THE SECOND EXILE 2

"Sir General, would you mind telling me, what is your name?" Zhu Su asked, for some reason he was suddenly very curious about the general's identity. He somehow recognized him, yet he was not sure about it...

"Why do you want to know?" asked the general nonchalantly.

"I just want to remember your kindness towards my wife, and repay you later."

The general smiled sarcastically. "Perhaps you won't have that chance!"

"Then, I will repay you in the next life."

The general's curving lips widened. "Alright, alright! My name is Li Jinglong. But don't bother looking for me in the next life. We must have had different identities at that time!"

Zhu Su stunned. He recalled the general's identity as soon as he introduced himself. It turned out that the general was still his relatives, from his father's bloodline. The very far relative, actually, but still, a relative was a relative at all.

Ironic, huh? Those who treat us that way, all of them are my kinsmen. Blood is thicker than water... is this the real meaning of this proverb? Zhu Su smiled wryly. If I really have the chance to change my identity in the next life, I don't want to be born this way. I just want to be an ordinary citizen. And one more. I don't want to be born in Ming. Ming instead becomes hell for me. I want to be a citizen of other country!

They kept walking. And kept walking. Day changed into the night, and night changed again into the day. The captives were very tired as their energies had drained out.

"I... am very thirsty..." One of a middle-aged woman murmured.

"Be tough, my wife. We will arrive soon..." The man beside her tried to cheer her up.

"How long do we still have to walk?" asked another middle-aged man.

"As far as I see, we are already in Guizhou. We should arrive soon..."

"I have been very exhausted..."

"Hey! Who permits you to talk?! Shut up! No one is allowed to talk!" General Li Jinglong immediately rebuked.

All captives returned to silence again.

"I... can't... bear... it... anymore..."

Feng Ruina's voice as she hobbled was so small it was barely audible. Also very weak. All of a sudden, Zhu Su got a bad feeling.

"Mu Fei, we have arrived in Guizhou. We have been close to Yunnan! You can rest when we arrive there. You have to be strong, Mu Fei!" Zhu Youdun encouraged his mother.

"Youdun! How can you talk such nonsense?!" Suddenly Zhu Su snapped.

"Ah... I... do I speak wrong... Fu Wang..." Zhu Youdun got frightened.

Zhu Su bit his lower lip. He shouted to Li Jinglong. "General Li! My wife has nothing to do with all of this. I beg of you, let her go. Take her back to Kaifeng!"

Li Jinglong furrowed his brows. "My Lord, looks like I must emphasize that you are no longer the Fan Wang, and have no right to order me that way. After all, this has been our mutual agreement, hasn't it? That Feng Wang Fei is ready to live in misery?"

"But!..."

"He is right... Your Highness... This has become the consequence... that I must bear..." Feng Ruina looked at Zhu Su vaguely. She raised the corner of her lips to form a smile. "I am... strong... and certainly can get to Yunnan... in good condition..."

Zhu Su took a deep breath, incredibly frustrated.

Already arrived in Guizhou, they had traveled three-quarters of the distance. But the distance from Guizhou to Yunnan was still very far. The path they were taking was unsmooth, filled with hard, rough rocks. Even though Feng Ruina had tried her best, her physical condition had dropped a lot, really not suitable to continue the journey.

When they finally arrived at their exile in Yunnan, Feng Ruina got a high fever.

"Ruina! Are you alright?!?" Zhu Su was panicked as finding that his wife got sick in this messy condition.

"I... just feel... very hot... and dizzy..." Feng Ruina was short-winded when she replied Zhu Su.

Their exile site in Yunnan was apparently a stoned-wall dungeon surrounded by dull, dirty grey walls. This was a real dungeon, truly different from the comfortable residence Zhu Su ever dwelled for the first time he came to Yunnan. Outside the dungeon, two ferocious-looking guards stood still, prevented the prisoners from fleeing.

Zhu Yunwen was different from the Hongwu Emperor who still loved his son; he really intended to torture Zhu Su.

Inside the dungeon, lighting was minimal, only the torches in very few amount illuminated beneath. Sunlight could not enter within for sure. The cell for each prisoner was far more dreary. Totally having no light, the lighting originated merely from the torches hanging on the corridor walls outside. An unpleasant odor due to the absence of sunlight filled the entire dungeon. Each cell was extremely narrow. A cell could only be inhabited by one person.

This is the second time Fate forces me to stay in prison...