Chapter 575: A Close Call
The footsteps are getting closer.
Wei Qing didn't have time to think about it and made a decision immediately. He twisted the quilt into a ball and stuffed it under the bed. Then he opened the door latch, walked out, closed the door, and disappeared into the dense forest.
After a while, there was a knock on the door of the small wooden house.
The knock on the door was so loud that it seemed as if it was going to break it down. Soon, the door opened.
The old man opened the door and looked at the person standing outside with some fear.
There were about four or five people standing outside the door, wearing official uniforms and holding torches.
"Gentlemen, what's going on?" asked the old man.
"Have you seen a man who is about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, very strong, and about this tall?" asked the leading officer.
The old man thought, isn’t this referring to the imperial envoy?
The imperial envoy said he fell off the cliff because he was being hunted. He wanted to investigate the excessive taxes in Wangxian County and report it to the emperor, but the local authorities certainly didn't want him to investigate...
The old man lowered his head, his eyes flickered, and he shook his head: "I didn't see it."
"search!"
The officer pushed the old man aside and began to search roughly.
The dog boy who was sleeping in the room also woke up, quickly got up and ran to the old man.
The old man hugged him in his arms, but he was a little absent-minded. Seeing the officer push open the door of the next room, his heart was in his throat.
The imperial envoy lives in that room. If he is caught, no one will help them!
"Who lives in this house?" asked an officer.
The old man walked over and saw that there was no one in the room, so he felt relieved.
It seems that the imperial envoy heard the noise and hid himself!
The old man said, "Sir, if any villagers go up the mountain to catch snakes and it's too late, they can stay here. They usually put some herbs here..."
He was trembling as he spoke. These people were always afraid of them, so the officials didn't think much of it.
The officers searched the entire wooden house roughly, and then warned the old man that if he saw the person they were talking about, he should tell them immediately. After doing this, the officers left.
After the officers left, the old man touched his back and found it was covered in cold sweat.
"Grandpa, uncle..." Gou Wa was also frightened and only thought of speaking at this time.
The old man quickly reached out and covered his mouth to prevent him from speaking.
The grandfather and grandson stood at the door, watching the officials go away, and only went into the house when they could no longer see the torches.
The old man was afraid that his grandson would be cold, so he tucked him into the quilt and sat in the room himself.
After waiting for a while, I saw a man standing at the door.
"Thank you very much." Wei Qing said.
He was very grateful to the old man for believing him and not betraying him.
"Your Excellency is too polite." The old man said quickly.
"It's okay, old man, go to sleep." Wei Qing said.
The old man nodded and bolted the door.
Wei Qing also returned to his room, took out the quilt and lay down on the bed.
The wound was just touched and it hurts a lot.
Judging from his current injuries, he can't walk even a little faster and he needs a few days to recuperate.
Wei Qing couldn't sleep, so he took out the letter from his body.
He fell off a cliff and was soaked in water, so the letter got wet. Now, after drying, it's wrinkled and you can't even read the words on it. The amulet is also gone.
The old man said that the arrow pierced his heart, very close to his heart.
Wei Qing felt that it was the amulet that protected him from disaster, and it disappeared after it worked.
It was his wife who saved his life.
Wei Qing held the letter tightly and looked at the moon in the sky.
He seemed to see his wife's face appear in the moon, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
I miss his wife so much.
Wei Qing stayed here for a while, and when he could walk freely and his wounds began to scab over, he decided to leave.
The princess's people were looking for him, and it was dangerous for him to stay here. Besides, his wife's due date was getting closer and closer...
He found out that Snake Village belonged to Zhangmu County, and there was a Ningfeng Restaurant in Zhangmu County.
Ningfeng Restaurant was opened by his wife. His wife said that it was a chain restaurant. This restaurant not only made money but also allowed people to exchange information.
Wei Qing found the people from Ningfeng Restaurant and asked them to help him return to Beijing!
The old man and Gou Wa heard that Wei Qing was going to the county.
"Sir, I will go with you. I have been to the county when I was young and I am familiar with it," said the old man.
The old man now looks like he's in his forties. When he was young, wasn't it decades ago...
"I want to go too, I want to go too!" Gou Wa shouted. He just wanted to go to the county to play. He heard that the county was very lively and there were many delicious food and fun things. He had never been there since he was a child.
In the end, the three of them decided to go to the county together.
Wei Qing was originally wearing the old man's clothes, which were tattered. He was going out that day, so the old man gave him a newer set of clothes.
"This is my son's clothes..." the old man looked at Wei Qing and said. His son was a little smaller than the imperial envoy, so the clothes were a little tight on him, but he could still wear them.
He either sold or altered the other clothes, but he couldn't bear to part with this one. His son was gone, and this piece of clothing was a keepsake for him.
"Put this on." The old man gave Wei Qing another hat.
Wei Qing put on his hat.
The three of them went down the mountain together.
It is too far from Snake Village to the county. If you walk there, it will probably take several days and nights.
So the old man found an ox cart in the village and took them to the county.
"A Shui is very good at catching snakes and has earned a lot of money, but his wife is worried about him and won't let him go up the mountain, so she used the money to buy an ox cart." The old man said, "Don't worry, A Shui is very tight-lipped and won't say anything nonsense."
The old man had saved A Shui before, so A Shui was very polite to them and quickly set up the ox cart.
Wei Qing and the other two were sitting on the ox cart.
Wei Qing had been in Lijia Village for so long that he deliberately restrained his aura, looking like a country man.
The old man said that he was his distant cousin, and A Shui didn't think much about it.
The group went to the town, and it was already evening when they arrived.
Wei Qing had come all the way and seen many towns, but this one was also very run-down, with few shops. Under the heavy taxes, the people were living in misery.
However, it was very strange to Gou Wa. He had never been to the town and seen so many people and such strange things.
When passing by a bun shop, Gou Wa stared at it with his eyes wide open, his saliva almost dripping.
The old man stuffed a lump directly into his mouth: "Eat this."
How can they afford to buy buns?
These black lumps were cooked at home and brought here.
"Grandpa, look!" Gou Wa suddenly pointed to a place.
The old man had poor eyesight and even after squinting for a while he still couldn't tell what it was.
Wei Qing saw clearly that the wanted poster had his portrait on it.
The wanted order said that he was a notorious bandit and that anyone who provided clues would be rewarded with ten taels of silver.
Fortunately, he was wearing a hat, otherwise he would be doomed if his face was exposed.
Wei Qing jumped off the ox cart and, while passers-by were not paying attention, tore off a portrait and hid it in his arms.
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