Transmigrated into the Scum Female Consort - Chapter 43

For a moment, Yun Chi didn’t know what to say, because she could see Ye Xuejin’s sincerity.

A pure, heartfelt gratitude for her assistance.

Yet, Yun Chi’s aid was driven by an underlying motive: self-preservation, and a desire for future compensation.

Therefore, as long as the value was equal, it would suffice: Ye Xuejin lived, and she could also live.

Ye Xuejin received assistance, and she obtained tangible silver and gold.

Thus, they were even.

Thinking of this, Yun Chi said worriedly, “You don’t have to be like this. I help you for my own sake too.”

Inexplicably, she felt a little flustered.

Ye Xuejin still smiled sweetly: “I understand.”

The Royal Consort had once asked her to promise two conditions. What would those conditions be? Were they what she suspected?

Yun Chi felt relieved: “It’s good that you understand.”

Ye Xuejin slowly tightened her grip on Yun Chi’s hand: “Rest assured, Royal Consort, I will absolutely keep my word.” No matter what the Royal Consort wanted, she would agree.

She might have already guessed what the Royal Consort desired.

Yun Chi thought about it but still felt uneasy, sensing that there was something strange about Ye Xuejin.

This strangeness made her very nervous, her nerves taut.

Just as she was thinking, a burst of cheers came from the front.

It turned out the exile party had passed through the mountain and found the way down, spotting the villages and cities below.

“Your Highness, the nearest village is directly to our south. This subordinate believes we can reach it within an hour. The nearest city is to the southwest, and we should be able to reach it before dark,” Yu Lu quickly walked back and reported to Ye Xuejin.

After hearing his words, Ye Xuejin was not in a hurry to make a decision and asked, “How big is the village, and which county and prefecture is the city?”

“The village looks small, about a dozen households.” Yu Lu said, taking out the map and pointing to a spot. “According to the map, this should be the prefectural city of Caozhou. Not far past this prefecture is the southwestern border of our Great Shao Kingdom.”

As he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly widened.

They were supposed to go southeast, to the Southern Border, but now they had detoured to the southwest.

Could it be the King of the Southwest!

But that shouldn’t be the case. The King of the Southwest had served as the Great General who Conquered the West many years ago, with brilliant military achievements. Although he was granted a title as a king of a different surname, it was a superficial promotion designed to weaken him, and his military power had been completely decentralized.

Street rumors claimed that if it hadn’t been to appease the army and avoid discouraging the military lineage, the late Emperor might have long ago executed the Great General who Conquered the West for being too accomplished. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been granted an empty title later on.

Since the new Emperor took power, his methods have become even more aggressive, dispatching capital officials several times to take over the Southwest’s governance. It could be said that not an ounce of real power was left for the King of the Southwest.

By conventional wisdom, the King of the Southwest should harbor resentment and dissatisfaction toward the Imperial Family.

And the major and minor officials in the Southwest were either confidantes of the late Emperor or trusted by the new Emperor.

Therefore, it was not a wise move for the Grand Princess to go to the Southwest.

Ye Xuejin looked deeply at Yu Lu: “Go straight to Caozhou.”

“This subordinate obeys your command.” Yu Lu’s heart trembled. Going directly to Caozhou… Could it be that Her Highness is indeed heading for the King of the Southwest…

The team accelerated and reached outside Caozhou City by dusk.

While queuing to enter the city, a street vendor was selling freshly baked flatbreads at the gate. Many people in the exile party rubbed their stomachs. They had only eaten a small piece of pastry during lunch; they should be starving.

Huh? The people rubbing their stomachs suddenly froze and looked around at each other.

They had only eaten that small piece of pastry. They should have been hungry long ago, yet how was it that they didn’t feel hungry at all after half a day?

Old Imperial Censor Zhou glanced at the Zhou family servants and looked at Zhou Qishan: “Elder Brother, do not casually criticize Xiaoyue again. What you think may not be correct.”

Since his daughter was now working for the Grand Princess, it was time to establish her standing among the Zhou family members.

Zhou Qishan heard the underlying meaning and said in disbelief, “Could it be that that pastry can satisfy hunger with just one bite?”

Old Imperial Censor Zhou stroked his beard. Wasn’t that obvious?

The Zhou family members heard this and collectively exclaimed in their hearts. As expected of the immortal’s handiwork! Such a small piece could actually fill the stomach.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou smiled inwardly without speaking. If he hadn’t eaten it twice before, he wouldn’t have believed it either.

That small piece of pastry tasted excellent, suitably savory and fragrant, and eating it could actually last for most of the day.

If this could be used as military provisions for the soldiers of Great Shao, why would marching be difficult…

Hmm?

As Old Imperial Censor Zhou thought, he was suddenly stunned.

Military provisions… marching!

He seemed to have connected something extraordinary.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou became more and more excited as he thought, tightly grasping his beard, his eyes fixed on Ye Xuejin’s back.

In his line of sight, Ye Xuejin and Yun Chi were called to the front by Yu Lu.

Unlike Zhenshan County, which was lax in its search for ulterior motives, the inspection at Caozhou City was much more serious and cautious.

The official document stated that the exile party consisted of twenty criminals: fifteen men, four women, and one child, plus seven constables.

In the current exile party, the numbers didn’t match, nor did the male-to-female ratio, and the direction of travel was also wrong.

Therefore, the guarding soldiers did not let them pass.

Yu Lu then called Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin forward to explain.

“To be honest, some of the criminals I was escorting this time had unusual backgrounds and were consequently targeted by bandits. One constable and one criminal unfortunately died along the way. We were forced to detour to Caozhou to save our lives.”

The guarding soldiers looked at Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin. The Ministry of Justice’s document only listed the number and gender of the criminals, not their former identities.

But since these two people were called over, their identities must be unusual.

“Who are you two?” The soldier’s gaze briefly rested on Ye Xuejin’s face, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Ye Xuejin looked at him calmly and said quietly, “The criminal Ye Xuejin. This is my Royal Consort.”

“Ye Xuejin! Royal Consort!”

The guarding soldier was inwardly shocked. He had heard that the Grand Princess He’an, Ye Xuejin, had been exiled to the Southern Border, but he didn’t expect it to be the person right in front of him.

He quickly withdrew his gaze and looked at Yu Lu: “What about the six extra women?”

Yu Lu answered calmly: “They are all the Royal Consort’s family members and voluntarily followed her.”

The soldier then looked at Yun Chi: “If they are family members, why don’t they have identity documents?”

Yun Chi said without changing her expression: “I won’t hide it from you, Officer. I was originally a beggar in the capital. I was born without a name or surname. My name was only taken after I caught the embroidered ball and became the Royal Consort. How could someone like me, who slept under the city wall every day, have any identity documents?”

The guarding soldier hesitated, signaled them to wait, and ran into the city with the official document.

“What! The Grand Princess He’an is in the exile party, and they detoured to our Caozhou because they were ambushed?” A middle-aged man around forty suddenly sat up, taking the document and carefully checking the Ministry of Justice’s official seal.

This man, surnamed Hu, was the Commandant of the City Gate in Caozhou, a fifth-rank official.

After Commandant Hu confirmed the official document from the Ministry of Justice, he repeatedly asked about the situation and then commanded, “Let the people in. Keep the document with me for now.”

With that, he tucked the document into his clothes and rushed out the door.