"The young lady from the Wan family called for help to rescue those people," the old man replied. "They should be over there with their carriage now." Wan Xueying and her group were well-known to everyone thanks to their simple tents and summer-heat soup. She had just called on Qiu Shi and the others to rescue them, so she couldn't keep a low profile.
Wan Hesu had never imagined that the person who would ultimately rescue him would be Wan Xueying, a person he hadn't held any hope for. He was stunned for a moment, then thanked the old man and went to find Chunjiao, then went with her to look for Wan Xueying.
"Xueying, I heard you saved Yingnan." Wan Hesu blushed as he thanked Wan Xueying from across the carriage. However, it was dark and raining heavily, so no one could notice whether he was blushing or not.
"I'm not just trying to save her, I'm just doing it for the sake of convenience. Go find the person under the tree yourself." Wan Xueying didn't ask for help blindly. The last time she went to save Shen Yu, she found that the grappling hook with a long rope used by Pei Xuanqing and others was particularly useful and sturdy, so she asked Pei Xuanqing for one.
This time, she also wanted to give it a try and asked Qiu Shi, Shunzi and others to throw grappling hooks towards the people in the river from the shore. After those people grabbed them, they would work together to pull them to the shore.
Don't mention it, it's much more effective than a bunch of people on the shore pretending to be kind and saying how pitiful the person who fell into the water is, and even persuading others to save him, but they themselves do nothing.
Fortunately, not everyone was indifferent. After seeing them grab the person with a grappling hook, many people came forward to help drag him, making the rescue process smoother.
Lin Yingnan wasn't particularly well-liked, but that wasn't to say she had any issues with her character; she simply seemed clueless and unable to distinguish between good and evil. So many people had fallen into the water, all of them precious lives. Having figured out a solution, and ensuring their own people wouldn't be harmed, Wan Xueying discussed it with Shen Yu and decided to rescue them.
Fortunately, the results are good.
However, she had no intention of being a good person and offering their horse and mule carts to the others for warmth. She asked Shunzi to find a spacious spot under a tree and carry the people there. After a moment's thought, she ordered Qiu Shi to bring his men to feed each of the men a bowl of summer-cooling soup.
She had previously told Captain Hao that the summer-relief soup not only prevented and treated heatstroke, but also dispelled dampness and pathogenic factors, relieving exterior symptoms and eliminating dampness. Although they were busy preparing the banquet tonight, they hadn't forgotten to make a large pot of the soup for tomorrow's journey.
Looking at the weather, it's unlikely to clear up for a while, so why not give everyone some summer-cooling soup now?
Just as Wan Xueying was distributing it for free to the elderly and infirm, someone said disdainfully, "Isn't it just summer heat soup? You're giving it to everyone because you won't need it tomorrow. You're just trying to be nice."
Wan Xueying got angry after hearing this and told them to drink a bowl each and throw away the rest. She was no longer a good person.
After thanking Wan Hesu and Wan Xueying again, they found Lin Yingnan. Lin Yingnan hugged him and cried, saying that she would never help others casually again, because those people had lost their consciences.
"Okay, we'll never help anyone else again." Thinking about what happened tonight, Wan Hesu was utterly disappointed with the Wan family. Along the way, both he and Lin Yingnan had done so much for the Wan family, but when they were in trouble, they both became cowards.
He now understands more and more why Wan Xueying was so determined to sever ties with the Wan family. If she had not been hurt too deeply, who would be willing to give up the protection of the family so easily and become a person without roots?
But what else could he do now? After comforting Lin Yingnan, Wan Hesu asked Chunjiao to get some money so he could ask the escort to buy some cold medicine for Lin Yingnan.
Chun Jiao glanced at Lin Yingnan, then said to Wan Hesu with a look of embarrassment, "Master Wan Er, we don't have much money left. Do we really have to go to the jailer to buy medicine?"
"Of course I have to buy it. Nothing is more important than Yingnan's health."
"But we only have less than ten taels of silver left. If we really use it to buy medicine, how will we survive after we go to the Northern Frontier? It's hard to say whether this servant and I can even make it there."
"How could this happen?" Wan Hesu widened his eyes in surprise.
