Confiscating property? A stunningly beautiful substitute bride empties the national treasury and is

"Manager Tong, then let's listen to my husband and book two rooms, one on the first floor and one on the second floor. It would be best if they were close to the stairs and right next to each other."

Song Qingqian changed her mind and advised that it would be better to stay closer, especially since she had just noticed that Jiang Ce's room was at the very back. This way, they wouldn't run into each other so often, which might reduce conflicts.

"Alright! I'll do as you say, young lady!"

Shopkeeper Tong agreed with a beaming smile. This young lady was not only beautiful and kind-hearted, but also had a sweet voice that made his heart flutter.

"This way, please. I'll take the ladies over there."

"Then I'll have to trouble Manager Tong!"

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

Shopkeeper Tong was overjoyed. He leaned closer to Song Qingqian and whispered, "..."

"Young ladies, are you from the capital? Where are you headed?"

"Barbarians!"

Song Qingqian spoke frankly.

"Oh, how did you end up being exiled there? It would take at least two or three months to get there, and I've heard that nine out of ten people die in that barbarian land. Your whole family is going to have a hard time!"

Shopkeeper Tong sighed with sympathy, but secretly he was overjoyed. The bigger the bet he placed, the more tempted this young lady would be.

Song Qingqian said nonchalantly, "Shopkeeper, can we order food here? How much silver do you think is appropriate? I'd like to borrow your kitchen. We've all had a long and tiring journey and haven't had a hot meal yet."

"You can order, but we only have common home-style dishes here. If you'd like some delicacies, I'll have to figure something out..."

After saying that, Manager Tong chuckled, and Song Qingqian nodded as well: "Ordinary home-style dishes are fine."

Lu Yunqi pushed Lu Jingchuan along as they followed, muttering under his breath, "Third brother, did you see that? You're still here, and she's openly seducing someone right in front of you. We're better off without a woman like that..."

"And what a lousy shopkeeper! His filthy thoughts are written all over his face. He's so good at making women weak in the knees and soft in the mouth."

"I think Song Qingqian did it on purpose. All those years of learning about propriety and morality have gone to waste. She has no self-respect or self-love, and she doesn't uphold any traditional female virtues..."

"Alright! Stop talking!"

Lu Jingchuan, his face darkening, snorted coldly to stop him. He wasn't blind; how could he not see?

But what can a cripple like him do now? Let alone protect his family, he's the one who needs to be taken care of. He can't stand up for himself and can only feel humiliated.

Lu Yunqi asked incredulously, "Third brother, aren't you really going to do anything about it? Can you really swallow this insult?"

"What if you can't swallow it? Do you have a better way?"

Lu Jingchuan asked in a cold voice.

"Go and beat him up! You're a general with a distinguished military record, are you afraid of him? He's already eyeing your woman, what's there to be afraid of?"

Lu Yunqi urged, not that he really wanted to cause trouble, but the shopkeeper was going too far. He had been looking down on them and ignoring their existence since the beginning. This was intolerable!

Lu Jingchuan's eyes were deep and cold, but they slowly dimmed after a long while. He couldn't act impulsively. He had no bargaining chips right now, and he was full of weaknesses. He had to wait... wait until his wings were fully grown again.

"Never mind, let's wait and see..."

Lu Yunqi was speechless. For the first time, he deeply felt the third brother's dejection and helplessness. Could it be that an exile had completely worn down his spirit?

That shouldn't be the case. He almost died but managed to get back up, so why can't the third brother? Is it because he's carrying too much baggage? Is he burdened with too many responsibilities?

They've already been exiled, what burden do they have left? They'll just live one day at a time, who knows when they'll all be gone.

"These are the two closest rooms, but it's a bit noisy with lots of people going up and down the stairs. Do you think that's acceptable, young lady?"

Shopkeeper Tong continued with a smile.

"It's alright, these two rooms will do. Thank you, shopkeeper."

Song Qingqian smiled faintly and let Bai Shi lead the others inside first. She followed Manager Tong to order food, since they had been hungry all day and filling their stomachs was the most important thing.

Most of the exiled officers and soldiers guarded the backyard and the entrance of the post station. Only four officers and soldiers were left to guard the few families who lived alone, but with so many people, they could not completely prevent them from coming and going.

