Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times - Chapter 133

The Fifth Princess’s residence had many maids and attendants. Now, all of them were dragged out into the front courtyard by soldiers, each one shackled in chains. The guards forced them into a line to begin counting their numbers.

Su Muqiu felt her entire body go cold. The heavy iron collar around her neck made it hard to breathe. She kept murmuring under her breath, “No, no, this can’t be. I’m the one the Fifth Princess loved most. You can’t arrest me. You can’t!”

As the soldiers continued their headcount, one of them passed by Su Muqiu and saw her muttering to herself. He shoved her forward roughly and barked, “Move it. Stop dawdling!”

Stumbling from the push, Su Muqiu staggered ahead like a walking corpse, dragged along by the flow of the crowd.

Because the entire group was being transported to Qingguang River, over five hundred soldiers were assigned to escort them, ensuring strict supervision. By now, the streets of the capital were filled with curious onlookers watching the scene unfold.

“Do you see that? All of them are from the Fifth Princess’s household. Even her wives and concubines are being exiled.”

“Yeah, it’s tragic. Qingguang River is so far away from here, and the weather’s already turning cold. I’d say half of them will freeze to death on the road.”

“Even if they don’t, what then? When they get there, they’ll be forced to build levees. Whether they die from exhaustion or the cold, the result is the same. Might be better to die on the way.”

“True, but let’s not forget—they lived in luxury for the first half of their lives. This might just be karma.”

Whispers and chatter buzzed through the crowd. Hearing the voices around her, Su Muqiu felt all hope leave her heart. She was still wearing a spring dress, yet the cold had already begun to creep in. Shivering, she started looking around desperately, repeating to herself, “No, Father and Mother will come for me. They won’t abandon me. They won’t…”

But the crowd was dense, and after searching every direction, she didn’t see anyone she recognized. Before she could say anything else, two lashes landed harshly on her back. A soldier behind her shouted, “Keep walking! What are you looking for? If you delay the march, you’ll pay with your life!”

Biting back the pain burning across her back, Su Muqiu didn’t dare protest. She knew that any resistance now would only bring more beatings.

The exiles had to pass by the Su family estate on their way out of the capital. Inside the manor, word of Su Muqiu’s fate had already reached them. Su Changyuan, terrified of being implicated, pretended she didn’t exist. He acted as if he never had such a daughter.

Madam Li Qinglan, however, was weeping uncontrollably. She wanted to take money and find someone to help Su Muqiu. Not wanting her husband to find out, she secretly took a few trusted servants and quietly left her chamber. But before she even stepped out of her courtyard, she ran into Su Changyuan coming her way.

He saw her flustered expression and asked coldly, “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“Please, Husband, let me see Qiu’er,” Li Qinglan begged as tears poured down her face. She had heard how terrible life under confinement had been. Her daughter had always lived in comfort. How could she possibly survive the backbreaking labor at Qingguang River? Just thinking about it made her feel like her head would split from pain.

Su Changyuan let out a cold laugh and snapped, “Our entire Su family nearly got destroyed because of her. The Fifth Princess committed unforgivable crimes, and now the whole household is being exiled. This is the worst possible time to be soft. We must not be seen associating with criminals. Think of our son! He still has a future ahead of him. We cannot let Su Muqiu ruin that too!”

Li Qinglan sobbed so hard she nearly fainted. Between gasps, she pleaded, “She is still your most beloved daughter! Can you really watch her be sent to her death? What if… what if we beg Shen Xingyue for help? She’s in the Emperor’s good graces. Saving Qiu’er would be easy for her. And besides, she used to care deeply for our daughter. Yes! That’s what I’ll do. I’ll go to the prince’s residence right now. I’ll beg Shen Xingyue myself!”

Su Changyuan’s expression turned completely cold.
“You are not allowed to go. If you go today and end up angering Shen Xingyue, the entire Su family could be dragged down with you. Shen Xingyue already dislikes our family because of Su Muyu. If you insist on showing up in front of her now, you’ll only be making things worse. Right now, the smartest thing we can do is keep a low profile.”

“But what about my Qiu’er? What’s going to happen to her?” Li Qinglan asked in a daze. With the help of two older maids, she barely managed to stand. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

“Just remember what I said. Don’t cause any more trouble,” Su Changyuan said sternly. “Liu Xiang and Su Muzhi are already gone. If Shen Xingyue wants to wipe out the Su family, she can do it effortlessly. Don’t give her any more reason to act. If you do, we might be sent into exile too.”

He let out a long sigh and turned to leave. Over the past few days, regret had haunted him again and again. If only he had treated Liu Xiang and the others better, maybe things wouldn’t have reached this point. Maybe the relationship between the Su family and Shen Xingyue wouldn’t have completely fallen apart.

Even his colleagues knew that Shen Xingyue hated the Su family. Many of them had quietly distanced themselves from him. His superiors and subordinates still showed him basic respect, but it was all just on the surface. Privately, they avoided him. He was no longer invited to social gatherings, not even for dinner or drinks. No one wanted to risk offending the Grand Princess.

