Chapter 81 Going to the Prefectural City

However, the situation changed. Before Gu Cheng could investigate, the prefectural government began sending people to search house to house.

"Someone ran away. They're from our county. What a tragedy!"

Song Yushu also heard the news from the diners at the restaurant.

"If someone is caught shirking their duty, they will not only be flogged thirty times, but their whole family will also be enslaved. How could anyone shirk their duty?" Some guests found this strange.

"Several people have died during this forced labor service!"

"Really? Wasn't it supposed to be just regular corvée labor? It'll be over in a month, and my brother-in-law is still there! I have to go back and ask!"

Although Song Yushu was unaware of the situation, he felt inexplicably uneasy because people had been discussing the forced labor issue for the past few days.

"Grandmother? What brings you here?" Song Yushu was surprised to see the Yang family and quickly invited them in.

"Father, what are you doing here..." When Wei's mother saw the two elderly people, who were so old, come looking for her and burst into tears as soon as they saw her, her heart skipped a beat.

"Let's talk inside," Song Yushu said, asking Xiong Erni to watch the shop before leading the person into the house in the backyard.

“Your eldest uncle went to do his corvée labor this time, and we thought he would be back in a month. But some people escaped and came back. They said that many of the people who went to do corvée labor in the prefectural city were mistreated. They were not fed or clothed, and they would be whipped if they were slow. Quite a few people have already died. We are really worried about them!”

"It's my fault! We used all the money in the house to buy land and build a house, and there wasn't much left. We thought we'd save some money, so we sent your uncle away after only one month. I never expected it to turn out like this!" Aunt Yang's eyes were swollen from crying, but she still couldn't hold back her tears.

"Who leaked this information to you? Is it reliable?" Song Yushu knew the seriousness of the situation and asked them to confirm.

“The one who escaped back is the one who used to learn hunting from your eldest uncle. He’s only fifteen years old and has no parents. Your eldest uncle took pity on him and taught him some hunting skills. After he escaped back and told us about this, he went into the mountains,” Aunt Yang explained softly.

"It seems the news from the county these past few days is true," Song Yushu said with some worry. She was just an ordinary person now, and no one in the prefectural city cared about her. She was afraid that reporting to the authorities would be of no use.

"Don't rush, rest inside. I'll go find out what's going on," Song Yushu said, thinking that Xue Huai'an seemed to have a good relationship with Magistrate Gu, so he could only go to him to ask about the situation.

"Let her go. She knows a lot of people in the county and might be able to find out other information," Mother Wei reassured the Yang family, telling them to eat something first.

Song Yushu waited for Xue Huai'an to come out at the entrance of the academy, without rushing in to look for him.

"What happened?" Xue Huai'an could tell at a glance that the person in front of him had something on his mind.

"I have important business to discuss with you today. Is there any news from the magistrate regarding the recent forced labor service?"

"You have relatives who have gone to perform corvée labor? This time, the corvée labor is being managed by people from the prefectural city, and there are indeed quite a few problems," Xue Huai'an told her truthfully when he saw her anxiety.

"A lot of people really died? Can we go and deliver the supplies?" Song Yushu felt bad after hearing Xue Huai'an's words and thought about what she could do for her uncle Yang.

“Okay, take this jade pendant with you. I’m currently tied up here and I’m afraid I won’t be able to take you there,” Xue Huai’an said, handing a jade pendant of excellent quality to Song Yushu.

"How did it go? Did you find out anything?" Mother Wei asked anxiously when she saw her return.

“We’ve found out that there are indeed problems with this forced labor, and quite a few people have died as a result. We need to go and check on Uncle’s situation,” Song Yushu told the Yang family the news that Xue Huai’an had told her.

"Yes! We must go to the prefectural city to find him!" Aunt Yang perked up after hearing Song Yushu's words.

"Mother, you stay here to take care of Grandfather and the others. I'll take Aunt to the prefectural city," Song Yushu said, worried that they were too old and would suffer too much.

"Are you two sure you can manage?" Wei's mother asked, somewhat worried.

"I'll take Erni with me. She's strong and can protect us," Song Yushu said, afraid of delaying. After saying that, he took Aunt Yang to buy some useful things, especially medicines for internal and external use, and prepared a whole box of medicines for colds and external injuries.

We bought all the warm clothes we needed, and we're just waiting to set off the next day.

Before dawn, Wei's mother got up to prepare dry food for them. It would take three days to travel from the county to the prefectural city, and they would inevitably have to eat and sleep in the open along the way.

"Why are you here?" Song Yushu had just had Xiong Erni set up the oxcart when he saw Xue Huai'an.

"I'll send you a carriage, and I've also arranged for two drivers to escort you there," Xue Huai'an said, clearly not wanting to leave anything unattended, having prepared the things well in advance and sent them over.

“Okay, I’ll thank you properly when I get back,” Song Yushu said without hesitation, since a horse-drawn carriage was much faster than an oxcart.

Xue Huai'an prepared two carriages, more than enough to carry what they needed to bring. The driver looked like a trained martial artist, with a tall and burly build.

Song Yushu, Yang Dasao, and Xiong Erni rode in one carriage, while the two drivers drove another. The journey to the prefectural city, which originally took three days, was now half as fast with the carriages, and they no longer had to camp in the wild.

"The dredging area is just ahead. We'll park the carriage and go ask about the situation later," the old driver who escorted Song Yushu and the others reminded them.

Yang's eldest sister-in-law was anxious, but she knew the priorities and didn't rush to find someone.

"Sir! Could you please make an exception? My husband is inside clearing silt, and I'm here to deliver something!" Yang's eldest sister-in-law was a little nervous, but in order to find out about her husband's safety as soon as possible, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and deal with the officials guarding the place.

"Get out! Outsiders aren't allowed in here! Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!" The officials clearly looked down on these ordinary people and began to drive them away without any mercy.

"Brother officer, please make an exception. This is a little money for the wine. We just want to meet you and will leave as soon as we deliver the goods!" Song Yushu stuffed a bag of silver into the officer's hand.

"Hmph, this is a one-time thing. Deliver the goods and get out of here!"

The officer weighed the matter in his mind, and his expression softened considerably, though his tone remained somewhat impatient.

"Yes, we'll leave as soon as we deliver the things!" Aunt Yang said excitedly.

After finding out who they were looking for, they waited aside.

“It’s alright, everything will be alright. Your uncle is tough! He escaped from a pack of wolves before, so he’ll definitely be safe and sound this time too,” Aunt Yang kept saying, holding Song Yushu’s hand.

"Don't worry, Uncle is a lucky man, he will definitely be safe and sound," Song Yushu felt her aunt's hand trembling as she held her, and she was deeply moved.

After waiting for a while, Uncle Yang still hadn't appeared, and even Song Yushu felt a little uneasy.