Zhao Guanjin was also very dissatisfied with Wei Qianrui, but in the current situation, they could only stick together for warmth, especially since Wei Qianrui was carrying his child.
“Mother, please say less. What’s done is done, and nothing can change it now. It’s better to rest well so we can travel smoothly later.”
“Why is my life so bitter? To have given birth to a debt-collecting brat like you.”
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head, covered her face, and began to cry. Zhao Guanjin felt heartbroken seeing his mother like this.
He couldn’t help but recall the kindness of the original host, filled with deep regret.
Wei Qianrui, sitting beside him, saw his expression and unhappily hit him a couple of times.
“Hmph, you regret it now? Don’t you take a piss and look at yourself. How could the noble princess still look down on you?”
“Wei Qianrui, shut your mouth.”
His warning glare did not make Wei Qianrui restrain herself; instead, she became even more aggressive.
“Who are you putting on this act for? You regret it, and I regret it too. If I hadn’t followed you to the capital, how would I have suffered such a calamity? You promised my father you’d take good care of me, and what happened?”
Zhao Guanjin grabbed Wei Qianrui by the collar and pulled her close, whispering into her ear:
“If you hadn’t secretly interacted with those lowlifes, how would my Wu’an Marquis Manor have fallen to this state? Do you think those few people alone could have accomplished anything? Dreaming that you yourself could be a true princess? You’d better behave yourself on this journey. One must know when to stop while ahead.”
After Zhao Guanjin finished speaking, he let go of her and turned his gaze elsewhere. Wei Qianrui was startled by his demeanor and stood there, unable to recover.
This was the first time Zhao Guanjin had spoken to her so harshly since their exile. His expression just now was as if she would lose her head if she didn't obey.
The soldiers got up and shouted a few times, and the group had to start moving again.
Zhao Guanjin supported Wei Qianrui. All he cared about now was the child in her belly.
He didn’t know what kind of life awaited them over there, and he had to protect this pregnancy.
The Wu’an Marquis had three concubines, and only Concubine Mei had given birth to a son, who was just fifteen this year.
Every night, Concubine Mei could be heard weeping. The manor had suffered such a great upheaval, and her son was not yet married.
With their current status, it was likely difficult to find a wife and continue the family line. On the day of the confiscation, she had tried to hide some belongings and had been beaten several times by the soldiers.
After the Zhao Guanjin family of the Wu’an Marquis Manor was exiled, Jun Jiuli gave her body back to the original host, while she and Shui Wa followed them to the northwest to watch the show.
After the original host returned to her body, her life naturally became very good. She was already intelligent, and with the emperor’s favor, her life was carefree.
After enduring countless hardships, Zhao Guanjin’s family finally arrived in the northwest. The wind whipped up sand and mud, making it impossible to open their eyes, and their noses and ears were not spared.
After the soldiers escorted them, they began their return journey. Soon, people came to receive them.
None of them were assigned houses. They dug pits, carried a few logs to make a basic frame, and covered it with rags to form their homes.
Everyone had whip marks on their bodies, and after such a long journey, they were mostly sickly.
They lay in the crude shelters without much complaint, men and women squeezing in together.
When night fell, it was only after a reminder from someone nearby that Zhao Guanjin went to fetch his family’s meals.
Looking at the yellowed vegetable leaves and the unidentifiable rice, everyone couldn’t help but cry.
Mother Zhao: “What kind of vegetables are these? They’re not even as good as rough dry rations.”
Father Zhao wiped away his tears, picked up his chopsticks and bowl, and started eating. After taking a bite, he felt like he wanted to vomit, but he forced himself to swallow it.
“Eat quickly, or you won’t be able to handle what tomorrow brings.”
Everyone stopped crying and began to eat. After eating, they had to return the bowls and chopsticks.
Mother Zhao blew her nose, which was full of mud and sand. It was incredibly difficult for prisoners to wash here.
“Husband, do you think they will give us clothes? These clothes are already tattered beyond recognition. How will I go out from now on?”
“Sigh, stop crying. I’ll ask tomorrow.”
Zhao Guanjin clenched his fists, vowing to ensure his parents lived a good life. If it weren’t for him, his parents wouldn’t have suffered this hardship.
The next morning, they were woken by the sound of gongs. The family quickly got up, afraid of being late and being beaten.
