After being exiled with her husband and children, she returned with great power to rule the world

At this time, the fugitives under Chifeng also came ashore from the creek one after another. They looked at the lively scene and a long-lost smile appeared on their faces.

Several young and strong convicts exchanged glances with each other, said hello to Yuan Zhiqiang hurriedly, and then ran to the stream impatiently to catch fish, hoping to add something delicious to their dinner.

Yuan Zhiqiang looked at the twenty or thirty female prisoners under his command who were standing neatly, frowned slightly, and then strode towards Chiffon.

On Chiffon's side, the officials were skillfully grilling fish. The fish was evenly heated on the fire, and the skin was already golden and shiny. From time to time, a few drops of hot oil would drip down and fall into the fire, splashing small sparks.

Seeing Yuan Zhiqiang coming over, Chifeng showed a warm smile on his face, picked up a freshly grilled fish and handed it to him: "Master Yuan, try my cooking."

Yuan Zhiqiang took the grilled fish and took a big bite. The fish was tender and juicy, and the aroma of the seasoning blended in perfectly. His eyes lit up immediately and he couldn't help but exclaimed, "Master Qi, this grilled fish is absolutely amazing! I don't think even the chefs in the Beijing restaurants can match your cooking skills!"

Chifeng smiled and waved his hand, "Master Yuan, you're too kind. This grilled fish! Just rub it with plenty of oil to keep the fish tender and fresh, and sprinkle it with plenty of seasoning. It's hard not to be delicious."

As the two of them ate fish, the topic unconsciously turned to Murong Ling'er, Chu Lingfeng and others.

Yuan Zhiqiang swallowed the fish in his mouth, a confused look on his face. "Master Qi, I've always had a question. According to common sense, the prisoners should walk to receive their punishment, but why did you allow them to ride in a carriage? If the other prisoners saw this, they would inevitably be dissatisfied and cause a riot!"

He paused, then continued, "And I've observed them for a long time. These people move around very freely, without even shackles. Lord Qi, aren't you being too lax in your management? What if these fugitives take the opportunity to escape, and the higher-ups blame us? How will you explain it? As officials, it's our duty to treat the fugitives strictly and not give them any opportunities to take advantage. Otherwise, if they become ambitious, we'll be nurturing a tiger to harm them, with disastrous consequences!"

After hearing this, Chifeng raised his head slightly and looked at Murong Ling'er and others busy in the distance. A complicated look flashed in his eyes, and he said slowly: "Master Yuan, the reason behind this is not as simple as you think. Murong Ling'er and others may be exiles, but they have special backgrounds and abilities. If we blindly suppress them, I am afraid it will only backfire."

Yuan Zhiqiang spoke earnestly, his words full of concern and worry for Chifeng, as if he was the one shouldering the heavy responsibility.

Although Chifeng was a little annoyed by the endless nagging, he suppressed his displeasure and pretended to listen attentively.

"Master Yuan, you don't know!" Chifeng sighed helplessly and began to explain, "Those convicts were riding in carriages, but they actually hired them out of their own pockets. As long as they can eventually reach their place of exile on time, I won't interfere too much with their choice of travel method."

"The journey from Kyoto to the East China Sea is thousands of miles long and extremely dangerous. If we follow conventional requirements and make the convicts walk, I'm afraid most of the people I'm escorting will be killed before we even reach our destination. You know, if the convicts suffer too many losses and the higher-ups blame us, we brothers will all be in trouble. I'm doing this for everyone's sake. I can't let you go on this journey in vain and risk your lives!"

Chifeng's words were half true and half false, but they were spoken with such sincerity that it was difficult to question them easily.

After hearing this, Yuan Zhiqiang couldn't help but feel pity.

He was responsible for escorting female prisoners, so the journey was relatively easy. Most of these female prisoners were honest and did not cause him any trouble along the way, so he did not need to work too hard.

Just as Yuan Zhiqiang was secretly rejoicing, suddenly, a sharp scream broke the silence.

"Help! Someone's jumped into the water! Help!"

The hoarse shouts resounded through the sky, and the fear and despair contained in them were like an invisible force that instantly penetrated people's defenses.

"Damn it, you're always causing me trouble!" Yuan Zhiqiang cursed angrily. His face, which was originally serious, was now even more gloomy and frightening, as if water could drip out of it.

With this roar, he jumped up from the rock like an enraged lion, and then ran towards the stream at lightning speed.

Chiffon, who was standing by, was also frightened by this sudden change. He stood up in a hurry, staring nervously towards the stream with wide eyes.

I saw that the streamside was already in chaos, with a lot of noise, cries for help and tears coming one after another.

And those who jumped into the water were actually female prisoners under Yuan Zhiqiang's command! This discovery shocked Qi Feng. He could never have imagined that these seemingly weak women would do such extreme things.

What was even more shocking was that among these female prisoners who jumped into the water, some were holding young children in their arms! Clearly, they had chosen to take their own children with them into this doomed journey.

Looking at the tragic scene in front of him, Chifeng felt a sharp pain in his heart.

These female prisoners all have haggard faces and resolute expressions. Their eyes are empty and lifeless, revealing the sadness of having completely lost hope in life.

Those faces that may have once been full of youthful vitality are now ravaged by suffering and torture, as if they have reached the end of their lives and can no longer find any way out.

Some female prisoners hugged their children tightly, muttering to themselves: "Child, don't blame your mother. We will be born into a good family in the next life."

Some shouted at the top of their lungs: "This world has no room for us, we might as well just die!"

"Boss, what should we do? Should we go over and help?" Xiao San asked anxiously.

Chifeng frowned and thought for a moment before giving a decisive order: "Go, everyone go, save people quickly!" He knew very well that if something really happened, no one would be able to escape responsibility.

Yuan Zhiqiang jumped into the icy stream with an angry face. At this moment, he did not care about much else. With his hands like pliers, he tightly grabbed the female prisoners whose heads were submerged in the water and dragged them to the shore with all his might.

The stream water was stirred into muddy water, and the sounds of the female prisoners struggling and crying mixed together, creating an extremely chaotic scene.

When Chifeng hurriedly arrived with twenty or so officials, quite a few people had already gathered by the stream.

Everyone worked together to rescue those who fell into the water, but a few unfortunately drowned.

The wet female prisoners slumped on the shore, their eyes hollow. One of them burst into tears, "Wuwuwu... Why did you save me? Why didn't you let me die? Why! Why! How can I, with my broken body, still have the dignity to live in this world? I've been subjected to humiliation and torture along the way. It's worse than death!"

Another female prisoner had a dull look in her eyes and murmured, "My child is gone, and my hope is gone too. What's the point of living? Why is God so unfair, letting us suffer like this?"

The mournful cries echoed by the stream, like a silent accusation against the cruel fate, making everyone present feel heavy-hearted.