Chapter 55

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Chapter 55: The conflicted feeling she hadn’t known how to handle became her wager on the table.

Though Tan Wang refused to cooperate with Sun Xinang, his willingness to hear more secrets later revealed he wasn’t entirely against using Jiang Wu.

From the Capital down this exile road to Linzhou, Jiang Wu resembled a chess piece with growing numbers seeking to control him.

Du Yinsui truly felt murderous intent, wanting to drag out those scum one by one and chop them like vegetables.

Yet compared to what remained impossible now, taking Jiang Wu away was clearly the best immediate solution.

Once Du Yinsui decided to remove Jiang Wu, that previously unmanageable conflicted feeling transformed into her wager.

After all, forced things don’t work.

Du Yinsui refused to coerce Jiang Wu, even believing it the wisest choice.

Past revelations left Jiang Wu’s mind reeling. Facing Du Yinsui’s abrupt proposal, he froze momentarily.

Though his thoughts lagged, his instincts responded truthfully.

The subtle conflicted feeling, buried under pain and rage, surged when Du Yinsui spoke. Though quickly overwhelmed again by negativity, its brief emergence proved hope remained.

"If you have thoughts, share them," Du Yinsui gently prompted.

Thoughts…

Jiang Wu had believed this exile atoned for eighteen years of deception. Yet soon he realized… perhaps no one required his atonement. Now it seemed those he’d wronged were actually guilty.

Continuing this path might reveal who knew what else.

Jiang Wu had no thoughts, struggling even to think.

"I…" After long silence under Du Yinsui’s expectant gaze, his voice emerged hoarse.

"Take your time. Let’s drink water while talking." Though impatient, Du Yinsui couldn’t pressure him further now.

Jiang Wu glanced at his sleeve held by Du Yinsui, then grasped her hand. "But my teacher and the others…"

When pain becomes unbearable, who refuses rescue?

Jiang Wu certainly couldn’t.

Especially when the rescuer was someone he secretly admired.

But if he abandoned the harsh exile journey…

"We’ll bring them if willing," Du Yinsui had already considered this.

Jiang Wu mattered most among these exiles. Removing him alone or with the entire Qin family required the same approach. The question was Qin Chongli’s willingness.

Their days together had revealed the Qin family’s situation through conversation.

True to his reputation for upholding legitimacy, Qin Chongli came from a family that forbade concubines and supported descendants’ pursuits. He loved scholarship and became an official. His freedom-seeking brother vanished at sea decades prior; his sister, unhappy in marriage, became a mountain recluse thirty years ago.

With no illegitimate branches and scattered relatives, the Qin family resembled separate lineages more than a clan.

Du Yinsui believed unbound Qin Chongli might join for his grandchildren’s sake. Yet traveling to Jin Kingdom meant leaving the country—his patriotism might prevent it.

The real concern was Chu Xiulan. While the Qin family had few ties, the Chu family still had kin in southern Qiongzhou. Though distant from the Capital, Chu Xiulan might fear implicating them and refuse escape.

Still… if this was her sole hesitation, Du Yinsui wasn’t entirely without solutions.

Jiang Wu initially didn’t understand what Du Yinsui meant by “packing up,” but after thinking it over, he guessed it meant taking everyone together as if bundling them into luggage. Four adults and two children formed a significant portion of the already diminished exile group. Taking them all sounded simple when Du Yinsui said it, and Jiang Wu didn’t question her. In truth, Jiang Wu would believe anything Du Yinsui dared to say. Just as before Du Yinsui led him to Wang Yuerong, Jiang Wu had already trusted the old stories she relayed.

“I… still want revenge.” At this, Jiang Wu unconsciously tightened his grip on Du Yinsui’s hand.

“Liu Yaozu?” Seeing Jiang Wu nod, Du Yinsui patted the claw clenched too tightly around her wrist. “Then we’ll take revenge. I’ll help you.”

Jiang Wu’s grip loosened slightly as he looked down guiltily. “I’ll do it myself. Just… help me find the chance.”

