The jade pendant connects the past and present; the exiled crown prince's wife takes her entire

Jiang Jinning returned just in time, before the escorts finished purchasing the supplies, and thus went unnoticed by others.

Chen Jiecha handed a small package to Jiang Jinning. A faint aroma of meat patties wafted from it, so strong that anyone nearby could smell it. It smelled absolutely delicious.

Song Wanzhen noticed the hungry wolves in the eyes of the second wife's family, so she deliberately loosened her bundle and moved closer to them. She successfully heard the sound of them slurping their saliva, and left satisfied.

"Madam, young master, this is a cart specially provided for you by Officer Zheng."

Chen Jiecha pointed to a brand-new cart not far away and said.

"Is this an apology? He's being so generous?" Song Wanzhen was somewhat incredulous.

You know, that big tiger sold for dozens of taels of silver, and he didn't even give a single copper coin to anyone. He's so kind to pay for a cart.

Jiang Jinning also felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. If it was guilt, it didn't seem like it. If it was about harming someone, Zheng Jiechai didn't seem to have the brains for it.

Confused, she turned to look at Song Qingyan.

Song Qingyan lowered his eyes without showing any emotion and said, "Please trouble Lord Chen to thank Lord Zheng for me."

After saying a few more words, Chen Hui left.

"Young general, are we really going to accept this cart?"

"We should accept what is given to us, otherwise people will feel uneasy. We should be people who put others at ease."

The group continued on their journey.

With the new cart, Jiang Jinning and the others felt much more relaxed. Their old cart was something they had found on the road; the wheels were barely secure and it was difficult to push. The new one was different; it was much easier to push, and they could take turns resting on it. Plus, they had new shoes, so their feet didn't rub anymore.

The second wife ate the least and was too exhausted to walk any further, so Song Tianci simply sat down on the ground, refusing to move.

"Mom, carry me on your back, I can't walk anymore."

Tian was even more unable to walk.

Their family only had two steamed buns a day, most of which Liao gave to Song Tianci. She herself was so hungry that she started eating grass roots.

"I can't carry you, ask your sister to carry you."

Song Yanxi objected. Why should she carry Song Tianci, who was so fat?

"I won't carry it."

"If you don't carry it, who will? If you hadn't been causing trouble for the eldest son's family, would we only have two cornbreads to eat?" Madam Tian glared at them with her slanted eyes, her tone very harsh.

Song Yanxi looked at her mother in disbelief: "Mother, are you blaming me? Who did I do this for?!"

"Who are you doing this for? You're doing it for yourself! You've been jealous of Song Wanzhen being the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion for a long time, and you wish she were dead. It's all your fault that I can't even get enough to eat! I don't care, you're going to carry me on your back!"

Following Tian's words, Song Tianci shifted all the blame onto Song Yanxi, and even jumped on her, knocking her down.

"Song Tianci, you're asking for it!"

Song Yanxi was knocked so hard she couldn't stand up, so she picked up a stone from the ground and was about to throw it at him.

"How dare you! You dare to insult Tianci right in front of me! You've completely forgotten all the proper etiquette!"

When Liao saw that Song Tianci had been beaten, she was heartbroken and immediately used a tree branch to hit Song Yanxi.

Song Yanxi, in pain from the beating, snatched the branch. Being stronger than Liao, she pulled Liao off balance and caused her to stumble and fall onto Song Tianci.

"Ouch!"

"Song Yanxi, you've gone too far! You even hit your grandmother!"

Thinking of the silver notes hidden by Liao, Tian slapped her forehead in frustration and immediately scolded Song Yanxi with a stern face.

Song Yanxi naturally resisted instinctively, and even Tian was pushed down.

The group was making a huge fuss, and Song Guangying had been keeping his distance. Seeing that he was about to attract the attention of the guards and get beaten up, he finally went up and pulled them apart.

"What's the point of us fighting amongst ourselves? We're just tired and can't walk anymore. It's not like we're without options. The eldest branch has a cart, right? What do those women and the wounded need a cart for? Of course, we should give it to the second branch, no, to Mother."

Upon hearing his words, the group stopped fighting.

