Behind them, a few observant people saw Qian Jiaze's swollen and bruised face. They exchanged looks and no longer dared to look down on Sun Juanfang as just a mere woman.
This was exactly the effect Sun Juanfang was going for—killing the chicken to scare the monkey. She had no patience to deal with these petty matters every day.
That day during their journey, several people who had tried to escape the night before were shackled with long iron chains that bound their hands, leaving only their feet free for walking.
As for the man with the broken leg, he had to rely on his family's support to painfully limp along.
Just by looking at them, it was obvious that without treatment, they wouldn't last long.
But the constables didn't need to ensure all prisoners reached Beihuang alive. The imperial law allowed for a 40% death rate.
So, people dying on the road to exile? Perfectly normal.
Last night, Sun Juanfang had discreetly padded her shoes with sanitary pads stored in her dimensional space. Because of that, she felt much more comfortable during the day's journey.
However, she still acted tired and weary on the outside, keeping her walking pace in line with most of the other women.
That day's march was slower than usual since many hadn't eaten. The constables didn't push the group to move faster either.
They understood: without food, this pace was already reasonable. They knew when to be strict and when to relax.
By nightfall, the group arrived at a dilapidated temple. The constables left a few men outside to stand watch in shifts, while the rest went inside to rest.
"Standing guard" mainly meant watching the able-bodied young men.
As for Sun Juanfang and the others, they had to huddle into corners of the temple for shelter as their resting spot.
Having anticipated the order to rest, Sun Juanfang immediately took Ting-jie'er and secured a spot near a sheltered corner of the wall.
The others saw this but had no energy to compete with her. So much had happened in the past two days that most just wanted to collapse to the ground; nobody had the spirit to stir up trouble.
Meanwhile, Qian Mingwu felt his wife had completely changed since the family's exile began. She now only cared for their daughter, no longer the obedient, filial woman she used to be.
But after observing her for two days, he realized something worse—he could no longer control her. Even thinking badly of her caused his head to ache unbearably. It was downright eerie.
And it wasn't just Qian Mingwu. Even the old madam Qian felt the same.
So now, both of them felt a complicated mix of resentment and fear toward Sun Juanfang.
As for Li Yuexi, who harbored malicious thoughts toward her—Sun Juanfang sensed it. Last night, she caused her to have a terrible nightmare during the first half of the night. If the escape incident hadn't happened during the second half, Li Yuexi would've suffered even more.
That evening, the constables again didn't hand out any cornbread, only gave each person a sip of water. The exhausted prisoners didn't dare direct their anger at the constables, so they all turned their fury toward the families of the escapees.
It was like the prisoners had automatically split into two groups—those who hated the troublemakers and their kin, whom they blamed for everyone's suffering.
Before bed, all the injured escapees began running fevers, especially the man with the broken leg—he had already fallen unconscious.
Other than their own families, no one showed concern. Most people just watched coldly, some even smiling in schadenfreude.
Although Sun Juanfang knew medicine, she had no intention of exposing herself to save strangers. She wasn't about to do a losing deal like that.
Then, a teenage girl suddenly knelt before Lord Wu, holding a silver note worth 100 taels in her hands.
"Sir, I beg for your mercy—please save my brother. I will repay your kindness with my life."
She then kowtowed forcefully, knocking her forehead bloody.
Moved by the silver note, Lord Wu summoned a middle-aged man from the group.
His name was Yuan Shu, the group's accompanying doctor, mainly responsible for the health of the constables.
Doctor Yuan prescribed a cooling medicine for the girl's brother and then retreated.
Qian Ling'er (the girl) had to offer more silver and borrowed a clay pot from a nearby constable to brew the medicine.
Sun Juanfang, observing silently from the side, felt a bit of appreciation for Qian Ling'er.
At least the girl knew how to assess the situation and give up her wealth to save her brother—commendable.
Unfortunately, she was still too naive. She hadn't learned to "hide wealth." If she had handled this matter more discreetly, it would've been much better for her later.
Lord Wu agreed to help not only because of the silver note but also because Qian Ling'er reminded him of his own daughter back home.
Other injured families tried the same approach, but they didn't have enough money, so Lord Wu rejected them outright.
This deepened the resentment many had toward Lord Wu and even caused some to dislike Qian Ling'er, laying the groundwork for future conflicts.
That night seemed calm, but Sun Juanfang was deep in thought.
What had happened to her in her past life at this broken temple?
Wait—that's right! It was an attack by bandits! She'd almost forgotten. Her mind really had been foggy lately—how could she forget something so important? She was nearly as slow as a pig!
Looks like sleep was off the table tonight. Sun Juanfang used her spiritual-type ability to monitor the surroundings vigilantly, not daring to relax for even a moment.
Around 1–3 a.m. (the "chou" hour), she detected a group of over ten burly horsemen a few hundred meters from the temple. When they saw the glow of the firelight, they quietly dismounted.
And Sun Juanfang? Her plan was simple: steal the horses while they were off them—so that these bandits would never make it back alive.