Chapter 6: The Xie family reunites and sets out on their journey
"Get out of the way! Don't block the way!"
The escorting officers and soldiers shouted loudly and cleared the way in front.
As soon as the prison van carrying Xie Yuchuan appeared, it caught everyone's attention.
The prisoners with shackles on their heads were pushed to both sides by the officers and soldiers, as if they deliberately wanted to "parade Xie Yuchuan through the streets as a warning to the public", and drove the prison van forward at a snail's pace.
Along the way, people on both sides looked at each other with different eyes and talked about it.
Those who did not know the inside story of the Xie family praised the royal family's magnanimity and the emperor's benevolence; the ministers who had a little understanding of the emperor's thoughts kept silent and just watched coldly.
Things have fallen to this point, and everyone is busy taking care of themselves and doesn't care about the lives of others.
However, in the past ten years, no criminal has been seen coming out of the imperial prison alive, so one cannot help but be curious about his situation.
Others saw Xie Yuchuan leaning against the shackles with his eyes tightly closed, as if he had lost the will to live.
Actually…
Xie Yuchuan was gathering his strength and concentrating on thinking.
Having endured the severe torture in the imperial prison, why should I fear the wind, snow and frost, and the journey of thousands of miles?
After handing over the shrine, Emperor Longqing acted exactly as he had expected.
He deliberately tested the existence of gods several times.
After listening to Xie Yuchuan's analysis, Tu Huan did not "appear" again and quietly hid her miracle.
As a result, outsiders felt that the Xie family had been abandoned by the gods. Furthermore, with the precedent of Dong Bohou and Zhang Hanlin, who had angered the emperor and been demoted and exiled, overnight, few in the court dared to speak out for the Xie family.
This is exactly the effect Emperor Longqing wanted.
The result pleased him greatly, and his brows relaxed even more. The delighted middle-aged emperor slept drunkenly in the arms of a beauty, enjoying several women in a row, his body and mind relaxed. The next day, several rewards were announced, and the news spread throughout the court and harem, with the sound of kowtows and thanks echoing in the air.
Early in the morning, Tu Huan opened her eyes and sent a message to Xie Yuchuan.
Tu Huan: "Is there any danger today?"
Xie Yuchuan judged that the probability was not high.
"Xie Yuchuan: If Xiahou Jie really wanted to wipe out the entire clan, he wouldn't do it in public."
Tu Huan thought it made sense.
The road is long, there is no need to rush.
So I went back to do my work with peace of mind.
After all, the loan has not been paid off, so social animals and workers cannot just sit back and relax.
It's almost noon.
There was constant crying at the city gate, and before anyone knew it, the prison cart arrived outside the city.
Xie Yuchuan was shackled and imprisoned in a cramped prison van. His prison uniform was stained with blood of varying depths. It was unknown how many harsh punishments he had endured. He looked emaciated and there was no trace of the heroic demeanor of the former Major General of Humen.
The Xie family, young and old, were all in tears and felt heartbroken.
Ruan Weizhi sighed in his heart, it is not easy to be a loyal minister in the court today.
"Madam, please be at ease. My nephew is now out of prison safely. He is a blessed man. We will all arrive safely. I have already entrusted an old friend there to take care of him. If the Xie family needs anything, please don't hesitate."
"Thank you for your concern. I bid you farewell today and I don't know when we will meet again. Take care, Minister."
"Everyone take care."
The prison van is approaching.
"Criminal Xie Yuchuan, get out of the car!"
The bailiff opened the car door and shouted.
Xie Yuchuan got out of the car, and his whole limbs ached as he moved.
I raised my head and saw my family, and I felt a heat in my throat.
When he saw his grandmother nod slightly at him, he couldn't help but take a few quick steps forward. The clatter of his feet made his family's hearts tighten.
Tu Huan lowered her head to focus on drawing, her phone screen lit up beside her, and messages kept coming. The dialog box was full of garbled text. She had been in contact with Xie Yuchuan for some time, but this was the first time she had witnessed such a dramatic change in his mood.
I thought he was mature and calm when leading troops on the battlefield.
It turns out that he also has a vulnerable side in front of his family.
After painting for a while, he suddenly put down his pen, stood up and walked to the balcony.
