The sun is scorching hot, and the yellow sand fills the sky.

A team of officials is escorting this group of prisoners sentenced to exile to the West Desert.

The sound of shackles rang, and the prisoners in the several teams were all ragged and unkempt. They were divided into two teams of men and women. In addition to the female prisoners only wearing shackles and handcuffs, the male prisoners also wore wooden shackles.

The bad weather, the cumbersome shackles...

The footsteps of this group of prisoners became weaker and weaker, and some people in the team were really unable to walk and fell to the ground all of a sudden. Dizzy eyes, dry lips, where have they suffered this kind of pain before, and now they shouted that they would not go any more, and had to stop and rest.

A yamen directly stepped forward, waved the thick whip in his hand, and kept whipping the several male prisoners who fell to the ground.

"Crack! Slap!" The whip was merciless, with a blood mark.

"Ah! Stop fighting! Stop fighting!" Several prisoners shouted in pain as they rolled on the ground.

"Ah—" The female prisoners beside them were so frightened by the battle that they immediately huddled together, crying and screaming in a mess.

"Shut up everyone!" The yamen shouted angrily at the group of people.

The female prisoners covered their mouths tightly, their faces covered with dust and tears, and kept choking softly, but did not dare to cry again.

Immediately, the clerk turned his head, rolled up his sleeves, held a whip in his hand, and said to the prisoners:

"It's been a long walk, and then I'm tired! The road is still long, if you delay today's journey, you people's rations will be lost. Don't even think you're all hungry and won't die if you starve a few times! Today, I'm benevolent and you still have your life. I don't want to be content with gratitude. Now you going to die after a few steps. You think you're still the one you used to be. Brother noble! Open your eyes and take a good look at what you look like now, and recognize the facts clearly, no matter what you were in the past, you are now sinners who have made mistakes!"

Noticing the resentment in the eyes of this group of people, Liu Da didn't care. He had seen this kind of look a lot.

It was clearly stated from above that this group of people had to spend the rest of their lives in Xihuang.

The road ahead is still hard. If you still have unrealistic dreams and can't recognize your current situation, you will have to suffer in the future.

Another whip hit the ground.

Among these exiled prisoners, several members of the Xu family and several members of the Shen family are listed.

The two male prisoners who were whipped, one was from the third room of the Xu family, and the other was the young master of the Shen family.

In the past, the two of them dipped in the light of their own mansion and enjoyed the glory and wealth brought by Xu Chengting and Shen Shixing, and today they have to bear the bitter consequences of their failure.

In the past, people who would cry for their father and mother when they broke their skin, but at this time, no one dared to come forward even if the yamen were whipped down a few times and said with bloodstains.

It's not that I don't want to, but that I'm helpless.

As far as the current situation is concerned, they are overwhelmed.

The two male prisoners, Shen Shixing, who was limping on foot, and Xu Chengting, who looked angry, wore wooden shackles on their heads and shackles on their feet. Their hair was disheveled, and their eyes were full of sadness.

Seeing his family being beaten, Shen Shixing wanted to step forward to stop him, but his expression changed as soon as he moved. Then he looked down at his lame left leg, and turned his head sadly and helplessly.

A sarcastic smile appeared on Xu Chengting's mouth, and laughed at himself: How did he get to where he is today?

Thinking about the past, Xu Houye, who was calling forward and supporting, fell into the hands of a small yamen today.

He made the wrong bet and was on the wrong team.

Now one step is wrong, and the whole game is lost.

The false emperor is defeated.

Unexpected result.

He was unpopular in the first place. Those who followed him in the past chose to follow him for the sake of power and interests. Now that the general trend has passed, it is naturally a defected defect, a surrendered surrender.

The pseudo-emperor wanted to run away and start all over again, but the people below him no longer listened to him. Not only did his soldiers leave him, but even the people around him chose to betray him.

After applying for the fake, I don't want to continue my life with this useless man. 

She has long complained to the pseudo-emperor countless times in her heart. The days in the southern border are not comparable to when she was still in the imperial city, even the days when she was a wangfei in the north were dozens of times better than this.

Now that the pseudo-emperor is no longer an emperor, it is destined to have no good end. And she didn't want to follow him anymore, she still had her own son and daughter. She didn't want to die after applying for the puppet, and didn't want to be killed with this man. 

