Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Do You Really Want to Divorce Zhao Xiyan?
 

Zhao Shuanghua had sent over two rabbits to Guan Yidao, and there were plans for the remaining four rabbits.

They ate two and dried two for staving off hunger on the road.

Seeing the brothers Zhang Qifeng dressed in thin clothes, Qi Yue directly threw all four pelts in front of Zhang Zhao.

“Do you know how to tan fur?”

Zhang Zhao nodded hurriedly.

“Yes, I’m quite skilled at it. Miss Qi, if you want clothes made, leave it to me.”

“Make clothes for your son. If not you, then whom?” Qi Yue looked at Cong Zhonglan, “I also can’t make clothes. Do you think these four pelts are enough to make an outfit for each of them?”

Cong Zhonglan’s face filled with gratitude, and her tears almost started flowing again.

“Yes, it’s enough.”

“Then that’s settled. It’s getting cold; don’t let them catch a chill.”

“Yes, thank you, Miss Qi.”

Upon knowing that Qi Yue was making clothes for the two boys, Zhang Zhao bent his knees, about to kneel and kowtow again.

Qi Yue quickly walked away, dropping a sentence behind her.

“Return this favor later; don’t think you can just kneel and be done with it.”

Hearing this, Zhang Zhao, a burly man, his eyes instantly reddened.

“Yes, Miss Qi.”

The couple secretly vowed in their hearts, as long as they lived a day, they would follow Qi Yue’s lead and never back down.

That evening, they enjoyed a bountiful meal. After dinner, Shen Yu brought a package, saying it was clothes specially altered by her and a few younger sisters-in-law.

Taking the excuse to change clothes, Qi Yue returned to her space one more time.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she almost didn’t recognize who she was.

This was not the 200-pound heavy woman but clearly a striking and spirited lady.

She guessed it was because she deliberately drank a lot of Spiritual Spring Water; she had lost a lot of weight these past few days.

If not for being sure it was herself, Qi Yue would almost not dare to recognize her.

An almost 170 cm tall stature, which was rare in this world.

Despite her face still being a bit plump, her features were now very pronounced.

Full lips bearing a distinct cupid’s bow revealed a beautiful arch with a slight opening of her mouth.

Above her perky and spirited nose were a pair of moist and lustrous Liao Ye eyes.

These naturally tender eyes, combined with her clear and well-defined facial contours, added a sense of refinement and allure to her whole persona.

“I never thought I’d be a beauty.”

Seeing the woman in the mirror who embodied both spirited grace and delicate charm, Qi Yue couldn’t help but smile.

But when her gaze focused on the clothes in front of her, she couldn’t help but frown.

This figure was still a bit too plump, she needed to lose a bit more weight.

Checking the scale, indeed, she still weighed 130 pounds.

Returning to the small pavilion in the courtyard, Qi Yue quickly downed two large cups of Spiritual Spring Water.

It would be best to lose another 20 pounds; otherwise, these two hefty bulks in front felt somewhat inconvenient.

The night passed quietly.

Before dawn, Guan Yidao was already calling to set off.

Since they were following a newly planned route, they moved a bit slowly. It was nearly noon by the time the exile convoy reached halfway up the mountain.

However, having reached this point, they were already far from the Dayuan Uninhabited Area, and along the way, they began to see hunters and farmers.

As they neared the base of the mountain, they even encountered a group of fierce-looking men.

All of them were sturdy and muscular, clearly accustomed to doing physical labor over long periods.

But at the moment, they didn’t look very well.

As if they had just returned from a fight, a few of them even had injuries, and blood was dripping from the corners of their mouths.

Seeing such a large convoy of exiles passing by, these men also seemed surprised.

But ultimately, they passed each other without incident.

Qi Yue felt somewhat uneasy inside.

She felt that these people seemed to be those who mined silver in the mountains.

At dusk, the exile convoy reached the northernmost border town of Longnan County.

The border town was desolate, causing Qi Yue, who had planned to find someone to make a wheelchair, to give up on the idea.

Fortunately, Guan Yidao had no intention of staying, and they set off for the Longnan County Government early the next morning.

After reaching the County Government, another fifteen days to the south lay their final destination—Longnan Ridge!

With their destination in sight, the government officials were eager to conclude their mission, cracking their whips even louder.

Just as the party left the border town, two horsemen caught up and intercepted Guan Yidao.

Because of the distance, Qi Yue could only faintly hear one of the men inquiring about the matters along the way with Guan Yidao.

It was unclear how Guan Yidao handled them, but the two men soon left.

However, when they left, their gazes constantly swept over everyone present.

The exile convoy had lost most of their luggage due to the travel hardships.

As the weather had turned cold, everyone had layered all the clothes they had brought, which these people scrutinized thoroughly.

Qi Yue was almost certain that they were looking for silver.

Taking advantage of a short break during the journey, Qi Yue purposefully approached Guan Yidao to inquire.

“Commander Guan, why did those people catch up to us? Was there nothing of concern?”

The commander seemed slightly surprised that she asked, but he still responded.

“No. It has nothing to do with the Zhao Family.”

“Oh, I was just worried it might have something to do with Qian Faliang.”

Commander Guan paused for a moment, then relayed the situation.

“Yesterday, a brawl erupted in the border town involving a silver mine. It also involved military bandits, but it had nothing to do with criminals.”

Qi Yue feigned a sigh of relief.

“That’s reassuring. But what exactly are these military bandits?”

Perhaps noticing her strong curiosity, Guan Yidao filled her in about the military bandits.

It turned out that the Dayuan Uninhabited Area surprisingly harbored a considerable number of deserters and soldiers, making Qi Yue wary.

She was almost certain that the people on the road the previous day were military bandits, and while she was moving someone else’s silver, they were fighting at the foot of the mountain.

They were all desperate outlaws.

If one day she needed to use the silver bricks or those mined ores and word got out, they’d be at her door in minutes with axes ready.

Luckily, she had plenty of silver in her space and wouldn’t need those silver bricks for a while.

With this thought, she relaxed again.

Just as she was about to leave and return to the Zhao family group, Guan Yidao suddenly called out to her.

“Qi Yue.”

“Hmm? Do you need something, Commander Guan?”

Qi Yue had always struggled to accept Guan Yidao’s paternal tone.

The middle-aged man always seemed poised to lecture her.

“We’ll soon reach Longnan Ridge. Are you truly intending to divorce Zhao Xiyan?”

Qi Yue hadn’t expected Guan Yidao to bring this up, and she was momentarily stunned.

But once she collected herself, she realized that once they reached Longnan Ridge, this would be the first thing she’d have to confront.

A divorce meant freedom, instant liberation from slavery.

Even if she couldn’t leave the place of exile, she’d be a regular civilian who could engage in business and own property—a comfortable life.

But if she didn’t divorce, she would have to take care of Zhao Xiyan and manage the entire Zhao family.

One aspect was how to survive in Longnan Ridge, the other was contending with the officials of the Imperial Court.

Though Qian Faliang was dead, another could appear at any time.

Thinking about these endless troubles, Qi Yue felt a headache coming on.

Although she was quite fond of Zhao Xiyan’s looks and voice, she wasn’t ready to gamble her life on it.

“I haven’t decided yet; I’ll see when we get there!”