Lian Hua glanced at the boy out of the corner of her eye. She didn't look pleased and intended to ignore him. They, the mother and son pair, had nothing to do with her. "Do you know Sister Ying? She left us." The boy continued, stopping Lian Hua in her tracks. Just hearing the woman's name had already angered her, and now the boy was asking if she knew her.
"Why? Do you want to blame me like your mother did for making that bitch Shen Ying leave you guys?" She didn't care what she said. What would they do to her? She had already been sentenced to the worst punishment short of death. And all because of that damn woman named Shen Ying.
She had disliked that lowly servant from the start, and now the people around her were constantly complaining about her abandonment. If Shen Ying were as kind as everyone said, she wouldn't have abandoned the family that raised her. She had a younger sibling here, and she didn't care if such a small child was exiled to the Borders.
Just like her father and mother, who had cruelly abandoned her, Lian Hua realized that this child and she were in the same position. Betrayed by the people they loved.
The boy just shook his head. "I don't blame you. Father is dead, and I can't talk to Mother anymore because she keeps crying and screaming for sister Ying. Sister Ying also just left without saying anything, and when I called out to her, she didn't even look back." There was a sad tone in the boy's voice. A tone that showed that he too was a victim of Master Shen's selfishness.
A child this young, ignorant and innocent, why should he be punished? Why should he be punished when he never wanted any of this to happen? That was the question she had been asking herself over and over for the past few days.
"They said that Shen Ying isn't my sister, she's a princess that father swapped. They said that the cruel princess Lian Hua is my biological sister." He replied, lowering his head. A child so innocent, this boy was indirectly insulting her, but he wasn't afraid in the slightest, and strangely, Lian Hua didn't feel angry like usual.
"Are you sad that Shen Ying left you? Are you disappointed that I'm your real older sister?" She asked again, forcing the boy to look at her as she spoke.
Without hesitation, the boy replied. "Of course I'm sad. Big Sis Ying-er is my big sister. She taught me a lot, she always played with me, and she helped me when my mother scolded me. I've known Big Sis Ying-er for ten years." Lian Hua smiled faintly, of course. He still felt sad when his mother, father, and older siblings abandoned him like this.
"However, she's gone now. My father is gone, I only have you and my mother. If you're my biological sister, no matter how evil you are, you're still my sister, right? I have to take care of you and my mother."
Lian Hua's eyebrows raised. "Take care of me?"
The boy nodded. "Yes, shouldn't I protect you? We're family. I'll protect you and Mom from now on." For the first time in days, a genuine smile appeared on Lian Hua's pale face, flushed red by the cold wind. She smiled at the boy's innocence.
"I am a cruel princess. I can't do anything alone, I am a useless older sister, do you still want to protect me?"
"Yes! I promise to protect you."
Lian Hua stood up and gently flicked the boy's forehead. It was something her older brother often did to her. "What's your name?"
"Shen Yandao!" He replied.
"I didn't intend to adopt a younger sibling like you, as long as you're not annoying, I'll let you be around me, Yanyan."
Her words startled the little Shen Yandao. "Y-yes, Your Highness!" This was very strange because Lian Hua laughed again, she seemed to have forgotten that she was now on her way to the Borders—to be exiled.
...
A month had passed, meaning they were halfway to the Borders. The autumn winds were getting colder. If they didn't reach the Borders before the snow fell, they would have to endure a long, cold journey to their destination. Unfortunately, no one believed they would have a better life once they arrived.
As guilty prisoners, the prisoners walked in a daze and slowly, many wanting to give up on this long and tiring journey. Lian Hua was no exception, as she felt pain all over her body.
They had healers on this journey to treat the sick, however, that did not mean they would remain safe, if they were deemed to be hindering the journey and no longer able to continue, the guards would not hesitate to abandon them and let them die.
Lian Hua endured the intense nausea that surged from her stomach. The food here was never better than the food in the palace, but Lian Hua had already gotten used to swallowing porridge without the taste entering her stomach. Unfortunately, the past few days have been a source of discomfort. She kept vomiting the rotten food, which had resulted in her body becoming increasingly weak. No one cared about her health; even the healers only treated those who were near death.
