Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times - Chapter 134

Just outside the capital, the long line of exiles stretched so far that the end was no longer visible. As the sun began to set, the road ahead faded into shadow. The soldiers at the front had already stopped at the foot of a mountain to set up camp. But calling it a “camp” was generous—at most, they had pitched a few makeshift tents where they could rest in turns.

As for the prisoners, they had no such comfort. With nothing to keep them warm, they had to rest wherever they could—usually against trees or on the cold ground. This was one of the main reasons that, by the time exiles reached their destination, often only half were still alive.

Su Muqiu found a patch of open ground to rest. She was used to living a pampered life and had never walked so far before. Her feet throbbed with pain. She could feel spots that were damp—her blisters had likely burst, and the wounds were raw.

She shivered in the cold but didn’t dare take out extra clothes, afraid of drawing too much attention.

She glanced around and saw that the two Su family servants were still nearby, keeping watch from a distance. Remembering what had happened earlier, her heart pounded heavily in her chest. Her family had bribed a soldier—maybe she really had a chance to escape.

As she sat there, lost in thought, the soldiers began to hand out food—but not to the prisoners. Normally, food for exiles was prepared by inns along the route, and even then, it was barely edible. Here, with no inn in sight, the prisoners were simply left to go hungry.

By now, many of the prisoners were so tired they had fainted. Some had already fallen asleep, slumped against tree trunks.

Li Jia, the soldier who had taken the bribe, walked around the group, pretending to inspect the prisoners. A few sharp-eyed ones slipped him silver coins, and in return, he quietly handed them half-eaten buns wrapped in cloth.

Su Muqiu had been watching him closely. When he turned around and their eyes met, he walked toward her. Pretending to offer her a bun, he carefully slipped a small key into her hand.

“Don’t sleep too deeply tonight,” he whispered.

Su Muqiu quickly nodded, took the bun, and held it tightly. Not far away, the maid who had been whipped earlier was quietly watching the exchange.

The sky wasn’t completely dark yet. Su Muqiu clenched the key in her palm, hiding it from view. She didn’t dare make any sudden moves. She ate the half bun and drank some water in silence. If she really had a chance to run, she would need the energy.

As night fell, the entire area went dark. Su Muqiu leaned against a tree and pretended to rest. In the distance, only a few campfires lit up the night where the soldiers gathered. She held the key tightly and slowly unlocked the shackle on her wrist.

The wooden collar around her neck, however, wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open it. Still, freeing her hands was a small relief. She gently laid the iron chain behind her and used her skirt to cover it.

Time passed. In the soldiers’ camp, the fires burned bright. Laughter and voices rose as they began heating food and drinking wine. This was always the most chaotic time at night.

Several soldiers had already started sneaking prisoners out, paid off with bribes from desperate families. By the time the convoy reached its destination, any missing prisoners could easily be explained away as having died from illness.

Li Jia returned again, walking into the darkness where Su Muqiu was hidden. Without saying much, he pulled her to her feet and led her away.

On the way, they passed two other soldiers also leading people out. They exchanged brief glances and went on with their tasks.

Soon, Su Muqiu was brought to the two waiting Su family servants.

“She’s out,” Li Jia said in a low voice. “Help her get the rest of the shackles off. Tomorrow, make sure someone delivers the rest of the money. Have a rider bring it to me directly. If I don’t see the silver within three days, I’ll report everything to my superiors. And when that happens, don’t expect the Su family to get away with this.”

“Don’t worry, sir. It’s late now, but tomorrow morning, we’ll head back to the city. As soon as we return, we’ll have someone bring you the silver note,” one of the servants replied quickly.

“Fine. Just remember, I’ll only wait three days,” Li Jia said in a low voice before quickly heading back toward the woods where the soldiers had set up camp.

The two Su family servants wasted no time. They brought Su Muqiu to a secluded area and worked together to pry open the heavy collar around her neck. Fortunately, the more quick-witted of the two had brought a knife—without it, they wouldn’t have been able to remove it.

