Although she had saved their lives, Ding Yun did not fully trust them yet. Therefore, she presented three options for them to choose from. After seeing off those who chose to separate and those who wished to go abroad, she would then reveal the truth to the remaining people.
It would not be too late to reunite with her family then.
Although everyone present still had no idea who Ding Yun and her companions were, they had understood her words. Some immediately began to ponder, or to whisper and negotiate with their families, while others gathered their courage.
They continued to ask for more detailed information.
As long as it was not something taboo or difficult to explain, Ding Yun generally answered truthfully, such as the current situation outside, whether they could choose which foreign country to go to, and if they chose to follow them, would they lose their personal freedom, or be forced into servitude.
After this explanation,
Most of them had made their decisions.
Some families might have had hidden resources, waiting for a comeback, and generally chose to part ways. Those who neither wanted to live under someone else's roof nor live a life of constant anxiety chose a foreign country that was either familiar or at least not strange to them.
However, in the end, more than half of them.
Were forced to choose to follow Ding Yun out of various constraints.
This was because they had no confidence in surviving with their entire families in the wilderness, nor did they have the confidence to take root and continue their lineage in a foreign land.
Rather than taking various risks.
It was better to simply follow Ding Yun.
At least, the other party had not only saved their entire families, but also seemed to possess great power, capable of easily raiding the execution grounds and the imperial prison. Most importantly, they possessed immortal artifacts that allowed for free flight. No matter how one looked at it, they should not be weak, and could likely protect them.
As they made their decisions,
Ding Yun immediately instructed a group of bodyguard robots to pilot personal light-speed aircraft and transport those who chose to go abroad to their chosen countries.
Those who chose to part ways were left behind. Ding Yun also informed them of their current location and how to leave this deep mountain and old forest. If anyone had other hiding places or destinations,
She would also follow the principle of seeing them off to the end.
She would use personal aircraft to send them there.
As for the rest who chose to follow her,
Of course, after sending off everyone who needed to be sent, and letting those who needed to stay remain, they would all be packed into personal light-speed aircraft and taken to Ding Yun's current residence.
The entire process was incredibly smooth and was completed in no time. In less than fifteen minutes, those willing to follow Ding Yun had all been transported by Ding Yun to their destination.
When they disembarked from the personal light-speed aircraft and were astonished to see a large expanse of luxurious houses located in the deep mountains and old forest before them, Ding Yun also emerged from the main gate.
She came out in ancient attire, without any disguise.
"Hao... Hao Yue, you're not dead?"
"That's great, you're still alive..."
"Sister, sister!"
Compared to the confusion on the faces of others, and even some hesitation as to whether the young woman emerging now was the one who truly saved them or a servant,
The emotions of the Ji family were undoubtedly more intense.
Ji Huangshi stared at Ding Yun with shock, almost as if she had seen a ghost, her voice trembling with both fear and disbelief.
Ji Linyu, who had discovered after being rescued that his daughter was not among the rescued, and had asked his wife, only to learn that his daughter had been strangled to death by his wife more than half a month ago, felt more surprise than fear. He had not personally seen Ding Yun's body, and seeing her alive now was naturally a great joy.
Most importantly, his daughter had emerged from the luxurious mansion before them, and the black-clothed men who rescued them were all standing by like servants. It was easy to imagine that even if his daughter was not the master here, her status would certainly not be low.
Perhaps even their rescue this time.
Had his daughter's backing.
Being in an unfamiliar place and suddenly seeing a familiar face, and that familiar face being his daughter, who held a not-low position, his initial apprehension and panic instantly subsided, turning into relief and joy. This was normal.
As for his own brother, who had a very good relationship with the original owner,
The pure joy was even greater.
If not for the constraints of etiquette such as "men and women do not sit together after the age of seven," he might have rushed directly into Ding Yun's embrace. But even so, he still rushed to Ding Yun's side, crying and saying how good it was that his sister was safe.
However, Ding Yun did not mind those rules.
