Chapter 6 There is still hope

Gu Wan was also extremely tired, so he simply sat down on the snow to recover.

I don’t know how much time passed.

The sky was getting a little gray, it should be dawn soon. Gu Wan patted his shoulder gently and said, "We should go."

"good."

Xie Ci said nothing, wiped his face with his sleeve, and slowly stood up with his scabbard.

After crying, they wiped away their tears, supported each other, and walked forward in the wind and snow, one step deep and one step shallow.

The sky gradually brightened. Gu Guan and Xie Ci did not go to crowded places. They followed the narrow path all the way to Sheshan, the remnant of Dongling. After walking along the foot of the mountain for half a day, they finally found a suitable place to stay.

It was a hunter's small wooden hut, about a mile away from the village at the foot of the mountain. However, due to the strong wind and heavy snow, no one came to visit by wading through knee-deep snow.

The fence gate was half buried in the snow, and it looked like no one had pushed it open for a long time. Gu Guanxie Ci observed it for a moment, then struggled to open it.

The yard is not big, but the people in the mountains have no shortage of firewood. There is a large pile of black dead branches and firewood on the east side, and a small wooden house in the middle. However, the thin wooden door has been blown open by the strong wind, and the wind blew the snow in, and the wooden door kept swaying.

Gu Guan pushed the door open and saw a white-haired old hunter lying on the old bedding on the yellow mud kang. He had been dead for a long time, unable to bear the cold due to his old age.

Gu Guan clasped his hands together and apologized, then carefully dragged the light and short old man down and placed him on the clean snow pile outside.

The two men fell onto the kang and fell asleep almost immediately.

Xie Ci slept soundly and when he woke up again, it was already early morning of the next day.

The snow was shining brightly, and the sky was about to brighten. The door of the house was propped up with a thick stick, and firewood was piled in the kang hole and the fire pit in the middle of the house. The arrangement was quite skillful, but the fire had not yet been lit.

Gu Guan woke up earlier than him and was squatting in front of the small kitchen stove on the east side of the wooden house, striking the flint with a "da da da" sound.

She knocked maybe three or five hundred times, but no sparks came out.

Xie Ci stood up, got down from the kang, went into the small kitchen, took the flint from her hand, clicked it a few times, stretched his hand forward, and a few sparks fell on the straw and small dead branches spread on the bottom of the stove, and the fire started.

There was a small iron pot on the stove, filled with fresh snow. Next to it was a frozen gray-haired hare. Gu Guan had found it this morning when he went out to get firewood. It was caught in a trap outside the fence.

Xie Ci slowly stood up, put the wooden lid on the pot, picked up the hare, squatted down again, pulled out the long knife at his side, and started skinning it.

"Why are you up? Go get some rest!"

Gu Guan woke up once in the middle of the night last night and looked at the wounds on his body. Fortunately, the broken wounds were the deepest ones on the joints. When she came out, she also took the other gold wound medicines hidden in the firewood pile. Xie Ci also took the wax pills, applied the medicine on him, dissolved the pills and swallowed them.

After Xie Ci caught his breath, he felt better. He shook his head: "I'm much better, nothing's wrong."

It’s impossible for Gu Guan to be busy all the time while he just lies down.

Gu Guan thought about it and didn't refuse. The main reason was that she was exhausted. The original owner had been pampered for too long. After she exerted so much force, her hands and feet were sore after she caught her breath.

The stove fire was already burning. Gu Guan moved some of it back to the fire pit and kang in the house, and the room soon became warm.

The two of them processed the hare together and placed it in a half-filled pot of boiling water. As the water began to boil, Xie Ci stared blankly out the east window at the vast expanse of snow. He murmured, "I wonder what happened to my mother, Wulang, my sister-in-law, and my nephew?"

This is really a worrying topic.

Gu Guan started a fire and went to the sheltered area behind the house. There was already a pile of firewood behind the house, and the old hunter was placed on top of it.

Gu Guan squatted on the ground and cremated him, then dug a hole in the burned ground for him to rest in peace.