After all, everyone in the capital knew that Shen Xingyue was highly favored by both the Emperor and the Crown Princess. Most people were desperate for a chance to get close to her—and no one would dare get on her bad side.

But it was too late for regrets. Su Changyuan sighed again. Now, all he could hope for was to live out his remaining years peacefully in the capital, with enough to eat and wear.

Li Qinglan stood frozen in the courtyard for a long time. In the end, fear won out. Still, she couldn’t bear to do nothing. She quietly ordered two young servants to change into plain clothes and go help Su Muqiu in any way they could.

The two servants looked hesitant. They knew this task could be dangerous.

Li Qinglan saw their hesitation and added, “There are fifty taels of silver in this bag. You can split it between you. If you succeed, I’ll give each of you another fifty taels.”

That finally convinced them. They bowed respectfully. One of them gave her a small smile and said, “Don’t worry, Madam. We’ll take care of it. We’ll leave right away.”

Li Qinglan weakly waved her hand to send them off. She didn’t have the strength to say more.

The two young servants quickly left the estate. The streets were noisy and chaotic. Families of the Fifth Princess’s servants and attendants had gathered, searching desperately for their loved ones. Some tried to bribe the soldiers, handing them silver coins, hoping for a chance to pass along warm clothes or food.

Most of the families were ordinary people and didn’t have much money. Giving ten or twenty taels to a soldier was already considered a large amount. The soldiers, in return, would turn a blind eye and allow the families to give small items to the prisoners.

The Su family’s two servants pushed through the crowd, looking everywhere for Su Muqiu. She seemed to spot them too. She called out loudly, “I’m here! Did my father send you? Please, help me! I don’t want to go to Qingguang River!”

One of the soldiers beside Su Muqiu was just about to raise his whip when one of the Su family’s quicker-thinking servants quickly stepped forward. He pulled out a silver note worth three hundred taels and quietly handed it to the soldier.

In a low voice, the servant said, “Sir, please, just a little help. You know how it is. Once someone is exiled to the border, it’s not unusual for them to die from illness, cold, or even go missing. The court doesn’t care what happens to these people. Our young miss can’t endure hardship. This is just a down payment. If she makes it back safely, our madam will give you another one thousand taels as a reward.”

The soldier glanced at the servant, cleared his throat, and gave a subtle nod.

The servant immediately understood. He discreetly slipped the silver note into the soldier’s palm.

The soldier leaned over and whispered, “Follow along with the group. Don’t get too close, but don’t fall too far behind. I’ll find an opportunity when the time is right.”

“Thank you, sir. Thank you so much,” the servant said gratefully. Then, keeping up the act, he stepped forward and handed Su Muqiu a cotton-wrapped bundle. “Miss, Madam sent us to bring this to you. It has warm clothes and food. Please be careful and ration it as best you can.”

Su Muqiu had overheard everything. She wasn’t stupid. She stopped shouting and instead played along, quietly sobbing, “Please tell my father and mother… I probably won’t survive this journey. Ask them to take care of themselves.”

“We’ll tell them. We promise,” the two servants replied quickly.

Worried that the exchange might raise suspicion, the soldier gave the two servants a quick look, signaling them to fall back. They obediently stepped away and followed from a distance.

Because this exile involved a large group, including nobles and all their servants, the scene was chaotic. As the group marched on, the road became increasingly crowded. With so many people to manage, the soldiers couldn’t keep track of everyone. Many families had bribed the guards, so as long as followers didn’t get too close, the soldiers turned a blind eye, assuming they were just passing locals.

For the soldiers, escorting exiles was hard work—but it was also a chance to make money. With luck, a guard could earn more in bribes during one assignment than in a whole year of military pay.

Take the soldier who had just accepted the bribe from the Su family servant. That three hundred taels alone was more than he could make in ten years. And if the plan succeeded, he’d get another thousand. That kind of money could change his life. He could leave the military, buy land, open a business, marry a good wife, hire servants, and live comfortably for the rest of his life.

To him, it was a fair trade.

His name was Li Jia, and he had already done this before with other prisoners. He wasn’t nervous at all. In fact, he had a trick up his sleeve that no one else knew—a method he’d used in the past with great success.

Meanwhile, Su Muqiu kept quiet. She walked with the group, pulling out a steamed bun from the bundle. She took a few bites to keep up her strength. She knew she would need all her energy if she was going to find a way to escape.

“Soldier, look at her! She’s eating without permission!” a maid from the Fifth Princess’s residence shouted from behind, clearly trying to cause trouble.

Li Jia turned and gave the maid a cold look. Without a word, he lashed his whip across her face with a sharp crack.

“Mind your own business,” he snapped. “You’ll be lucky to make it out of the capital alive.”

The maid dared not speak again. She began to cry softly, her head bowed. She had seen someone deliver supplies to Su Muqiu and probably even caught a glimpse of the bribe being handed off, but she hadn’t heard what was said. No one had. The street was chaotic, full of noisy onlookers. With so much commotion, it was impossible for anyone nearby to hear clearly what had been exchanged.

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