“At this point, why distinguish between you and me?” Du Yinsui had long wanted to cut down those scoundrels. If she couldn’t eliminate them all, taking out one to vent her anger would suffice. “This chance might come before we leave or after. But don’t worry—it’ll happen soon either way.”

Though Du Yinsui’s words weren’t entirely clear, Jiang Wu nodded trustingly.

After a light sniff, Du Yinsui confirmed Jiang Wu no longer carried that initial scent of despair. Relieved, she led him back to the ruined temple. Time was indeed tight—the escape opportunity could arise at any moment.

Qin Chongli and Chu Xiulan had long known Du Yinsui planned to leave. But… why suddenly take Jiang Wu? And now… take their entire group too? Du Yinsui’s words left them stunned.

Qin Chongli took a moment to find his voice, murmuring awkwardly, “Jiang Wu leaving with you is good, very good…”

“And you?” Du Yinsui pressed, then turned to the two little ones counting nearby at her command. “Yao Yao, cover your ears properly. Focus on counting—fail and you’ll sleep with the donkey tonight.”

The small ball squatting on the ground wriggled, raising her counting volume. The sweet, milky scent around her began souring, almost turning cheesy before she’d recited many numbers.

Du Yinsui rubbed her nose in exasperation—did they truly detest math this much? Every counting lesson turned her fragrant little ones pungent. Math, truly terrifying.

Unlike Du Yinsui, who still had attention to spare for the children, the others felt increasingly burdened.

“We… need to discuss this,” Qin Chongli said, glancing at Chu Xiulan.

“Right. My plan for your escape involves faking your deaths. The guards should be fooled temporarily—with luck, they’ll believe we died. As they say, ‘dead men tell no tales.’ If they seek scapegoats, they’ll likely blame our ‘deaths’ on the officials who worsened Daizhou’s disaster. Your families probably won’t be implicated.” Du Yinsui turned to Chu Xiulan. “If you commit to coming, I’ll explain in detail.”

Chu Xiulan wrestled with indecision, suspecting she alone harbored doubts. Enduring exile was hard, but becoming fugitives was harder. She didn’t fear for herself, but…

Her gaze fell on the two children dutifully counting backward from two hundred.

The exile journey had been harsh, yet Du Yinsui’s help had left them not just unharmed but healthier. Unlike the Kong family—who’d spent lavishly yet buried children—or the frail Liu family children, theirs thrived. Without Du Yinsui, they couldn’t have sustained two children, let alone nourished them.

Chu Xiulan wasn’t foolish. Though Du Yinsui had stockpiled food, funds, and bedding, Linzhou posed unknown dangers. It was Han family territory—and they bore grudges against both the deposed Empress and Jiang Wu. Her father-in-law, once the Crown Prince’s mentor, and their group would struggle to endure even casual persecution from Han family lackeys.

“Could you explain… how we’ll ‘die’?” Chu Xiulan clutched her fraying hem, her voice faint.

“Can you swear that even under torture—or if they threaten the children—you won’t betray my plan?” Du Yinsui trusted Chu Xiulan, but knew interrogators would target the Qin family first after her and Jiang Wu vanished. Resistance would be futile.

At Du Yinsui’s question, both women fell silent.

Last night’s events came too suddenly. Only now, after speaking her thoughts aloud, did Du Yinsui suddenly realize a critical oversight. Her initial plan to escape alone involved using the chaos to fake her death in a "dangerous place." As the useless "Deposed Crown Princess," her disappearance would prompt only a cursory search by the authorities.

But… if she took Jiang Wu with her, the Qin family, who were close to them, would face relentless interrogation. Given Tan Wang’s current madness…

Du Yinsui frowned.

Chu Xiulan, also grasping the problem, gave a bitter smile. "Seems heaven decrees we must leave."

Jiang Wu, still tangled in past grievances, only grasped the surface meaning: everyone could leave. Chu Xiulan nodded. Qin Chongli also had no reason to object.

Honestly, Du Yinsui was somewhat surprised. Jiang Wu was… understandable. But why did these two agree without even asking *where* she planned to take them? Were they really this easy to persuade? It made her feel the pressure building.