She said goodbye and said, "I've arranged it for you. Please don't mind if I borrow some things from the house." After she finished, she stood up and looked back, just in time to see him staring blankly towards the east.

That is the direction of Tiekan Temple.

The arrogance of the past had completely faded from his eyebrows, and his star-like eyes were filled with sadness.

After experiencing great changes, people grow up overnight.

Gu Guan scratched her head and couldn't help sighing. It was such a sin. She stood there for a long time until a gust of cold wind blew by. She rubbed her arms and ran back skipping.

Xie Ci came back to his senses and immediately stood up and opened the door.

Gu Guan arranged for him to watch the fire and did not agree to let him come out with him. With his injuries, it would be terrible if he caught a cold. In his current condition, it would be difficult for them to even find a doctor.

Xie Ci knew the importance of the matter and did not insist.

As the door opened, the howling north wind blew in the broken snow. The flames in the fire pit swayed violently, and the red firelight illuminated half of his pale face. His lips were bloodless, delicate and fragile.

Gu Guan pulled him back to the fire pit and sat him down. The warmth of the kang made her breathe a long sigh of relief. She rubbed her hands and thought for a moment, "Don't be hasty. Even if they were the Yi San tribe, there's no reason to kill all the women, children, and young children."

The laws of this dynasty have been in use since the founding of the country. Except for a few cases of treason where the emperor personally ordered the death of entire families, there has never been a case of killing women, children, or children under the age of sixteen for any other crimes.

She just didn't believe it! No matter how serious the crime of jailbreaking was, it couldn't be bigger than the "Lantian Collaboration Case", right?

The experiences during this period have made Gu Guan have no good feelings towards this court, but it shouldn’t be so despairing, right?

As long as they don’t sentence them openly or kill them in prison, they will find a way!

Xie Ci felt heavy in his heart, "I hope so."

…

Xie Ci was anxious and afraid. After struggling out of death, he was afraid that his escape would implicate his remaining relatives, making their situation worse and turning their exile into death.

He knew how much turmoil the Xie case had caused in the court. Xie Xinzhong was upright and incorruptible, and how many people were trying to take advantage of the situation and kill the Xie family.

When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down.

After the two of them had settled down, they had a simple meal and then returned to the kang to take the time to heal their injuries and recover.

But Xie Ci tossed and turned and just couldn't fall asleep.

His body was covered in bruises and was in great pain, especially from the burns from the branding iron and the newly broken wounds. However, no amount of pain could compare to the anxiety in his heart, and he found it difficult to sleep.

Gu Guan knew that due to limited conditions, they had to share the same bed, and he tried his best not to disturb her. However, she felt very light in the unfamiliar environment. She was half awake and half asleep, and she could hear the crackling sound of firewood and his breathing, so she knew that he was not asleep.

But Gu Wan had no choice.

In the middle of the night, Xie Ci had a fever again. Gu Guan got up and wrung out a piece of cloth to put on his forehead.

The fever was not very high, but he was talking nonsense, and two lines of tears struggled to slide down the corners of his tightly closed eyes. Gu Guan heard "Dad", "Mom", "Sister Ying (Xie Ersao)", and the names of his brother and several nephews and nieces.

After daybreak, his fever finally subsided. Gu Wan served him the cooked corn and meat porridge in a wooden bowl, but saw that Xie Ci had already stood up. He was dressed neatly, had thrown away the scabbard of his standard long sword, and had wrapped the handle with cloth strips, which he wore around his waist. The dagger was tied to the side of his calf.

"I'll go to the outer quarters to get some information."

Xie Ci's lips were pale. He took down the old bamboo hat hanging on the wall and put it on his head to cover his face.

A few days would be enough to settle the matter. There would definitely be news in two days, but Xie Ci couldn't just sit and wait; he desperately wanted to find out.

"good."

Gu Wan could understand him, but she was worried, "But we don't have household registration and travel permits!"

