Using her Spatial Dimension, Luo Xueyao precisely tossed the paper ball into Uncle Zhong’s arms.
Uncle Zhong’s reflexes were equally sharp. Before the bailiff could react, he tucked the paper into his tunic and slipped a small piece of silver into the bailiff's hand. The bailiff promptly pretended he had seen nothing.
The package handed to Uncle Zhong contained a letter, a ten-thousand-tael bank note, and architectural blueprints for a house. These were the very plans Luo Xueyao had drafted alongside local craftsmen when her family built their large home in her previous life. The designs included underfloor heating ducts and thermal walls, perfectly suited for life in Ningguta. Moreover, since these had been hand-drawn by artisans of the past, she trusted that craftsmen in the Dayu Dynasty would be able to decipher them as well.
The letter was written by Luo Jingran, instructing Uncle Zhong to take his family and the funds ahead to Ningguta to serve as their vanguard. Luo Xueyao had also secretly attached a tracking chip to Uncle Zhong; once he reached Ningguta, she intended to ride Mengmeng out ahead of the rest of the Luo family to deliver the building materials she had swiped from the imperial palace. With money, they could hire laborers—there were plenty of exiles in Ningguta, and as long as they had funds, they could find help. With ample materials, the house would be completed quickly. This way, the Luo family would have a ready-made home the moment they arrived.
Although, in the eyes of these ancients, Ningguta was a land of bitter cold, Luo Xueyao had been a girl from the Northeast in her first life; she feared nothing about ice and snow. To her, going to Ningguta felt like returning to her hometown. She was even growing impatient, eager to see what her "hometown" of a thousand years ago looked like—wondering if the legends of catching pheasants with clubs and fish with ladles were true. She even planned to start a farm, raise some sables to sell furs for profit, and construct a greenhouse to grow wild ginseng. Life would surely improve step by step!
...
The people seeing them off followed for only a short stretch before the bailiffs blocked them. Luo Xueyao leaned in toward her second brother and whispered, "Second Brother, it seems there’s no one here to see the Second Prince off?"
Luo Qingyu replied in a low voice, "The Second Prince’s faction in the open has already been wiped out. Any remaining followers are likely hidden guards or private soldiers, but they cannot show their faces in the capital."
Luo Xueyao’s mind remained fixed on Pei Xiao. She asked again, "That... what is the deal with Chu Lingyue? Why is he allowed to stay by the Second Prince’s side?"
Luo Qingyu gave a mocking smile and reached out to ruffle his sister’s hair. "Silly girl, he is an imperial prince. Even a disgraced one is different from the likes of us. Paying off a bailiff to keep a servant by his side? That’s hardly a difficult task!"
Having said that, Luo Qingyu couldn't help but glance back at the bloodied and wounded Chu Lingyue. "Chu Lingyue is the Second Prince’s house slave; I fear he is nothing more than a scapegoat brought along to take the fall. Look at those wounds—they were likely all meant for the Second Prince."
"By the way, Little Sister," Luo Qingshan also leaned in and asked in a low voice, "I heard you mention 'Pei Xiao' earlier. How do you know the son of General Pei?"
There was no such "General Pei" in the original book, so Luo Xueyao blurted out instinctively, "Who is General Pei?"
Luo Qingchuan, still wearing his usual devil-may-care expression, chuckled, "Little Sister doesn't know General Pei, but she knows of the young general, Pei Xiao?"
Luo Qingshan shot his younger brother a glare before gently explaining to his sister, "General Pei was the Dayu Dynasty's greatest warrior. The Pei family practiced martial arts for generations; they spent forty years pacifying the Southern Frontier, Dongyi, Xirong, and Beidi, but the men of the Pei family all died on the battlefield. Among the Pei Family Army, the bravest was the young general, Pei Xiao. At thirteen, he led three hundred cavalrymen on an expedition against Xirong, slaughtering over three thousand enemies. His achievements topped the entire army, and he was named Champion Marquess."
"Since then, Pei Xiao led many more expeditions against Xirong, beating them so thoroughly that they voluntarily declared themselves subjects to Dayu and paid annual tribute. In those years of fire and war, legends of the Pei Family Army’s valor spread everywhere. Some even praised them, saying: 'Internally, Dayu has the peerless intellect of Chancellor Luo; externally, it has the bravery of General Pei.' It was precisely because of the civil and military support of the Luo and Pei families that the Dayu Dynasty became so powerful, allowing the people to live in peace and prosperity."
Luo Qingshan’s eyes shone as if he were reliving that glorious history. "Sadly... ten years ago, the late Emperor imprisoned General Pei on fabricated charges. The Pei family home was ransacked, all the men were executed, and the women were exiled... Pei Xiao was only fifteen at the time..."
That fate was far more tragic than the Luo family’s current exile. Ten years ago, the original host of her body was only six; she certainly shouldn't have known the Champion Marquess, Pei Xiao.
Luo Xueyao’s gaze flickered. She asked Luo Qingyu, "Is it because the Dayu Dynasty lost General Pei that Xirong has started acting up again in recent years?"
Luo Qingyu sighed, "General Pei had signed fifty-year non-aggression pacts with all four neighboring nations, yet for the past few years, no one knows who has been inciting them—Xirong has constantly provoked conflict at the border."
Luo Xueyao caught onto her second brother’s word choice and whispered, "Second Brother, even you think Xirong is being instigated to invade?"
Luo Qingyu was about to explain when a bailiff whipped his lash through the air. "Shut your traps! This is an exile march, do you still think you're noble masters and misses strolling through a garden in the capital? Keep moving! If we don't reach the post station before dark, I’ll lash the lot of you lazy bones to death!"
The Luo family members were shielded by a barrier and would not be harmed, but they were clever enough not to use the barrier to defy the bailiffs openly. After all, they weren't the only family being exiled. If someone discovered their invulnerability, it would only invite unnecessary trouble.
The exile procession was led by the transport officer’s carriage, with the prisoners following behind, grouped by family. The Luo family walked in the middle of the group, and a family length behind them was Murong Jing, accompanied by the silent Lin Zhiyan and the heavily wounded Chu Lingyue. Lin Zeng trailed behind Murong Jing with his wife and son, his eyes darting between Murong Jing and Lin Zhiyan, clearly plotting something.
As they walked through the streets, the passing townspeople pointed and gossiped about the exiles, especially the Luo family.
"Hey, isn't that Chancellor Luo? Is the Chancellor actually being exiled?"
"You only just realized? The Chancellor's mansion was raided the night before last. That Eunuch Wang was banging gongs and drums; I even went to watch!"
"The Luo family has been a prestigious clan for generations; they must have plenty of riches, right?"
"Hardly! Chancellor Luo was a man of integrity; his home was just like ours. Even he and his wife only had two or three sets of clothes! He’s a truly incorruptible official!"
"Then why would a good official be raided?"
"Because his influence overshadowed the master's, obviously! Didn't you read the Heavenly Book?"
"What’s that?"
"The Heavenly Book! This morning, there were thousands of white paper sheets scattered inside and outside Shengjing. That paper is unlike anything we’ve ever seen—so white, so smooth! The writing on it is meticulous, detailing all sorts of imperial secrets!"