Transmigrated Into A Novel As A Scumbag Princess’ Consort - Chapter 43

43:

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

Purely and genuinely, Ye Xuejin was grateful for her help.

But Yun Chi’s assistance came with a purpose—for self-preservation, for future rewards.

As long as the value was equal, it was enough. If Ye Xuejin survived, Yun Chi would too.

If Ye Xuejin benefited, Yun Chi would gain tangible rewards.

That way, they were even.

Thinking of this, Yun Chi said uneasily, “You don’t need to feel this way. I’m helping you for my own sake too.”

For some reason, her heart felt a bit flustered.

Ye Xuejin still smiled gently. “I understand.”

Her consort had once asked her to promise two conditions. What could those conditions be? Were they what she thought?

Yun Chi felt a wave of relief. “As long as you understand.”

Ye Xuejin slowly tightened her grip on Yun Chi’s hand. “Rest assured, Consort, I will never break my word.” No matter what Yun Chi wanted, she would agree.

She might have guessed what her consort desired.

Yun Chi thought for a moment but still felt uneasy, as Ye Xuejin seemed a bit strange to her.

This strangeness made her nervous, her mind on edge.

Just then, a burst of cheers came from ahead.

The exiled group had crossed the mountain, found a path downhill, and spotted a village and city below.

“Your Highness, the nearest village is directly south of us. I estimate we can reach it within an hour. The closest city is to the southwest, and we should arrive before dark,” Yu Lu reported, quickly walking back to Ye Xuejin.

After hearing his report, Ye Xuejin didn’t rush to decide. She asked, “How large is the village? Which county and prefecture is the city?”

“The village looks small, with about a dozen households,” Yu Lu said, pulling out a map and pointing to a spot. “According to the map, this should be the prefectural city of Caozhou. Beyond this prefecture, it’s not far to the southwestern border of our Dashao Kingdom.”

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly widened.

They were supposed to head southeast to the southern border, but now they had detoured to the southwest.

Could it be… the Southwest King?

But that didn’t make sense. The Southwest King, once a decorated general who conquered the west, had been granted a title as a prince of a different surname. However, it was a promotion in name only—his military power had been stripped away.

Rumors in the streets claimed that if not for the need to maintain military morale and avoid alienating the martial officials, the previous emperor might have executed the overly accomplished general long ago. Otherwise, why would he have been made a nominal prince?

Since the new emperor took the throne, his methods had been even more aggressive, sending officials from the capital multiple times to take over southwestern governance, leaving the Southwest King with no real authority.

Logically, the Southwest King should harbor resentment and dissatisfaction toward the imperial family.

Moreover, the officials in the southwest were either loyal to the previous emperor or trusted by the new one.

Thus, it wasn’t wise for the princess to head to the southwest.

Ye Xuejin gave Yu Lu a deep look. “Go straight to Caozhou.”

“As you command,” Yu Lu replied, his heart shaken. Going directly to Caozhou, could Her Highness truly be aiming for the Southwest King?

After the group picked up their pace, they arrived outside Caozhou city by evening.

While queuing to enter the city, a peddler at the gate was selling freshly baked flatbreads, causing many in the exiled group to rub their stomachs. They had only eaten a bite or two of pastries for lunch and should have been starving.

Suddenly, those rubbing their stomachs froze, exchanging glances.

They had eaten such a small piece of pastry and should have been hungry long ago, but after half a day, they didn’t feel hungry at all.

Old Censor Zhou glanced at the Zhou family servants and then at Zhou Qishan. “Dalang, don’t casually criticize Xiao Yue anymore. Your assumptions aren’t necessarily correct.”

His daughter was now working for the princess, and it was time to establish her authority among the Zhou family.

Zhou Qishan couldn’t believe it. “Could it be that a single bite of that pastry is enough to fill you up?”

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

The Zhou family members were collectively astonished. No wonder it was the work of an immortal, just a small piece could fill their stomachs.

Old Censor Zhou smiled inwardly but said nothing. If he hadn’t eaten it twice before, he wouldn’t have believed it either.

Such a small piece of pastry, with its savory and perfectly salted flavor, could keep you full for half a day.

If this could be supplied as provisions for Dashao Kingdom’s soldiers, what worries would there be about marching?

Hmm?

As Old Censor Zhou pondered, he suddenly froze.

Provisions… marching!

He seemed to have realized something extraordinary.

The more he thought, the more excited he became, tugging at his beard and staring intently at Ye Xuejin’s back.

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

Unlike the lax inspections in Zhenshan County, which had ulterior motives, the checks in Caozhou were far stricter.

The official document stated that the exiled group consisted of twenty criminals—fifteen men, four women, and one child, along with seven officers.

Now, not only did the group’s numbers not match, but the gender ratio was off, and their travel direction was questionable.

As a result, the city guards didn’t allow them to pass.

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

“To be honest, among the criminals I’m escorting, some have unusual identities, which led to us being ambushed by bandits. One officer and one criminal were unfortunately killed, and we had to detour to Caozhou to survive.”

The city guards 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 were called forward, their identities must be significant.

“Who are you?” The guard’s gaze lingered on Ye Xuejin’s face, a flash of amazement in his eyes.

Ye Xuejin looked at him calmly and said softly, “I am the criminal Ye Xuejin, and this is my Princess’ Consort.”

Ye Xuejin! Princess’ Consort!

The guard was startled. He had long heard that Princess He’an, Ye Xuejin, was being exiled to the southern border, but he hadn’t expected her to be standing before him.

He quickly averted his gaze and turned to Yu Lu. “What about the six extra women?”

Yu Lu answered calmly, “They are the Princess Consort’s family members, voluntarily following along.”

The guard then looked at Yun Chi. “If they’re your family, why don’t they have identity papers?”

Yun Chi replied without batting an eye, “To be honest, sir, I was a beggar in the capital. I was born without a name or surname. My name was only given after I caught the embroidered ball and became the Princess’ Consort. People like us, sleeping under the city walls, don’t have identity papers.”

The guard hesitated, then signaled for them to wait. He took the document and ran into the city.

“What! The exiled group includes Princess He’an, and they detoured here at Caozhou because they were ambushed?” A middle-aged man in his forties shot up from his seat, taking the document and carefully examining the Ministry of Justice’s seal.

This man, surnamed Hu, was the city gate captain of Caozhou, a fifth-rank official.

After verifying the document, Captain Hu questioned the situation further before ordering, “Let them in. I’ll keep the document for now.”

With that, he tucked the document into his robe and hurriedly left.