Shen Shixing also has his own considerations. Although he is the brother-in-law of the fake emperor, although Shen Shixing is his own sister, after all, it is still a layer away. He has children of his own, and he has to plan for their future. 

Xu Chengting had already regretted it. After the third and fourth princes were executed for their rebellion, he thought that the false emperor was the only orthodox prince of the previous emperor. No matter how dissatisfied those in the court were, he had to recognize the monarch in the end. 

As for the other things, Xu Chengting also knew that what the fake emperor did when he was in power was wrong. But after all, it's none of his business, and it doesn't affect his status. He just turned a blind eye and passed by.

 Anyway, it didn't touch the interests of his Xu family. 

But no matter how many calculations he made, who would have thought that the late emperor would still have a son alive. Since there is a choice, who would be willing to make it. The only advantage of the pseudo-emperor is gone, and the people's hearts are naturally unstable. 

Recognizing the current situation, Xu Chengting knew in his heart that he had to find a way to save the lives of the Xu family. As a result, those who wanted to fight their way out all came up with a solution: to catch the false emperor and make a contribution to the crime. 

Poor the fake emperor finally betrayed by his relatives and separated, and was betrayed by his bedside person, brother-in-law and confidant general.

The false emperor was killed by a glass of poisonous wine, and the court sent officials to take over the southern border.

Although many families who moved south along with them were innocent and implicated, the power in the imperial city has long since been reshuffled, and their families have lost the opportunity to show their loyalty at first, and they have now been excluded. went.

Shen Shixing and Xu Chengting, who were close confidants of the pseudo-emperor, had to be severely punished even though they reined in their horses in time. They saved the lives of their own family members and were finally sentenced to exile in Xihuang.

Among the female prisoners,

Du Yunniang lowered her eyes, as if she was frightened by the scene in front of her.

She has never been more aware than now that her personal safety has never been guaranteed. Her joys and sorrows are tied to one person, all her blessings and misfortunes are tied to one person. Husband and wife are expensive, poor husband and wife are cheap. In the past, Xu Chengting was a prince, so she was a respected Mrs. Hou; now Xu Chengting is a sinner, so she is naturally a contemptible woman.

This huge change in her identity has made her still not come back to her senses.

What should she do?

The white-haired old lady huddled tightly behind Du Yunniang, trembling all over.

She enjoyed the world's wealth and honor in the first half of her life, but now she is going to suffer this great change. Hearing the howls of her beloved young son, she didn't even have the courage to stop.

Even his own mother was like this, not to mention everyone in the Xu family who had different thoughts. They all hid far away, for fear that it would be their turn next.

After a few whips and a lesson, Liu Da stopped.

He looked at the two people who were still lying on the ground with contempt, he couldn't bear the pain, he hadn't tried hard yet.

A dark-skinned yamen walked by and said to Liu Da who was holding a whip:

"Okay, Lao Liu, it's almost done."

With these few as deterrents, this group of prisoners should be obedient.

Xu Tiansan said to these people, "You can see it, it's hard to feel the whip on your body. You can be safe along the way, and we can also worry about it. Seeing that you are also tired, then all of you will rest in place for a while. Let's go."

Liu Da didn't say anything against it, just rolled his eyes at the person in front of him, pouted and said,

"You are used to being a good person!"

Some people sing black faces, while others sing white faces. Co-authored, the bad guys are all made by him.

"You have to know that we have been delayed for a lot of time on the road!"

"Understood, understand. But you can see that this group of people is almost unable to hold on, and the male criminals can barely hold on, it is the group of old and weak women and children. I'm afraid it won't work."

Xu Tiansan laughed a few times, without a trace of embarrassment on his dark face. He glanced at the escorting prisoners, then lowered his head and whispered in Liu Da's ear: "Although we didn't give special care, but they did it before... We can't let people die on the road." The words, Xu Tiansan and Liu Da both understood.

"It's up to you to say that the criminal law is there. It is strictly forbidden for the yamen to kill the prisoner. I am measured." 

Knowing that Xu Tiansan wanted to sell these people, Liu Da sneered, his face full of disapproval. Thinking it means: "Brother, I would like to advise you one more thing. Now, these people are grasshoppers in the autumn grass. Do you think they can still jump up?"

