He Zhiran was stunned.
She vigorously cleaned out her ears, feeling that she must have misheard.
Her impression of Mo Jiuye had always been that he was aloof, profound, taciturn and even shy at times.
If she hadn't heard it with her own ears just now, she really wouldn't have believed that Mo Jiuye was capable of saying something like this.
Besides, when did I ever ask you to make up for our wedding night?
Did I say something wrong that made you misunderstand? It's my fault if I gave you the wrong idea...
But when she thought about it carefully, she didn't actually mind physical contact with Mo Jiuye.
Could it be that she was starting to like him?
That wasn't possible - they had only known each other for a few days!
There was no way she could start to like someone so quickly.
Although in her past life she had idolized Mo Jiuye, the definition of an idol was completely different from that of a lover.
For a moment, He Zhiran felt her thoughts descend into chaos.
However, she had never considered avoiding the issue.
As a modern woman, she had always dared to love and hate openly. It was just that right now, she still wasn't sure exactly what her feelings were.
He Zhiran vigorously shook her head, desperately trying to keep a clear mind.
No matter how things developed between her and Mo Jiuye, everything would follow its own course...
"I'm going to go out and see when we'll be setting off." In order to alleviate the awkwardness, He Zhiran hastily changed the subject.
Seeing her flee as though she were flying, the tense mood that Mo Jiuye was in finally eased up a bit.
After a simple breakfast and getting everything packed up neatly, Peng Wang gave an order and everyone continued on their journey.
Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the city gate, they encountered Fei Nanyu again.
Upon seeing the exiled entourage, Fei Nanyu walked over to meet them. It was obvious that he had been intentionally waiting here.
Fei Nanyu also recognized Peng Wang as the man who had been with He Zhiran when she helped get him out of trouble that day.
Fei Nanyu clasped his hands towards Peng Wang and exchanged some pleasantries, before immediately heading towards the group of Mozi followers. His target was very clearly the couple's direction.
Mo Jiuye immediately became vigilant, thinking first that Fei Nanyu had likely been sent by the King of Qi.
When Fei Nanyu reached them, he stopped in front of the two.
"Madam Mo, I know that your journey into exile is long and arduous." As he spoke, he took out a stack of silver notes from his robe.
"This is a token of my regard, and I hope it can help you out a little."
He Zhiran could see that the silver notes Fei Nanyu held were all 100 taels each, with about ten notes total. That meant Fei Nanyu was gifting them about 1,000 taels of silver.
For ordinary exiled prisoners, 1,000 taels of silver was definitely a huge sum.
But for He Zhiran, who controlled the assets of the entire state treasury, it truly was nothing.
The fact that Fei Nanyu could take out so much silver at once meant that it must have been a reward from Nan Qi.
No matter how highly Nan Qi thought of Fei Nanyu, he would not have given him too much silver after just getting to know him briefly.
For Fei Nanyu to be able to take out this much silver to give to her at one time, he had probably emptied out all he had.
He Zhiran was grateful for this point - it showed that Fei Nanyu was someone who knew how to be thankful.
However, she could not accept Fei Nanyu's silver notes.
The only reason Fei Nanyu was gifting her with so much silver was to repay her for helping him out that day.
If he was just an ordinary person it would be fine, but Fei Nanyu was no ordinary person - he would become the future emperor.
He Zhiran would not be stupid enough to write off her debt of gratitude to Fei Nanyu with 1,000 taels of silver.
Although she didn't know whether there would be any more interactions between them in the future, she wanted to gamble on Fei Nanyu's humanity.
After all, Mo Jiuye's fate in this life had already changed. Being exonerated after death was very different from being cleared of injustice while still alive.
And the person most likely to help clear Mo Jiuye's name while he was still living was none other than Fei Nanyu.
Since He Zhiran did not reach out to take the silver, she firmly declined: "Mr. Fei, I cannot accept this silver. You should take it back!"
Yet Fei Nanyu persisted.
"Madam Mo, you may not know this, but if it weren't for your help that day, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have had the ability to buy my late father a coffin.
I will forever remember your great kindness, and I only hope that you will accept this token of thanks to set my mind at ease."
Set your mind at ease?
How could that be possible? I want you to remember this debt of gratitude for the rest of your life...
As He Zhiran muttered inwardly, she resolutely pushed the silver notes back towards him.
Seeing this, Mo Jiuye stepped forward and said, "Sir, my wife has always been stubborn. Since she said she won't accept it, she definitely won't. Please don't make things difficult for her."
Seeing how the couple was rejecting the proffered silver, everyone felt it was a pity on their behalf.
Having 1,000 taels of silver by their side during their exile would solve any problems they might face, likely lasting them all the way until they reached the northwest.
They really didn't understand why the couple didn't want so much silver.
The other wives watched anxiously, but they all knew He Zhiran always had her own reasons for things. So without saying anything, they could only stare longingly as the silver notes were refused.
Fei Nanyu realized his silver would not be making its way into their hands today. He smiled helplessly and put the notes back into his robe.
"Since that's the case, I won't force you."
As he spoke, Fei Nanyu leaned forward and whispered into Mo Jiuye's ear, "If I gain the power, I will definitely help exonerate you."
Although his voice was soft, He Zhiran managed to catch part of what he said.
This was the assurance she wanted from Fei Nanyu - it was far more valuable than 1,000 taels of silver.
Mo Jiuye solemnly nodded once and likewise whispered softly, "Then thank you in advance, Mr. Fei."
Fei Nanyu lightly patted Mo Jiuye's shoulder and strode away with large steps.
The group continued on, hurrying along for three straight days until the afternoon of the fourth day. The weather had become exceptionally muggy.
Old Man Heaven picked this moment to change his temper. The previously clear skies gradually became filled with dark clouds after a fierce gust of wind.
Zhou Laoba hurried to catch up with Peng Wang at the rear of the group.
"Boss, it's going to rain."
Peng Wang looked up at the sky full of clouds and said, "This rain doesn't look like it'll be small. Go on for another ten li and there's a village. Let's quicken our pace and take shelter from the rain at one of the villagers' homes."
"Alright." Zhou Laoba acknowledged him then turned and shouted at the crowd: "Hurry it up, or the whip will be waiting for anyone who falls behind!"
Anxious as well, no one wanted to get caught in the rain. Urged on by Zhou Laoba's yell, they obediently picked up the pace.
It seemed Heaven was not on their side, for just after they had gone a short distance, large raindrops began pelting down.
To make matters worse, they were surrounded by open country without any place to take shelter.
Left with no other choice, Peng Wang could only order them to keep moving forward.
The rain grew heavier and heavier, pouring down relentlessly.
The officers were alright - when they had set out from the capital, each of them had prepared an oiled-paper umbrella. But they, the exiled prisoners, were not so fortunate and had no rain gear at all.
