Chapter 153
After resting at the Chu family estate for a few days, the group packed their bags and left for Lvdu.
Lvdu was a city that the State of Yan had ceded to the Qing Dynasty.
The Chu family had also decided to relocate to Lvdu.
Knowing she could never return to her true home, Chu Yuying wanted to settle down in Lvdu, considering it a homecoming of sorts.
Along the way, Tong Mo did not speak a single word to Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang and Wen Nuan worked together to care for the seven or eight rescued women.
From them, they learned that after their escape that night, the only one caught and brought back was Chunyan.
Chunyan was strung up and whipped twenty times in front of everyone.
After the whipping, Chunyan was sent into Monkey's room.
Following that, Chunyan became a completely different person, frequently beating and scolding the other women over the slightest things. She especially could not stand hearing the names of Ye Yunniang, Chunnuan, and Taohong.
Anyone who mentioned them would receive a lash of the whip.
Chunyan viciously soaked her whip in salt water and chili water. When it struck a person, the pain was a searing, burning agony.
Inside the human traffickers' den, not a single abducted woman had escaped Chunyan's beatings.
After beating them, Chunyan would always add that it was all the fault of Wen Nuan, Ye Yunniang, and Taohong.
If those three had not run away, the rest of them would not be guarded so strictly and beaten so harshly.
A very few were swayed by her words and joined Chunyan in bullying the others.
However, most of them understood the truth: if given the chance to escape, who would not take it?
Had Chunyan not tried to run herself? She just had bad luck and was caught again.
Because of the escape of Ye Yunniang and the other two, the traffickers wanted to avoid further complications and set off ahead of schedule.
The women were drugged, their hands and feet bound, and their mouths gagged.
They were stuffed into hidden compartments and sealed in with wooden boards.
Goods were then piled high on top of the boards.
When patrols inspected the cargo, they would not discover the people hidden beneath.
Upon arriving in the State of Yan, the goods were removed, and the sealed boards were opened.
The women were finally let out.
Because the war had gone on for so long, many merchant caravans from the Qing Dynasty wanted to go to the State of Yan to make a profit. Every border road was packed with caravans.
The patrol inspections took a very long time.
By the time they reached the State of Yan, out of their group of over sixty people, only a dozen or so were still alive.
The traffickers did not just throw away the dead; they sold the bodies to a rice merchant in the State of Yan.
After asking Chu Yuying, Ye Yunniang learned that this rice merchant specialized in the trade of humans and livestock.
With only about ten survivors, there were too few people to cover the traffickers' travel expenses.
Brother Ma and his gang of traffickers changed their disguises, pretending to be Yan citizens to rob and murder Qing Dynasty merchants.
They looted the goods and kept the men and women alive to sell.
This continued until they encountered Ye Yunniang's group, which drew the attention of Tong Mo.
Knowing that these people had committed countless atrocities, Tong Mo executed them on the spot.
Tong Mo did not feel a shred of pity for Chunyan as she cried and begged for mercy.
He would never allow a vicious woman who harbored such deep resentment toward Ye Yunniang to remain alive in this world.
Chunyan, what a pity, Taohong sighed after hearing the story.
Everyone chooses their own path. She chose to be an accomplice to evil, which led to her fate today. Wen Nuan showed no sympathy at all.
Ye Yunniang agreed with Wen Nuan's perspective.
Ye Yunniang sought out Tong Mo. Thank you for what you did regarding Chunyan.
No need, Tong Mo replied with a dark expression, avoiding her gaze.
Ye Yunniang hesitated for a moment before turning to leave.
Watching her walk away, Tong Mo clenched his fists.
Would it kill her to say just one more word to him?
Ye Yunniang's group arrived at Lvdu relatively smoothly.
Here, they met Tie Xiong.
From Tie Xiong, they learned that Tie Sheng had been promoted to the garrison commander of Lvdu. Tie Xiong had become his deputy, assisting his father in guarding the city.
As for Tie Lian, he had voluntarily resigned from his post and returned to his hometown to pave the way for his eldest son. Naturally, Liu Runiang left with him.