Just like now, Bei Mu and Bei Chu, who had already received the news and checked in in advance, went straight to greet Lu Jingchuan at the door of his room.

"General, are you alright?"

Bei Chu asked anxiously, and after carefully examining Lu Jingchuan, he was relieved to see that he was unharmed and even looked much better than before.

After finishing their business in the capital, he and Bei Mu rushed here without stopping.

But before they could exchange more than a few words, the soldiers urged them on. Bei Chu stuffed all the silver notes in his pocket into Lu Jingchuan's hands and instructed him:

"General, please keep this silver for now. We'll be staying next door; just let us know if you need anything..."

Lu Jingchuan nodded, and under the greedy gazes of Lu Yunqi and the officials, he put away the silver notes and pushed open the door to enter the room.

The two soldiers muttered to themselves, "Sure enough, this War God General still has quite a bit of influence. Even though he's so poor that he's been exiled, someone still rides over on horseback to deliver silver. He's truly loyal."

Unlike some superiors who, despite holding high positions, still had to grovel and beg for divine intervention during their exile…

Just as Lu Yunqi was about to enter the room, he saw Yu Ke'er cautiously waving at him from the corridor.

"Brother Yun..."

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Yunqi walked over and asked in a nonchalant tone, "What is it?"

"Brother Yun, I came here specifically to apologize to you. I'm so sorry..."

"You know I love you, but my father doesn't agree, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Brother Yun, I am a concubine's daughter, I really have no choice..."

Yu Ke'er burst into tears as she spoke. In truth, she didn't want to come either, but the news that someone had just given Lu Jingchuan a stack of silver notes spread like wildfire among the exiles.

Old Man Yu was envious and wanted to get some benefits, but he couldn't bring himself to ask the old lady for help, so he could only send his youngest daughter over first. Judging from Lu Yunqi's infatuation, this matter was very likely to succeed.

Lu Yunqi felt a pang of sympathy, but the memory of his pathetic state that day quickly reignited his anger. He was nearly dead, and Yu Ke'er hadn't shown any mercy in saving him…

Lu Yunqi said in a calm tone, "If you have something to say, say it. If not, go back."

"Brother Yun, you're still blaming me, aren't you..."

Yu Ke'er cried and rushed over to hug Lu Yunqi's waist, burying her face completely in his chest, sobbing again and again with a feeling of grievance and helplessness.

Lu Yunqi's heart melted instantly. Thinking of her status in the Yu family, Lu Yunqi unconsciously raised his hand, wanting to comfort her.

But he was still somewhat unwilling, so he waited until Yu Ke'er calmed down before asking in a low voice:

"So, Ke'er, you only want to make up with me, right?"

With tears welling in her eyes, Yu Ke'er quickly nodded, "Brother Yun, I'm sorry..."

"Alright, it's all in the past."

Lu Yunqi patted her reassuringly: "I understand!"

"Yes, I knew Brother Yun was the best. Only you understand me."

After Yu Ke'er finished speaking happily, she whispered, "Brother Yun, there are more than twenty people crammed into one room in the backyard. It stinks, and I don't even have a place to put my feet down. They... they still have people..."

"What? Did they bully you?"

Lu Yunqi suddenly tensed up and quickly asked.

"It's okay, Brother Yun, don't be nervous. It's just that I really don't want to stay with them."

"Brother Yun, could you lend me some silver? I'll definitely pay you back when I have it..."

Lu Yunqi looked at her with difficulty. He only had less than two taels of silver in his hand, which his sister-in-law had secretly given him to buy steamed buns. If he borrowed it, he would go hungry.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yunqi asked, "How much do you want to borrow?"

Yu Ke'er looked around and, luckily, no one was there, so she quickly made a hand gesture.

"Five taels?"

Lu Yunqi countered with a question.

"No, fifty taels!"

Yu Ke'er lowered her voice and said, "Brother Yun, five taels isn't enough. You're living with Brother Chuan now, why don't you ask him to lend you some? He's kind-hearted and will definitely lend you some."

Lu Yunqi's expression changed, and he took two steps back. If it were one or two taels of silver, he felt that Yu Ke'er would definitely be trying to reconcile with him.

They're offering fifty taels right off the bat? Do they really think he's a fool?

"Brother Yun..."

Yu Ke'er pitifully tried to grab Lu Yunqi's clothes, but he deliberately dodged her.