"First, we didn't have much silver with us, only a few hundred taels. Second, your family has no idea how to control their spending, so we're really overextending. Third, the things we've been carrying are incredibly expensive, often costing several taels. Fourth, my lady and I are inexperienced and spend lavishly. Fifth, someone saw that we were just two women and targeted us. They stole the expensive carriage my lady bought, along with the horses, packages, and gifts inside. If my lady and I hadn't kept the silver notes with us, we wouldn't have even gotten anything."
Now that she had started, Chunjiao simply blurted out what she had been holding back for a long time.
"If there wasn't a carriage, why would my young lady have been dragged into the river to avoid the rain? How could such a thing have happened?" He continued, "But how did your family treat my young lady? Just because my young lady didn't have money to buy you delicious food and couldn't afford to let your eldest master take a carriage, your master and mistress found fault with my young lady and refused to let you pay any attention to her, saying that she had ulterior motives against you."
After a pause, Chunjiao continued with a sob: "But do you know how we have been living recently? We save as much as we can and don't spend money if we can. Let alone big fish and meat, we masters and servants will be satisfied as long as we can fill our stomachs. Not to mention my lady, even I, the servant, have never lived such a life?" It was so aggrieved that she burst into tears without realizing it.
"Is what Chunjiao said true?" Wan Hesu looked at Lin Yingnan with eyes full of heartache.
Lin Yingnan smiled bitterly. "It's mainly because I'm too stupid. I can't do anything right. It's also my fault for not listening to you and getting along well with Xueying. Otherwise, our carriage might not have been stolen."
"That means everything Chunjiao said is true." Wan Hesu wanted to beat himself up to vent Lin Yingnan's anger. He was such a jerk. Yingnan had suffered so much for him, but he knew nothing about it. He even thought it was good that Yingnan had money to help him take care of his family.
Seeing his dejected look, Lin Yingnan said distressedly, "I just drank the summer heat soup Xueying sent me and I'm feeling much better now. There's no need to waste money on other medicine. Don't worry about me. Chunjiao and I know some martial arts. Once we learn to hunt, we'll not only have meat for ourselves but also some money to earn. We can definitely accompany you to the Northern Frontier."
"Don't try to coax me. It's all because of me that you've suffered." Wan Hesu blamed himself even more. "When I kill prey later, I'll give you more so you can exchange it for money."
In the past, he would only share a small portion of his prey with Lin Yingnan and Chunjiao, and the rest would either be eaten by his family or exchanged for goods and money and given to Xu. He never expected that Lin Yingnan's life would be so hard.
It was also Lin Yingnan's fault for always reporting good news but not bad news. He didn't even tell him about something as important as the carriage being stolen.
Wan Hesu wanted to go back to Xu to ask for money to buy cold medicine for Lin Yingnan, but Lin Yingnan stopped him. She didn't want to be looked down upon by Xu, nor did she want to embarrass Wan Hesu.
Thinking that Wan Xueying was good at making medicine, Wan Hesu finally bit the bullet and went to Wan Xueying to ask her to buy medicine. Wan Xueying finally gave him some face and gave him a bottle of cold-relieving pills for free, which was considered to be another favor for him.
After getting the medicine, Wan Hesu knew that he always owed Wan Xueying a lot. This time Wan Xueying also saved Lin Yingnan. He might never be able to repay her kindness in his lifetime.
This night was extremely torturous for most people, but the rain showed no sign of stopping the next morning. Staying here would only get drenched, so Captain Hao ordered everyone to continue on their journey and rest after finding a place to shelter from the rain.
Everyone originally thought that traveling under the scorching sun every day was already very tiring, but when they walked on the muddy road and were exposed to the rain, especially some exiles with shackles on their hands and feet, it was even more difficult for them to walk. Only then did they realize that the previous hardships were nothing.
"What should we do? Should we go with them?" Shen Yu found Wan Xueying after the exile group set off. They no longer had to follow the exile group to the Northern Frontier as before, but Shen Yu still had to wait for Pei Xuanqing to catch up with them before he could get the token and dispatch order.
"There's no village or shop here, so let's just follow them." After Wan Xueying answered, she considered whether to take back the rented mule cart.
Of course, they couldn't just withdraw the mule carts when it rained or the roads became difficult to travel on. It was just a matter of time before they had to break away from the main force and speed up their journey to the northern border. It was only a matter of time before they could withdraw the mule carts.
This time, without the mule cart, Qiu Shi and others suffered a lot, but this was the punishment they deserved, so they had to grit their teeth and persevere.