Xu Tiansan turned his head and did not speak.

There were thorns who were whipped in front of them. Indeed, the group of exiled prisoners had settled down quite a bit for the rest of the journey.

But the speed of the road is still slow, and Liu Da's temper has become more and more impatient.

Seeing that it was getting late, a group of people slept on the spot.

"Oh, this journey is really hard."

His throat was sore and dry, Xu Tiansan took out the water pouch hanging from his waist, and gulped a few mouthfuls to his stomach, only to relieve a little.

He licked the water stain on his lips, daring not to waste a bit. The journey is difficult, and the next station is still far away. This water is precious.

At this moment, there was a quarrel among the prisoners, and Xu Tiansan didn't turn his head to take care of it, he didn't even bother to look at it.

The other yamen who were responsible for escorting were also left alone. Three or two people gathered in a pile, surrounded the fire, and took a sip of dry food with water bags.

They are used to things like this. On the road of exile, there are a few people who help each other, and most of them fall apart. It is not uncommon for brothers and sisters to fight to the death often. Then again, there is no need for outsiders to worry about the affairs of their own family.

At this time, as expected, the Xu family, the Shen family and others were quarreling endlessly.

Xu Chengwen, who had been beaten a few times, looked indignant. He had long held back his anger, and now he finally got the opportunity to vent.

Xu Chengwen accused his mother and eldest brother: "How can you be so cruel! Why didn't you rush forward to save me at that time! Do you want to watch me be beaten to death by those yamen!"

Xu Chengting looked at the young boy quietly Brother, don't make a sound. He was tired, and now he is no longer in the mood to discipline this ignorant younger brother.

Xu Chengwen looked at Xu Chengting, who was silent, and shouted, "I know that you have always been mean to me, you just want to watch me be beaten to death!"

Xu Chengting still didn't answer, just coldly Smile, as if sarcastic. This is the brother he has been taking care of with all his heart.

Seeing the brothers fighting against the wall, the old lady burst into tears and stretched out her hand tremblingly: "Wen'er, things are not what you think. You listen to your mother, your elder brother..."

"What have you to say!" Xu Chengwen quickly interrupted his mother's words. Pointing at Xu Chengting and shouting angrily:

"If it wasn't for him, how could our Xu family be reduced to this level! If it wasn't for him, I would still be the third master of Yongchang Hou's mansion, with a group of servants and maids, everyone vying to flatter each other, who would dare to be arrogant to me? Not to mention being whipped by a lowly yamen now!"

"I agree with what the third brother said!"

"Our family has become what it is now, all because of Xu Chengting's harm!" Xu Chengwen's questioning expressed the feelings of everyone in the Xu family. Before, Xu Chengting might have any other way to save them from the sea of ​​misery, everyone in the Xu family held their grievances in their hearts. Now that he has reached this point, knowing that Xu Chengting can't do anything, everyone is scrambling to criticize him.

Du Yunniang, who was standing by Mrs. Xu's side, could not escape this scolding.

The men of the Xu family aimed their anger at Xu Chengting, and the women in each room aimed their resentment at Du Yunniang.

Thinking that they used to wear brocade clothes and jade food, the silk and satin on their bodies and the golden hairpins on their heads were all exquisite. Look at the current appearance again, the skin reddened by the sackcloth linen, the soles of the feet with frayed blood blisters, and the haggard face, all this is thanks to whom!

How could these former lords and wives endure the double torture, both physically and mentally.

"It's all your couple's fault! You hurt us!!!"

Du Yunniang was surrounded by angry women.

Xu Dun, Xu Qian and the others looked at the scene in front of them with pale faces, no one dared to speak. The amiable uncles and aunts in memory on weekdays all changed their appearances at this time, they all seemed to be eating them.

Suddenly, the corner of Mrs. Xu's eyes glanced at the person huddled in the corner, and her anger surged.
She walked over quickly and pulled the woman who was hiding beside her.

The woman kept struggling and shouted: "What are you holding me for! Let me go! It's none of my business!"

Mrs. Xu sneered at her. said coldly:

"Oh, why is it none of your business? You married into my Xu family and carried it through the door in a beautiful way. Do you dare to say that you are not from my Xu family?"