On the day Zhao Yiran was beheaded, Wei Shichu brought Zhichun out to watch him being executed. As for why he didn't bring Zhao Lue? This was of course because Zhao Yiran, this scumbag father, was unworthy of his father. He deserved to be cursed by everyone and abandoned by his friends and relatives and died.
“Madam, I never thought that this day would come…” Zhichun looked at Zhao Yiran kneeling on the execution ground and said, “In the past, anyone in the Zhao Mansion could bully us, and our lives were worse than those of ordinary families. The people in the Zhao Mansion were high and mighty, and never looked down on us. But now, they have all become prisoners, some died, some were exiled, but we can live in peace… This fate is really fickle, I am so glad that our young master was adopted out…”
Wei Shichu nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, who would have thought that our situation is now the opposite of theirs? No, they are even worse than we were before."
The master and servant lamented the fickleness of fate, and then witnessed with their own eyes Zhao Yiran's head being chopped off.
Now, Zhao Yiran, the source of the tragic fate of the original owner and Zhao Lue, is dead, and most of the revenge has been avenged.
As for the other half? On the day when the rest of the Zhao family was exiled, Wei Shichu took Zhao Lue to the city gate to see them off.
"Mom, why are we coming here?" Zhao Lue asked with a puzzled look. When he was in the Zhao Mansion, he didn't want to be familiar with other members of the Zhao family. He was young at that time. Now he has been adopted by the Fifth Master as the great-grandson for almost a year. Therefore, he has no impression of the people in the Zhao Mansion and can't remember them at all.
"A group of prisoners are going to be exiled to other places. Let's take a look and join in the fun." Wei Shichu said to him with a smile, "By the way, I'll let you see the fate of not being a good official. You will either be beheaded or exiled, and your whole family will suffer. You will take the imperial examination and become an official in the future, but you must remember the miserable state of these people now and warn yourself not to repeat their mistakes in the future, understand?"
Zhao Lue had already begun his enlightenment. He had heard from his teacher that the ideal of a scholar's life was to serve the people as an official. So when he heard Wei Shichu's words, he put on a stern face that was still full of childishness and said to Wei Shichu seriously, "Mother, I remember that I will never be a bad official and let you be implicated."
"Okay, then I'll watch." Wei Shichu believed that with his education, Zhao Lue would definitely not become a bad official who did evil things.
Chen was escorted by the officials in a lifeless state, like a walking corpse. She had been devastated by the series of bad news in recent days and was too tired to even pay attention to her two sons.
Fortunately, her parents were not so heartless. They asked the servants to bring some money and food to her, and told her to live well with her two sons. They hoped that in a few years, there might be a general amnesty and they would be able to come back.
The bundle was taken over by Chen's eldest son. During this time in prison, he had experienced the fickleness of human nature and knew that momentary anger could not fill his stomach, nor could it alleviate his physical and mental pain. Therefore, he was very sensible. He would not ask why his grandparents only sent one servant to send them off, nor would he be so proud as to refuse the money and food brought by the servant.
"Thank my grandfather and uncle for me." Chen's eldest son said this to the servants. Seeing this, the servants recalled how he was high-spirited and arrogant when he was the eldest son of the Zhao family. They couldn't help but sigh. Look, when the noble man fell into the mire, he could see them, the humble servants in the past, and spoke to them in a friendly manner.
"No problem. I wish you a safe journey, young master." the servant replied.
Soon it was time to say goodbye. The officers drove the prisoners on the road with harsh words. After walking for a while, Chen suddenly looked back as if she had come back to her senses.
Originally, she just wanted to see if her family was really so heartless. With only one servant to see them off, she had some hope, thinking that maybe her parents, brothers and sisters had come secretly, but they just didn't dare to talk to her openly...
However, she looked again and again and did not see any familiar faces.
No, there is! When Chen saw the familiar face, Tong Kong shrank back and blurted out: "Wei! Wei is there!"
After she finished speaking, she became furious again and gritted her teeth and said, "How dare this bitch come to see us?!"
As soon as she said this, it was like a drop of water falling into a frying pan, and it exploded instantly. The people of the Zhao family were shocked and incredulous: "Wei? The concubine who was divorced by the second master?"
"Her son was adopted out, so now she doesn't have to be exiled..."
"Why are she and her son so lucky? Why are we so unlucky?"
"Do you think she knew that the Second Master was going to be in trouble and that's why she planned for herself and her son to leave?"
"What? She knew about this in advance?"
"No! She is also a member of the Zhao family! Sir, you should quickly arrest that woman and her son and exile them. She is Zhao Yiran's concubine!"
…
The Zhao family, filled with resentment and unwillingness, would rather die than drag Wei Shichu and her son down with them. It was obvious that they were much nobler than Wei Shichu and her son before, but now they have become lowly exiles. How could they tolerate their situation being worse than that of the people they once stepped on
Unfortunately, no matter how unwilling or resentful they were, it was useless. The officers just thought they were making noise, and whipped each of them fiercely, cursing, "Why are you making noise? Why don't you waste so much energy? Why don't you just walk faster? If you make noise again, I'll whip you to death!"
The brothers and sisters who were half-brothers of Zhao Lue turned around and looked at Zhao Lue, who was in Wei Shichu's arms. Zhao Lue was beautiful and delicate, and was talking to his mother intimately. They felt mixed emotions in their hearts, regret, anger, unwillingness, and resentment...
However, it was useless for them to think about it. It was too late. They had long regretted missing the opportunity to be adopted.
However, when they go through untold hardships and arrive at the place of exile, suffering from hunger and severe cold, they will regret it even more, and they will regret it every time they think about it...
After the Zhao Mansion was overthrown, the revenge between the original owner and Zhao Lue had been completed. All those who had oppressed the original owner and her son would live a more miserable life than the original mother and son.
After taking revenge, Wei Shichu devoted himself to cultivating Zhao Lue. Zhao Lue was a smart child. In his life, he had a mother who took care of him in every possible way, the fifth grandfather and his wife who loved him like their own grandson, and a learned teacher who taught him wholeheartedly. Therefore, he lived up to expectations and grew up to be a young man with profound knowledge and a bright future. Before he was twenty, he had already passed the imperial examination and successfully entered the official career. He had a bright future.
After Zhao Lue got married and had children, the Fifth Master and his wife died with a smile on their faces, and Wei Shichu also lived a carefree life in his later years.