The exile team in front finally found a place with several caves and cliffs that could provide shelter for many people from the wind and rain and stopped there.
Shen Yu already has an official position, and they developed a crush on each other during the wine dinner last night. Captain Hao specially asked someone to reserve a larger cave for Wan Xueying and her group to rest.
Qiu Shi and the others were initially worried about starting a fire. The branches they had picked up were too wet to light, and even if they did, they would emit black smoke. But Wan Xueying, like a genius, pulled out a bundle of dry branches.
"Miss, where did this come from?" The moment Qiu Shi took the dry branch, his mouth opened wide in surprise.
"Shen Yu and I picked them up last night!" Wan Xueying's words were true. Shen Yu had predicted rain, so the two of them had gathered some branches nearby. Shen Yu had originally said they wanted to put them in his carriage, but Wan Xueying, considering he hadn't fully recovered and would be better off lying down to rest, thought the branches wouldn't take up much space with him, so she took them to her carriage and stored them in her space.
"You two are so foresighted," Qiu Shi praised, and happily went to start a fire with dry branches. Once the fire was lit, the wet branches they had just picked up would dry out and be useful later.
"Madam Wu, make some ginger soup for everyone later. By the way, let's have noodles for lunch, which will keep us warm." Wan Xueying rarely takes the initiative to order food, but she was afraid that everyone would catch a cold, so she took the initiative to make a suggestion.
"I think it's OK."
"Madam, you should make more this time and ask Qiu Shi to send some to Captain Hao and the others later." They were given such a big cave to shelter from the wind and rain, so they had to show some gratitude.
The result was a stark contrast: the bailiffs ate hot noodles with sauce, while the exiles had to eat moldy black pancakes soaked in rainwater.
Thinking about the few people who were injured by frightened horses last night, and some people who had nasal congestion, sore throat and fever after being caught in the rain, the previous rumors about them being buried with the third prince seemed to be confirmed bit by bit, and more people became more panicked.
The next day, the heavy rain continued, and more than half of the troops were too sick to walk. Captain Hao had no other choice but to order them to stay where they were for another day of rest.
While it was normal for some people to die during the exile, if too many died, they would have a hard time explaining themselves. And because the rumor persisted, he specifically sought out Wan Xueying to ask what to do about those with fevers.
"Summer-relieving soup." Wan Xueying still gave this answer.
"Will it really work?" Captain Hao was skeptical.
Wan Xueying smiled and asked, "Does your Excellency have any other ideas besides this?"
Captain Hao also smiled as she did, "It seems that there is no such thing, so let's try it as long as it lasts."
It turns out that the Jieshu Decoction is indeed very effective. Some people's symptoms were alleviated the same day after drinking it, and they were almost fully recovered after taking it for three consecutive days.
Some who felt it was a scam or couldn't afford the summer heat soup didn't recover for days, while others were left with underlying illnesses even after recovering. Some didn't receive prompt treatment and died within a day or two of falling ill.
The reason why some people are unwilling to buy the summer heat soup even if they have money is because it will either rain or be cloudy in the next few days, and those people feel that they will not be able to use it at all.
After several more people died in this wave, some who had been skeptical of the rumor began to believe it. As the incident escalated, any slight beating or scolding of the prisoners by the bailiffs would be magnified, with people believing the bailiffs were intent on killing them.
Some people began to plan their escape, but they never found the right opportunity.
After the sky cleared completely, the exile team marched to the mountain path closest to Fengyang Ridge. After checking, Wan Xueying finally understood why Ning Tai had set up an ambush nearby.
It would be a disservice to the terrain if we didn't set up an ambush here.
What kind of terrain is this? How should I put it? It's like a narrow strip of sky, with mountains on both sides and a mountain path in the middle that's just wide enough for a carriage to pass.
"Xueying, let's not rush over." Shen Yu became alert instantly after seeing this terrain, and stopped Wan Xueying and their carriage and mule cart in time.
Wan Xueying nodded and said "OK", then asked, "Is there any other way?" If possible, she felt that taking a detour would be safer than here.
Shen Yu shook his head, "No, just this one."
He then ordered Nan Ying to go forward and gather information. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Even if the Crown Prince didn't set an ambush here, there was no guarantee someone else wouldn't. He felt like an invisible hand had been manipulating and guiding the situation since his exile.
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