"Did you throw up your food again?" Shen Yandao, who had been with her all month, asked. The boy's innocent face looked at her with concern.
"It's okay. The food here is terrible. I wouldn't be surprised if my stomach eventually gave up on the food they served." She said curtly, despite her already dire situation. For the past month, she had only spoken to Shen Yandao; her mother had never even glanced at her, let alone spoken, and the other inmates had only stared and whispered to each other.
"Hooh... can't you eat this commoner's food, Your Highness?" a guard whose surname was Xue came over, mocking. This big-nosed man always bullied Lian Hua, and he didn't hesitate to whip Lian Hua with his whip.
Lian Hua ignored him, the discomfort in her stomach also contributing to the pain in her head. She didn't want to deal with Guard Xue, whom she found so childish. "Haha, why are you looking at me like that? Between the two of us, my social status is much higher than yours. Now you're just a castaway slave. It's lucky you still have food. Do you know how much tax we pay to support your luxurious life in the palace?"
For some reason, everyone she met vented all their anger on Lian Hua. For those who didn't feel justice and hated the royal family, Lian Hua was the perfect object to vent all that anger.
"What do you want from me? I'm not royalty. If you don't like the king, you can protest or overthrow him." She replied, neither afraid nor lowering her head as she spoke to the guard.
Guard Xue and several others who heard her words gaped in disbelief. Speaking ill of the royal family was a punishable offense, let alone talking about overthrowing the king. This could be considered a conspiracy or plot to overthrow the king. Those present could face the death penalty!
The corner of Lian Hua's lips lifted. "Why? A dog bit your tongue so you can't speak? At least I've enjoyed the taxes you paid, I've slept on a soft bed, I've worn the finest silk, I've enjoyed all those luxuries. I've also enjoyed all the delicious food that your money has given me, the food you serve me here is not even better than the Crown Prince's pet dog food!"
Lian Hua didn't know what had gotten into her today. For the past few days, she had been trying to maintain her composure, not provoking anyone in order to arrive safely at the Borders. But today, something seemed to be filling her chest. She was in a terrible mood, and she wanted to take it all out on anyone who dared to bother her.
Princess Lian Hua is known for her arrogance. She is a cruel and sadistic woman, both in her words and actions.
Guard Xue's face turned bright red. The tall, plump man felt both humiliated and insulted by Lian Hua. With large, angry strides, he approached Lian Hua. He picked up the still-hot bowl of porridge, his other large hand grabbed Lian Hua's chin, and forced the porridge into her mouth.
Between the heat and choking, Lian Hua reached out for the larger man's arm, trying to get him to remove his hand from her neck. Her mouth stung from the heat, and her throat felt suffocating. Her eyes watered from the pain, but unfortunately, the guard had no intention of stopping.
"Master, master, please let go!" Shen Yandao tried to help Lian Hua, who was hit by his body being thrown hard onto the dirty ground. Until finally the grip on her neck and chin was released, Lian Hua did not stop coughing. The heat and tightness were so painful.
"You lowly slave, this is just a small part of what I can do to you! I can kill you easily!" Guard Xue took out the sword sheathed at his waist, the shiny and sharp tip of the sword pointed at Lian Hua. Lian Hua coughed, her eyes widened, people gathered around them, watching the commotion that Guard Xue made.
"I will cut out that tongue and throw it to the wild dogs! I will strip your body naked and hang it at the Borders!"
This man was insane, this Xue man was truly insane. Although no one cared about the exiled prisoners, committing such a blatant murder was still a crime. The Yishu was very strict about murder laws, especially with so many witnesses. If Guard Xue really killed her, who knew what punishment awaited her?
However, Guard Xue was already blinded. He didn't seem to care if his sword actually ended up killing Lian Hua. The sword was raised high, its sharp edge gleaming in the sunlight. Lian Hua, already extremely weak, couldn't dodge, let alone move. She could only close her eyes. Lian Hua didn't want to die a foolish death like this, she really didn't want to.
Like someone who could only wait for the pain to subside, a deep sound rang out just as the sharp blade was centimeters away from Lian Hua's jugular vein, stopping her movements. Guard Xue turned toward the source of the sound, shocked to see who it was.
"Sir!"