After Transmigration, Her Whole Family Are Villains

Chapter 138

Early morning.

A magpie calls from atop a branch.

Old Lady Jiang's hands ache unbearably, the pain radiating through her fingers to her heart, swollen from being trampled.

The pain is so intense she can't bear to hear any sound.

Even the magpie's call makes her want to chase it away.

All the masters of the Jiang household had entered the meditation room, except for Wu.

Old Lady Jiang began to doubt if she had falsely accused that beast, wondering if that beast truly had an affair with Wu. This thought crossed not only Old Lady Jiang's mind, but also fleetingly occurred to Jiang Huaisheng and Jiang Wan.

So sometimes, when dealing with enemies, treating them differently is enough to make them fight amongst themselves.

Jiang Rong had gone completely mad, so insane he could no longer recognize people.

As for Jiang Wan, as long as she didn't see Jiang Changtian, she gradually recovered.

She couldn't believe she would fall in such a small place as Ming County.

It was absolutely impossible.

Even if she didn't change anything, just by following her dreams, she could at least climb to a high position.

She only needed to get rid of that person in advance, and everything would be fine.

She even felt that her time in the meditation room was to remind her of the danger Jiang Changtian posed; he must die.

But now, they were isolated and in peril.

Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, Jiang Wan received news that the rebels had accepted the offer of amnesty, and the imperial court had sent people to grant it.

She immediately went to tell her grandmother the good news.

At first, Old Lady Jiang remained expressionless, completely uninterested.

But when she heard Jiang Wan say, "I heard Heir Apparent Han personally came to offer the amnesty," Old Lady Jiang suddenly sat up in shock.

"Who did you say?"

Startled, Jiang Wan repeated, "Heir Apparent Han, the only legitimate son of the Eldest Princess and the Imperial Son-in-law, the Emperor's most beloved nephew."

Jiang Wan was actually overjoyed inside, because in her dream, Heir Apparent Han had treated her exceptionally well. Several times when she almost had accidents, it was Heir Apparent Han who helped cover for her.

He was a person who truly treated her well, like a real elder.

She felt this was heaven's way of not abandoning people.

Although this experience was frightening, it laid an even more solid foundation for her future. When the time came, as long as she eliminated Jiang Changtian, she would have no more worries.

Old Lady Jiang was both shocked and delighted.

Looking at her swollen hands, she suddenly burst into tears, feeling utterly wronged.

...

Jiang Mianmian sat in her father's embrace, gazing at the distant mountains stretching endlessly.

She could feel her father's chest rising and falling.

His heartbeat seemed fast.

She vaguely felt that something was off with her father again.

She turned to look at her elder brother.

Her brother patted her head.

Then he went off to train the troops again.

...

The mountains rose and fell in the distance.

A grand procession of carriages and horses moved along.

A large army followed behind.

At the front of the army was a square-faced youth.

The war had started inexplicably and ended just as abruptly.

A group of civil officials at court suddenly clamored for amnesty, saying they should stop fighting as there was no more money.

In reality, at the end of the year and the beginning of the new one, the Emperor had held several lavish song and dance festivals, overspending the national treasury.

Add to that the celebration of Heir Apparent Han's birthday and marriage, and the military funds were completely depleted in one go.

Those officials couldn't criticize the Emperor for excessive spending, but they worried about being held responsible for not providing military funds. In the end, they reached a consensus: offer amnesty.

After all, throw out a few bones, and those rebels would submit.

They could continue their singing and dancing.

As long as the fighting didn't reach their doorstep, it didn't exist.

Meng Qingshe desperately submitted memorials pleading not to offer amnesty.

He argued that Zi Lu was ambitious and insatiable, with grand schemes.

But the civil officials unanimously attacked Meng Qingshe, saying the Meng family wanted to seize military power.

They claimed Zi Lu only had one son, who was mentally ill, and all he sought was a single medicine. He didn't truly want to rebel.

On the contrary, they accused General Meng of having ulterior motives and harboring evil intentions by persistently opposing amnesty.

Meng Qingshe began to argue back, "Evil intentions my ass! My family has only one heir, while you have eighteen concubines, sixteen sons, and thirteen daughters. Your daughters are all married to officials, and the court is full of your relatives. You're the one with evil intentions!"

