Chapter 62: Ending

The old man looked at him ingratiatingly, not sure whether he was frightened by him or coerced by someone else.

He quickly took out all his things, and a tortoise shell and a few copper coins fell out of his arms.

Hezhou opened his eyes with interest and pointed: "Are you a fortune teller?"

The man nodded and picked it up carefully.

"Then calculate my marriage fate."

"What's the surname of the lord and the person to be calculated...?" The old man shrank his neck and smiled ingratiatingly.

"Thanks! Forget it!"

The old man thought for a long time, shook the yellow-green turtle shell, and threw it to the ground.

The two men squatted down, and the copper coins were scattered. He couldn't tell how many of them were up and down.

The old man squinted his eyes, moved his fingers slightly, and spoke slowly, looking like an expert.

"Your Excellency doesn't know if the birth chart might be accurate, but this hexagram indicates excellent luck. There might be some bumps along the way, but it will ultimately be a happy one..."

Before he could finish his words, a dart fell from the sky, brushed past Hezhou's hair and hit the wooden door to the side.

"What nonsense!"

A pair of black walking boots appeared in front of Hezhou.

From his clothes, one could vaguely tell that he was wearing a nightgown. He slowly stood up.

The old man hurriedly packed up his things, and when he saw the person, his eyes widened instantly: "It's you! I gave you everything!"

"roll!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The old man didn't even bother to put the things away and ran away with the things.

Hezhou looked at the person in front of him. There was no trace of any marks on his body. His clothes were clean and neat. He didn't look like he had come down from the beam.

He looks more like a young master who travels around the world, and his skin is even more delicate than his.

A blue purse was thrown to the ground.

"My Lord hopes that you can recognize your own status. This is just a life-saving favor, so don't think too much about it."

Hezhou bent down and picked it up, and the silver clattered inside.

Even though he had just taken office, he had never seen so many things. Hezhou was more concerned about this purse, which was a pair with the one left by Xie Xunzhi before.

He smiled and said, "That's not what was written in the letter. Every word was written with genuine love for me."

The man knitted his brows together, his expression disdainful: "I just don't want to leave any room for gossip... If you had a little self-awareness, not just any stray dog ​​can go to the capital!"

"These are all hush money for you."

Hezhou curled his lips into a smile, and his previous enthusiasm faded a lot.

"Is this what Xunzhi asked you to say?"

"certainly!"

The man in black thought for a moment and added, "Of course, my lord is not so direct, but I am afraid that if I am too tactful, you will not understand, so I will translate it for you, country bumpkin."

He cleared his throat and said, "Of course, as long as you are sensible, there are more benefits than this."

"No wonder." Hezhou smiled with his eyes narrowed.

"What?"

He pulled out the flying knife nailed to the door frame. "Last night, Lord Xie wrote to me saying he missed me so much that his heart ached from thinking about me day and night. He also said he would come to me after he finished his business. They were fighting among the gods and couldn't bring me out, so he specially chose his confidant to deliver the letter to me. He couldn't give me anything else, but the heart jade and money were indispensable. He also asked me to write him a reply."

"Hiss~ I should ask him about this dart... I'm afraid the lord might..."

He stared at the man in black for a moment, twirling a dart in his hand.

"In his letter, he told me not to worry, that things had not been resolved yet, and that he should come to me once things settled down. He also said..." He sneered.

"You! You know..."

Hezhou waved his hand generously: "It's okay, I won't complain. Let's go. You've been busy all day, haven't you?"

The man in black snorted coldly: "It's all temporary now. I'm waiting for you to say that again in the future."

He snatched the dart and turned into the alley.

Hezhou closed the door and the smile on his face gradually faded, his fingertips trembling as he touched the hot jade pendant.

It’s not true, it’s not true. If it were true, Xie Xunzhi wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of sending the jade pendant.

He had a gloomy face throughout the day and took people up the mountain in advance to clear the way. The route in the mountain was winding and no one had come up for a long time.

Everyone carried a basket and dug up any rare herbs they saw. After not going up the mountain for a few years, the herbs grew fat and strong.

Maybe it was because Hezhou was not in a good mood that day, so the efficiency was particularly high today.

It took half a month to repair the mountain road, and all the money was used to repair it. During this short period of time, there was no further news from Xie Xunzhi.

