Chapter 29: Spousal Night Talk (Part 2)

Chapter 29: Spousal Night Talk (Part 2)

He Zhiran suddenly recalled that her father had slipped a letter into Mo Jiuye's hands earlier that day.

Since the letter was addressed to Mo Jiuye, she didn't have the habit of prying into others' privacy. Though curious about its contents, she refrained from asking.

Mo Jiuye's mention of the letter indicated that he had no intention of keeping its contents secret.

"The letter was brief. Father mentioned that he would privately gather evidence of my innocence to help clear my name. He also wished for me to treat you well."

"Really? That's it?" He Zhiran found it hard to believe.

Mo Jiuye affirmed, "Yes, nothing more than that."

He Zhiran fell into deep thought once again.

After her parents came to see her off today, her first concern was her father's position in the court.

He Yuanming was Mo Jiuye's father-in-law. Would the Emperor hold a grudge against him because of this?

If that were true, He Yuanming's future would resemble an ant on a chopping board, vulnerable to being crushed at any moment by Emperor Shunwu.

Observing He Zhiran's contemplation, Mo Jiuye spoke up once more.

"Your father is an upright official with exceptional organizational skills. The Emperor values his abilities and wouldn't want to lose him. So, you don't need to worry too much."

Upon hearing Mo Jiuye's words, He Zhiran felt somewhat reassured.

"It's getting late. You should get some rest early, we'll have a long journey ahead tomorrow." Mo Jiuye was concerned about He Zhiran's health.

After such an extensive conversation and mental exertion, sleepiness began to overcome He Zhiran.

"Alright, you should also get some rest early."

Assuming she could drift off simply by closing her eyes, He Zhiran found herself tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep despite her fatigue.

The space in the wooden cart was limited, and they were almost inextricably close. Both He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye, sensing each other's warmth, found it difficult to fall asleep.

Feeling her breaths becoming less steady, Mo Jiuye spoke softly once more.

"Impersonating unconsciousness isn't a long-term solution. I plan to seize an opportunity to awaken once we're beyond the capital's borders."

"You can judge that for yourself," He Zhiran replied vaguely.

In truth, when Mo Jiuye said this, he had ulterior motives.

Considering this woman had foreknowledge of the Duke of Protecting State's mansion being seized and its inhabitants exiled, it was not impossible that she knew other secrets as well.

His intention was to provoke He Zhiran into revealing more information.

However, she simply left the decision up to him, divulging nothing new.

"Don't you wonder why I plan to wake up only after we've left the capital?"

"I assume it's because you're wary of the Emperor's spies."

That was precisely what He Zhiran thought. Emperor Shunwu had shown no hesitation in dealing with Mo Jiuye, even attempting to take his life on the eve of the exile. Why would he let the journey pass without trying something?

If Mo Jiuye remained unconscious, the situation would be different.

Once Emperor Shunwu sent spies to secretly monitor and found him still in a coma, it would imply that his injuries were severe.

Under such circumstances, the chance of survival during their exile would be virtually nil.

Emperor Shunwu might just let nature take its course, making their journey smoother.

Of course, if Emperor Shunwu decided to play by his own rules, he could also send assassins to ambush them while Mo Jiuye was still unconscious.

Mo Jiuye's intention might be to escape any calamity whenever possible.

It had to be said that He Zhiran's conjecture perfectly aligned with Mo Jiuye's thoughts.

"He Zhiran: If I were alone, escaping wouldn't be a difficult task, and I could remain hidden forever.

"But there are too many female members in the Mo family, and I can't guarantee to protect everyone.

"Moreover, your sisters-in-law and your family are all in the capital. If I were to take you all away, your loved ones in the capital might also suffer consequences."

I feel even more indebted to you. You've just married into the Mo family, and now we're all being exiled together."

My mother and sisters-in-law have already suffered enough; they shouldn't have to endure this torment."

These sincere words revealed that Mo Jiuye was beginning to trust He Zhiran.

He Zhiran could understand Mo Jiuye's predicament. After all, she had witnessed his martial arts skills firsthand – escaping under the noses of these officials would be child's play for him.

This demonstrated that Mo Jiuye was not a selfish man.

"What's done is done. Our priority now is to protect our family and ourselves, and ensure a safe journey to the northwest."

As for her knowledge of future events in history, He Zhiran did not mention it.

Her arrival had already altered the number of times Mo Jiuye was supposed to be flogged according to historical records. She believed that this segment of history might continue to change due to her presence.

Mo Jiuye was actually on the verge of despair. He couldn't guarantee that his family would all make it safely to the northwest.

However, after hearing He Zhiran's words, he felt a surge of renewed determination.

He was a man of integrity, the sole hope of the Mo family.

If he were to give in to the currents, how could he expect his mother, wife, sister, and sisters-in-law to persevere?

He needed to pull himself together and face all the challenges ahead with optimism.

"I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival," he vowed.

Perhaps the weight of their conversation had been too overwhelming, successfully diverting He Zhiran's attention.

At this moment, she had forgotten that she was sleeping beside a man.

After discussing some plans for the future, He Zhiran drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

Hearing her steady breathing, Mo Jiuye gently covered her with a blanket before closing his eyes.

Despite being asleep, He Zhiran hadn't lost her habit of waking up early from her previous life. She woke up well before dawn. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone else was still asleep, she removed the blanket covering both her and Mo Jiuye. Mo Jiuye had barely slept all night. Sensing the disappearance of the blanket, he knew that He Zhiran was about to get up. He Zhiran glanced around; everyone was still asleep, and the guards on duty didn't seem as alert as they were in the first half of the night. Once again, she took out two steamed white buns and some beef jerky, along with the water pouch, and handed them to Mo Jiuye. "While everyone is still asleep, you should eat something first." "Alright," Mo Jiuye replied, promptly taking the food and climbing down from the carriage. Not long after Mo Jiuye returned from his meal, others began to stir awake. The guards resumed distributing the black buns.

All eyes were on the black bread that was as hard as stone, causing great distress to everyone.

However, for the sake of survival, they had no choice but to force it down their throats with gritted teeth.

The treatment for the Mo family was different.

Zhou Laoba had promised that they would be given some white flour buns the next morning.

True to his word, he left enough white flour buns for the officials to last them until Yunlai County, while the rest were given to the Mo family.

What nobody knew was that Zhou Laoba's decision to give the white flour buns to the Mo family wasn't out of immense gratitude to Peng Wang or He Zhiran for saving his life.

The real reason was that their mission this time had miscalculated.

In the past, before setting out, they would prepare two types of buns – the black flour ones were free, while the white flour ones were meant to earn them some silver.