Chapter 1547 - 1394: Fake Commandery Princess 4
Ye Jingyi looked at Ye Shuangshuang and found that her appearance bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to his own, feeling even closer in his heart.
The heavy mood he had always carried lightened a bit upon seeing Ye Shuangshuang, and Ye Jingyi revealed a smile imbued with warmth and proximity, calling out to her: "Sister."
Ye Shuangshuang nodded and replied with a gentle smile: "Brother." She also felt a sense of closeness toward this brother who resembled her greatly.
Ye Jingfei glanced at his brother Ye Jingyi and called out hesitantly to Ye Shuangshuang: "Sis, Sister."
The Ye Family had fallen on hard times; previously, everyone regardless of age and gender had been thrown into a terrible prison, where the cells held prisoners undergoing severe punishment, wailing day and night, creating a chilling atmosphere.
Ye Jingfei, originally a lively child who loved to talk and laugh and enjoyed practicing martial arts with his father and brother, had been frightened during his time in the prison.
With the family upheaval, despite being only eight years old, Ye Jingfei became more sensible and changed from lively and active to introverted and less talkative, feeling a bit nervous upon seeing Ye Shuangshuang, his unfamiliar sister.
Ye Shuangshuang bent down to pat Ye Jingfei’s head. Seeing him flinch slightly, she furrowed her brows, realizing that the family upheaval had startled him, causing mental issues.
Uncertain about the severity, it seemed crucial to settle down early, allowing Ye Jingfei to know everything was safe and without danger, to gradually soothe his mental troubles.
No more time was given for Ye Shuangshuang and the Ye Family members to spend together, as the government officer in charge of escorting them urged everyone to hit the road quickly.
Surrounded by the officers, everyone started their journey. The officers were walking too, but two separate carts followed, allowing the luggage to be placed there so everyone was spared from carrying it, lightening their load considerably. These carts were sent by Bai Menghan’s maiden family, along with substantial amounts of Silver Coins given to each officer.
With these Silver Coins smoothing the way, plus the Emperor’s intention to let the Ye Family off more easily, the escorting officers were much more agreeable.
Furthermore, without time restrictions, the likewise walking officers were willing to walk slowly for ease, leading to no urgency on the journey, and initially it was more bearable.
There were twenty officers meant to escort Old General Ye Feiying, Lady Shen, Ye Fangchen, Bai Menghan, Ye Jingyi, Ye Jingfei, and later Ye Shuangshuang, totaling seven people.
Twenty officers surrounded the Ye Family members at the front, rear, and sides as they traveled along the official road, with Old General Ye and Lady Shen supporting each other, and Ye Fangchen supporting Bai Menghan.
The relationship between Ye Fangchen and his wife Bai Menghan was excellent; there were no concubines or illegitimate children, and the relationship between Old General Ye Feiying and Lady Shen was equally good, also with no concubines.
The father and son in the Ye Family didn’t take concubines not due to family rules, but because both had no intention of doing so. Their lives revolved around defending the country and living harmoniously with their wives.
Yet Ye Shuangshuang’s uncle, who had been executed, had multiple favored concubines and illegitimate sons and daughters, although he wasn’t Old General Ye Feiying’s biological child.
After Old General Ye married Lady Shen, there were no children for three years, which in other families would lead to gossip about a woman being a chicken that doesn’t lay eggs, not to mention in the Ye Family.
The Ye Family was an aristocratic military general family, and due to the unpredictability of never returning from war at any time, leaving descendants was of utmost importance.
Lady Shen hadn’t given birth in three years, and with Old General Ye’s firm refusal to take concubines, the clan naturally couldn’t agree, leading him to adopt a child due to family pressure, to carry on the family line.
Old General Ye’s decision was a great sacrifice since the eldest son inherits the family business, and even though the child was adopted, the family’s title and assets were inheritable by this adopted eldest son.
This demonstrated how deep the love between Old General Ye and Lady Shen was, willing to sacrifice the family title and most property to outsiders rather than taking concubines and causing his wife distress.
In the end, the Ye Family was implicated by the adopted eldest son, leading to their confiscation and exile. If not because the child was adopted, and given Old General Ye and Ye Fangchen were consistently loyal, the Emperor wouldn’t have been lenient.
Old General Ye had been at war for many years, bearing many hidden injuries, and Lady Shen’s health wasn’t good either. The journey was difficult, despite the slow pace, time wore on, and soon the two elders began gasping heavily, their faces pale and frightening.
Upon discovering Old General Ye’s lack of stamina, Ye Fangchen immediately knelt before him: "Father, climb on, I’ll carry you."
Ye Feiying gasped, a look of sadness in his eyes. He was old, and living was a burden to his children; he wished for his own death quickly, as a relief from burdening his children.
However, he dared not commit suicide, fearing it would make the Emperor suspect dissatisfaction with his judgment, hence thinking it might be better to die on the road to exile.
The exile journey was several thousand miles long, and given his old age and poor health, dying on the way was only natural, but it was pitiful for his wife to accompany him to death as well.
With thoughts of death in mind, Ye Feiying gently pushed his son Ye Fangchen’s back: "No need, your father here isn’t too old to walk."
Ye Fangchen felt heavy-hearted, noticing his parents were perpetually depressed during this time, fearing the two elders might contemplate ending their lives, and thus kept a close watch.
Yet, no matter how closely he monitored, if Ye Feiying and Lady Shen decided to die, he would be powerless. Saddened, Ye Fangchen disregard Ye Feiying’s refusal, forcibly carrying him.
Meanwhile, Ye Jingyi also prepared to carry Lady Shen, having previously coordinated with Ye Fangchen, Bai Menghan.
During the journey, Ye Fangchen would carry their grandfather Ye Feiying, Ye Jingyi would carry their grandmother Lady Shen, while Bai Menghan would care for Ye Jingfei, ensuring that as much as possible, both elders and the child safely reached Nanzhao.
However, with now Ye Shuangshuang around, she quickly carried Lady Shen, catching both her and Ye Jingyi by surprise.
Ye Jingyi blinked and said to Ye Shuangshuang: "Sis, it’s fine for me to carry Grandmother. This journey is long, so you just take care of yourself."
Ye Jingyi believed Ye Shuangshuang, being a girl, was physically weak. Though Lady Shen wasn’t heavy, she was still an adult human, and long periods of carrying wouldn’t be easy.
Thinking of Qin Muchen’s delicate appearance, Ye Jingyi felt even though his sister wasn’t as frail as that, she was still a woman.
Women’s strength doesn’t match men’s; he, as a man, shouldn’t let his sister bear the burden, naturally he should take the responsibility.