Chapter 17: A Incense Stick’s Time, Make Use of It

Chapter 17: A Incense Stick's Time, Make Use of It

He Zhiran had become accustomed to being cautious. Whenever she arrived at a new place, she would first observe her surroundings carefully.

This time, however, her observations mattered greatly.

She noticed that most of the prisoners looked at the Mo family members with hostility in their eyes.

To make sure she wasn't seeing things, He Zhiran rubbed her temples and observed again, only to find that nothing had changed.

Some could no longer contain their anger and began to curse at the Mo family members.

"Mo Jiuye, you're a jinx! You brought misfortune upon your father and elder brother, and now you're doing the same to us!"

"I curse the Mo family to die an agonizing death!"

"If it weren't for you, how could our Jia family have been struck by such unforeseen calamity?"

"..."

Amidst the escalating insults, the bailiffs showed no intention of intervening. This made He Zhiran suspect that the emperor, in his canine wisdom, had deliberately arranged for these people to be exiled alongside the Mo family, purely to make their lives miserable.

However, she couldn't fathom why these individuals would call Mo Jiuye a jinx. It seemed they would provide ample company on this journey...

Mo Jiuye, hearing the abuse, struggled to keep his emotions in check, lest he lose control and confront the offenders. Nonetheless, he was curious to identify the culprits.

Using a stray lock of hair to shield his gaze, he narrowed his eyes slightly, scanning the crowd in the direction of the voices. He recognized several faces – they were all officials from the imperial court.

It was a given that the voices belonged to the relatives of these officials. But what puzzled him was, why would they direct their venom at him?

Mo Jiuye's mind raced as he pondered whether he had any unresolved conflicts with these individuals.

Swiftly, he arrived at a conclusion.

One of them was an official surnamed He, who had once served as a Vice Minister of Revenue. During his military campaign on the border, it was this He Zhiyuan who was responsible for provisioning supplies. However, He Zhiyuan selfishly embezzled provisions, leading Mo Jiuye to report the matter to Emperor Shunwu, demanding a thorough investigation.

Then there was Li Liang, a compiler in the Academy of Literary Arts. Upon Li Liang's recent return to the capital, he had approached Mo Jiuye, offering to marry his concubine-born daughter to him – an offer that Mo Jiuye promptly refused.

Aside from that encounter, there were no other interactions between them.

Looking at the family that was shouting the loudest, it was Fang Chuanzhou, another Vice Minister of War. Fang Chuanzhou, who had previously held the same position, had no known grudge against Mo Jiuye.

Similar to He Zhiran, Mo Jiuye was puzzled as to why these people would label him as a jinx.

Could it be that when the Emperor convicted them, he implicated Mo Jiuye as well?

As Mo Jiuye was lost in thought, Second Sister-in-law Xie Fang rushed over in tears, scolding in the direction of the culprit.

"Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Little Brother, why are you all in trouble too?"

No wonder her beloved family hadn't come to see her off.

With a worried look on his face, Father Xie forced a smile that was uglier than crying when he faced his daughter.

"It's Father's fault; I was punished by His Majesty."

"Father, you're lying! It's obvious that the Xie Family was implicated by the Duke's Manor. Why are you hiding this from my sister?" Xie Ming's face was filled with indignation as she glared at Mo Jiuye, who was sprawled on the wooden cart.

Just as Xie Fang was about to ask for an explanation, Father Xie scolded Xie Ming.

"Xie Ming, shut up! Is this the place to talk?"

Xie Ming looked at her father resentfully but helplessly closed her mouth.

Second Sister-in-law wasn't ignorant of these intricacies, and with so many people watching the Xie Family, even if she was eager to know the truth, she couldn't act impulsively.

Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran, eager to eavesdrop on Second Sister-in-law's conversation with her kin, perked up their ears, only to be left in silence as Father Xie proved to be cautious with his words.

Feeling just as helpless, they realized they would have to seek another opportunity to learn the details of the situation.

Old Lady Mo, on the other hand, maintained her composure. Upon encountering her in-laws, she nodded politely, regardless of whether they reciprocated her gesture or not.

The officials, having completed their formalities, then made a symbolic attempt to stop the insults directed at the Mo family.

The accused, still adjusting to their new status, defied the officials' reprimands with defiance, expressing their dissatisfaction in every way possible.

Back and forth, they exchanged barbs with each other.

In the eyes of the officials, these people were as good as dead; there was no need to indulge them.

Someone promptly drew a whip from his waist and lashed it towards those who were speaking the loudest.

"I suppose you've had enough of life. If you don't want to live long enough to see the northwest, just say so."

The sting of the whip on their skin instantly snapped them back to reality, bringing them out of their delusion.

Bowing their heads to inspect the coarse homespun clothes that were even simpler than what ordinary folk wore, they had no choice but to accept their grim reality of being stripped of their wealth and exiled.

Glancing at the whips in the officials' hands, none of them dared to provoke any further resistance.

However, they continued to glare at the Mo family members.

Leading the Mo family's ladies, Lady Mo paid no heed to the expressions of those around her.

This left the others with a sense of frustration, as if their punches had landed on cotton.

One of the officials called out, "Since it's still early, let's set off immediately."

Upon finishing his sentence, a carriage approached from the direction of the capital.

"Wait… Please stop…" the coachman yelled.

Everyone, including the officials, narrowed their eyes and looked over.

The carriage quickly pulled up in front of the procession.

The coachman promptly leapt down and drew back the curtains. Two figures, completely veiled, emerged from within. By their statures, one could discern a man and a woman, both appearing to be of advanced age. As soon as they alighted, their eyes scanned the crowd, eventually settling on He Zhiran. He Yuanming hastened his steps, drawing a large silver ingot from his bosom and handing it to the lead official. Apparently, he wished to keep his identity concealed, addressing the officer with great courtesy. "Could you do me a favor?" The official weighed the silver ingot in his hand. "I'll give you a stick of incense's time, make it quick." "Very well," He Yuanming acknowledged, then led Ling Xueyan briskly in He Zhiran's direction.

As he passed by Old Madam Mo, He Yuanming deliberately pulled off a corner of the scarf covering his face.

Recognizing the visitor, Old Madam Mo tactfully led the others away, leaving only He Zhiran behind.

Seeing her daughter dressed in humble homespun clothes, Ling Xueyan's tears tumbled down like a string of broken pearls. She hugged He Zhiran's slender frame tightly and choked out, "Ranran, it's Mother who has wronged you... Sobs... Mother shouldn't have coerced you with your father to marry into the Mo family... Sobs... It was Mother's mistake..."

In her previous life, He Zhiran's parents had divorced, and from an early age, she felt like a burden in their eyes. She had never experienced any sense of familial affection from them.

Now, being held tightly by the original owner's mother, the feeling was rather perplexing, but she didn't feel any aversion to it.

After hesitating a few times, He Zhiran finally placed her hand on Ling Xueyan's back and gently patted it.