When the road was repaired, Hezhou ran to the end of the road immediately and stared at the passing caravan.

Not long after, a small caravan came over. They were frightened by the stares and came over to try to get close to them.

When Hezhou heard that they were going to the capital, his eyes suddenly lit up and he chatted with the small caravan for a long time. Unfortunately, they had gone to the south and had not returned for several months.

The events in the capital city were still before Xie Xunzhi disappeared. Xie Xunzhi was a member of the faction that supported the new emperor and had always been at odds with the eunuch faction.

I heard that the eunuch was exposed to have trained assassins in his early years, just in the eastern territory.

The escort man suddenly stopped where he was.

"What's wrong?" Hezhou listened attentively and looked at him in confusion.

The escort sighed, "Brother, it's only a short distance away. I've said all the nice things I can, but you don't want any of the things I give you. These are just some herbs to reduce internal heat, and you won't need them in this desolate mountain!"

Hezhou pulled up a smile, the escort stood at the front, he leaned against the right side and squeezed with the crowd as he walked up the mountain.

"Aren't you going to the capital? This way is shorter!"

"There are bandits in this mountain all year round! Forget it, I know all the rules of the road, just tell me the amount!" The escort weighed the bag on his waist, and a long knife was hanging next to it.

He patted Hezhou generously and said, "Although you look bad, you are still a decent person. Why don't you wash your hands and follow me as a convoy driver?"

"Hey, I'm not doing anything wrong. Look, you see?" Hezhou's mouth moved slightly, and the blue purse on his waist shook: "It's ringing! This road is short, the bandits are long gone!"

"Yeah?"

A voice came from behind. It was a handsome young man. His eyes narrowed slightly: "Xu Fu, let's take the path he said."

"Yes!" The man in front responded and walked behind the small caravan, pulling a long convoy. He took the things from the young man and handed them to Hezhou.

"lead the way."

It was an official sign. The escort rubbed his eyes and reached out to touch it in disbelief, but was slapped away by Xu Fu.

The people who came up from behind all hunched their necks and asked, "Brother, are you leaving?"

If you walk up the mountain to this place, you can reach your destination in half a day. However, if you walk down, you will have to go around the foot of the mountain, and then you will have to walk a distance after coming out of the mountain to reach your destination, which greatly increases the time.

Hesitation flashed in the escort's eyes. Hezhou took the opportunity to step forward and opened his purse, revealing half a bag of silver. "Look, there are people waiting behind us. Even if there are more bandits, it won't help! At the very least, I'll give you the money. If something goes wrong, you can run away with the money."

"this……"

"Hey, let's go!"

He pulled the escort all the way inside.

Hezhou deliberately chose a long way. The bandit village that was once prosperous had been taken away without leaving anything behind. Even the useful pots and bowls and the sturdy wooden sticks on the beams were taken away.

The escort opened his mouth and said, "Brother, the situation is true! What do you want to order?"

"No, no." Hezhou smiled and waved his hands.

"I still don't know what Brother He does."

He turned his head and saw the young man on the horse looking at him with a smile. His fine hair was scattered, making him look softer and more approachable, and also particularly familiar.

"Did I say my last name was He?"

The escort slapped him backhandedly, and after saying a word, he was stunned for a long time: "Did you find out from the conversation just now?"

Hezhou did give his name when he was chatting with the escort, but the people around him were definitely eight feet away.

His eyes sparkled: "Do a little business, buy some mountain herbs, Brother Shen, come and see if you are interested."

In order to go up the mountain more often, people in the county divided the road-clearing work into several days. Now the pawnshops are full, and ginseng and ganoderma lucidum are everywhere on the streets.

The pawnshop found that there were many items but not many people coming in, so it naturally started to lower the price of the items that could not be sold.

This is also the reason why Hezhou came out to recruit people, and many people still don’t know that this road is open.

He looked back and saw that there were quite a few people following him intermittently. The main reason was that there were so many people in the official convoy, which gave him a strong sense of security.

I happened to meet the young man's eyes.

The other party waved his hand and pointed at the blue purse held by the escort: "Brother He, take it back. It will be here soon. This silk embroidery is not common, so keep it."

The escort's nervousness faded away early. He reached out and touched it twice, then quickly returned it to Hezhou.