Dragging their weary bodies, they went to listen to the official’s lecture. Their legs felt numb from standing, and then some soldiers took them to their work sites.
The group was assigned to clear wasteland. Wei Qianrui and the other women found it difficult to even hold a hoe.
The soldiers guarding them were not polite. Anyone caught slacking off or being lazy was immediately whipped.
Wei Qianrui was so frightened that she couldn’t even hold the hoe steady and stood there blankly, starting to cry.
“Soldier brother, please don’t hit me. I didn’t mean to; I really don’t know how.”
“If you don’t know, learn. Stop making excuses.”
“But I’m weak, and my body hurts so much. Brother, can you see if you can give me a different job?”
The soldier looked her up and down, seeing her delicate skin and pretty face. He chuckled and took her away from the wasteland.
Mother Zhao watched, gritting her teeth, “Pah, you vixen.”
“You wicked old woman, what are you doing? Are you asking for a beating?”
Mother Zhao quickly lowered her head and began to swing her hoe with a grunt.
Zhao Guanjin saw this but pretended not to notice. He lacked the strength to resist and didn’t care about Wei Qianrui.
He even thought that if Wei Qianrui could use herself to secure some benefits for their family, it would be worth it.
With gentle flattery, she was patted on the buttocks by the soldier. He then took her to the kitchen, where she, being delicate, could do nothing but wash vegetables.
The soldier hinted that Wei Qianrui should find him at night. Wei Qianrui gave a perfunctory response, feigning ignorance.
The others in the kitchen, seeing that she was personally brought by a soldier, did not dare to order her around casually.
However, her hands, constantly submerged in cold water, were also very uncomfortable, and standing for too long caused her stomach to ache.
When they returned to rest that night, everyone in the Zhao family glared at her, even wanting to throw her out.
“Oh, look who it is, the little vixen. Such a self-debased thing.”
Wei Qianrui touched her belly, tears falling silently.
“Mother, I know you look down on me. Who am I being self-debased for? Isn’t it for the child in my belly? If I were truly made to clear wasteland, how could my body withstand it?”
“You little slut, are you blaming my son for being incompetent and unable to protect you?”
Wei Qianrui looked up and stared at Mother Zhao, her meaning clear. Mother Zhao was filled with rage but could not find a retort.
Father Zhao stepped forward to support her, calming her down, and cast a sharp glance at Zhao Guanjin.
Zhao Guanjin immediately slapped Wei Qianrui hard, “Are you trying to argue? If you hadn’t deliberately seduced me, how could the Wu’an Marquis Manor have declined to this point?”
“You say I seduced you? I knew you regretted it. You said you would only love me for this lifetime, but you yourself said you had no interest in the princess, and now you’re blaming me for everything. Zhao Guanjin, are you even a man? If you weren’t willing, could I, a weak woman, force you?”
Zhao Guanjin’s face flushed red, veins bulging on his neck, “Yes, I regret it. What are you going to do about it? Look at your wretched appearance. How can you be compared to Zhao Yueguan? I was blind to insist on marrying you back then.”
“You’re a coward. It’s useless for you to regret it a thousand times over now. Look at your pathetic state now, who would look up to you?”
“Anyone can look down on me, but you are not qualified.”
Saying this, Zhao Guanjin grabbed Wei Qianrui’s hair and specifically hit her shoulders, arms, and legs.
Everyone in the shed watched coldly. They even wished they could cheer from the sidelines.
Shui Wa: “This elegant young master has become an abusive husband.”
“Let’s go, there’s nothing more to see.”
Wei Qianrui was beaten so severely that her head bled and she couldn’t move. The official, seeing her miserable state, granted her a few days off.
Whenever Zhao Guanjin was displeased, he took it out on her, repeating daily that their current suffering was all Wei Qianrui’s fault, absolving himself completely.
After giving birth, Wei Qianrui ran away and became a soldier’s concubine. She had to work every day, although the work was not as strenuous.
She constantly whispered in his ear, and Zhao Guanjin was transferred to stone quarrying, a dangerous and exhausting job.
One time, Zhao Guanjin was not careful and had his leg crushed by a rock, and was then assigned to dig land.
Wei Qianrui’s body was injured during childbirth, and both of them eventually died from overwork.
Their exceptionally intelligent son in their previous life remained a sinner’s descendant his entire life. He never received an education and had no chance of turning his life around.
After his death, this line of the Wu’an Marquis Manor was extinguished.