Chapter 149: Entering the Southern Territory

The people of Chuanbei City are all capable of being productive laborers, but they have become rotten to the core.

Su Zhenzhen wasn't one to meddle in other people's business, but seeing that Hensheng was earnestly trying to change their minds, she went along with it and helped them out.

After listening to the two men, the commander clearly fell into thought.

Su Zhenzhen spoke casually, "Those disaster victims in the south are really tenacious. With these constant natural disasters, they run away every time they suffer a disaster, trying to find a place to eat. I think it's unnecessary. They just lie down on the ground to save the energy of walking. Anyway, quite a few people starve to death on the way."

Survival is human nature, but the people of Chuanbei City clearly had a "live and let live" mentality. Their lives were such that they could barely keep alive by looking up and getting a bite to eat; naturally, they didn't think about working in the fields to earn a better meal.

Inertia can grow infinitely over time; if a person doesn't stand on their own two feet, no amount of external encouragement will help.

If Su Zhenzhen and Hensheng hadn't intervened today, the people of Chuanbei City would either have all died of old age or illness, or they would have been beaten to death or driven away by the tough refugees from the south.

"Let me think about it. If we're moving, we definitely have to go together. We can't leave anyone behind."

Unless there are unforeseen circumstances, no one wants to move; it's human nature. Su Zhenzhen didn't expect to agree to this matter so readily.

"What do we do now?" Su Zhenzhen gestured towards Hensheng, her meaning clear: should they set off for the south now, or wait for the people of Chuanbei City to make a decision before leaving?

Knowing the gravity of the situation, Hensheng nodded to the leading soldier, "General, if you've thought it through and want to move to a different place, you can go to Yangcheng and find a female general named Chunzhi. She will make arrangements for you, including for people in the surrounding towns that you know. You can also move to one of the places I just mentioned."

The leading soldier nodded, indicating that he understood. This time, he didn't insist on finding the official seal to stamp the document, but instead insisted on escorting the two out of the city.

Hensheng did not refuse and quickly ran back to the house where he had stayed before to bring the horse over.

It was obvious that the south gate was opened and closed less often than the north gate, and a thick layer of dirt had accumulated on the gate panels. However, there were many more guards at the gate; there were fifteen of them.

The leading soldier gestured to them, and the city gate immediately opened without anyone asking a question.

This is a rare virtue, and it saves me the trouble of explaining it.

After leaving the city gate, Hensheng still carried Su Zhenzhen on horseback, reaching the edge of the great river before sunset.

Sure enough, there wasn't much water flowing in the river. It looked like someone had spilled water on the ground. The riverbed was wet, and it was difficult to scoop up a handful of water.

Su Zhenzhen could only buy some water from the system shop to feed the horse, and still threw all the garbage back to the 906th century, emphasizing environmental protection.

The two agreed to rest for one night before continuing their journey.

The feeling of having the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed is quite nice; there's even a slight chill in the air on this late summer/early autumn night.

Su Zhenzhen continued to meditate as usual, while Hensheng lay on the ground with his elbow as a pillow.

"Zhenzhen, why do you think the magistrate of Chuanbei County has a portrait of my mother?"

Because the scroll was inconvenient to carry, Su Zhenzhen put it into a storage compartment.

Su Zhenzhen didn't really want to meditate and cultivate; she just felt that sitting was more comfortable than lying down, at least her back wouldn't get dirty. When Hensheng asked a question, she followed up on the topic and chatted with him.

"I can't figure it out, but things definitely won't be simple."

Su Zhenzhen suddenly remembered that it had been a long time since she had released General Huo. Perhaps she could ask him some questions. She immediately opened the storage compartment in her sea of ​​consciousness.

Suddenly a phantom appeared in the air, and Hensheng immediately stood up straight.

General Huo was in a daze for a long time, but suddenly his mind cleared. He first looked around to confirm his location, and then focused his gaze on Su Zhenzhen.

Are you heading south?

"There is a locust plague in the south. The first batch of disaster victims has arrived in Yangcheng. We have decided to go to the south to provide disaster relief."

Then, Su Zhenzhen briefly explained what had happened recently, but omitted the part about the Hu family.

As for what injustices occurred back then, whether the Xu family acted on a whim or had planned it all along, let the living worry about those questions.

After listening to the story, General Huo looked Hensheng up and down several times to make sure he was alright before he felt relieved.

"Speak, what's the matter this time?"

Clearly, General Huo had become accustomed to Su Zhenzhen's style of using people only when needed and discarding them when not.

Su Zhenzhen didn't feel awkward at all and went straight to the point, "Do you know the details of how Jiang Yichun married a woman from the Song family and made her empress?"

General Huo told the truth as he knew it: "I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince met her by chance while he was providing disaster relief in the south. They fell in love at first sight. Later, His Highness the Crown Prince ascended the throne and married her into the palace after going through the proper matchmaking process."

Su Zhenzhen waited for him to continue, "And then?"

"That's all."

Su Zhenzhen was somewhat deflated. "Don't you even know where the mother of the nation lives, where she is from, or how many people are in her family?"

General Huo's expression hardened slightly. "After all, I am an outsider, and I would not deliberately inquire about these things. What I know is all that everyone is familiar with. You should ask that Eunuch Li."

Yes, I should have arrested Li Da. As the eunuch who combed the Empress's hair, he must have known about the Empress's life and past.

Su Zhenzhen was secretly annoyed. Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of General Huo, she simply stuffed him back into the storage compartment.

Seeing that Su Zhenzhen was in low spirits, Hensheng quickly sat down next to her and comforted her, "Zhenzhen, don't put too much pressure on yourself. I was just saying it casually. Let's let things take their course regarding the portrait, okay?"

Su Zhenzhen nodded and said nothing more.

The two spent the night in silence.

The next morning, Hensheng, holding the reins in one hand and Su Zhenzhen's hand in the other, walked across the river.

Fortunately, no bodies have been found on the road so far, so the situation is not too bad.

Once on the official road, the two men and one horse galloped southward day and night until they reached Chuannan, the first city in the south.

The city in southern Sichuan looked much larger than the city in northern Sichuan, with four city gates in the east, west, south, and north.

The north gate was wide open, and people were checking their travel permits and household registrations as they entered and exited.

Su Zhenzhen decided to use the old method: wait until dark and then climb over the wall. However, she couldn't bring the horse in, so she simply asked Hensheng to find a place to hide it.

As night fell, the city gates were closed and the number of soldiers on the city walls decreased significantly.

Su Zhenzhen used night vision binoculars to observe and saw that they were starting to doze off, so she immediately called Hensheng to climb the wall with her.

Unfortunately, the soldiers guarding the city were just dozing off; they weren't actually asleep.

The two were caught red-handed the moment they leaped onto the city wall.