Outside the city gates, a detachment of government officers was escorting a line of shackled prisoners.

The autumn wind was cold, yet they were thinly clothed. Some even bore bloodstains, looking utterly wretched.

"What are you dawdling for? Get a move on!"

A government officer bellowed, his whip lashing out with a sharp CRACK.

A bloody welt instantly appeared on a prisoner’s back. He staggered a few steps, nearly collapsing.

Yet he remained silent, enduring it.

Seeing this, the other prisoners lowered their heads and quickened their pace. They didn’t dare make a sound, fearing the whip would fall on them next.

Ye Heng was among them.

He trembled at the sight, but couldn’t stop himself from looking back.

’I survived. His Highness truly hadn’t forgotten me. But... this journey to Tongbei... what untold hardships await on the road!’

The journey from the Capital City to Tongbei was long. Exiled like this, it would take them at least three or four months.

By the time they reached Tongbei, it would be the depths of winter—the most bitterly cold time of the year.

The mere thought of the impending hardship and torment sent a chill through him.

’And with me gone, I have no idea what’s happening at home... I didn’t even get to see Mingze one last time!’

At this thought, Ye Heng’s chest tightened, a dull ache spreading through it.

"Still looking?"

A government officer noticed Ye Heng’s lingering gaze and sneered.

"Don’t tell me Lord Ye is still hoping someone will come to see you off?"

That "Lord Ye" was particularly grating.

But Ye Heng wouldn’t dare challenge the officer now. A sycophantic smile spread across his thin, haggard face.

"You’ve misunderstood, Lord. I... I wasn’t..."

"Let me give you some advice, Lord Ye: don’t get your hopes up! You know the situation back there better than we do. The fact that your women were spared enslavement is already an extraordinary act of mercy from Your Majesty! You should be more worried about yourself!"

Ye Heng’s heart sank.

’During my imprisonment, my family must have suffered. Mrs. Gao can’t manage the household, Mingze is... and only Shixian is left.’

’But what can she do? She’s just a girl.’

Ye Heng saw the officer’s impatience and reluctantly looked away.

Every step he took felt impossibly heavy.

’I wonder what His Highness has planned for the future...’

Suddenly, the sound of funeral music and wailing came from the distance.

Ye Heng instinctively looked toward the source of the sound, and his eye twitched.

It was a funeral procession. One person led with a banner, four men carried a coffin, and several others followed, wailing and scattering Netherworld Money.

The scene was especially bleak and mournful in the desolate autumn wind.

He could faintly hear someone’s funeral wail.

"...Second Young Master, may your journey be peaceful!"

As Ye Heng listened, his heart began to race. A powerful sense of unease washed over him.

He couldn’t resist taking a few quick steps forward, wanting to get closer and listen more carefully. The officer beside him immediately blocked his path, glaring.

"How dare you!"

Glancing at the thick leather whip, Ye Heng shuddered and froze in place. Yet his eyes uncontrollably darted toward the procession.

’It sounds... It sounds like...’

He scanned their faces, but they were all strangers. He couldn’t recognize anyone.

Just when Ye Heng thought he must have misheard, another prisoner beside him whispered:

"Am I hearing things, or are those people mourning the Second Young Master of the Ye Family?"

Ye Heng’s hands began to tremble.

The funeral wails grew clearer. The man leading the procession looked in their direction, his gaze sweeping across the prisoners before finally settling on Ye Heng. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Ye Heng’s heart plummeted.

He instinctively averted his gaze, not daring to meet the man’s eyes, terrified of what might happen next.

But his fears were immediately realized.

Upon seeing Ye Heng, the man suddenly started walking briskly toward them.

The government officer’s brow furrowed. "Who are you people! What do you want?"

The man immediately stopped and bowed respectfully. "Lord, I am here for Second Young Master Ye’s funeral procession!"

At his words, a dead silence fell over the group, and all eyes turned to Ye Heng.

Second Young Master Ye!

Who else could it be but Ye Mingze?!

The other prisoners didn’t know, but the government officers had heard rumors. They shot Ye Heng a disgusted look before snapping at the man, "This is an exile convoy! We have our duties and can’t afford any delays!"

The man hurriedly replied, "You misunderstand, Lord. How would I dare delay you in your official duties? I am merely acting on the orders of Second Miss Ye to see to the burial of Second Young Master Ye."

The officer’s tone softened a bit. "Second Miss Ye?"

She was not someone they could afford to offend, so he had to be polite.

The man nodded repeatedly. When he thought no one was looking, he slipped the officer a heavy purse. "Yes, yes! Second Miss Ye said that... well, they are father and son, after all. It would be a terrible pity if he couldn’t even see him one last time. So she sent me to arrange the burial for Second Young Master Ye, to give them this final closure."

The officer weighed the purse, pleased with its heft, and his attitude became much more amiable.

"So, Second Miss Ye is quite kind-hearted," he said.

"Isn’t it so? As you know, the Ye Family of Fengling Lane had their estate seized. It’s been chaotic, and Miss Ye is so ill she’s bedridden—how could she possibly handle this? And even though there was bad blood between the two families, Second Miss Ye couldn’t bear to see this happen. She paid for Second Young Master Ye’s funeral out of her own pocket..."

Ye Heng’s chest heaved. Unable to listen any longer, he roared, "What a venomous woman! The heart of a viper!"

’Kind heart? Pity?’

’It’s all her wicked scheming!’

’Aren’t we in this mess because of her? And now she gets to play the benevolent one!’

’She’s doing this on purpose... She’s absolutely doing this on purpose!’

’It wasn’t enough for her to tear my family apart! Now she has to flaunt her power and grind us into the dust!’

’This is the ultimate humiliation!’

Ye Heng was filled with rage, his eyes bloodshot and the veins on his forehead bulging. He clearly hated Ye Chutang to his very core.

The man’s expression faltered at the outburst.

"Lord Ye, that’s hardly appropriate, is it? If it weren’t for Second Miss Ye’s help, your son wouldn’t even have a coffin right now! She was kind enough to arrange his funeral, and what does she get from you? Not a word of thanks, just vile curses?"

Ye Heng gasped for breath, almost choking on his rage.

"Her! It’s all because of her—"

He started to lunge forward, but the government officer’s whip lashed out and drove him back.

"Insolent! Do you still think you’re Lord Ye?! Get back in line!"

Ye Heng was thrown to the ground, the rough stones scraping his palms and knees. But that pain was nothing compared to the agony of his humiliation.

The government officer shot him a cold glance.

"He’s right. Second Miss Ye was kind enough to help, and not only are you ungrateful, you spew such venom at her. You’ve gone too far!"

"Don’t forget, if she hadn’t paid for everything, you wouldn’t even be able to see your own son off on his final journey!"