Chapter 04 Chapter 4

Jiang Huai had no idea that the new guard in front of him was the deposed prince who was implicated in the Jiang family's imprisonment and exile. After raising his head so that Xiao Jingzhao could see him clearly, he wanted to lower his head.

This feeling of tilting his head to be recognized made Jiang Huai feel like a kitten or puppy locked in a cage, waiting for the buyer to appreciate and choose.

Jiang Huai couldn't control his expression, and the emotions he revealed were naturally caught by Xiao Jingzhao. Realizing that Jiang Huai didn't recognize him at the moment, Xiao Jingzhao paused slightly and continued to walk to the side.

After introducing the remaining prisoners, the guard went to the side to get some fresh air and rest, regardless of whether Xiao Jingzhao remembered them or not.

Xiao Jingzhao walked around the shed twice, making sure that the name and face in his mind matched, and his eyes unconsciously fell on Jiang Huai again.

I was too nervous when I saw Jiang Huai just now and overlooked some things, but now think about it, Jiang Huai has never been in or out of the palace. The only chance he had to see him was when he went to visit Master Jiang at his house, but Jiang Huai did not show up at that time, so it is possible that Jiang Huai did not know him at all.

But all this was just his guess. What if Jiang Huai had seen him without him knowing?

His current identity must not be exposed.

Xiao Jingzhao closed his eyes. The raging fire in the East Palace seemed to be still before his eyes. He could even hear the sound of fighting at that time, and his heart suddenly turned cold.

After finishing his work, Zhangtou immediately came back to see how well Xiao Jingzhao was able to recognize people. After observing and confirming that Xiao Jingzhao had remembered everything, a smile appeared on his face.

If the new jailer doesn't do his job efficiently and makes mistakes, he will also be in trouble.

However, now that everyone has been identified, it's time to assign prisoners to Xiao Jingzhao.

On the road to exile, although the guards were escorting the prisoners together, because there were so many prisoners and the guards were multi-to-multi, there would always be guards who would slack off and make mistakes. So Zhang Tou assigned the prisoners to each guard, so that if a prisoner ran away on the road, someone could be found to hold him accountable.

"You just guard them on the way..." Zhang glanced at the prisoners in the shed and began to consider.

In his opinion, Xiao Jingzhao was a new jailer after all. Even if he learned quickly, he could not compare with the old jailers. It would be better to assign him two prisoners to guard.

"You are responsible for guarding Jiang Huai and Li Shan." Zhang Tou said.

Li Shan is considered to be relatively honest among this group of prisoners and will not do anything out of the ordinary.

As for Jiang Huai, Zhang Tou frowned when he thought of what he had just seen, but soon relaxed again.

Jiang Huai was considered an easy guard among the prisoners. Although he was smart, his health was too poor and he would be caught after running a few steps.

What's more, considering the crimes committed by the Jiang family, being exiled is a mercy from His Majesty. As long as Jiang Huai is still conscious, he will never dare to escape. Otherwise, if he runs away, not only will he suffer, but other people in the Jiang family will also be implicated.

When Xiao Jingzhao heard Jiang Huai's name, his breathing paused slightly, but he returned to normal before Zhang Tou noticed. He answered yes and expressed his gratitude to Zhang Tou in a low voice.

The circle of recognition just now was enough for Xiao Jingzhao to see the composition of these prisoners. Not to mention Jiang Huai, the two prisoners chosen for him by Zhang Tou, Li Shan was indeed a good guard, which was enough to show Zhang Tou's care for him.

"After we set off, the best way to repay me is for you to take good care of these two people and not let anything go wrong." Although Zhang said this, he was still very satisfied with Xiao Jingzhao's gratitude. Although what he did was just a small thing, he also hoped that the other party would be grateful.

The two of them spoke in loud voices, so Jiang Huai could hear them very clearly.

Realizing that he was under Xiao Jingzhao's control, after Zhang Tou left, Jiang Huai couldn't help but look up and secretly glance at Xiao Jingzhao who was standing beside him.

So young!

