What is it?"

"Didn't you hurry us to get to the outskirts of the city?" He Zhiran asked calmly.

"So what if we did?" The officer suspected trickery, remembering how she had just confrontationally rebuked General Cao.

He Zhiran pointed at the four sisters-in-law carrying the door plank. "As you can see, all the exiled members of our Mo family are female relatives. It's impossible for us to move quickly."

"How do you propose we proceed?" asked the officer.

"There was a wooden cart during your search that isn't worth much. Why not use it to carry my husband and speed up our journey?"

The officer's eyes rolled around in his head.

"Alright, then. That cart is yours."

They fetched the wooden cart, lifted Mo Jiuye onto it, and He Zhiran pushed him out herself.

Her sisters-in-law looked at her with admiration.

With the cart, they saved time and effort. Soon, the group was escorted to the Duke's residence.

At this moment, the entrance was packed with onlookers.

Some were merely curious passersby, while others were relatives of the sisters-in-law who had rushed over upon hearing about the imperial decree to seize the Mo estate to check on their loved ones.

Yet, before they could even witness any of the Duke's people emerging, a muffled thud startled them.

Then, they watched in horror as a bloody hole appeared at the back of Cao Ren's head, causing him to topple from his horse and crash to the ground.

Someone had already summoned the Prefect of Jingzhao.

Without hesitation, the Prefect instructed the coroner to examine the injury.

It was evident that the wound on the back of Cao Ren's head was the cause of his death.

However, the coroner was unable to determine what kind of weapon had been used.

Cao Ren, being an official of the imperial court, had died while on duty. This incident was no trivial matter.

Although it occurred outside the Duke of Guardian's residence, it was no secret that Mo Jiuye had been severely punished by the Emperor with fifty strokes of the cane the previous night. It was said that he had been carried back, barely able to move, making it impossible for him to have attacked Cao Ren.

Furthermore, the only ones in the Mo family who could currently move freely were a group of weak women, rendering them even less likely suspects in Cao Ren's death.

After much contemplation, the Prefect of Jingzhao realized he was unable to solve the case and promptly ordered Cao Ren's body to be taken to the Supreme Court for further investigation.

By the time the Mo family emerged, Cao Ren's body had already been carried away.

Most of those who had intended to watch the spectacle had rushed to the Supreme Court for more excitement.

Among the few remaining were mainly relatives of the sisters-in-law.

The first to arrive were the family members of Third Sister-in-law Feng Cuilian.

The Fengs didn't hold high ranks in the bureaucracy and were not qualified to attend court sessions.

They had witnessed Cao Ren leading his men towards the Duke of Guardian's residence and had dispatched someone to inquire about the situation.

Upon hearing the news, Feng Cuilian's mother wept and pleaded with her brother to accompany her to the scene.

"Cuilian, my daughter, I'm powerless. I can't do anything to help you... Waaaah..."

The Feng Family's matriarch held her daughter's hand, weeping bitterly.

Seeing her mother, Feng Cuilian threw herself into her arms, weeping uncontrollably.

The scene moved everyone present to tears.

The elder matriarch of the Feng family fumbled in her bosom and secretly slipped a purse into Feng Cuilian's hand.

"Mother was in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare anything. This money is all that Mother has; keep it safe for emergencies on the journey."

If not for the silver being discovered hidden in her inner clothing, Feng Cuilian would not have accepted her mother's money.

In her heart, the Mo family had brought nothing with them. If she refused this money, they might struggle to survive the journey to the northwest.

Clutching the purse from her mother, Feng Cuilian choked back tears. "Mother, don't worry about me. With Mother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, and Ninth Brother, we will surely reach the northwest safely."

Meanwhile, at the home of Fourth Sister's family, the Shao clan had also arrived. They too discreetly handed Xiao Qinger a purse.

When they offered to provide luggage, the officials refused, stating that the convicts were not entitled to such luxuries.

Those without family to see them off watched the two sisters-in-law enviously.

He Zhiran was also speculating in her heart whether the Hes would come to see them off.

In the end, no one from the He family showed up.

As the time drew near, the officials urged the Mo family to depart, forcefully dispersing the Xiao and Feng families who had come to bid farewell.

Taking one last glance at the grand entrance of Duke Guo's residence, Old Lady Mo took the lead to step forward.

Still in a state of shock, Mo Hanyue followed closely behind her mother.

Then came He Zhiran pushing Mo Jiuye in a wooden cart, followed by the eight elder sisters-in-law.

Along the way, they passed bustling streets with vendors' cries echoing from both sides.

The Mo family was acutely aware that from this moment on, the prosperity of the capital no longer concerned them...

Under the watchful eyes of the common folk, the Mo family was escorted out of the city gates by the officials.

Aside from Third Sister-in-law and Fourth Sister-in-law, who saw their own kin, the other seven sisters-in-law, including He Zhiran, did not have their families there to see them off.

The sisters-in-law, who had clung to a sliver of hope, were utterly disheartened the moment they stepped out of the city gates. They couldn't help but lament the coldness of the world; their usually amiable relatives hadn't even dared to show their faces at such a time.

He Zhiran, however, was not affected much by this. After all, she still considered herself an outsider and didn't harbor great expectations for the original owner's parents.

Each person in the group carried their own burdens in their hearts, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the outskirts of the capital.

Surprisingly, besides the officials in charge of escorting them, there were also many other convicts waiting there, who shared the same fate as them.

From the way those convicts stood, it was evident that they, too, were part of entire families being exiled together.