Three days later, on the outskirts of Jincheng.
The setting sun cast long shadows of the exile procession across the dusty road. Thirty-seven creaking prisoner carts rumbled forward, packed tightly with disheveled members of the imperial clan. Their once-luxurious garments had long since been replaced by rough prison garb, and one noblewoman was still crying and making a fuss, refusing to take off her earrings until her earlobe was torn and stained with blood.
People lined both sides of the road, but it was strangely quiet. Some clenched their fists, others sobbed quietly, and most simply looked on with numb expressions.
Chapter 200