Chapter 131 Encountering Exiled Convicts!

"Young master, we've encountered other exiled prisoners ahead!" Chunxue reported urgently.

Shen Lanxi nodded in a deep voice: "We'll do what needs to be done. We'll keep our distance from the prisoners!"

"yes!"

Chunxue immediately went to deliver the message, and soon the group split into two groups: one group consisted of exiled prisoners walking forward on foot, and the other group consisted of Shen Lanxi and others following far behind!

After the prisoners learned the reason for getting off the bus, they grumbled and were unwilling to get off.

After Liu Laohu lashed them a few times, they all became obedient!

Before long, they caught up with the exile caravan ahead.

Liu Laohu and the other constables had already changed into their constable uniforms, and he went up to chat with the group in front of him.

The news came back shortly afterward.

"Those prisoners came from Jiangnan. There were wealthy merchants and officials' wives as well as thugs. They were all going to Dongchuan!"

What a coincidence! The ancestral home of the Shen family is also in Jiangnan!

The sounds of whips cracking, curses, and kicks echoed through the exiled procession, accompanied by suppressed cries.

After gathering the information, Liu Laohu intentionally distanced himself from the group ahead.

The group in front looked as miserable as refugees fleeing famine, while the group on his side, though not dressed in fine clothes, were all well-fed and warmly clothed, with flesh hanging from their bodies. The difference was too obvious, and he was afraid that the constables in front would notice!

The cold wind kept blowing, and the rain grew heavier and heavier. The constables ahead started eyeing the raincoats and cotton-padded coats worn by Liu Laohu's group!

Liu Laohu watched with a dark face as the constables rushed over to snatch the item. Although he was angry, he was helpless.

Such situations were common on the road to exile; being beaten or killed was nothing, let alone a few sets of cotton-padded clothes.

The prisoners whose belongings were stolen dared not speak out in anger. Those constables were too ruthless. Compared to them, Liu Laohu was like a merciful Buddha!

They just wanted to get away from these people as soon as possible so they could get back into the carriage.

The child in front of them couldn't walk any further and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The constables went up and lashed out with their whips, but the woman next to the child threw herself on top of him, shielding him with her body.

The prisoners in that line didn't utter a sound; they all walked forward numbly.

The prisoners in Liu Laohu's group saw this and were too scared to utter a sound.

This is the true nature of exile.

Before, they were at most just traveling!

Only after comparing the two did they truly realize how fortunate they had been along the way!

"There's a dilapidated temple ahead! Damn it, the rain is getting heavier and heavier. Let's stop here and go inside to take shelter from the rain!" shouted the constable in front.

Liu Laohu muttered a few words to Liu Yanhui.

Liu Yanhui immediately ran over to Shen Lanxi and asked, "Should we keep going, or stop to take shelter from the rain?"

The ground was starting to get muddy, and the carriage couldn't go far. Perhaps this dilapidated temple was the only place to take shelter from the rain for miles around. If we missed it, we didn't know how long we would be soaked in the rain!

"Tell Liu Laohu to listen to him!"

Liu Yan immediately went to reply.

The previous exile caravan stopped at the dilapidated temple. Liu Laohu went inside and looked around, then complained, "It's too small; it can't fit all of us. I'll take some men to see if there's anywhere else to rest up ahead."

The constable exchanged a few polite words.

"There's enough space for us to take shelter from the rain."

Liu Laohu: "There has to be a first-come, first-served order. You all came first, how could I possibly accept that? There are so many people here, if you all squeeze in, you'll collapse the temple!"

When the constable heard him say that, he stopped trying to persuade him.

The prisoners in Liu Laohu's team would rather get soaked in the rain than share a roof with the constables.

After walking more than 200 meters, the prisoners quickly tried to curry favor with Liu Laohu.

"Sir, we've gone so far, can we get on the carriage now?"

"Sir, the carriage is going fast; we can leave them far behind!"

"Sir, it's raining so hard, we need to find shelter quickly!"

Having compared them to the previous constables, the prisoners now saw Liu Laohu as if he were a family member.

"Get in the car, hurry up!" Liu Laohu ordered.

The prisoners wished they had two more legs to climb onto the vehicle!

Zhang Zifen clutched her stomach, her face deathly pale. She regretted it, she really regretted it. She shouldn't have had this child on the road to exile!

"Auntie, you're bleeding again..."

The Shen family members in other carriages

"Grandmother, quickly change out of your wet clothes so that you don't catch a chill!" Shen Yuanxin said with concern as she took out dry clothes from her bundle.

Madam Shen's face was somewhat pale, and she felt a tightness in her chest. This time, she might really be falling ill!

“Mother, you should have ridden in the carriage with Father just now!” Shen Congyi said in a deep voice.

Madam Shen stared blankly at the dilapidated temple that was getting further and further away, without saying a word!

Seeing that the old lady remained silent, the others also kept quiet, lest they make a fool of themselves!

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and after less than half an hour of walking, the wheels of the carriage ahead got stuck in the mud.

The prisoners, who had just changed into dry clothes, got their clothes wet again while pushing the cart.

"My lord, we can't go any further!" Wei Dongzhu reported.

Shen Lanxi: "Let's find somewhere to take shelter from the rain!"

"yes!"

Wei Dongzhu returned shortly afterward, bringing with him bad news.

"There's a cave ahead, and inside there's a group of exiled prisoners!"

Shen Lanxi: When it rains, it pours!

"Liu Laohu has decided to go into the cave to take shelter from the rain!" This was the second piece of bad news that Wei Dongzhu brought back!

There was no other way but to go into the cave to take shelter from the rain.

Upon hearing that there were also exiled prisoners in the cave, the prisoners immediately began cursing their ancestors.

This is the main road to Dongchuan, and the chances of encountering exiled prisoners will only increase from here on out.

The cave was small, barely big enough to hold the exiled prisoners.

Shen Lanxi: "Let's not join in the fun, let's take shelter from the rain in the carriage!"

Chunxue went in and checked it out earlier. It was crowded and smelled rotten. Now that she heard she didn't have to go in, she was willing to get soaked in the rain!

Waterproof carriages can be placed side by side, and with a little straw matting, a canopy can be built.

At this point, the sticks that the group used for martial arts practice came in handy, perfect for supporting the shed!

People can't get wet in the rain, and neither can horses. They still need horses to pull their carts on the road, and the shelters are for them.

If there's really no room, just drape the horse in a straw raincoat or mat; that should be enough to keep it warm.

Mother Wang set aside a space and cooked two pots of red date and ginger soup, so that each person could drink two bowls to ward off the cold!

They have hot soup and hot meals here, while the people in the cave can only eat dry bread and drink cold water!

This was only limited to Liu Laohu's team. When the other team saw them take out the dried steamed buns, their eyes turned green, and they stared at the people who took the dried steamed buns like wolves!

It was only because Liu Laohu and his gang of constables were standing by with their knives drawn that they stood there; otherwise, given their posture, they would definitely have pounced on them and robbed them.

When the other prisoners saw this, they were so frightened that they didn't even dare to drink water, and wished they could dig a hole and bury the food on their bodies.

Zhang Zifen felt really uncomfortable in her stomach, and she felt that she really couldn't save the baby this time!

"Congwen, my stomach hurts. Please have someone prepare some medicine for me!"

Shen Congwen turned and glanced at her, but remained silent.