The weather was exceptionally good on the day the Song family left Beijing.
As several members of the Song family were wearing wooden shackles and shackles and being led by ropes by the officers who were escorting them to exile and were being hurried out of the city, Old Madam Song, who was emaciated from a serious illness, coughed and panted, and looked back frequently with hope. Song Hong and Song Tan also looked towards the city from time to time.
Many people came in and out of the city, but there was no sign of the person they were looking forward to. The closer they got to the city gate, the heavier their steps became and the expressions on their faces became more impatient. Only Mrs. Song, who looked much older, had a numb and indifferent expression on her face.
"Go faster!"
The officer pulled the rope and several people staggered.
Many people in the city saw the prisoners leaving the city. They couldn't help but look sideways at the heavy shackles on them. Some even recognized Song Hong among them and couldn't help pointing and talking.
"Isn't that someone from Duke Song's Mansion?"
"What Duke's Mansion? They have already been prisoners."
Song Hong was originally the Minister of the Secretariat and the legitimate son of the Duke's Mansion. If nothing unexpected happened, even if he could not inherit the title of Duke, he would still have a bright future.
But who could have imagined that he actually colluded with the daughter of a traitor and committed the crime of deceiving the emperor and treason. Not only that, he also framed his deceased brother with the illegitimate child he left behind, almost killing his brother's only bloodline.
The result is now that the Duke's Mansion is gone, and the entire Song family has been confiscated and exiled. It is no exaggeration to say that they are seeking death.
"I heard that the eldest son of the Song family escaped?"
"You are talking about the young master Yutai, right?"
The person who was speaking was standing in a restaurant beside the street, looking at the Song family members passing by below, and his tone was full of sarcasm when he mentioned the words "Master Yutai" .
"He has come out, and it was he who confessed the crime on behalf of his father Song Hong. He took the initiative to report that his father colluded with others to replace the daughter of the traitor in the case of the Crown Prince. He also used the fact that he often went in and out of the Lu family in the past and sold out his old friends. He was appreciated by His Majesty and was reinstated to the court."
Several people around him hissed, and then someone spat at him.
"Selling out your father for fame and fortune is truly shameless."
"Is this kind of person qualified to be an official?"
"How could Your Majesty appreciate such a shameless villain? You are really foolish..."
"Shh!"
Someone in the crowd immediately stopped them and asked, "Do you want to die?"
There was silence outside for a moment, and everyone tacitly skipped discussing Emperor An and continued talking about the Song family.
Tang Ning took Song Ru, who had recovered a lot, and Qian Qiyue, who had come to join in the fun, and sat in the private room in the compartment.
Listening to the occasional discussions coming from outside, Qian Qiyue lay by the window, looking at the Song family members passing by with shackles dragging their feet, and sneered with disdain.
"That Song Jinxiu is not only shameless, but also extremely cunning. I heard from my father that he stepped on that idiot Fu Laiqing a few days ago to gain a good reputation."
"Fu Laiqing is also brainless. He eagerly approached others to put on airs. Originally, no one paid any attention to Song Jinxiu. Now, several court officials who originally disliked him have changed their attitude towards him."
Tang Ning knew about this a long time ago. Seeing Qian Qiyue's indignation, he said softly, "Mr. Fu is also simple-minded, which is why he was schemed against. Besides, Song Jinxiu wanted to ease the situation. Even if there was no Mr. Fu, there would be someone else."
Qian Qiyue curled her lips, thinking that Fu Laiqing was an unlucky guy, and then she thought of something else.
"Oh, by the way, Tang Ning, I heard that Song Jinxiu had wanted his mother to divorce Song Hong like the Third Madam of Song did to save herself, but the Ministry of Justice approved the divorce letter submitted by the Third Madam of Song, but not the First Madam of Song."
She lowered her voice and asked quietly, "Did Governor Xiao fight back?"
Tang Ning said, "The country has its own laws. Madam Song San doesn't know much about the Song family, but Madam Song Da is different. If everyone can find loopholes to avoid punishment by returning home peacefully, who will respect the court's laws in the future?"
Qian Qiyue was amused by her serious nonsense. Even though she knew that Xiao Yan was blocking Song Jinxiu on purpose, she did not continue to ask, but just laughed and agreed: "Yes, yes, your Lord Governor is impartial and upholds the laws of the court."
When Tang Ning heard the word "your home", he felt a sudden burning sensation on his ears. Seeing Qian Qiyue's smiling face, he couldn't help but give her a small look.
Qian Qiyue was actually a little worried about Tang Ning's sudden fainting before, and the memory that disappeared out of thin air became a concern for her. However, seeing that Tang Ning seemed to have no recollection of what happened that day, and Xiao Yan had also specifically reminded her before, she suppressed her doubts and told her something else.
Song Ru sat obediently aside. She had felt better, but her complexion had not yet returned to normal, and her palm-sized face was abnormally pale.
She looked at the Song family members who had already walked over, turned her head and asked in a low voice: " Sister , you said..." She wanted to say brother, but suddenly felt that it was not right to call Song Jinxiu that, so she changed the address: "Do you think Song Jinxiu and the others will come?"
Tang Ning shook his head: "I don't know."
Qian Qiyue poked her head out and said, "If he doesn't come, I'm afraid his reputation will be ruined."
"Even if he comes, his reputation may not be much better." Tang Ning said casually.
If Song Jinxiu didn't come, everyone would naturally say that he was selfish, cruel, cold-hearted and heartless. But if he came, others would not look up to him. Instead, they would say that he was fickle and insincere, and that he was hypocritically trying to gain a reputation as a filial son by stepping on the corpses of the Song family, because he first betrayed his biological father and then came to send them out of the city .
He has walked a dead end on his own path, and he will be scolded whether he comes or not.
The people from the Song family below were about to reach the city gate. Song Hong and the others felt more and more anxious, and Old Lady Song's eyes began to become uneasy as she looked around frequently.
Their faces turned gloomy as they didn't see the person they were expecting until they left the city gate.
But at this moment, someone suddenly spoke urgently in the distance.
"Wait a minute, gentlemen."
Yinquan finally caught up with the Song family as they were leaving the city. He walked quickly up to them, and without saying a word to the delighted Song family members, he walked past them and came up to the escorting officers.
"My dear officers, my family member has been exiled for committing a crime, and I am here to see him off. I hope you can help me ."
As he spoke, he handed over the things that had been prepared earlier.
The leading officer looked at the two extra silver ingots in his hand , weighed them, and his expression became much warmer. He handed the rope to Yinquan and said to him, "Don't take too long. We still have to hurry."
Yinquan said quickly: "Thank you, sir."
The officers accepted bribes and helped others. They stepped forward to untie the shackles of several people from the Song family and then stepped back.
Seeing this, Yinquan quickly walked to the side of the Song family. When Old Lady Song saw him, she couldn't wait to ask, "Is Jinxiu here? Where is Jinxiu?"
Song Tan also stepped forward: "Where are Anan and Ayuan , are they here too?"