It was too risky to return to the city right away. They would likely be questioned at the gates. Instead, the two servants took Su Muqiu to a nearby farmhouse to ask for shelter. Inside her bundle, Su Muqiu had brought along some silver. She pulled out a few pieces and handed them to the farmer’s wife, asking for hot water so she could wash.

The moment her body relaxed, all the discomfort she had forced herself to ignore hit her at once. She could still smell the foul stench of spit that the maids had thrown on her back at the camp. The thought of it made her stomach churn.

The farmer’s wife brought her warm water, and Su Muqiu gave her more silver. Then, she began to scrub herself clean. When she took off her shoes, she found exactly what she expected—her feet were covered in torn and broken blisters.

She changed into a clean set of clothes from her bundle. Her teeth clenched tightly the whole time.

By now, she had no more illusions left. Even if she returned to the Su household, with her father’s obsession over reputation and appearances, he would probably just send her away—maybe to live out the rest of her life in some remote little courtyard. The wealth and status she once dreamed of were forever gone.

That thought made Su Muqiu’s eyes fill with a cold, vengeful light.

The next morning, she tied her hair in a young girl’s style and returned to the capital with the two servants. Before they entered the city, she turned to them and said, “You two head home first. I’ll come shortly.”

The servants hesitated, wanting to say something, but when they saw her expression, they didn’t dare speak further. They returned to the Su residence and reported everything to Madam Li Qinglan.

Su Muqiu, on the other hand, went directly to the prince’s residence. She hid in a corner near the entrance, gripping a dagger tightly in her hand. Her life was already ruined. Rather than be sent away and live out her days in humiliation, she would rather drag Su Muyu down with her—even if it meant dying together.

Meanwhile, back in the outskirts of the capital, the soldiers had begun preparing to move out again. They were organizing the line and getting ready to count the prisoners.

The maid who had been whipped the day before noticed Su Muqiu was nowhere to be seen. Realizing something wasn’t right, she suddenly understood what had happened—but out of fear of being whipped again by Li Jia, she kept quiet.

This time, however, things were different.

General Gao, the officer in charge of the transport, had ordered his personal guards to count and verify the identities of key prisoners—something that hadn’t been done before. Having led many exile convoys over the years, he was well aware of what kind of dirty tricks his soldiers pulled behind his back. But this time, the prisoners were no ordinary criminals; they were relatives of rebels. He couldn’t afford to let things slide.

In fact, he had been waiting for a moment like this to crack down.

Sure enough, when his guards began to inspect the prisoners closely—especially those closely associated with the Third Prince and the Fifth Princess—they discovered that six key prisoners had gone missing during the night.

Su Muqiu was one of them.

General Gao’s face turned grim. Without hesitation, he ordered the arrest of the soldiers responsible for overseeing those individuals. Among them was Li Jia.

Li Jia’s legs went weak. Why were they checking now of all times, when no one had ever bothered before?

Panicking, he turned and tried to run, but was quickly restrained by four other soldiers. They tied him up and even found the silver note for three hundred taels hidden on him.

Seeing no way out, Li Jia knelt and pleaded for mercy.

“General, please spare me! I was foolish—I made a mistake. It was the Su family! They bribed me. They said that if I helped them, they’d give me another one thousand taels afterward. I was just tempted for a moment, General, I swear!”

General Gao’s face was like stone.

“Save those words for when we return to the capital. You can explain yourself to His Majesty,” he said coldly. “You and the others like you are greedy, always chasing after petty gains. Until now, I turned a blind eye. But this time is different. These prisoners are relatives of traitors who conspired against the throne. Not a single one can be allowed to escape.

You and the rest—I’ll take you back to the capital myself. His Majesty will decide your fate.”

