"I will instruct reliable servants to set fire to the mansion after we escape, creating the illusion that we perished in the flames. This way, the Emperor will not issue a nationwide manhunt for us…
We will hide in remote villages far from the capital, live under assumed identities, and should be able to live out our lives in peace," said Concubine Zheng.
"It's just that you all will have to suffer and live difficult lives from now on, constantly hiding and being cautious," Concubine Zheng looked at her granddaughter, her eyes filled with pity and heartache.
The one who was the most pitiful, and the one who pained her the most, was this little granddaughter.
Yue'er had always lived at the border. Life at the border was not easy.
She had finally returned to the mansion and enjoyed the good life befitting a princess, only to have this happen shortly after. Not only did she lose both parents overnight, but now she had to embark on a life of escape. Truly tragic!
Huangfu Yue looked at Concubine Zheng, thinking that her grandmother was no simple woman, capable of devising such a clever plan of shedding the cicada's shell.
If this "shedding the cicada's shell" plan went smoothly, it was feasible…
"It's not good! It's not good… Everything is not good!" Suddenly, a panicked cry came from outside.
Everyone in the room immediately turned towards the door. Soon, the door was pushed open, and a young servant rushed in in a state of panic.
"What's not good? What happened?" Concubine Zheng quickly asked the servant.
"Reporting to the Consort, the guards at the gate inform us that a troop of imperial soldiers has suddenly arrived, stating they were sent by the Emperor to raid the mansion," the servant reported hastily.
"What!" Concubine Zheng's face changed drastically. "Wasn't it said that the Emperor would only issue an decree to send people to raid the mansion tomorrow morning? Why are they here now… It seems the Emperor already knows that someone tipped me off."
"What are we going to do now! The Emperor sent people to raid the mansion ahead of schedule, we are about to be exiled, it's over, it's over… We can't escape! Woo woo…"
Yang Wanqian, the most delicate and timid, and always prone to tears, was terrified, her face drained of color, and she cried loudly.
Xu Yujing and Zhong Liangshu were also terrified, their faces pale with panic, and they cried out that it was the end and what to do.
Although Zhu Jiayi did not cry, it was evident that she was already at a loss and on the verge of tears.
Only Huangfu Yue appeared exceptionally calm and said, "Sisters-in-law, stop crying, crying is useless now. Since we can't escape, why not quickly return to your respective rooms and hide your valuables on your person? We can make further plans later."
Although she had moved countless wealth into her spatial dimension, she still wanted her sisters-in-law to hide some money on themselves. The more money they could take, the better.
"Yue'er is right. Quickly return to your rooms and hide as much money as you can on your person." Concubine Zheng, who had also panicked, calmed down upon hearing Huangfu Yue's words and quickly said.
"That's right. In case the soldiers who come to raid the mansion search us, do not hide the money in places that are easily discovered. After you return to your rooms, pry open the soles of your shoes and hide the money inside the soles. It's not easily discovered when hidden in the shoe soles," Concubine Zheng instructed.
Zhu Jiayi and the others quickly nodded. Since they couldn't escape, they could only hurry back to hide money. This way, having money on them during exile would be a form of support.
Zhu Jiayi and a few sisters-in-law left immediately. Although Huangfu Yue had already collected everything she needed to take from her room into her spatial dimension, she still planned to leave at once.
She wanted to go to other parts of the mansion to see if there was anything else that needed to be taken, and put it all into her spatial dimension.
"Yue'er, wait," Concubine Zheng saw her granddaughter about to leave and quickly called out to her.
"Grandmother, are there any other instructions or advice for me?" Huangfu Yue looked at Concubine Zheng with confusion.
"No, I just want you to come with me to the kitchen to get some food to hide," Concubine Zheng shook her head and said.
"People who are raided and exiled are very miserable. They are not allowed to take anything. Food on the road of exile depends entirely on what the escorts provide and bestow.
If the escorts are kind, then there is no need to worry too much; you will have food for every meal. But if they are not kind, you will be pitiful, and it is uncertain if you can eat one meal out of three.
Generally, there are few good people among the escorts. Most are poisonous and wicked, who will bully and abuse prisoners, deliberately starving them, making them beg for a mouthful of food. We absolutely cannot endure such humiliation, so we must hurry to the kitchen now to hide some food on our person," Concubine Zheng explained.
Huangfu Yue nodded, thinking her grandmother was quite thoughtful.
Although Huangfu Yue had all sorts of food in her supermarket, she couldn't bring herself to give it to the people in the mansion because it was hard to explain where the items came from. Therefore, she followed Concubine Zheng to the kitchen.
Despite her age, Concubine Zheng was in very good health and was still quite vigorous. She led Huangfu Yue to run quickly to the kitchen.
After Concubine Zheng lit the kitchen lamp, she instructed her granddaughter, "Yue'er, you specifically pick cooked food, like buns, mantou, flatbreads, and pastries that can be eaten immediately. Don't take anything else."
Huangfu Yue responded and went to the steamer to search. The people in the mansion loved to eat buns, so the cooks in the mansion steamed many buns every day for the people in the mansion to eat the next day. Therefore, there were bound to be buns in the steamer.
Indeed, when the steamer was opened, it was filled with buns steamed the previous night. Just as Huangfu Yue was about to reach for a bun, she heard a commotion outside. Her eyes darkened; it seemed the soldiers sent to raid had already entered the mansion and were nearby.
Concubine Zheng also realized this. While packing pastries, she stopped and looked at Huangfu Yue: "Yue'er, the soldiers are here. I will go and hold them off for a while. You hurry and hide more food."
The soldiers were already nearby and could come at any moment, but she and her granddaughter had just entered the kitchen and hadn't taken much food. So, she had to go find the soldiers herself to delay them, allowing her granddaughter to hide more food.
Huangfu Yue was overjoyed when she heard Concubine Zheng was leaving and immediately agreed.
With her grandmother gone, she could collect all the food in the kitchen into her spatial dimension.
After Concubine Zheng left, Huangfu Yue immediately collected all the food in the kitchen into her spatial dimension, not even sparing the oil and seasonings.
Seeing the piles of firewood and charcoal in the corner, she also collected all the charcoal into her spatial dimension.
She glanced at the pots and pans on the stove and collected them into her spatial dimension as well.
After thinking about it, she collected some other kitchen utensils into her spatial dimension, and she also took half of the bowls and chopsticks into her spatial dimension.
Alright, now whatever they needed on the road of exile, she could take it out. When the people from the mansion asked how she could produce these items, she would say they were secretly hidden at this time. When asked where she hid so many things, she had a ready excuse that had just come to her mind.
She was truly brilliant!