"This is a good thing. Brother He, you should keep it for yourself. My hands are rough on the line."

Hezhou was not polite and accepted it generously. He slowed down his pace and walked beside the young man.

He looked more like a servant than Xu Fu standing next to him.

The young man smiled and said, "Master He is really a handsome man."

"Your Excellency is joking." Hezhou lowered his head.

His hands were always in his sleeves, groping for his purse.

"Okay, don't be so timid. My cousin asked me to take a look at you. I see that you are living a good life, aren't you?"

"It's just okay. Thanks for the blessing, sir."

The young man snorted coldly and accepted the title. They passed by the county town and left without staying for long.

Hezhou asked for a long time, but only heard one sentence from him, which was related to Xie Xunzhi.

"very good."

Brother Chen, who was delivering the escort, stayed behind. After they came over, they were stunned by the things they saw on the street.

The streets are filled with tempting aroma stalls, and more importantly, the herbs from the mountains.

The bandits were kept in good condition for three years, and the county residents did not dare to go up the mountain, so the mountain delicacies were all kept in excellent condition.

That was not all. Hezhou picked up the good wood that was cleared and delivered it to the carpenter.

He made a few fancy boxes and asked Hehua to put things in them and sell them on the street.

Hezhou had been waiting for a long time and had chosen this caravan on purpose. I thought it would take some effort, but I didn't expect...

Shepherd's purse has gained a lot of attention during this period, and the county has become lively.

The rumor about the sacred tree was spreading throughout the county.

He simply fenced off the land and set up an incense burner as a sacrifice.

The rumor was immediately perfected, and the first thing merchants who came to She Lan did was to pay their respects.

Although wild delicacies are becoming less and less available, the county town has developed significantly due to the fact that this essential road is guarded.

It's not that he just doesn't dare to take it. Hezhou led his people to grow mushrooms and raise bees under the forest, and used the money he earned to increase their salaries.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and it was New Year's Day again.

Last year, Hezhou did not celebrate the New Year with Xie Xunzhi, and the tax revenue of Qilan County was not enough.

It was only this year that the results of the improved wheat seeds he sent gradually showed.

Not only is the survival rate high, but the carved noodles are also delicious, making them quite popular among caravans, and the prices of accommodation in the surrounding areas are rising.

The rumor about the sacred tree spread, and a dilapidated temple was built next to it, collecting a lot of incense money every day.

Mountains and forests are also used to great effect...

Hezhou rubbed his hands while breathing out the hot air, then took the letter from the post station. It was just a weekly express.

The above mentioned two pieces of news. The bad news is that Shepherd's Purse ranks eleventh in the country in terms of tax growth, which is just over a thousand less than the previous one.

Good news! The emperor needs to go to the eleventh to receive his reward this year.

He kicked the letter into his arms, his face frozen with smile.

Chunjuan almost jumped for joy when he heard the news, and looked at him with his dark eyes.

"Sir! Can we really see Master Xie?"

Hezhou leaned against the stove to warm his hands: "How can the words written on paper be false? Hurry up and pack up, we're going to Beijing to celebrate the New Year in a few days."

"good!"

Spring Roll, remember to put down the iron clip and run out.

The things filled up several carts. The bulk of them were presented to the superiors, and the small portion was privately given to Xie Xunzhi.

Along the way, he lost the happiness he had at the beginning.

Hezhou sat in the back of the carriage, clutching the letters from the past year. Xie Xunzhi said, "I miss him."

But since the last man in black came, no one else has come, and the letters have become more and more numerous. He often feels that he can no longer bear it and sends out one.

The journey was long, just like the first time he came, and he wished it would take longer.

But today it seems like something else is mixed in, and it feels like my heart is like an arrow.

Hezhou saw Xie Xunzhi in front of the city gate.

He was wearing a light yellow cotton jacket and holding a cotton cape in his hand. He was still as energetic as ever, and even his illness looked less severe.

Hezhou felt a lump in his throat and jumped down to hug the person in his arms.

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Soon, the city gate was opened and we came down." Xie Xunzhi put a cloak on him and touched his ears with his fingers.

"It's so cold."

Hezhou grabbed his palm and said, "Do you want to go back first? You are weak and Mo Yan is cold."

"I feel much better now." Hezhou tilted his head and kissed his cheek: "I missed you..."