Jiang Huai was a little surprised. Because he was nervous and worried, Jiang Huai didn't pay much attention to Xiao Jingzhao's appearance. He only noticed the beard on his face and subconsciously thought that he might be about thirty years old.

But now, after a quick look, he realized that it didn't seem like it. He was no more than 25 years old. He had prominent brow bones and deep eye sockets. Although he looked cold, his eyes and eyebrows were inexplicably gentle, which made Jiang Huai subconsciously think that he had a good personality.

Having him guarding me should be better than having other soldiers.

Although he seemed to be in a trance, Xiao Jingzhao quickly noticed that someone was looking at him. He looked in the direction of the gaze and met Jiang Huai's curious eyes.

Xiao Jingzhao frowned slightly, and before he could take the next step, Jiang Huai had already lowered his head in panic and nervousness, obviously very afraid of his current identity as a soap soldier.

To be able to turn a young man from a noble family who is loved by the family into this state, one can imagine how much suffering he has endured along the way.

Xiao Jingzhao lowered his eyes slightly and didn't look at Jiang Huai again.

…

Early in the morning, Jiang Huai was awakened by the noise around him. He opened his eyes and saw the police distributing today's cakes, so he hurried over to get one.

The biscuit he had eaten yesterday had been completely digested. He just looked at the dry biscuit in front of him and felt the thirst in his throat. He only drank water when Wang Er came yesterday, and he didn't receive any water or food afterwards. He was a little conflicted about whether to eat or not.

Jiang Huai glanced at the other prisoners next to him. Since Wang Er only bought water for the morning, these prisoners were also thirsty. After taking a few quick bites of the biscuits, many prisoners chose not to continue eating. After all, the biscuits were too dry and choking. Without water, if they really choked, it would be better to endure it for now.

Only after making sure that the other prisoners were not eating did Jiang Huai give up the idea of ​​eating the pancake.

Most of the prisoners had bread on them, so his little bit of food was not noticeable.

Jiang Huai was paying attention to the other prisoners, and the other prisoners were also paying attention to him. Seeing that they were about to leave the post station, Wang Er still did not show up, some prisoners could not help but gloat.

"Yesterday he looked so proud, I thought I could have a good meal, but in the end I got nothing. It was all in vain."

"Who said he didn't get it? Didn't he get a bowl of water? I think he made a profit. Maybe people just couldn't stand him raising the price, so they didn't deliver it."

"Teaching a little arithmetic and expecting someone to provide a day's meals is really a scam!"

"After all, he is a son of a wealthy family. He thinks he is a rich man and everyone has to flatter him."

…

Although Xiao Jingzhao heard Jiang Huai's voice when he came yesterday, he didn't know the reason. After listening to the prisoners' sour words, he understood what was going on and subconsciously looked at Jiang Huai.

Jiang Huai was actually a little disappointed in his heart, but it was a pleasant surprise that Wang Er came to see him yesterday. He also drank a glass of water for free. As for the meal, he could only blame it on his bad luck. After all, if Zhang Tou didn't come, he would still be able to have subsequent meals.

But then again, Zhang Tou came here purely because a policeman had an accident and he wanted to bring a new one over. Thinking about it again, he only missed a meal, but got a day's rest and a glass of water. With this calculation, Jiang Huai felt that he hadn't lost anything.

However, Jiang Huai felt that he still had to learn a lesson. When making a transaction, he must get what he deserves as soon as possible, otherwise who knows if something unexpected will happen later.

A group of prisoners talked at once. Besides being jealous, they also wanted to see Jiang Huai make a fool of himself. However, the person who was supposed to cooperate with them was so calm that they couldn't say anything.

When Zhangtou came over, he was surprised to find that the shed was quite quiet, but he didn't think much about it. He counted the number of prisoners and then asked someone to open the door of the shed and escort the prisoners on the road.

Before the group walked out of the gate of the post station, someone chased them from behind.

"Sir, sir..." Wang Er ran over breathlessly. He didn't send food to Jiang Huai yesterday, but he didn't want to owe him a favor, so he planned to secretly send some compensation to Jiang Huai early this morning.

Who knew that the exile team would leave so early today? He really had no way to give it secretly, so he could only come here to give it now.