At that moment, Su Muqiu was hiding nearby, nearly frozen from the cold, when she finally saw Shen Xingyue and Su Muyu step out of the residence. Shen Xingyue held a child in her arms, and Su Muyu was walking beside her, smiling warmly. Both were dressed in elegant, luxurious clothes, their expressions calm and full of joy.

Su Muqiu clenched her teeth so tightly she thought they might crack. In her mind, all of this should have belonged to her. It was Su Muyu who had taken everything away from her.

Without hesitation, she pulled a dagger from its sheath. Just as Su Muyu was preparing to step into the carriage, Su Muqiu ran at her, blade in hand.

At the gates of the Ankang Prince’s residence, the guards had been relaxed. After all, no one expected trouble in front of the prince’s home. Su Muqiu’s sudden attack caught everyone off guard. Even Zi Yi didn’t react in time.

Shen Xingyue, still holding the child, acted on pure instinct. She stepped forward and kicked Su Muqiu hard. She hadn’t planned it; her body simply moved to protect the baby. The force of the kick caused her to stumble, and she fell backward, landing on the ground with the child still in her arms.

Shen Xingyue landed hard on her hip, but the baby was unharmed. Frightened, the little one burst into tears, crying loudly in her mother’s embrace.

Su Muqiu, having taken the full force of the kick, fell to the ground as well. Shen Xingyue’s strength far outweighed hers. The dagger flew from her hand and landed several feet away.

Zi Yi finally came to his senses and quickly ordered the guards to restrain Su Muqiu. Su Muyu rushed to help Shen Xingyue to her feet.

Shen Xingyue stood up and gently rocked the child in her arms, trying to comfort her.

“Don’t cry, Little Erduo. Mama is fine. You didn’t fall. You just got scared, didn’t you? The bad person has already been caught. There’s nothing to be afraid of now.”

The child kept sobbing, her face buried in Shen Xingyue’s chest, too frightened to lift her head. Shen Xingyue’s eyes burned with fury. Su Muqiu had already been exiled. How had she returned to cause more chaos?

She handed the child to Su Muyu and said coldly, “Su Muqiu, are you trying to drag the entire Su family down with you? I’m going to the palace today. If you want destruction, I’ll make sure you get it.”

Su Muqiu started laughing uncontrollably.

“Shen Xingyue, open your eyes. You loved me. Su Muyu stole my place. I’m the real Princess Consort. It should have been me by your side. How could you love that woman?”

Shen Xingyue’s face turned even colder. Her voice rang out sharply.

“What are you waiting for? Gag her.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Zi Yi replied. He immediately ordered someone to shove a cloth into Su Muqiu’s mouth. Then they tied her up securely with rope, giving her no room to struggle.

Shen Xingyue turned to Su Muyu, her heart still pounding. Falling wasn’t a big deal, but someone had dared to come after her wife and child. That, she would never forgive.

She spoke softly to Su Muyu, “Let’s not go to the estate today. Take the baby home first. I need to go to the palace. After this, the Su family may not be spared.”

Su Muyu understood what she meant. She looked directly at Shen Xingyue and answered without hesitation.

“I understand. But what does the Su family have to do with me anymore? My family is either here at the residence or at the countryside estate. The Su family and I parted ways long ago. You don’t need to hold back for my sake. Do whatever the law requires.”

“Alright. I understand.” Shen Xingyue nodded. “Go home and comfort our baby. She’s still so scared.”

The little girl was crying so hard she even let out a hiccup. Su Muyu gently rocked her in her arms and carried her back to the residence.

Shen Xingyue’s gaze turned back to Su Muqiu. She walked over, her expression cold and firm.

“Escaping exile must have cost the Su family a lot of silver. I had planned to show some mercy for Su Muyu’s sake, but now, you’ve left me with no choice. Zi Yi, take Su Muqiu with you. I’m going to the palace.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Zi Yi replied at once. He assigned four guards to watch Su Muqiu closely and then helped Shen Xingyue into the carriage.

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