Chapter 112 Unlocking Ye County
"Xu Qingying, since there's no evidence for this matter, I advise you not to slander Ah Heng's innocence out of thin air. If you continue to spread such lies and mislead people, after Ah Heng and I are married, I will definitely..."
Before Fang Ruyu could finish her harsh words, she was scolded back by Old Master Fang.
Fang Ruyu's eyes were wide open, and her face looked even more pitiful because of the anger.
Xu Qingying didn't get angry and responded calmly, "If that's the case, it won't be too late to talk big when you become a princess. For now, you should think about how to save your life."
Old Mrs. Fang was sincerely grateful to Xu Qingying. Although Xu Qingying had slapped Fang Ruyu in public last time, and that slap was a hard slap on the Fang family's face, Old Mrs. Fang knew what to do at the critical moment. After she calmed down, she was even more annoyed with Fang Ruyu.
At this moment, she also had to accept Xu Qingying's favor. "Xu Liu girl, on behalf of the Fang family, I sincerely thank you. I also hope that you will keep this a secret and not tell anyone else."
Xu Qingying nodded. "Of course I won't talk about unconfirmed news. But if it's discovered that Prince Ming is indeed responsible, and the others are implicated by the Fang family, I can't deprive them of their right to know and their right to choose, especially those families whose children have died. I can't let them die without knowing who their enemy is. So I won't hide it from them. I hope you can understand this."
Xu Qingying spoke sincerely, which made the Fang family feel a little embarrassed.
If it was really Prince Ming who did it, then the entire team was implicated by them and has now reached the point of being out of food and ammunition.
Although they were also innocently implicated, so many people died... there is no guarantee that the people in the team will not vent their resentment on them.
By then...will there still be a place for the Fang family in the exile team?
The Fang family members didn't dare to say a word for a moment.
Although some people suspected that it was Prince Ming who did it, Fang Ruyu's point made sense. Qianzhou and Qiongzhou were thousands of miles apart. Why would Zhou Heng send people across mountains and rivers to kill and silence them?
But if it wasn't the Fang family that caused the disaster, who else in the entire exile team would have the ability to bring about such a devastating disaster?
Could it be Mr. Fang’s political enemy?
It seems to make sense.
The Fang family members all looked gloomy, each with their own ulterior motives.
After a bland meal, they could barely fill their stomachs and continued on their way. Zhao Bantou and Xu Qingying spent the better part of a day researching the direction, ultimately deciding to head to Anping County first, ideally to resupply their supplies.
Now the most valuable things in the exile team are just a few horses.
You must not move unless it is a critical moment.
As if it weren't for the rain, the weather became gloomy in the afternoon. Everyone began to worry about whether it was going to snow. However, as soon as night fell, fine snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
Now in the primeval forest, under the sky, I was alone with my bare head and nowhere to hide.
It's really killing me.
After much difficulty, they found a cave, but unfortunately it was not very big and could only accommodate a dozen or twenty people. After discussion, everyone decided to stick to the old rules. All the elderly and children went to the cave to avoid the cold, and the rest of the people were gathered together to build houses with branches.
The men were divided into two groups, one group took a knife and worked together to cut the branches.
The other group was led by Da Zhuang, and they picked out good hunters from the mountains. They said they would dig some traps nearby to see if they could catch pheasants, rabbits, etc.
Something is better than nothing. It's good to have a snack.
The women would go to nearby to pick up vines or flexible weeds and twist them into ropes to fix the branches.
All I could hear was the sound of "dang dang dang" and the sound of trees being cut down.
Zhao Bantou's sword was so sharp that the edge was bent. Xu Qingying smiled and said, "Bantou, when we get to Qianzhou, I'll find the best blacksmith in the city to make you a long sword. I guarantee you'll wield it with all your might!"
Ming Xiaoshuang immediately said: "What about me, girl!"
"Everyone!" Xu Qingying said with a big laugh.
If Xu Qingying had been so extravagant in the past, Miao would have certainly tried to stop her. But now, Miao and Xu Degui knew how much money they had, and they had become more generous and dignified. They didn't care about such trivial matters, but agreed, saying, "That's right. Zhao Bantou and the others have put in so much effort, risking their lives to protect us. A few knives can't show our sincerity."