As soon as he met Zhang Tou's gaze, Wang Er felt guilty. He just held the things in his hand and thought that Zhang Tou was about to leave. He was not a local policeman, so how could he have any influence on him? He straightened his back a little.

"What's the matter?" Zhang asked.

Wang Er didn't answer immediately, but glanced at the exile team. After seeing Jiang Huai, he calmed down and subconsciously smiled and said, "Sir, I made a deal with someone and came to deliver the goods."

Wang Er said this and took two steps to the side, wanting to stuff the thing in his hand into Jiang Huai.

But before he could hand it over, Zhangtou snatched it away.

Wang Er was shocked, but he didn't dare to snatch it back. After all, he was a postman, and Zhang Tou was a waiter with a knife in his hand.

Zhang Tou carefully examined it and found that it was indeed just a simple kettle. There were no sharp weapons or contraband hidden inside. Facing Wang Erqiang's calm appearance, he continued to question: "What kind of deal did you make with Jiang Huai?"

Wang Er couldn't understand why he would be interrogated for selling a kettle. He asked other people yesterday, but he didn't hear that the police would care so much. Although he regretted his impulsiveness in his heart, he had already acted impulsively, so he could only bite the bullet and continue.

"Sir, just yesterday, you saw this guy teaching me some arithmetic. I should have given him some food, but you..." Wang Er couldn't help but glance at Zhang's head and swallowed the rest of his words. "You didn't give it to me then, so today I turned the food into a kettle."

Zhangtou looked back at Jiang Huai, without asking any more questions, and threw the kettle over. Jiang Huai caught it quickly, preventing the kettle from falling to the ground.

The pancakes that fell to the ground before got a little dirty, but it didn't affect the eating. But if this kettle fell, Jiang Huai would feel heartbroken if it broke. Although a bamboo kettle shouldn't break that easily, what if it did?

Jiang Huai looked at Wang Er gratefully and thanked him sincerely.

According to their agreement yesterday, it would be enough for the other party to give some food at this time.

But Jiang Huai really had no way to refuse the kettle. After Wang Er left yesterday, there was no water to drink in the shed. Even if people were thirsty, they could only remain thirsty. Jiang Huai became more and more aware of how precious it was to have a container that could store water.

Although you may be able to find materials to make a kettle on the road, it is very difficult to make one without tools and a lot of free time and energy.

As for buying it with money, who could the prisoners ask for it? In Jiang Huai's memory, when they passed by the post station, the postmen would sell water and food to the prisoners, but there were no utensils to improve their lives.

Jiang Huai guessed that it was because the prisoners arrived suddenly, and it was difficult for the postmen to prepare the selling equipment in advance. Moreover, the prisoners usually only stayed for one night, so it was inconvenient even if they bought it on the spot. After all, some post stations were some distance away from towns and villages.

As for preparing in advance, it is too troublesome to stock up and the backlog cost is also high. It is better to sell some water and food, which are low in cost and urgently needed by prisoners.

Jiang Huai dared to say that if he missed this kettle, it would be difficult to get another one unless he was lucky enough to come across one for sale and was willing to pay a high price, or he made a kettle himself on the way.

Wang Er originally wanted to tell Jiang Huai that his kettle was still more expensive than the meal money, and that Jiang Huai had gotten the better deal this time, so he asked Jiang Huai to be grateful. However, he just watched Zhang Tou drive the prisoners away, sighed, and said nothing. He waved his hand to signal Jiang Huai to leave quickly.

The soldiers didn't react much to Wang Er sending the kettle. After all, Zhang Tou had expressed his opinion, so even if they had any ideas, they wouldn't show them.

At the same time, the prisoners were extremely envious.

They originally thought that Jiang Huai had lost out by teaching Wang Er arithmetic yesterday, after all, he didn't get the meal he deserved. Unexpectedly, Wang Er actually gave Jiang Huai a kettle. Compared with some food, the kettle was much more important.

Some prisoners couldn't understand why he was so lucky.

Especially the prisoner who had just mocked Jiang Huai was extremely angry and jealous, his eyes were so red that they were about to bleed.