"Then who will go and ask for the cart? Let me make it clear beforehand, I'm not going."

Song Yanxi also disliked the eldest son's family, but why would he go on something that was clearly doomed to fail?

Besides, they are now being guarded by Chen Hui's men, who are the henchmen of the eldest branch of the family. The eldest branch's men will do whatever they want, and she is not going to suffer that kind of hardship.

Song Guangying then looked at Tian Shi, who glared at him fiercely, and he immediately shrank back.

"Mother, you are the elder, this matter should be handled by you."

Seeing that Liao looked annoyed, Song Guangying quickly tried to appease her.

"Mother, my dear mother, you love us the most. If we go, what if the eldest son's men or the guards attack us? I'm not afraid, I'm just afraid that you'll be heartbroken if we get hurt. Look, Tianci's feet and my feet are both blistered and hurt so much."

Seeing the look of pity and distress on Liao's face, Song Guangying added, "Mother, you are the elder. If you go yourself, will the guards stop you? Will Zhao not obediently hand over the cart? It's most appropriate for you to go. Sigh, I don't want you to suffer either, but none of us are as capable as you."

A barrage of flattery and sob stories naturally convinced Ms. Liao, who had initially wanted to remain uninvolved, to make a decision.

She walked toward the guards watching over them.

"Father, is it alright for Grandmother to act that way? Song Qingyan isn't the type to give Grandmother face."

Song Guangying dropped his obedient demeanor and sneered, "He can't disagree even if he wants to. Filial piety is paramount. Your grandmother has many tricks up her sleeve. She can cry, make a scene, and even threaten suicide. How could he possibly disagree? He has no choice! Your grandmother usually just sits around gossiping and eats all our cornbread. How can she not contribute anything? Now we just need her to get a cart. It's not that difficult."

The guards watching over the second house were unusually easy to talk to today; Liao only mentioned it briefly, and they agreed.

She soon arrived at the eldest son's house.

"What are you doing here again!" Song Wanzhen glared at Liao Shi as if facing a formidable enemy.

"you……"

"Is this how you talk to your elders?!" Song Wanzhen rolled her eyes, mimicking Liao Shi's manner. "You keep repeating the same few sentences, nothing new. You're not welcome here. Goodbye."

Perhaps knowing that the younger generation was difficult to subdue, Liao then turned her attention to Zhao.

"you……"

"How did you raise your juniors? How dare you speak to me like that!"

Before they could even exchange a word, Jiang Jinning started mimicking Liao Shi's sarcastic manner of speaking.

Liao was rebuked by the two men one after the other, and she became so angry that her face turned red and her neck bulged.

The two looked at each other and almost burst out laughing.

Song Qingyan coughed lightly, concealing the helplessness in his eyes and suppressing his smile. He turned to look at Madam Liao and said, "Grandmother, I know what you've come here for. This cart belongs to us, so please forgive me for not being able to take it out."

Liao's face immediately darkened, and she instinctively wanted to curse, but seeing that Jiang Jinning and Song Wanzhen were staring straight at her, ready to confront her, she quickly changed her approach.

"Oh dear, old man, you left too soon, leaving me to suffer alone in this world. Why don't you come up and take a look at your unworthy descendants? They are heartless and unjust, and they don't even respect their grandmother."

"Grandmother misses Grandfather so much, then Jinning will offer incense morning and evening and pray for him to appear in your dreams?"

The group of people were completely unfazed by the pressure and let her cry.

Liao couldn't cry anymore and immediately started cursing at them.

"Very well, so you disregard all affection! You might as well die and go see your grandfather sooner!"

As she spoke, she made a gesture as if she was about to crash into a tree. Naturally, Zhao Shi couldn't let her die there. In the Great Li Dynasty, filial impiety was a serious crime, so she immediately stopped her.

But the old lady, who had been hungry for several days, was still quite strong. She dragged Zhao Shi along to crash into a tree, and Jiang Jinning and Song Wanzhen quickly stepped forward to pry her hands off.

"Enough!" Song Qingyan concealed the deep meaning in his eyes, his face showing an angry and helpless expression. "Grandmother, take it if you want it."