Free Web NovelChapter 27: Chapter 27: Starvation
The force from the whip struck the members of the Ye family. A painful expression appeared on their faces.
Among the ones passing out was Song Yulan, the wife of the first son from the first branch. The moment the whip was about to strike her, her husband, Ye Jincheng, immediately begged the imperial guard.
"Imperial guard, please forgive my wife!" He yelled just in time as the whip struck down.
Ye Jincheng hurriedly set himself a shield, hugging his unconscious wife. Once the wife landed, he let out a painful groan, almost passing out.
"Cheng’er!" Zheng Huizhen cried out, wanting to go over, but her second son stopped her.
Ye Mingyuan was shaking from fright. He shook his head, clutching his mother’s arm tightly. Compared to him, Zheng Huizhen had noticeably lost some weight.
"Mother, it’s dangerous, don’t go over!" At this time, he thought that his brother was stupid because he chose to sacrifice himself to protect his wife.
Such a wound from the whip must have been painful. It was even on the back. Ye Jincheng wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully tonight since he couldn’t lie on his wound!
"Let go of me!" Zheng Huizhen muttered weakly. She was also starving.
Ye Jincheng trembled as he lifted his wife from the ground, shaking as he headed to the carriage. "Mother, please let Ah Yu stay here."
"Yes, yes." Zheng Huizhen frantically nodded. "You stay here too, your wound!"
"Get moving!" The imperial guards made a signal toward the coachman.
The coachman immediately straightened himself and snapped to the first branch of the Ye family. "Get inside quickly or get out. We are going to move again."
"Mother, get inside," Ye Jincheng immediately pushed Zheng Huizhen toward the carriage. Ye Mingyuan hurriedly followed and climbed up.
There was also Old Madam Ye and the first branch’s daughter, Ye Ruxue. There was not much space for an additional person.
Despite so, Zheng Huizhen still urged, "Cheng’er, get inside!"
They heard the cracking of whips, and their hearts spiral into panic. The horses neighed and the carriage began to move again.
Ye Jincheng trudged amidst the imperial guards’ scoldings. His back was incredibly painful, but he forced himself to hold on.
Meanwhile, most of the servants were crying as they tried to help their unconscious companion, their speed slowed down considerably.
They had put some unconscious servants in the third branch’s carriage, but the space still wasn’t enough to carry more people.
Pei Cuiyun scrunched her face, huddling with her daughter and husband. "No more, no more, carry her!"
The situation for the second branch wasn’t good either. Although Ye Lingrui had some medical skills, he had walked quite long, and his body started to sway dizzily.
A similar situation happened to Ye Zhiqiu, and even Ye Lanxi barely held on. If it was the first day, they might have barely held on.
The imperial guards had starved them for a few days, receiving only a small amount of food. Even the strongest soldier would fall if he were forced to walk tens of kilometers in starvation.
Ye Chengde’s expression turned incredibly grave. "Madam, keep watch over the children. I will talk to the imperial guards."
If this continued, they would die on the road, long before they arrived at the destination.
"Husband, go ahead." Shen Jingyi nodded, slightly weak.
Yan Luo had an arrogant expression when he saw Ye Chengde come over. He sized up the other party and raised his eyebrows. "What brings our noble Minister of Rites here?"
"Captain Yan, please be mindful of what you say. I am no longer the Minister of Rites. If words get out, it might displease His Majesty," Ye Chengde said sternly.
"You are pretty self-aware of your status, Ye Chengde," Yan Luo sneered. "What do you want? Speak quickly. I don’t have time."
Ye Chengde furrowed his brows unhappily, but he didn’t want to take bait over his provocation. He asked straightforwardly. "Captain Yan, are you aware that our ration is only one coarse steamed bun per three people now?"
The other party folded his arms, looking at somewhere else. Only when he noticed that Ye Chengde had finally stopped talking did he turn around. "Yeah, yeah, now go back. Look, they are already starting to depart again. You won’t be able to catch up."
With that, Yen Luo mounted his horse, urged it to walk, leaving Ye Chengde to stand alone in the dust.
Ye Chengde sighed. Fortunately, it was not long before they could finally rest again at night.
When he returned, his face was dark. Shen Jingyi already knew that the talk wasn’t successful just by looking at that expression.
Her heart clenched, and she tried to think of ways to get some food. Alas, no one of the ideas in her mind would work. They had no valuables they could sell, and the imperial guards surely wouldn’t let them go hunting.
The second option would slow down their speed, and even if they propose to do it at night, the imperial guards wouldn’t let them for fear they would run away.
After all, it was easier to escape in the night.
The only option to get food seems to be...
"Yue’er is going to hunt again?"
Ye Lingyue was startled, and she could only give a sheepish look at her mother. Her twin brother... oh, it wasn’t just him. Everyone was starving, so she had to get some food.
"Who is going to hunt?" Ye Lanxi also woke up.
At this moment, Ye Lingyue realized how cunning her twin brother was. He was obviously taking revenge on her!
Ye Lingrui had set her up... he told her that he had put the sleeping powder on the parents and the second brother.
All of a sudden, there was a movement from outside, and Ye Lingrui climbed up. His gaze was calm, even when three pairs of intense eyes stared at him.
"Yue’er, are you ready?" He asked gently.
Ye Lanxi thought he was witnessing a joke. "Ready for what? You two can’t possibly plot to run away and risk being hunted by the imperial family, can you?"