From a distance, I saw a tall and straight figure walking forward step by step.
Xie Yuchuan walked slowly and unsteadily to his family.
Old Madam Xie looked at her surviving grandson and could not suppress her heartache.
"My child, you have suffered."
Xie Yuchuan knelt down and kowtowed three times to Old Madam Xie and his mother Zhou.
"I am an unfilial child. I have caused my grandmother and mother to worry about me."
Zhou couldn't control her tears, and the old lady stepped forward to help Xie Yuchuan up.
"Just come back alive."
Zhou looked at the scars on her son's body and didn't dare to touch them.
Xie Yuchuan staggered to his feet and looked around. The Xie family members gathered around him, concerned about his health. The family was finally reunited after the disaster.
After a brief conversation, Xie Yuchuan turned around and walked in front of the Ruan family, bowing deeply.
Ruan Yanzhi hurriedly supported him and said with concern, "My dear nephew, there is no need to be so polite. Please be extremely careful on your way north to Liaozhou. Don't be careless. Remember this."
These words were spoken in a very tactful manner. Ruan Weizhi still maintained some reserve in front of Old Madam Xie, but now, looking at Xie Yuchuan in front of him, he was afraid that he could not be more serious.
Xie Yuchuan naturally heard the hidden meaning in Ruan Wei's words.
"Remember Uncle Ruan's teachings. A journey of a thousand miles will never be smooth sailing. I, the younger generation, have a responsibility and will not give up on myself. I will carve a path through the mountains and build bridges over the rivers. Uncle, rest assured."
Ruan Weizhi was very encouraged when he heard this.
"Good! Good! Good!" He praised three times in a row, "You are worthy of being the son of a general. If you always keep this determination, the Xie family will have a chance to rise again! Good boy. If your father and brothers are in heaven, they will surely keep you safe on your journey!"
The prisoners who were about to be exiled and their families around them were also saying their final goodbyes.
After we say goodbye today, I don’t know whether we are alive or dead, and I can only cry.
The escorting officers had seen such scenes many times and were getting impatient after waiting for a long time.
When the time comes.
The messenger shouted loudly:
"All prisoners, come and line up!"
At the command, the prisoners were driven to the handover point to register for the handover procedures.
In the past, the handover procedures for exiled people in the capital were not complicated.
Usually, the criminals are escorted collectively to the outside of the city gate, and then the responsible escort officer and the specific escort official will compare the exile list with each other. Once the official document is confirmed to be correct, the team can set off.
However, today's procedure is a little complicated.
Xiong Jiushan, the official in charge of the handover, brought his officers to compare the names, ages, and crimes of the criminals one by one, cautiously and carefully.
There were more than one hundred people in this group of exiles, many of whom were once nobles and were unruly and undisciplined.
In order to ensure a smooth escort, the government carefully selected dozens of yamen runners and soldiers from various government offices and barracks.
Ruan Peining secretly gave a lot of bribes to the officers in charge of escorting the child, but unfortunately he did not get what he wanted.
The Xie family had incurred the wrath of the Emperor, and they were unwilling to have anything to do with them easily.
Several female relatives envied Ruan and looked around eagerly, hoping that her parents' home would come to see her off.
Second Madam Zhang looked at her niece-in-law Ruan, who was being held in Madam Ruan's arms, reluctant to let go, and said enviously, "It's so wonderful to be a daughter of the Ruan family. You're like a jewel and a treasure."
Zhou looked at her and said, "You clearly had the opportunity to go home, why didn't you listen to my advice? The Marquis Boyuan's Mansion can still protect you."
Zhang sneered and didn't care much.
"What's there to return to? My mother is gone. I'm married into the Xie family, and I'm their daughter-in-law. I'm not going anywhere. I'm waiting for my husband to come back home."
Zhou's heart was in turmoil, as the men of the Xie family had already died on the battlefield.
How long will it take?
Zhang glanced at Xie Yuchuan, who was talking to his mother-in-law, Madam Xie, not far away, and her sharp eyes became gentle unconsciously.
"Yuchuan has lost weight and looks more and more like his second uncle."
The officer in front suddenly shouted:
"Come here, Xie family prisoners!"
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