The Humble Family's Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!-Chapter 1024 - 862, Banished to Xiliang

The Emperor sat on the dragon throne in silence, gazing at the ministers kneeling on the ground, and finally said to Xiao Yeyang, "Xiao Yeyang has disrespected the Empress Dowager and is demoted to the Gan State Guard of Xiliang as a Fifth-rank Commissioner to atone for his sins by guarding the frontier of Daxia. What do my beloved subjects think?"

The punishment of being a Fifth-rank Commissioner in the Gan State Guard of Xiliang left the officials speechless. Xiliang was notoriously impoverished and constantly had to guard against invasions from Xiliao. Sending a Prince Residence’s Princely Heir to guard the frontier was undoubtedly a severe punishment.

"The Emperor is wise!"

The Emperor glanced at his nephew, who knelt on the ground bearing his sins, with a trace of guilt in his eyes, "Is there anything else to be reported?"

Seeing that the officials remained silent, the Emperor stood up, "Dismiss the court."

With that, he turned and left.

The officials looked at Xiao Yeyang, who appeared utterly struck by the ordeal. Some felt sympathy for him, while others took pleasure in his misfortune.

Regardless of how Xiao Yeyang felt, immediately after the morning court, rumors spread that the Empress Dowager had died suddenly due to being provoked by Xiao Yeyang.

With the deliberate promotion by some officials, the rumors that the Emperor had killed the Empress Dowager were quickly suppressed.

In the Duke Residence.

When the people of the Prince Residence heard that Xiao Yeyang had been demoted to Xiliang, their expressions fluctuated.

Daohua garnered a wave of sympathy, but having been prepared for this, she remained unresponsive and merely thought about finding some books to read about the geography and customs of Xiliang when she returned.

Among everyone, Consort Ji was the most agitated. The Prince had three sons; Xiao Yechen had gone to guard the Imperial Mausoleum, and now Xiao Yeyang was demoted to Xiliang.

Xiliang, they say, was a very harsh place that frequently encountered friction with Xiliao and endured constant skirmishes. If something happened to Xiao Yeyang, could it be that her son would...

The more Consort Ji thought about it, the hotter her heart grew. Initially, she had never harbored any hopes for the title of the Prince Residence, but now heaven had seemingly delivered it right to her doorstep.

Regrettably, the following words from the Prince immediately extinguished the fiery hope in Consort Ji’s heart.

"Although Xiliang is harsh and cold, there is frequent warfare there, and with Yeyang’s abilities, he could make his mark and return in a few years."

Clearly, the Prince knew that Xiao Yeyang was taking the punishment on behalf of the Emperor.

Consort Jiang looked at Consort Ji’s stiff cheeks and sneered softly, "Delusions of grandeur."

With how much the Prince adored Xiao Yechen, he never thought about passing the title to him, how could he possibly consider the undistinguished Xiao Yechang instead?

...

Xiao Yeyang returned from the palace after dark, and upon entering his room, he saw several books laid out on the desk with Daohua intently reading one of them.

"What are you looking at?"

Daohua, seeing Xiao Yeyang return, smiled and shook the book in her hand, "This is a journal about Xiliang, I plan to finish it quickly so I know what to prepare."

As she spoke, she pulled Xiao Yeyang to sit down and settled herself onto his lap.

"When do we depart? I want to have it settled in my mind."

Xiao Yeyang held Daohua tightly. "You will have to suffer with me."

Daohua glanced at him, "What hardships could there be? We will have maids and servants to take care of food, shelter, and travel. It’s merely about changing our place of living."

Continuing, she whispered in Xiao Yeyang’s ear with a low laugh, "To tell you the truth, I’m kind of looking forward to going to Xiliang. I’ve heard they have vast grasslands there, and I really want to see them."

Xiao Yeyang straightened Daohua, "Life in Xiliang is very harsh. When Miss Dong went there, her face became rough, and her skin darkened considerably."

Daohua replied, "I’m not scared. I’ll take care of myself," she said, appraising Xiao Yeyang, "If I become dark and ugly, would you despise me?"

Xiao Yeyang couldn’t help but laugh and cry at her boldness, "If you would not despise me, I would be grateful. How could I dare despise you?"

Daohua laughed, "I thought you wouldn’t dare. If you dare despise me, I’ll join my master and whip you." Gazing earnestly at Xiao Yeyang again, she added,

"Really, I don’t think living in Xiliang will be that harsh. Beijing may be flourishing, but there are too many things to attend to, especially since we frequently interact with princes, royal relatives, and court ministers. These people all have their own intrigues; dealing with them gets exhausting."

