This was the first time since time-traveling that Yu Xiaolian lay on the bed in the lounge to sleep, burying herself in the soft quilt, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Clearly, this was her home, a real existence she could touch, but it also seemed as if it wasn’t.
Isn’t this what they describe in metaphysics as a parallel space, clearly living on the same land, yet not interfering with each other.
Holding the family photo at the head of the bed, Yu Xiaolian fell asleep amidst her wild thoughts.
The next morning, Yu Xiaolian woke up at half-past six, and the first thing she did upon waking was to go out and see if the horses were still there.
Seeing that the three horses and the carriage were all safe and sound, Yu Xiaolian hurriedly gave the horses water to drink and feed.
Once the horses were fed and watered, she immediately drove the carriage to continue her journey.
As for breakfast, it was too early, and she wasn’t hungry yet, so she didn’t eat.
By noon, Yu Xiaolian arrived at a small town on the outskirts of Ji City and decided to take a short rest in this small town.
After having a sumptuous lunch at a tavern in the town, Yu Xiaolian took a look at the map. At her current speed, it would probably take over a month to reach Wei City in Lu State.
The next stop was Tai City. Yu Xiaolian put away the map and continued driving north.
The further north she went, the more refugees dragging their families along she saw. However, although these refugees were pale and thin, lacking in spirit, every family had carriages.
Ever since the great drought in the north, to come from the Bohai side meant either the family had money and people or they had a scholar in the family.
Scholars had documents issued by the government, which became very useful when there was no road permit. Read full story at novęlfire.net
Scholars with documents could not only enter the city but also didn’t have to pay any fees.
If a scholar wanted to reside in a place long-term, the government could even provide free household registration for the scholar and their family.
This was when the difference between scholars and others became apparent, as scholars were always regarded highly.
Yu Xiaolian had a road permit, allowing her to pass through city gates unimpeded every time.
The name on the road permit was Yu Zikuang, allowing her to disguise herself as a man during the journey.
Don’t ask how the government would issue such a road permit; just know that money was involved.
With money, anything could be done.
Like a reverse traveler, Yu Xiaolian continued north, from Tai City to Laiwu, and then to Zicheng.
Worried about the Sun Family’s situation, Yu Xiaolian traveled almost day and night, getting tanned and much thinner.
By the lunar August, the north had already started to get cold. Passing through Zicheng, Yu Xiaolian bought herself a black-and-gray coat.
At the inn, Yu Xiaolian filled the hot water bottle with hot water so that she could hold it in her arms and keep warm while driving the carriage.
The next stop was Wei City, and from the map, Wei City was the largest city in Lu State, spanning across it with a large area.
By the time Yu Xiaolian reached a small town on the outskirts of Wei City after traveling in the open wilderness, it was already late August.
A consecutive half-month journey left Yu Xiaolian exhausted. In the afternoon, she found an inn intending to rest well for a night and continue the journey the next day.
She handed the Waiter a handful of Copper Coins to take care of the horses, then requested a large bucket of hot water to wash away her fatigue, and lay on the bed, completely burned out.
So tired, she didn’t want to live this exhausting life.
But whenever she thought about how the Sun Family could starve to death at any moment, her heart wrenched with the urge to quickly find and save them from their plight.
After two more days, Yu Xiaolian finally reached the city gate of Wei City. The guard held the road permit and scrutinized Yu Xiaolian according to the description.
Short, thin, with feminine features—after examining her, the guard thought she matched and returned the road permit, allowing her to enter the city.
Yu Xiaolian entered from the south gate, and after a brief rest, she planned to exit from the north gate. Outside the north city gate, Yu Xiaolian discovered a large crowd of refugees gathered, causing a chaotic and noisy scene with sounds of shouting and wailing women and children.
"Officer, we are heading to Wei City to seek refuge with relatives. We were robbed clean by bandits when we passed through Qing City. Not a single piece of Silver was left, and while escaping, we got separated from our second son. Our second son is a scholar, and the road permit is with him.
Officer, please, let our entire family into the city."
Despite the old man’s repeated pleas, bowing and clasping his hands, the government officer still wore a stern face, pushing and shoving as he cursed and chased away the old man.
"Since you knew your second son was a scholar, why didn’t you protect him? Now you come crying to me—what use is your weeping? The order from above is that scholars suiting Tongsheng or above with documents can enter the city. Without documents and money, what’s the point of whining here? Get lost..."
If there was money, he might consider sending a message to their relatives in Wei City out of favor, but without even a penny, he couldn’t care less.
"Next one... Oh, you are a Scholar?
This document seems authentic, you can enter the city, but these people’s household registers are under the surname Sun, how do you prove they are your family?"
Su Jingchen understood the government officer’s subtle insinuation, but he had little Silver Coin left, and continuously paying up would make it difficult for them to survive until Yu State.
Su Jingchen pulled over Sun Manyu, the granddaughter of the Sun Family’s Fourth Master, "Sun Manyu is my fiancée, and this is my future father-in-law and mother-in-law, this is my brother-in-law..."
The officer saw that Su Jingchen made his introductions logically and calmly, without the slightest hint of lying, and after questioning Sun Manyu, he observed her blushing face and shy demeanor, not sensing any deceit, so he waved them in, "Fine, fine, you all can enter the city!"
Upon checking the document, this man was indeed a Scholar from Linzhou County School, perhaps prone to good fortune in the future, so he would let it slide and just consider it a good deed.
Su Jingchen breathed a sigh of relief, unaware of Sun Manyu’s bright crimson face, and hurriedly called the Sun Family members to enter the city.
As soon as Yu Xiaolian heard the words Scholar and Sun Manyu, she spotted Su Jingchen and the Sun Family.
She could hardly believe that Sun Family’s Fifth Master and Fourth Master would be traveling with Su Jingchen.
In a rush, Yu Xiaolian turned the carriage around, but before she could call out to Su Jingchen, she heard a woman’s voice hysterically shouting at Su Jingchen, "Brother Jingchen, so you called off the engagement with me because you fell for someone else.
What’s so good about this Sun Manyu? Why did you choose her over me?"
Su Jingchen looked at Ning Chuyu coldly, "If I remember correctly, the matter of calling off the engagement was initiated by your Ning Family."
After losing Su Jingyue, Su Jingchen first suspected the Yao family, but no matter how he interrogated Yao, she refused to reveal Su Jingyue’s whereabouts. In his fury, Su Jingchen beat Yao to death.
It wasn’t a sale; it was murder.
Though Su Jingchen had Yao’s Indenture Contract, she always considered herself a concubine of the Su Family for many years. His act of patricide instantly stirred a tempest in the Lower River Bend Village.