Anyone who goes out must carry their household registration paper and travel permit with them. As for locals, according to convention, they will definitely be checked during this period of time. If they run out like this and are unlucky enough to be caught red-handed, it would be bad.

Xie Ci had already thought about this question, "It's okay, I'll make a fake one first."

Fake certificate?

Well, it’s not impossible.

Gu Wan was stunned, then thought for a moment, "Okay, then I'll go with you!"

With his injuries, he could walk a few steps in this cabin, but once he went out, it would be a different story.

If you can't hold on halfway, at least there is someone to help you.

Gu Wan definitely couldn't let him go alone.

…

The two men drank the porridge in a hurry, put out the fire in the fire pit and the kang stove, cleaned up, took off their prisoner clothes, and Xie Ci put on the hunter's old clothes. It was not long enough, so he tore off another piece and tied it inside. The clothes were old and worn a lot. Most poor people's clothes were patched and tattered, so they didn't look conspicuous.

After Gu Guanze put on her old clothes, she put on her fine cotton inner shirt outside. She picked this one specially. It had simple embroidery on the collar. After putting it on and tidying it up, it could be used as an outer garment.

The two of them walked around the outskirts of the village and after about three or four miles, they joined the main road from the small road. The sun was out today, and the golden winter sun shone on the white snow, which was a bit dazzling, but there were also more people coming and going.

People from all the towns and villages were going to the market, carrying loads and driving donkeys. After joining the official road, there was an even more continuous flow of people, vehicles and merchants. Gu Guan listened carefully and did not hear anyone talking about Tiekan Temple and the women of the Xie family. Instead, Xie Ci's escape from prison became the hottest news. Several groups of people were discussing it loudly, expressing various opinions and speculations.

Gu Guan secretly glanced at Xie Ci on the other side. The two of them gave a few big coins and got on the ox cart heading to Fengyang County. The cart was full of people, and the two of them deliberately sat at different ends. Gu Guan looked over and saw half of his face under his bamboo hat. His eyelids drooped, and his jaw was a pale arc in the snow.

The ox cart rolled forward, encountering checkpoints and random inspections along the way, and finally stopped at a market about a mile away from Fengyang County.

This was something the two had discussed. Of the thirteen counties within the capital, the closest to them was Fengyang County. The capital's borders also lay beneath the emperor's feet. Whenever a major event or case became public knowledge, the thirteen counties under the capital's jurisdiction would post yellow paper notices for public display, serving as a deterrent and reassurance.

In addition to the county government office and the city gate, the county will also copy and post the information at the entrances of busy markets and bazaars.

Gu Guan and Xie Ci definitely could not go to Kyoto. After discussing it, they decided to try to take advantage of this loophole.

Before getting off the car, the two saw a large group of people gathered in front of the open space on the left side of the market entrance. The scholar was spitting and telling the crowd the content of the notice.

There is indeed a sign here for copying notices.

On top of it, there was a very new piece of yellow paper, which was obviously pasted there just two days ago.

Xie Ci's body immediately tensed up.

He stood for a moment, then walked towards the notice board step by step.

He walked faster and faster, and the two of them squeezed into the crowd, moving in as fast as they could amidst the shoving and jostling of the crowd.

They finally reached a position where they could see the yellow paper clearly.

At first glance, Xie Ci saw clearly that this was a notice concerning his escape from the prison outside Tiekan Temple, the government required the military and civilians under its jurisdiction to cooperate in reporting, and there was a reward for harboring someone with the same crime.

He read ten lines at a glance, but his eyes froze until the end.

Xie Ci's expression finally changed. He was stunned, and then his heart was beating fast. He closed his eyes!

Gu Guanyin noticed it and looked over. She saw the word "this" at the end of the yellow paper. The last stroke seemed to have been written too quickly by the person who copied it, and the last stroke was curved into an arc like a twined branch, with a slender tail pointing downward.

——This was a secret code agreed upon by Xie Ci and several childhood friends.