"I feel being in a place like Xiliang would be more relaxing and freer."

Listening to Daohua’s consolation, Xiao Yeyang felt much less guilt, "Xiliang is quite cold in winter, and it’s already October. I plan to leave after the Empress Dowager’s funeral."

Daohua nodded, "All right, I’ll pack up the belongings as soon as possible."

In the days that followed, Xiao Yeyang and Daohua each became busy.

The first thing Daohua decided was to make a list of people to bring to Xiliang. Wang Manman and Xiaoliu were left in Beijing, although she and Xiao Yeyang were going to Xiliang, they still needed to keep informed about Beijing and the Prince Residence.

Both Wang Manman and Xiaoliu are now capable of handling matters on their own, so she felt relieved to leave them behind.

Then it was time to prepare the supplies to take to Xiliang.

Since Xiliang had barren lands and extremely low grain production, Daohua thought of the corn and cotton seeds harvested this year and decided to take them all to Xiliang.

She had checked the geographical records of Xiliang, which were suitable for growing corn and cotton.

As for other crops, she would explore and study them on site once they arrived.

After organizing the list of supplies, Daohua entrusted Guyu, Lixia, and Bi Shi with packing them, while she, along with Mei Lan and Mei Ju, visited the Yan Residence every day.

She did not know how long they would be in Xiliang before they could return to Beijing, so she wanted to spend more time with her family.

As for Gu Jian, he began packing the day after hearing Xiao Yeyang was demoted to Xiliang and showed through his actions that he intended to follow them.

Daohua and Xiao Yeyang knew that Gu Jian did not like Beijing and did not stop him.

The Emperor tried to persuade him several times, unfortunately, without success.

Prince had watched Gu Jian packing with a lot and felt tempted, unfortunately, he knew as the Prince, he couldn’t just leave Beijing at will.

The Empress Dowager’s body had lain in state for half a month before being sent to the Imperial Mausoleum for burial.

By mid-October, in a rush against time, the day after the Empress Dowager was buried, Daohua and Xiao Yeyang went to the Duke Residence to bid farewell in the morning and had lunch before visiting the Yan family to say goodbye.

As they were leaving the Duke Residence, Xiao Yeyang, seeing Guo Ruomei’s anxious and unwilling eyes, hesitated a bit, but still lowered his voice and explained, "The Emperor Uncle intends to reform Xiliang. Although I am officially demoted, I actually hold significant power. You... don’t need to worry too much about me."

Guo Ruomei did not expect Xiao Yeyang to say these things to her, her expression somewhat excited, "Xiliang is harsh and cold, you and Yiyi take care of yourselves. If there’s anything I can help with, please write to me."

Xiao Yeyang nodded, "Okay." Then, he turned around and boarded the carriage.

As the carriage drove away, Xiao Yeyang saw Guo Ruomei still standing at the door looking at them, feeling somewhat touched. However, seeing Chu Lang walking out beside her, he couldn’t help but frown.

Seeing this, Daohua took his hand, "Isn’t it good for mother to have someone who knows her well and cares for her now that she’s alone?"

Xiao Yeyang remained silent.

Daohua continued, "Everyone gets old. Do you have the heart to see mother lonely for the rest of her life?"

Xiao Yeyang said, "I will take care of her in the future."

Daohua sighed, "Yes, we can take care of her, but we can’t always be by her side. There are always things we might overlook, aren’t there?"

"Moreover, everyone has emotional needs. The companionship from children and from a spouse are fundamentally different. Our father had two concubines, aside from other mistresses. What does mother have?"

Xiao Yeyang kept silent.

Daohua didn’t say more, realizing some things are best left pointed out briefly, speaking more would only make it worse.

Soon, they arrived at the Yan Residence.

Daohua and Xiao Yeyang stayed to have dinner with the Yan family before returning to the Prince Residence.

"Grandmother, mother, master is also coming with us to Xiliang. You can stay at the Four Seasons Manor whenever you like in the future. Spend more time in hot springs during the winter; it’s good for your health."

The elderly Madam Yan held onto Daohua, imparting many words of advice.

Before leaving, Daohua also provided the elderly Madam Yan and Madam Li with several carts of food and medicinal herbs from her storage, reminding them to keep for themselves and take good care of their health.

On October 20, in the company of family and friends, Daohua and Xiao Yeyang set off for Xiliang.