Mr. Jiang gestured for everyone to calm down, then personally helped the village chief, who was bowing deeply, to his feet. He then said, "Everyone knows that the Crown Prince grew up with me, so I still have some dignity. I will protect the children on their journey south. I can't guarantee their safety, but I can say that anyone who dares to harm them will have to step over my dead body first!"
"Mr. Jiang..."
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang. I'll have to trouble you to take care of the children from now on."
"Mr. Jiang, please take care of yourself. I'll take care of you in your old age."
The villagers could no longer hold back their tears, and they all cried out to the boys to kowtow to Mr. Jiang.
Jiayin also stepped forward, her expression showing a hint of guilt.
This time, in order for the children to evacuate smoothly, she had no choice but to force Mr. Jiang to step in and protect them without consulting him first.
In fact, Mr. Chiang could have stayed and lived a life of wealth and honor based on his merit in raising the crown prince.
"Mr. Jiang, I'm so sorry, I..."
Mr. Jiang didn't let Jiayin finish speaking, and replied with a smile, "Princess, there's no need for that. These children are also my students, and it's only right that I protect them. Besides, I've long wanted to go to the south to broaden my horizons, and now is the perfect opportunity."
"If the princess feels sorry for me, then please give me some gold and silver. I am a poor man. When I get to the south, I see so many delicious foods, but I can only swallow my saliva. That would be too miserable."
In fact, as the crown prince's adoptive father, how could he possibly lack money?
Mr. Jiang said this simply to make everyone feel more relaxed.
But Jiayin still took out a handful of silver notes from her satchel and stuffed them all over.
Mr. Jiang accepted the money readily, and then the villagers said, "Look, I've even accepted the money for my trouble, so please don't stand on ceremony. Quickly say goodbye to the children, we're about to set off."
The villagers, alerted, quickly grabbed the child and began to instruct him.
At this moment, Li Laosan finally returned with the canteen staff, and another round of pleasantries ensued.
On the way, Li Laosan had already exchanged a few words with the others.
So when the village chief asked everyone, Aunt Wu was the first to say, "We all planned to stay, which is why we came back directly."
Dazhu's wife echoed, "Yes, village chief, we're not going to make a fuss anymore. It's enough that the children have all left! We can't help with anything else if we stay, but we're good at cooking a big pot of food."
The village chief sighed and didn't try to persuade him any further.
Jiayin was worried about her brothers. She asked her third uncle a few questions and was relieved to hear that they had left with Zheng He.
Before long, the carriages and horses were ready.
Liu Biaotou stepped forward and said, "Princess, I have discussed it with the village chief. This time, I will accompany the ship south. Please take good care of things back home."
Jiayin nodded and replied, "Okay, Uncle should have gone to see Brother Liu Yang long ago since he got married."
At this point, the village chief called for the children to get on the vehicle, while the other young couples rode horses.
Concerned about the dangers on the road and afraid of attracting too much attention, the group ultimately selected only ten veterans to protect the convoy.
Jiayin and Muxu rode together on one horse, with Jiayin leading the way.
In the darkness, the villagers who remained stood together under the big tree at the village entrance, watching the carriages and horses drive away. No one dared to say goodbye loudly; they could only shed tears silently.
Even if you cry, you have to wipe it away quickly, for fear of it being bad luck.
Inside the carriage and on horseback, everyone's eyes were filled with tears.
Parting is so sudden and so heartbreaking.
But just like dandelions, you never know when the autumn wind will blow and send the children away to take root again in a distant place and grow strong...
Due to prolonged drought, the Jinsha River, which was originally abundant in water, has shrunk by almost half.
The deepest part of the river, the fork, could barely accommodate three large boats.
Upon receiving the news, Zheng Feng quietly set off with two large ships, heading to a small dock a dozen miles east of the military camp dock.
The dock is a place where fishermen from nearby villages temporarily moor their boats.
Now it's convenient for the Li family to evacuate their personnel.
Zheng Sanjiang moved here after the New Year, pretending to make a living by fishing, but in reality, he was preparing for this moment.
Right now, he's hiding in the woods near the fishing village, waiting quietly.
In the barracks, almost all the soldiers were asleep.
Li Dayong, however, emerged from the room fully armored, a sword at his waist.
His personal guard stepped forward and asked, "General, why haven't you rested yet? Is there anything you need us to do?"
Li Dayong nodded and asked, "Who is patrolling the east bank of the river tonight?"
The guard thought for a moment and replied, "Reporting to the general, it is Deputy General Xu Hong."
"Let's go, take a hundred brothers with us to relieve the guard," Li Dayong instructed in a low voice. "Try not to alert outsiders."
The guards were somewhat puzzled, but they still obeyed orders.
Soon, they left the military camp and headed east.
Deputy General Xu Hong came from a poor family and had no arrogant temperament. He got along well with everyone in the camp.
He was yawning and relieving himself by the river when he suddenly saw Li Dayong coming over. He was startled and casually joked.
"Why has the general come? We've been patrolling diligently, we haven't slacked off at all!"
Li Dayong smiled, reached out and handed him a jade pendant, saying, "Isn't tomorrow your youngest son's first birthday? But there are things going on in the palace, so I'm afraid we can't hold a banquet to celebrate, right? This is my birthday gift for the child. I'll stay on duty for you for half the night, and you can go home and check on him."
"Oh dear, this won't do!" Xu Hong was deeply moved and repeatedly declined.
He spent most of his time in the military, separated from his family, which caused him immense suffering.
Last year, he made the decision to move his wife and children to a village on the west side of the dock, and he would go back to visit them occasionally when he had the chance.
His wife had been talking about his youngest son's birthday for a long time, and he originally planned to take leave tomorrow to go back and celebrate with the child, but the Empress suddenly passed away, so the plan was obviously ruined.
Unexpectedly, the commander remembered and not only gave him a birthday gift, but also made time for him for half an evening.
Li Dayong patted him on the shoulder and gave him a push, "Don't be shy, I can't sleep anyway, so I might as well take a walk. You can go back without worry, just be back before breakfast so as not to delay your business."
"Oh, oh, thank you, General." Xu Hong couldn't refuse any longer, so he happily led a few guards home on horseback.
Li Dayong and his men quickly took over the patrol duties, sending the previous soldiers back to camp to rest.
The night remained quiet, with only the river flowing.
Li Dayong looked eastward, stood silently, his expression very complicated.
The moment he had been dreading had finally arrived.
This is why he dared not leave the camp for even a moment.
Fortunately, the Marquis's life was not in danger, and the family had a chance to evacuate...
Time passed slowly, and the first person Zheng Sanjiang met was Zheng He with Cat Brother and a few others. After handing the people over to him, Zheng He returned to the city and went to the Marquis's residence.
The head steward of the Marquis's mansion arranged for thirty guards to help pick up Jia Huan, Xing Ning, Tao Hongying, and Wan'er and her son as they left the city.
Although the restaurant and several shops were going to close, Jia Huan still had to give them a few more instructions before he could leave with peace of mind.
Tao Hongying, on the other hand, had to return home after only two days, as she had too many things to arrange.
Wan'er also explained the trivial matters of the Earl's mansion...
The third wave to arrive consisted of the village's carts and horses.
Mu Xu put down the good news and turned back to greet the people from Zhengjiazhuang...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com