Actually, I kind of sympathize with Liu Runiang.
Baise's words left Ye Yunniang puzzled.
What do you sympathize with her for?
She was tricked by an old man. My father-in-law is not someone who can be easily schemed against.
Tie Lian had marched and fought in wars for many years; there was no situation he had not seen.
The State of Yan had been trying to attack Beijiang City for years, and they surely used every trick in the book against a high-ranking enemy official like Tie Lian.
Honey traps were definitely among those tactics.
He had survived for decades without a hitch, so how could he have fallen so easily into Liu Runiang's hands?
No matter how Baise thought about it, it did not make sense. During her subsequent meetings with Tie Lian, Baise had observed him closely and noticed that he held no affection for Liu Runiang, only disgust.
You suspect your father-in-law did it on purpose?
Yes.
But why? Liu Runiang was his daughter-in-law. Once word gets out, the Tie family's reputation will be ruined, Ye Yunniang said, completely baffled.
Perhaps that is exactly the effect the old man wanted.
Baise voiced her speculation. Tie Lian had two reasons for doing this.
On the one hand, he wanted Tie Yi to see Liu Runiang's true colors, proving she was an unfaithful woman.
On the other hand, it was to besmirch his own reputation.
Besmirch his own reputation? Ye Yunniang repeated.
Was the old man out of his mind? Using such an underhanded method to ruin his own good name.
Making the entire Tie family the laughingstock of Beijiang City.
Have you ever heard the saying, Merit so high it threatens the master? Baise lowered her voice at the end.
Threatens which master? Ye Yunniang did not understand.
Baise did not say it aloud; she merely pointed up at the sky.
Ye Yunniang looked up at the sky. The sky was very blue, and the clouds were very white. She wondered how Jiang Mingzhe was doing and whether he had safely returned to the Qing Dynasty.
Snap! Baise snapped her fingers in front of Ye Yunniang's face.
Earth to Yunniang, what are you thinking about?
Oh, I was wondering what sky you were talking about.
It is normal that you would not guess it. I only realized it myself after Tie Yi hinted at it. As Baise spoke, she dipped her finger in water and wrote the word Emperor on the table.
Ye Yunniang could not believe her eyes. You are joking, right?
I did not believe it at first, either.
After Tie Yi's hint helped her figure it out, Baise had trouble eating and sleeping.
She was plagued with worry, terrified that one day she might lose her head.
But then she thought about it again. She had already married Tie Yi, and she had no intention of divorcing him or remarrying.
Life was only a few short decades, so why fret over things that had not even happened yet?
Once she made peace with it, Baise ate and drank as she pleased. And then, she got pregnant.
Baise leaned in close to Ye Yunniang. You need to be more careful.
Careful about what? She was just a widow; she could not possibly have any ties to the Emperor.
Careful about Jiang Mingzhe.
The Emperor had previously promised Jiang Mingzhe that if he successfully secured the iron mines from the State of Yan, he would be granted the title of Earl.
Jiang Mingzhe was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. From then on, he would join the ranks of the powerful and wealthy, never to be bullied by officials again.
Having divorced Zhuang Meixue, Jiang Mingzhe was publicly known as a single man. He was in his prime, exceptionally handsome, and by all accounts, a highly sought-after prize.
There are definitely plenty of young ladies and widows who want to be the Earl's wife. Suppose Jiang Mingzhe rejects everyone else and firmly decides to marry you.
As Madam Jiang, you will have to frequently interact with those official ladies and misses in the future. And also, Baise paused here.
And what else?
There will be many merchants practically lining up to gift women to Jiang Mingzhe.
I did business in Jiang City and dealt with Jiang Mingzhe. That man never refuses anyone, and visiting brothels is an everyday occurrence for him.
Cough, cough, cough... My wife, cough, cough... Tie Yi coughed desperately beside them, blinking his eyes frantically.
If you are feeling unwell, drink some tea, but do not interrupt me. Baise rolled her eyes at Tie Yi and continued badmouthing Jiang Mingzhe to Ye Yunniang.
Manager Baise certainly seems to know a lot about my affairs.