On the ground lay two people side-by-side, covered in filthy blood, their hair disheveled like wild grass obscuring their faces, making their features indistinguishable.
At a glance, they looked no different from corpses in a chaotic graveyard.
Only the style of their clothing gave away which was Zhao Yongzhe and which was Zhao Xiyan.
Qi Yue felt a tightness in her chest and quickly bent down to check.
Taking their pulse, she sighed with relief.
Fortunately, Zhao Yongzhe was not completely dead, and Zhao Xiyan was still alive, though both were gravely injured.
Zhao Yongzhe's legs were broken, and his back was covered with dense whip marks, with three deep enough to show the bone.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xiyan's pulse was more complicated.
He already had unidentified toxic medicine in his system, which made the nerves in his legs numb.
Those who beat him seemed quite aware of this, as they did not touch his legs but instead nearly shredded his back.
Even for a doctor, Qi Yue had encountered many severely traumatized patients, but never had she seen someone beaten so brutally.
The thick blood almost soaked their backs completely, and none of the visible skin was spared, as if their human skins had been peeled off.
It was indeed a miracle that these father and son could survive to this point.
She examined the injuries while rapidly devising a treatment plan in her mind.
With the medicines she had, she felt confident she could save Zhao Yongzhe's life.
With a thought, a few oral hemostatic pills and antibiotics appeared in her hand.
Pretending to tidy Zhao Yongzhe's clothes, seeing the soldiers outside were not paying attention, Qi Yue quickly brushed back Zhao Yongzhe's hair and administered the medicine to his mouth.
Unexpectedly, this scene was clearly seen by Zhao Yonglian, who was watching nearby.
He glanced outside and whispered, "Niece-in-law, is your father…"
Qi Yue silently nodded.
"Father is not dead. I learned medical skills from the nanny who stayed with my grandmother, and now I must treat him."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yonglian's eyes flashed with light.
"Niece-in-law, what should we do next?"
Qi Yue whispered a few words, and Zhao Yonglian immediately stood up and knocked on the door.
"Officer, although my elder brother has suffered misfortune, he was once the Duke, and taking him out with such bloodstains is likely to cause public judgment. We ask you to allow us to tidy him up a bit."
Zhao Yongzhe, after all, was Anguo Duke, and to be killed before the exile with bloodstains would be hard to hear.
The soldiers outside whispered among themselves, and before long, they returned with half a basin of water and an old garment.
Qi Yue asked Zhao Yonglian to keep watch on the soldiers outside while she started cleaning Zhao Yongzhe's back wounds.
Conditions were limited, and many of her supplies could not be brought out.
Fortunately, Zhao Yonglian kept watch outside, and the others stayed far away, not daring to look, which gave her room to act.
She pretended to use the water brought by the soldiers to clean the wounds but had already switched to hydrogen peroxide.
Next came the suturing.
The needle and thread were fine, with many women having the habit of hiding sewing tools in their sleeves, making explanations almost unnecessary for Qi Yue.
The only surprise was the suturing technique.
Seeing Qi Yue's hands fly as she threaded the needle and the thread, Zhao Yonglian's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, yet he ultimately said nothing.
After treating Zhao Yongzhe, Qi Yue continued with Zhao Xiyan.
With the last step of the medicine applied, she was already covered in sweat.
The situation did not allow for IV drips, so she gave each of them an injection directly.
She checked Zhao Yongzhe's condition again and found his breathing gradually returning to normal; Zhao Xiyan also improved greatly.
"Life is temporarily saved."
She exhaled a sigh of relief, intending to wipe the filthy blood off their faces when the door suddenly swung open.
"Move, move, move!! It's time to depart!"
Zhao Yonglian quickly stepped forward, "Officer, my elder brother is still alive, could you please arrange for a carriage so I can take them along."
The soldier stepped forward, placing a finger under Zhao Yongzhe's nose, then furrowed his brows, "Not dead?"
He glanced at Qi Yue, then at Zhao Yonglian.
"What did you do?"
Qi Yue shook her head.
"My father merely had a temporary hiccup; he's alright!"
"Truly incredible." The soldier cursed and walked out.
At this moment, the commander responsible for the exile, Guan Yidao, and the officials had arrived, taking over from the guard soldiers and verifying numbers.
Soon, the Imperial Capital Prefecture sent the exile paperwork for the Zhao family, which Guan Yidao signed and filed, completing the handover.
The imprisoned Zhao family members were forced out of the house, and Zhao Yongzhe and Zhao Xiyan were carried out and placed on a carriage, ready to depart.
With swollen eyes, Shen Yu saw the father and son on the carriage frame and rushed over, crying uncontrollably.
Chen Suyun, upon hearing her son was to pull the cart for the dead, immediately became displeased.
She knelt before Guan Yidao, appealing to him to separate the second and first branches of the family.
"Officer, our second branch was implicated by the first branch."
"Those father and son committed all sorts of misdeeds, and it's only right for them to face the consequences. It makes no sense for my son to suffer alongside them!"
Guan Yidao had been commander for over a decade, having escorted many prisoners. He had seen all types but never encountered someone demanding separation before the journey.
He immediately wrote a severance paper, marking the situation in the exile documents, and each person pressed their fingerprint, officially severing ties.
With the ties severed, the two juniors from the second branch were no longer obligated to pull the carriage.
Zhao Yongzhe had but one son, Zhao Xiyan, and now both lay on the carriage. Ultimately, it was Zhao Family's third son, Zhao Yonglian, who pulled the cart.
The family left the capital under the scorching sun amid the people's pointing fingers.
The Zhao Family's reputation was decent, so no one threw rotten vegetables or bad eggs at them.
Half a shichen later, the family arrived at the guest pavilion ten miles from the capital.
Alongside the Anguo Ducal Mansion, over twenty other houses were also confiscated.
The stop was to gather everyone together before continuing.
Sometimes, someone would send food or money to the exiles, and a couple of poignant cries echoed.
Though the Anguo Ducal Mansion held the highest status among the exiles, not a single person came to grace them.
After a hundred years of marquis status, collapsing in an instant, everyone avoided them, fearing they'd be implicated.
The family nestled together under a large tree, savored their last moments of tranquility.
It seemed after this moment, peace would be out of reach.
Qi Yue surveyed the surroundings, contemplating the challenges to come on this journey, suddenly spotting Qi Fengzhang and Bai Jiahui with their two children among the exile group.
"There's plenty to do on this road."
She let out a faint smile, then closed her eyes to rest.
With a long road ahead, she resolved to conserve her energy!
When the time came, she would accompany them for a little fun!