She stroked the back of her younger brother Ji Yaori's head to comfort him, while holding his hand and leading him forward. She then looked at them with a neutral expression:
"Greetings, Father, Mother."
As for the other relatives, concubines, illegitimate sons and daughters, and illegitimate siblings behind them, Ding Yun only glanced at them briefly, nodded slightly in greeting, and then directly ordered:
"You must have been quite frightened and exhausted during this time. Please follow them and find a room to rest first.
If you are hungry and want anything to eat, tell them.
Someone will deliver it for you.
We will discuss any other matters tomorrow."
Ding Yun was undoubtedly speaking to those unfamiliar with her. After she finished speaking, bodyguard robots stepped forward and led them into the houses to choose their own courtyards.
These courtyards were portable, foldable houses that Ding Yun had purchased from a secondary technological plane yesterday after learning of their impending execution.
Under the operation of the robots.
They were built in just a few hours.
After arranging for the outsiders, Ding Yun continued:
"Also, Ji family members, come with me. I know you have many questions, and I can explain them later.
We can also have a gathering then.
And discuss what to do next."
The outsiders had no questions, as they were not familiar with Ding Yun, and had never even met her before. Therefore, they obediently followed the bodyguard robots.
As for the remaining Ji family members,
There were still some with poor judgment.
For example, as soon as Ding Yun finished speaking, some Ji family members, who were considered elders of Ding Yun but were not actually close to her, suddenly stepped forward to accuse Ding Yun of being impolite, of not even bowing to them, her elders, and of being disrespectful to her parents, asking how she could just glance at them.
Sometimes, some people are like this.
They are timid when facing strangers, but quite arrogant when facing family, as if they are certain that family members must consider their relationship and dare not do anything.
They, as elders, also have the right to be arrogant.
Even those of higher status must call them uncle or aunt.
This is etiquette!
However, Ding Yun clearly would not indulge them.
"Those who spoke just now, take them down and starve them for three days. Release them only when they understand who has the final say here. Are there any objections from the rest?
Those with objections can join them.
Those without objections, follow me."
After speaking, Ding Yun, without even looking at them, pulled her younger brother Ji Yaori and walked directly ahead, ignoring the expressions or feelings of those behind her.
The original owner's commission only specified protecting her younger brother.
Hoping to continue the family line.
As long as her younger brother was protected, it would be considered continuing the family line. Whether the others were saved or not was irrelevant.
Since they were insignificant, why indulge them?
If they behaved, she didn't mind supporting them.
If they didn't, she also didn't mind abandoning them.
At the same time, the bodyguard robots, relying on their real-time monitoring capabilities, immediately and accurately identified and apprehended the few who had spoken from the crowd, gagged them without a single mistake, and dragged them away.
The rest, of course, immediately dared not say anything further.
It could be seen that they were all quite stubborn, and would not listen when spoken to kindly, but would only act when forced. Someone had suffered.
Afterward, of course, Ding Yun led the way.
The others followed.
Finally, they all sat down in the reception hall built by Ding Yun.
"I have had some fortuitous encounters and possess some abilities, including the people who rescued you; they are all my subordinates.
As for how I obtained these fortuitous encounters and what abilities I have, I don't think you need to know, nor is it necessary. As for my mother, please don't be afraid. I do not intend to pursue the matter of you strangling me, as you likely had good intentions and did not want me to suffer in the Imperial Brothel.
As for why you did not follow soon after.
I also do not want to know. Let this matter be bygones."
"You must have heard the specific situation of the imperial court when I spoke with others earlier. The current situation is that unless the Crown Prince is revived and ascends the throne, there is basically no possibility of vindication for you.
Of course, if you were to directly rebel and overthrow Emperor Minghui, you might also be acquitted or vindicated as a result.
However, I suspect you do not have the guts for that.
Therefore, this matter will likely end here.
I have given the others choices. As members of the same clan with the same surname as me, I will naturally give you more choices. You can stay here in the future and work for me. I will guarantee your safety and daily living necessities, and there will also be wages.
