Chapter 223 Gao Yang

December had just begun, and many regions in the north had already seen their first snowfall of the year.

Outside Qingzhou City, a group of thinly clad laborers carrying heavy sacks trudged forward with great difficulty.

Despite the freezing weather, sweat poured down everyone's faces; an officer on horseback rode beside them, cracking a leather whip in the air with a sharp "snap."

"Faster! All of you, move faster for me! Haven't you eaten? You're so slow; if you miss the deadline, everyone will be punished!"

As he spoke, a grey-haired old man collapsed from exhaustion, his sack spilling onto the ground.

The officer's eyes bulged, and without a second thought, he lashed out with his whip, causing the old man to curl into a ball on the ground, groaning in pain.

Ignoring the groans, the officer jumped off his horse and swung his whip mercilessly, shouting curses.

"Old man, stop playing dead! Trying to slack off? Get up, get up!"

The other laborers only glanced over briefly before lowering their heads, breathing heavily as they continued their slow advance.

On the road from Laizhou to Qingzhou, countless people had already been worked to death or, like this old man, beaten to death with whips; they had long since grown accustomed and numb to it.

Yet their destination, Wei Prefecture, was still far away; there was no telling how many of them would survive to reach it.

But human blood is always warm; finally, someone could no longer bear to watch, dropped his sack, and lunged forward to catch the descending whip with his bare hand.

"General, this old man really cannot walk anymore. Please, show some mercy."

The officer's eyes widened, and after seeing the man's face clearly, he revealed a cruel smile.

"Heh, it's you again, kid. Fine, if you're so kind-hearted, carry his share as well. Otherwise, don't blame the whip in my hand for being heartless."

The young man stood there, gritting his teeth, motionless.

It wasn't that he was unwilling, but he was already carrying three people's worth of goods and had no strength left.

Seeing him hesitate, the officer gave a knowing smile.

"Unwilling, are we? I hate you scholars the most—always talking about benevolence and morality, but in reality, you're just hypocrites."

With that, he lashed the old man again, snarling.

"Get up, old thing! If you don't get up, I'll beat you to death."

The young man gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.

"Fine, I'll carry it."

With four sacks weighing him down, the young man's back bent further, and every step became more difficult; he gradually fell to the back of the line and received several lashes because of it.

Hurrying along, they finally reached Linzi, the seat of Qingzhou, before the gates closed.

Despite their exhaustion, their dinner consisted of only a bowl of rice porridge each, and they didn't even have a tent to sleep in at night.

The young man quickly finished his porridge and licked the bowl three times before putting it down reluctantly, looking up at Linzi City with infinite sorrow.

He was no ordinary commoner; he had been well-versed in classics and skilled in archery and horsemanship since childhood, and his father was Gao Jia, the first of the famous Gao Family Army's Twelve Protectors.

Unfortunately, after the northern expedition, the Gao Family Army was nearly wiped out, and his family's fortunes plummeted.

With the Gao Family fallen and his father gone, those relatives who had once been so respectful showed their true, hideous faces, and he and his mother were soon kicked out of their home.

Out of options, his mother took him back to her family home in Dengzhou, only to be betrayed by his uncle's family.

He was shackled in his sleep and sold into a military camp as a slave.

Even though he was highly skilled, he was bound by leg irons and had no weapons or armor, so he could only be ordered around by these low-level thugs every day.

"Sigh, I wonder how Mother is doing..."

While he was lost in grief, someone suddenly patted his shoulder. Gao Yang turned to see the leader of this group of laborers.

"Tingzhang, is something the matter?"

The Tingzhang pulled half a steamed bun from his robe and handed it to him.

"Eat. Get some sleep once you're full, or how will you manage to walk tomorrow?"

"Tingzhang!"

Gao Yang held the bun, tears welling in his eyes, unsure of what to say.

"Alright, alright, don't cry. If I weren't afraid you'd die on the road and my Cui'er would make a scene when I got back, I wouldn't bother with you."

The Tingzhang waved his hand and walked away.

Even though Gao Yang had fallen on hard times, he had once been a noble young master; his appearance and bearing were far beyond ordinary.

On his first day back at the manor in Dengzhou, the Tingzhang's daughter, Qin Cui, had taken a liking to him.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a fairy tale; he was a disgraced noble, and Qin Cui was just an ordinary-looking village girl.

The arrogance in his bones had led him to heartlessly reject Qin Cui time and again.

Yet the girl was exceptionally stubborn and simply loved him; when he left Dengzhou, Qin Cui had wept inconsolably by the roadside.

Hearts are made of flesh; who could truly remain stone-hearted?

Thinking of the scenes of Qin Cui following him and looking at the half-bun in his hand, he suddenly felt an impulse—if he could return alive... but then he thought of his current status... a slave, a status as deep as an abyss.

If Qin Cui married him, according to the Great Qian Law, she would also be sentenced to slave status, and their children would be slaves for generations.

He had to turn things around; he had to change his fate. He couldn't drag those around him into the abyss.

But how could he change his fate?

Join the army? He had no background or money; joining the army would mean starting from the bottom, and who knew when he would ever distinguish himself.

While he was fretting, he heard the people around him talking.

"It's so cold; the heavens want our lives."

"Sigh, who told us our lives were bitter? If only we were in the south; I've heard it's warm there all year round, and you only need thin clothes even in the dead of winter."

"Is that true?"

"Would I lie to you? I've heard that under the Prince of Nanyue, there's no forced labor and no slave status. It's a pity... sigh..."

"If only the Prince of Nanyue would attack this way; then we could live good lives."

"Tsk, you believe that nonsense? These people are all the same. They might show us a kind face while fighting for the world, but once they've taken it, they're all man-eaters who won't even spit out the bones."

"Sigh, true."

"Let's just sleep. Even if the Prince of Nanyue truly loves the people that much, we have no way to go and join him."

Beside them, Gao Yang's eyes had widened. Others had no way, but he did! The Prince of Nanyue, Zhao Xiyao—who didn't know that this number one beauty of the Great Qian had married the Gao Family's third son, the Duke of Xicheng Commandery, Gao Yuan?

Gao Jia was the head of the Gao Family's Twelve Protectors and was like a brother to Gao Wu. By rights, Gao Yang should call Gao Wu 'Uncle' and Gao Yuan 'Brother.'

Since Zhao Xiyao was Gao Yuan's wife, she was his sister-in-law.

At that moment, he found a lighthouse in the darkness, a path of light.

But how was he to get there?

If he had no leg irons and no attachments, he could simply escape; he believed that with his abilities, he could definitely flee to the south.

But now he had many attachments: his mother, Qin Cui's family, and his bound legs.

The flame of hope that had just been ignited flickered in the cold wind and was soon extinguished again, plunging him back into despair.