Exile is exile, is half of the capital enough as compensation?

Not far from them, there was a wolf that Leng Youran released from the space to guard them.

With the wolf leading the way, they did not encounter any danger along the way even though they were walking on a mountain road.

The sun was setting in the west when they had barely crossed half the mountain.

Li Tianze glanced at the sky and said to Li Er behind him, "Rest here. At this rate, two days will be enough to reach the thatched cottage. There's no need to travel at night."

Li Er received the order and passed it on immediately.

Everyone stayed where they were. Although they had to walk on a mountain road, everyone was in good spirits.

Li Tianze looked at the people who were resting there, and nodded with satisfaction when he saw that there was no sign of fatigue on their faces.

They were not tired when they left because they had nothing, but they certainly were not as relaxed as they are now when they came back.

Seeing them gathered together talking and laughing, Li Tianze smiled. Well, everyone has been trapped in the north for so long, now let's just give them a vacation.

After checking around and seeing nothing unusual, he found a big tree to rest under.

Chen Yan'er looked at the endless mountains.

Take a long breath.

This was her first time visiting her grandparents' house. When she saw the road, she couldn't help but look up to her frail father.

"Dad, how did you manage to cross these two mountains and bring Mom out?"

Because of her words, Chen Bainian's thoughts were brought back to twenty years ago.

He was still a handsome young man back then. Although not handsome, he was definitely a modest gentleman.

Thinking of Chen Yaner's mother, a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Your mother took me out. Your mother is a very beautiful woman. She is not only good at martial arts, but also proficient in many things. She has no pressure to survive in the mountains, except for her literary talent of course." When he said the latter part, Chen Bainian's voice became obviously much lower.

It was because of her poor literary talent that she was ostracized by the noble ladies everywhere in the capital, resulting in her not having a single friend around her when she arrived in the capital.

If she hadn't met him, her life would have been different.

But she would rather abandon her family and marry him, but he let her die in the backyard.

Chen Yaner noticed that his father was in a bad mood, so he moved his butt to sit next to him, holding his chin with one hand, and looked at him sideways, "Dad, you rarely told me about Mom in all these years. Is it because Mom died because of me that you have a grudge against me?"

Although she often met her father when she was in the capital, the relationship between the father and daughter was not really close.

She had actually wanted to ask this question for a long time, but she never found the chance to ask it.

When Chen Bainian heard this, he looked at Chen Yan'er beside him. It was the first time he saw her so closely.

Looking at her eyebrows and eyes that were similar to those of his deceased wife, his eyes reddened and he shook his head slightly, "No, it's Dad's fault, Yan'er, do you know? You look a lot like your mother. All these years... it's Dad who has neglected you after all."

If he hadn't ignored it, his daughter wouldn't have been bullied like that by that old witch.

It’s not that he doesn’t love her, but every time he sees her he thinks of his deceased wife.

He was too cowardly back then. Even though many people said that his wife was killed by that old woman Yu, he still held on to a glimmer of hope and refused to believe it.

If he hadn't discovered their true faces on the way to the North, he would probably still be living in the lies he had woven.

"Yan'er, have you ever blamed your father over the years?" Chen Bainian rubbed his hands guiltily when he asked this question.

Anyone would blame him!

Chen Yaner nodded as expected. "I have blamed you, how could I not blame you? I clearly have a father, but I live like an orphan. Every day in the backyard, I have to be disciplined by my aunt and grandmother, and I am not taken seriously by the people in the mansion."

"I've often wondered why I'm living like an outsider even though that's my home. But..."

"Later, when I grew up and saw how hard you worked every day, I gradually let it go."

It’s not so much that she has let it go, but rather that she has become numb.

She knew how powerful her grandmother was. She talked about filial piety and righteousness all the time. Although she was the concubine, she often acted like an old lady.

Of course, he would only act like that in front of her.

Whenever she sees her father, she looks kind and loving.

She often praised her speed in changing faces, saying that someone like her should sing in a southern opera troupe.

Chen Bainian listened to his daughter's words, his brows furrowed so tightly that they could kill a fly. "It's Daddy's fault. Daddy shouldn't have believed her one-sided words. But you should know that Daddy's mother passed away when he was very young, and the old lady was the one who raised me since I was a child. I always thought she was your grandmother's sister. Even if she's not your grandmother, she's still related by blood. It can't be true..."

"I didn't expect she would be so cruel."

He had thought a lot these days, and the old woman had not been very kind to him in the past.

It was simply because his father had said before that only by raising him could he become the mistress of the Chen family, so the old woman was so attentive to him after his mother passed away.

Over the years, she has disguised herself very well. Whether outside or at home, she has always acted like a loving elder to him.

Now that I think about it, when he was little, she didn't dare reveal her true identity because the old man was still alive.

When he grew up, although his father had passed away, he had achieved fame and success, so the old woman never revealed her true nature in front of him.

So much so that he had always thought she was a good person.

Chen Yan'er listened quietly. This was the first time she had a heart-to-heart talk with her father since she was a child.

She could see that her father had not lied to her.

If there is anything to blame, it is only because his father has too high an opinion of human nature.

If their family had not been exiled, his father would probably have thought that the old woman was a good person until his death.

Because she had seen how powerful the old woman was, she really knew how to behave.

He says one thing in front of people and another behind their backs.

Her father is such a straightforward person, it's really naive for him to try to play tricks on her.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan'er couldn't help but shook her head.

Looking at it this way, it doesn't seem surprising that their family was exiled. People like his father are straight and will never be misinterpreted as gay.

In other words, once he decides on something, he will dive into it headfirst and won't be able to pull himself out.

He had offended no one knew how many people he had offended. After the death of the crown prince, he was a member of the crown prince's party. It was a good thing that he was not eliminated but only exiled.

When Chen Bainian saw his daughter shaking her head, he also shook his head, but his eyes were full of helplessness.

"Your mother had you shortly after arriving in Beijing. However, I was always busy with official duties and had very little time to spend with her, so all the household matters were left to the old lady and the others to handle. In fact, I should have noticed earlier that your mother often became anxious and restless. When I asked her, she wouldn't tell me. I ran to ask the old lady, but she said that your mother was pregnant..."