Exiled to Lingnan, the Crown Prince's wife raises children, cultivates the land, and leads the

Guihua Village, Zhuangjia.

"Father, I think this exiled woman is quite pretty."

Thinking of the women he had just secretly seen, Zhuang Haichao said, "Tell me, should I...?"

"They are all sinners."

Zhuang Lizheng glanced at him, took out the copper coin that Zhongyonghou had just taken out, and said, "See? It's just a few copper coins. Forget about it."

"Dad." Zhuang Haichao wanted to say something, but Zhuang Lizheng kicked him away, and Zhuang Haichao ran home clutching his butt.

Zhuang Lizheng looked back at the three dilapidated houses, his eyes filled with gloom.

……

Night deepened.

"Mom, will this be our home from now on?" Jin Sui'an nestled in Cheng Qiqi's arms, touching the soft blanket, and looked up at Cheng Qiqi to ask.

"right."

Cheng Qiqi nodded, looking at Jin Sui'an, who had been sick and whose face had become thin and sharp, and felt extremely distressed. She said, "From now on, we will never have to sleep in the wild again."

"This place is wonderful. Look, there's a hole over there where you can see the stars."

Jin Suian spoke excitedly, pointing to the hole in the roof.

Cheng Qiqi: "..."

Silly daughter, this is no good! If it rains, you'll get soaked!

"Does Father know we're here? Will he be unable to find us later?"

Jin Suian's beautiful eyes were filled with worry.

"..."

Cheng Qiqi was silent for a while before hugging her daughter and saying, "Yes, our An'an is so lovable, your father will definitely find us."

"Yes, Mother is right. Grandma likes An'an very much. Grandpa... although he's a bit fierce, he gave An'an bird eggs."

"Then Father must come to find An'an quickly, An'an misses Father."

Jin Sui'an nestled in Cheng Qiqi's arms, her eyelids drooping. Before falling asleep, she murmured, "Daddy."

"An'an".

Cheng Qiqi lowered her head and gently stroked her daughter's face. Thinking of the deceased prince, she knew that her daughter was destined never to see her father again.

……

"Father, your son is unfilial and has caused you suffering."

Under the pitch-black night, Jin Mozhi knelt before the Marquis of Zhongyong. On the road to exile, he was watched by people everywhere, making it impossible for them to recognize each other.

"Mo'er, quickly, get up!"

When the Marquis of Zhongyong saw his son standing alive before him, he felt a surge of relief and, looking at his son's full beard, asked, "How are your injuries?"

He was seriously injured at Pingsha Pass, faked his death and went to the capital. At the Marquis's residence, Cui Lie made him suffer even more injuries!

During the encounter with the bandits, he was injured again. Zhongyong Hou didn't say anything on the way, but he always kept it in his heart.

"I'm fine."

Jin Mozhi pursed his lips and said, "Father, I shouldn't have faked my death, I..."

"Mo'er".

Marquis Zhongyong felt a moment of unease as he looked at Jin Mozhi, whose face was covered in a full beard. His handsome son had suddenly become a bearded man. However, when he looked into those dark eyes, he instantly felt a sense of familiarity.

This was still the son he was so proud of. He said, "If you were also exiled, how could you clear your own name? How could you clear the name of the Marquis's mansion?"

"Your father believes in you. Defying the imperial decree was absolutely to protect the people, and you would never embezzle the 600,000 taels of military pay!"

The Marquis of Zhongyong looked at him with exceptional solemnity and complete trust, saying, "Even if two hundred thousand taels of silver were to be taken from the Marquis's residence, I would still believe that you have been framed by a villain!"

Therefore, the fake death medicine was prepared by him at Old Hu's request. If the Marquis's family were unfortunately executed, at least a trace of bloodline could be preserved.

"father."

Jin Mozhi's eyes flickered. He was the one who had harmed the Marquis's mansion. He said remorsefully, "Father, it was my carelessness."

He hadn't expected Cui Lie to take such a risk.

"Mo'er".

The Marquis of Zhongyong patted his shoulder and said, "As your father, I am proud of you."

Jin Mozhi's dark eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist. To disobey the imperial decree would harm his family; not to disobey it would mean the loss of more than a thousand lives!

"Have you thought about what to do next?"

Marquis Zhongyong changed the subject, not wanting his son to blame himself too much. Cui Lie, though born into a poor family, was ruthless and used more than a thousand lives to force Jin Mozhi to defy the imperial decree!

If Jin Mozhi had not disobeyed the imperial decree, then more than a thousand lives could have been lost, and if the Cui family had exaggerated the situation further, Jin Mozhi's reputation would have been ruined.

Now, although the Jin family has been convicted, he feels it was worth it to exchange the Jin family's property being confiscated and their exile for the lives of more than a thousand people!

"Father, I have already sent Zhishui to Pingsha Pass. The petition from the people that you saw in the court is fake. The people are unaware of the truth. As for the 200,000 taels of silver, there was a traitor among our ranks."

When Jin Mozhi brought up this matter, his eyes were solemn. He said, "It was Fu Mao. Cui Lie held his entire family's lives in his hands, forcing him to secretly transport the 200,000 taels of silver to the mansion. In the end..."

"The remaining 400,000 taels must have been taken by Cui Lie. His fabricated accounts are simply false. As long as we can find the key witness, we can overturn the case!"

"Father, once you've settled in Lingnan, I'll prepare to go to Pingsha Pass!"

Jin Mozhi's eyes were firm. Besides looking for evidence, he also wanted to make some connections. He felt that there might be something fishy going on behind Cui Lie's elaborate scheme to harm him.

It is true that Cui Lie came from a poor family, but now he is a trusted confidant of the emperor, and countless people want to give him gifts. Why would he be greedy for 400,000 taels of silver?

"Okay, be careful in everything."

Marquis Zhongyong reminded him.

Jin Mo said, "Father, I have already taken care of Magistrate Su. I once saved his life. If anything happens, you can use my jade pendant to go and find him."

"Gao Rang, the eunuch of the Maritime Trade Office, is greedy for money. Song Jing, the prefect of Annan Prefecture, is devoted to the people; perhaps he can be used..."

As the night deepened, the father and son talked about their future plans. Time flew by, and the sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

"Mo Zhi, don't worry, we're in Lingnan. Although your father is old and useless, our little Guihua Village can't defeat him!"

"Back in the day, when I was fighting alongside your grandfather on the battlefield, I was only a teenager!"

Marquis Zhongyong looked at his son with reluctance; he still had much to say.

"Father, please take care of yourselves too."

Jin Mozhi planned to leave; his current identity absolutely could not be discovered by anyone.

As soon as Marquis Zhongyong returned, Jin Mozhi moved and found that his leg was numb!

Winters in Lingnan are not as cold as in Kyoto, but after discussing things with his father all night, Jin Mozhi's legs were still weak.

Jin Mozhi stretched out his foot slowly. He closed his eyes, thinking about his future plans and whether there was anything missing.

Suddenly, a footstep sounded, and Jin Mozhi opened his eyes abruptly. He saw Cheng Qiqi, who was still half asleep, tripping over his feet and about to fall to the ground.

Without a second thought, Jin Mozhi lay down on the ground as a human cushion, and at the same time covered Cheng Qiqi's mouth.

"Hmm!"

Cheng Qiqi's sleepiness has completely vanished!