Since everyone agreed, Du Yinsui wasted no time letting them second-guess. She laid out the plan immediately. It was highly feasible. As she said, success offered a strong chance of using "feigned death" to deceive the authorities.

Chu Xiulan’s tightly wound heart eased slightly. That left only one question now…

"How… how do you know there are groups of cannibals nearby? And not just one place?" Chu Xiulan finally asked. Many suspicious things had happened since leaving Sanqiao Post Station and Du Yinsui waking from her coma. But everyone had secrets, and Du Yinsui had never used her strange knowledge to harm them; on the contrary, she always helped. So, like the others, Chu Xiulan had never pried.

But this was different. "We captured some refugees back in Old Cave Village. They mentioned it," Du Yinsui answered swiftly. Though they’d gotten along well, she wouldn’t gamble with her secrets.

Chu Xiulan wasn’t stupid; she knew Du Yinsui lied. But if Du Yinsui wouldn’t tell, she had no grounds to force her. Fine. If the plan worked, it would buy them time. The Chu family hadn’t lived in Qiongzhou for generations; her parents moved there for business. With pirates plaguing Qiongzhou lately, business had shrunk. Her brother and sister-in-law’s letters hinted at relocating, though they hesitated. She’d just have to be the bad daughter, forcing her brother’s family to move. Once settled, she’d find a way to make it up to them…

"Where… are we going?" Thinking of letters reminded Chu Xiulan of this unasked question.

Sensing Chu Xiulan’s homesickness and guilt, Du Yinsui paused, then answered: "Jin Kingdom." Fine. They needed some clarity. If going to another kingdom was unacceptable, they could part ways later.

Du Yinsui hadn’t expected the reaction. At the words "Jin Kingdom," relief washed over Chu Xiulan, Jiang Wu, and even Qin Chongli.

"Jin Kingdom is good, Jin Kingdom is good," Chu Xiulan nodded repeatedly. The Chu family had their own covert signals after years in business. Once free of this exile group, she’d discuss sending word to the Chu family to relocate and lay low.

"Jin Kingdom is good…" Qin Chongli agreed, then looked at Jiang Wu, who seemed burdened all day. "Jiang Wu, everyone has their own fate. You covered for her lie for eighteen years, punishing yourself for eighteen years. It’s time to live for yourself."

Jiang Wu clenched his fist. Try as he might, a single tear escaped, splashing onto the muddy ground.

Before returning to the ruined temple, Du Yinsui had asked Jiang Wu if he wanted Qin Chongli and Chu Xiulan to know about last night’s revelations. Jiang Wu had instinctively shaken his head. Those eighteen years of folly were unspeakable.

Only now, sitting among them, torn by pain and hatred, did Jiang Wu slowly grasp Du Yinsui’s earlier point. If he told them, gaining their sympathy and understanding of his helplessness, they’d agree more readily to flee together.

And… his teacher wouldn’t mistake him for someone who abandoned his birth mother. Jiang Wu had feared his teacher bristling and lecturing him on filial piety…

But his teacher hadn’t. Even believing the deposed Empress was his mother, Qin Chongli thought he *should* leave. For a man who strictly upheld propriety, this wasn’t easy. Jiang Wu knew it.

Suddenly, those eighteen foolish years seemed less impossible to confess.

"Those who commit many wrongs will come to ruin!" Qin Chongli’s beard finally did bristle, but not at Jiang Wu – at those shameless people. "Fight! Grab! Beat each other senseless if you have the guts! Using a child as a pawn? What kind of creatures do that? An emperor? A prince? Scoundrels!"

"Go, go, let’s leave quickly. Let those fools fight amongst themselves." Dizzy with anger, Qin Chongli nonetheless swiftly pulled bundles off the donkey cart. "Miss Du mentioned pouches of powder to slap on trees when we run! Which ones? Find them quickly! Let’s take them. I won’t stay another day in this wretched place filled with wretched people."

Du Yinsui: "…"

The pointed remark… He’d been an official once. Hadn’t a shred of loyalty to the sovereign remained? The Qin family… truly the family of freedom.