Lù Yàn rolled his eyes, putting on an arrogant look. "Don't get any ideas. I, the Second Young Master of the Marquis's Estate, am going to make a bed for a mere little concubine? I want you to be my pillow!"
"Oh, is that so..." Sū Yè intentionally drew out her last syllable and got up, walking over.
Even though she had a Simmons mattress in her space that could give her the experience of a soft, large bed, it would naturally be better if her real body could find a relatively comfortable place to rest.
Sū Yè walked to the makeshift bed that Lù Yàn had prepared and lay down directly on it, occupying the entire space.
Lù Yàn frowned in displeasure. "Sleep a bit to the side. I wanted you to be my pillow, not to steal my spot on the bed!"
Sū Yè remained unmoved, as if she hadn't heard him.
Seeing her pretend to be deaf and mute, Lù Yàn became annoyed and simply lay down on top of her.
Compared to the pile of dry grass, Sū Yè's body was much softer and more comfortable!
Who would have thought that as soon as he lay down, Sū Yè kicked him in the chest, sending him flying several meters away.
"Sū Yè!" Lù Yàn angrily got up from the ground, clutching his sore chest and stomping back towards Sū Yè. "You dare to kick me!?"
Sū Yè lay on her side on the soft dry grass, propping her head with one hand, lazily opening her eyes to look at him. "If you disturb my sleep again, I'll kick you!"
Lù Yàn finally lost his patience. Rolling up his sleeves, he lunged at her, ready to fight. "I don't believe I can't handle a mere little concubine like you!"
However, before his hand could touch Sū Yè, she kicked him several more times in the face and body. Both his eyes immediately turned black and blue, and his nose started bleeding.
His once handsome face was now so disfigured that even his parents would barely recognize him.
"Ooooo... Sū Yè!" Lù Yàn covered his face, groaning in pain, and gritted his teeth as he called out Sū Yè's name, his eyes seeming to spew fire.
The others, witnessing this, were stunned. They never expected that Sū Yè, a mere little concubine, would dare to beat the Second Young Master of the Su Family until he was bruised and bleeding!
Before they could say anything, the commotion woke up a sleeping guard. The guard got up, whipped Lù Yàn, and cursed, "What are you shouting about in the middle of the night? Don't you let anyone sleep! If you can't sleep, stand by the wall, and if you wake me up again, you won't sleep anymore!"
Lù Yàn winced in pain, clenching his fists tightly. He turned his head and glared fiercely at the guard.
If his family hadn't fallen into decline, he wouldn't have paid attention to these guards. He never imagined that a dragon fallen into the plains would be bullied by dogs. Not only was he being trampled by his own little concubine, but he was also being beaten and scolded by a mere low-level officer!
The guard didn't notice Lù Yàn's glare. He was startled by Lù Yàn's black and blue face. "My goodness, who is this? How did they end up like this!" He glanced around at the prisoners. "What happened just now?"
The Lu family members feigned deafness, as if they hadn't heard his question. How could they possibly say that their young master had been beaten by a little concubine!
The guard didn't press further, merely warning them, "Sleep well. If there's any fighting that delays tomorrow's journey, you'll all suffer!"
In the end, the Second Young Master had to reluctantly squeeze in with his own father. The makeshift bed he had painstakingly prepared could only be occupied by Sū Yè alone.
Seeing his son beaten black and blue by a little concubine, Second Master felt both heartbroken and disappointed. "Why did you provoke her? That day in the prison, she could so easily dislocate your and your sister's jaws and arms. You should have known she's not to be trifled with!"
The Second Young Master covered his face and retorted stubbornly, "But she's my concubine! No matter how capable she is, she's still my concubine. Am I wrong for asking her to serve me?"
Second Madam said with lingering fear, "This little maidservant possesses such skill in martial arts and medicine. She hid it so well before. We must be careful with her from now on!"
Second Miss spat disdainfully, "She's just a fair-weather opportunist, disloyal and unrighteous. Seeing our Marquis's estate fall into ruin, she's revealed her true colors. She'd better pray our Marquis's estate never rises again, otherwise, if she tries to act meek and subservient then, I will never let her off the hook!"
The next day, just as dawn broke, the city gates opened.
Nearly everyone in the exile convoy had spent their first night sleeping outdoors. Upon waking, they all felt exhausted, listless, and sore.
Only Sū Yè had slept soundly and was now energetically doing warm-up exercises.
Seeing her full of energy, the others couldn't help but envy and sigh, "How could she sleep so well last night? And she's still so energetic!"
Sū Yè smiled without answering. How could she not sleep well after lying on a soft, large bed last night?
As the city gates opened, everyone could only muster their spirits, pick up their travel passes, and enter the city.
As their exile convoy passed through each county, they had to report to the local county magistrate. The local magistrate would then count the numbers and, if everything was in order, stamp their travel pass for the next destination.
The head official came out after a short while, his expression grim. He drew his whip and lashed it fiercely into the crowd of prisoners. "It's all your fault, you laggards, for making me fall behind schedule and get penalized with a salary deduction! It seems I've been too lenient, allowing you to feel no hardship. Since that's the case, from now on, you will all wear fetters!"
Upon hearing about the fetters, Second Master became anxious. "Wait! How much did the county magistrate deduct from you? We'll pay you double, just please don't give us fetters and shackles. We promise to speed up from now on and not delay the scheduled journey!"
Upon hearing this, the few guards' moods improved slightly, and they stopped insisting on putting fetters on them.
The county town was bustling early that morning. First Madam suddenly approached the head official, took out a banknote, and pleaded, "Officer, could you make an exception and allow me to hire a doctor to examine my husband and son?"
Although Sū Yè had been treating Master and Eldest Young Master along the way, First Madam didn't consider her a proper doctor. She couldn't afford to be careless with her husband's and son's injuries and felt it was safer to have a doctor examine them.
The head official looked at the banknote offered to him, quickly took it, stuffed it into his robes, and then waved his hand, saying to one of his subordinates, "You, take her to the clinic to get a doctor!"
The members of the Second Branch also came forward, their faces full of expectation. "Officer, the weather has been hot lately, and we almost died of thirst on the road yesterday. Since we've reached the county town today, could you allow us to visit the market and buy some water pouches and other useful items?"