At the same time, you can also leave.
If you choose to leave, I can provide you with a household registration and some silver. However, you must understand one point: the household registrations I provide are mostly for remote areas, as it is easier to obtain registration in those places.
And if you want to be safer, it is best not to take any action before Emperor Minghui dies. Live a quiet life. Even if you want your descendants to participate in the imperial examinations in the future, you will have to postpone it. Otherwise, if something goes wrong and you are discovered and arrested, do not expect me to rescue you again. I do not have that much time to rush around."
"You can start considering now.
Whether you choose to stay here or leave?"
Ding Yun actually disliked living with a large group of relatives, because many relatives might lose their sense of boundaries and discretion over time. Relying on military deterrence was not a long-term solution. Rather than going through so much trouble, it was better to send them away early to avoid hassle.
In her opinion, the best scenario would be to support the original owner's parents, and then, with her younger brother, raise him to adulthood and leave him some foundation to ensure that he could live in seclusion or come out into the world as he wished in the future.
As for the promised household registration, obtaining registration in prosperous areas was difficult. However, in border regions frequently raided by barbarians, registration was not difficult to obtain. This was because it was not uncommon for entire villages to be massacred, and too many people had died. The household registration system was naturally somewhat chaotic, and one could easily impersonate deceased individuals to reapply for registration.
The most crucial point was that all familiar acquaintances were dead.
There was no need to worry about exposure.
After Ding Yun finished speaking, most of the other relatives present began to ponder. Some even directly and impolitely asked how much silver she could provide.
Ding Yun's standard was one thousand taels. Anyway, money was not valuable to her. Giving a bit more was fine.
Once this standard was announced,
It could be said that those who were originally indifferent became interested.
This was because their families were not ancient noble clans. They had only truly prospered for less than thirty years, and coupled with their timid nature, they were not very daring in their greed.
Most importantly, there was nowhere for them to be greedy.
Therefore, many relatives had very little money, and some had less than a thousand taels in total assets before their property was confiscated. Thus, who would not be moved?
Moreover, on one side, they would live under someone else's roof and watch their faces, while on the other, they would go out on their own. Although there might be certain risks involved, they believed that as long as they concealed their identities and kept a low profile in remote areas, there should be no problem.
Thinking this way, some people quickly expressed their intentions.
They stated their willingness to leave.
In the end, only the original owner's younger brother, parents, along with her father's two concubines, one illegitimate daughter, and one illegitimate son, did not express their decision. The rest were willing to leave.
And Ding Yun kept her word.
She immediately instructed the bodyguard robots to retrieve the hundreds of household registrations that had been prepared earlier for them to choose from. At the same time, she took out a large amount of silver that had been recast after being brought into this world, reducing its silver content to the standard of this world, and distributed it to them one by one.
She did not intend to harm them, so she would not give them silver of extremely high purity to attract attention.
When she had used silver of extremely high purity for shopping earlier, it was not because she was unaware of the purity of that silver. It was mainly to save time, and when shopping with higher purity silver, those shopkeepers were more willing to sell her good items. After she was no longer in a hurry to shop, the silver that the bodyguard robots used for daily procurement was all replaced with ordinary snowflake silver.
The silver given to these relatives this time was also snowflake silver.
It was similar to the silver on the market.
It was not conspicuous at all.
After distributing the silver and allowing them to choose their respective household registrations, Ding Yun immediately dispatched bodyguard robots to escort them to their chosen places of registration.
This was to prevent them from taking the risk of traveling there themselves.
After everyone had left, Ding Yun, feeling somewhat tired, instructed someone to lead her parents, concubines, and younger siblings back to their rooms to wash up, eat something, and rest for now.
She had not yet decided on other matters.
She could only proceed like this for the time being.
This would also give them some time to accept their current situation. Further arrangements would likely need to be discussed with her father, and they would also have to see what Emperor Minghui's reaction would be before making any decisions.