Xu Lezhi secretly rolled his eyes, thinking that earning a few bucks was nothing big. Had he forgotten how he used to rely on the second wife's charity to survive?
Huang Cui'e also said: He is indeed rich now, he speaks with his back straight.
The crowd extended outward along the cave, and after building a rough outline with wood, they covered it with layer upon layer of branches. If it really snowed heavily, the structure would have to be built even more tightly to prevent the snow from dripping and melting.
Small branches that can be bent are wrapped around to form vines, and the extra branches are fixed to the wood so that they will not slide down.
Everyone worked hard and soon built a larger cave.
Someone else went to pick up some dry firewood not far away and started a fire, and the cave suddenly became warmer.
Not long after they finished this, the snow began to fall heavily, rustling onto the branches. The mountains and fields were silent, and for a moment there was only the sound of falling snow, as if there were only a hundred or so of them left between heaven and earth.
There were no conditions and no bedding, so everyone could only sleep in their clothes.
After finishing all this, everyone was too exhausted to care about anything else. They were exhausted from the previous night's hard travel. Many people fell asleep around the fire. Soon, snoring filled the cave.
Zhao Bantou and several escorts sat around a fire. They had been fighting fiercely for several days, and their clothes were a little tattered and covered in blood. If it weren't for the identity badges hanging around their waists, they would have been mistaken for beggars by outsiders.
Xu Qingying always slept lightly in the wild, and even though she was extremely tired, she found it difficult to fall asleep.
Several people from the Fang family were also awake.
The night passed in a daze.
The next day, Xu Qingying and Zhao Bantou studied the terrain again and decided to head west, hoping they could see the city.
The mountains and forests that had just snowed were completely silent and covered in a blanket of silver white.
Da Zhuang went to check the traps from last night early in the morning and brought back good news. Although he didn't catch any wild animals, he caught a skinny pheasant.
It's meat after all.
A bowl of chicken soup is very nourishing.
Zhao Bantou rode forward, staying very close to several of his fellow escorts. On the way, the big bull kept giving Zhao Qiaonian a devilish look. Zhao Qiaonian hummed a few words, knowing what he was up to. "Alright, I know what you mean. I know what you guys mean."
Zhao Bantou glanced around again and saw that everyone was busy on their way and no one was paying attention to him, so he lowered his voice and said, "I'll think about this matter again."
But Da Niu refused. "Captain, think about it again. Our brothers are all dead. If it were you, I would hide in the next place and wait until the bandits on the road are wiped out before returning."
Zhao Qiaonian's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? We're on an imperial mission after all. How could we abandon the prisoner and run away?! Have you ever thought about this? We might save our lives, but how are we going to explain this to our superiors when we get back?"
"What are we going to say? Just say we ran into bandits on the road and the prisoners were separated. Jinzhou is full of bandits and robbers, and it's snowing so hard, where are we going to find anyone?"
But Da Niu was very confident. "Besides, the past is the past. We have never encountered such a chaotic situation before. We can hardly protect ourselves, and how can we get to Qianzhou with so many people?"
Zhao Bantou looked hesitant.
They encountered two groups of bandits in succession. Although the men charged into battle bravely, they were forced into no choice.
Who said they were grasshoppers on the same rope?
Could it be possible that the bandits would let these escorts go alone?
But the world is so chaotic, and they know there are dangers ahead, so do they still have to move forward?
"If you ask me, the next time we run into refugees, we should just pretend we can't defeat them and let them scatter. We brothers have swords, horses, and badges, so our chances of survival are much greater than those of a bunch of prisoners with us! Squad leader, don't you think about yourself and the brothers under you? It's really not worth risking your life for a meager salary!"
"Besides, if we let them go, it's for their own good. If they go to Qianzhou, they'll just be counted as slaves. If they're dispersed here, they'll just be refugees. If the government tries to appease the refugees, they can take advantage of the situation and change their household registration!"
"If we leave, what will happen to the others?"
"Squad leader, we are in a difficult situation right now. Look at our brothers, some are injured, some are disabled, how can we care about others? Besides, what do other people's lives have to do with us? Could it be that you have been so close to these guys for so long that you have forgotten that they are just a bunch of prisoners?"