In the imperial court, Meng Qingshe knocked out one of the official's teeth on the spot.

The Emperor reprimanded him briefly.

Then the Emperor ordered Heir Apparent Han, Meng Shaoxia, and a eunuch to serve as amnesty ambassadors and leave the capital.

Everyone knew that offering amnesty was an easy job, much easier than fighting, but it was an easy way to gain merit. It was a gift.

One trip out, sightseeing and enjoying themselves, and they would gain the same merit as those who fought bloody battles.

The Emperor sending Heir Apparent Han on this mission was likely to let him gain some merit, to avoid people constantly complaining about his favoritism towards his nephew.

As for arranging Meng Shaoxia to go along, it was to appease the Meng family.

Eunuch Duan was the Emperor's eyes and ears; having eunuchs accompany military operations was standard procedure.

The eunuchs in the palace all wanted to go on outside missions. In the palace, they were servants, but outside, even those officials with red crowns had to respectfully address them as 'Lord Eunuch'.

No matter how much they looked down on them, they had to bow and bend their knees, because these eunuchs were close to the Emperor.

Eunuch Duan had followed in the footsteps of Eunuch Yan, the Emperor's favorite, to get this opportunity for an outside mission.

Meng Shaoxia had changed from the fresh-faced youth who had traveled with He Chen a year ago to a more mature young man. He had grown a small beard on his chin, making him look more grown-up.

His skin had darkened a bit.

His hands had become rougher.

The war had left him bewildered.

The ceasefire left him even more confused.

Those corpses seemed to have died for nothing.

The big guy hadn't been able to earn military merit as a dowry for his beloved.

Amnesty was granted.

Of the four youths who used to pat his shoulder and call him "Little Square," three had died.

Amnesty was granted.

The past of life-and-death battles had vanished, as if it had never existed.

The grassland was gone too, the grass had grown taller and greener. He had forgotten where they had built their campfires back then.

During the war, he had thought about going to Ming County every day, but never made it.

Now with the amnesty, he never expected that their first stop after Jingzhou would be Ming County.

Heir Apparent Han didn't want to come to this remote place either, but his father had said that the descendants of an old friend were here, and asked him to look after them or bring them back to the capital.

Although Heir Apparent Han was arrogant and unruly in the capital, he still listened to his father's words.

He liked to wear red clothes, his robe a bright scarlet. He had been sunny and cheerful all his life, never having experienced any hardship. This journey was probably the greatest difficulty he had ever faced.

His carriage was extremely large, specially fitted with the cushions he was accustomed to, so he could sleep at night.

Six maids served him in the carriage, each with their own unique beauty, but they shared one common trait: they were all slightly older.

Heir Apparent Han liked beautiful women, but unlike others, he preferred those who were a bit older.

While others forcibly abducted commoner girls, Heir Apparent Han seized a commoner's wife.

He was willing to endure the hardships of travel for two reasons: firstly, it was the Emperor's order, and secondly, he had a fondness for beautiful women.

He had grown weary of playing with all the available beauties in the Capital City. Those who remained were off-limits to him. With nothing interesting left, he set out on this journey, and indeed, he encountered strikingly different beauties, each with their own unique charm.

Alas, that fool Meng Shaoxia stood in the way, causing trouble at every turn.

Eunuch Duan was far more interesting and accommodating.

Eunuch Duan mused: "We're all rootless men. What else can we do but be accommodating? Thanks to Eunuch Yan's help, I was able to secure this lucrative assignment. I can pass by my hometown on this journey out of the palace and catch a glimpse of it. I can die without regrets now."

He had also received instructions from Eunuch Yan to look after a certain family if they reached Ming County. They were his only relatives left in this world.

The grand procession of carriages and horses entered the borders of Ming County, their journey becoming even smoother.

Heir Apparent Han reclined in his carriage, savoring freshly cut peaches fed to him by the commoner's wife he had seized.

He began to feel bored again. She was far too docile.

He had barely needed to use force; she had submitted willingly.

Surprisingly, her husband didn't object either. He even offered her up with both hands, only asking for money. How dull.

Suddenly, he heard the rhythmic beating of drums, crisp and melodious, matching the rhythm of his heartbeat.

Heir Apparent Han sat up and lifted the carriage curtain, asking, "Where are we now?"

...