The chosen ones of heaven, with similar personalities and unrestrained youth, rode their horses together and galloped past. They played crickets, watched operas and listened to the pipa, clapping their hands and cheering when they were in high spirits, and spent money lavishly. They stood up for justice when they saw injustice, and disasters, big and small, happened every day, causing chaos.

Once the Xie family met with disaster, many of their in-laws remained silent, avoided them, or even took advantage of their misfortune. The young Xie Ci stood in front of his home with a gun, attacked from both sides, and filled with indignation.

Today, his childhood friend Zhang Ningyuan took the risk and veiled a message to him using a code they had agreed upon when they did something bad without telling the adults.

——Don't worry, he has persuaded his uncle, and the court will do its best to mediate for the Xie family's wife.

Zhang Ningyuan is the second nephew of Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Justice.

In order to express his resignation, he went on a hunger strike for four days and was once on the verge of death. He retreated again and again and finally asked his family to intervene and use the law to protect the female members of the Xie family in prison from being implicated.

Zhang's mother couldn't bear it anymore, so she came forward to plead in person, and finally Shangshu Zhang agreed.

Xie Ci was talking to Gu Wan in a low voice when the sound of horse hooves came from afar. A yamen runner stopped in front of the bulletin board with a long piece of yellow paper rolled up.

Two yamen runners used scabbards to separate the crowd and posted yellow paper.

It’s the follow-up to the prison break!

——Under the full mediation of Minister Zhang, the Xie family members upheld their original sentence and were exiled 3,000 miles north to Tieling as soldiers.

At this moment, Xie Ci's eyes were filled with tears.

He raised his head and took great effort to suppress the heat in his eyes. He cried with joy.

Fortunately, fortunately, this world has not yet made people so despairing.

Gu Guan let out a long breath of hot air. She was really nervous just now.

She looked up at Xie Ci, who also looked at her. She said, "Then when there's a chance, thank him properly again."

After all, there is someone who is worth it, and this life is not in vain. Although they may not be able to meet again in the future, they will not let down each other's past friendship.

That’s great!

The Xie family was not implicated.

I have so many family members to thank, the death from illness thing doesn’t apply to me.

Let's wait until they come out of prison and then try to rescue them.

The two of them squeezed out of the crowd, and Gu Wan patted his shoulder: "Now, you can rest assured and recover from your injuries?"

Her tone brightened and was tinged with smile.

Xie Ci finally smiled for the first time in a while and nodded vigorously: "Yeah!"

The winter sun shone on the remaining snow and the wheel ruts, and the white snow reflected a golden color, adding a layer of warm light to Gu Wan's profile. Her face was covered with black ash, but her thin teeth were as white as snow.

Xie Ci was very excited and couldn't help but hug her tightly.

Thank you wasn't the right word, and he didn't want to say it anymore, but he was truly grateful to her.

He squeezed too hard, and it hurt Gu Wan. Caught off guard, she quickly retracted her chest... Fortunately, it was not big and her clothes were thick.

But she was also really happy and couldn't help but hug him back tightly.

She is under a lot of pressure too.

She originally planned to help the original owner repay her family.

Although there were many unexpected events, she thought she would feel guilty for a long time if all the members of the Xie family died.

fortunately!

Thanks to Zhang Ningyuan.

Thanks for the speech too!

Anyway, thanks to everyone who worked hard for this.

Gu Wan let go and patted him. As more and more people came, she whispered, "Let's go."

The author has something to say:

It seems that we are going to take the route of robbing prisoners, and the girl will soon know about traveling through the book.

Second sister-in-law has been raising Xie Ci for a while, don’t think about it in a crooked way (how can this be crooked, slamming the table!)

It's Ah Xiu's fault. I was so busy with the outline that I forgot to update. I'm half an hour late today. Please forgive me QAQ

Also, thank you to those who voted for Wenwen, love you!

Guanguan threw 1 mine

Xiaoxiao's planet No. 1005 threw a mine

sasa threw a mine

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And the big babies who are watering the water, chirp chirp~

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Wipe the sweat, it's done, it's done, give you a super big kiss! See you tomorrow haha~(づ￣3￣)づ