"Okay, I won't talk about other people. What about Miss Xu? When we were making money in the past, you were always calling her sister affectionately. Now that we're in danger, you're just abandoning her and running away? I want to ask you, have you forgotten who helped you earn those hundreds of taels of silver? Hundreds of taels of silver, enough for you to buy dozens of acres of land in the countryside and become a small landlord. Miss Xu doesn't ask for anything in return, but you can't repay kindness with enmity!"
"Alright." Da Niu gritted his teeth. "You're right. At most, we can just take the Xu family with us. I have no control over the lives of others!"
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let me think about it for a few days!"
"Team leader!" Da Niu wanted to say something more, but was stopped by Team Leader Zhao's look.
"Oh!" Da Niu turned away.
However, Zhao Bantou was worried. He didn't know whether this was Da Niu's idea alone or the idea of the other brothers.
If this was what everyone else meant, it would mean that his brothers were not on the same page with him, and everyone under him was feeling uneasy. He was really worried that something might happen.
But what Daniel said is not completely unreasonable.
They were still one-third of the way to Qianzhou when they had already run out of ammunition and food. Dragging such a group of old, weak and sick people, they had to lead the charge when they encountered bandits.
They no longer seem like escorts, but rather like their guards.
If they followed Da Niu's suggestion and went back to report that they had encountered bandits on the road and their team had been dispersed, it wouldn't be considered a lie. If their superiors wanted to investigate, they would have evidence.
But if they leave, won't these people be lambs to the slaughter?
Especially when someone is chasing them.
Zhao Qiaonian felt that he had never been so conflicted in his life.
Fortunately, there is always a way out. We didn't encounter any bandits along the way. We kept walking towards the west. After two or three days, we saw a county town, but it was not Yangping County. The boundary marker had the words "Ye County" engraved on it.
Zhao Bantou was overjoyed. He pulled out a map and pointed to a landmark, saying, "So we're not mistaken! This is it! We're almost at the Qianzhou border! Two towns further and we'll be in Qianzhou! Cheer up, we're only ten kilometers away from the county seat, and there'll be plenty of food and drink!"
Everyone cheered immediately.
This is simply the best news I have heard in recent days.
Not to mention other people, even the escort team breathed a sigh of relief. They finally arrived in the town. They no longer had to starve or freeze, and they no longer had to worry about whether to abandon the exile team.
Once they get to the county town, they can hide from him for a few days, wait until the road is clear, or even until the snow has melted, and then they can set off. This way, everyone can arrive in Qianzhou safely, and their mission will be successfully completed. Isn't that a great thing?
The city walls were high, but the gates were tightly shut. No one was seen inside or outside, save for a few armed soldiers patrolling the walls. Even so, the city was in a state of disarray.
There was no one on the official road. It had snowed last night, and there was not even a single wheel mark on the driveway, only a silvery white.
Ye County is a county seat after all, so why is it so quiet inside and outside the city, like a deserted city?
Not to mention Xu Qingying, even the other people in the exile team felt something was wrong.
"Captain, why do I feel something is amiss?" Ming Xiaoshuang craned his neck, as if trying to get a clearer look at the people on the tower. "Those patrolling soldiers look really strange too."
"It's a bit weird. Damn, how come there's not a single hair on my head?"
Zhao Bantou gritted his teeth and said, "What are you afraid of? If we don't get into the city, we'll starve to death or freeze to death in the mountains. Are you trying to bypass us?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Nonsense, the only things they have on them now are banknotes and money that they keep close to their bodies, and almost everything else has been snatched away by the bandits. If they don't go into the city for supplies, they're afraid they won't be able to go far.
Regardless of whether the Ye County ahead is a wolf's den or a tiger's den, given their current situation, they must go and find out.
Xu Qingying frowned. "No matter what, without food and winter clothes, we can't go far. We can't avoid this place."
Zhao Bantou also nodded, "My sister is right."
Ming Xiaoshuang said, "What are you afraid of? We are officials after all. As long as we don't enter a treasonous territory, our official uniforms will still be useful!"
Zhao Bantou also took the risk. "You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. No matter what the situation is, we have to go ahead and give it a try. How about this, Xiaoshuang, you take them and hide in the back, and the rest of us will go and reveal our identities and test the waters. If anything is wrong, you guys run away first."
Xu Qingying said helplessly, "There's no cover within a few kilometers of this city gate. The patrol's position is high above us, so they can see us at a glance. There's no need to hide. You guys stay in front, and we'll just keep a distance."
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