Because he was worried about He Fengling's health, he didn't walk very fast.
After traveling for three days, they were finally close to the border town.
I happened to see a group of convicts being escorted by constables. There were old people, young people, men and women, but their conditions were not bad. They even had a horse-drawn carriage, so their conditions seemed quite good.
Seeing Shulan lift the carriage curtain and look in that direction, He Fengmian, thinking she was curious, explained beside her: "That's the Sun family from the capital. Some time ago, they were implicated in a corruption case in the capital and were exiled to the border by His Majesty."
Shulan nodded: "Do a lot of convicts come here every year?"
In the few months she's been here, she's seen at least three batches.
"yes."
The border town is harsh and sparsely populated. The imperial court would exile criminals who had made mistakes but whose crimes did not warrant death to this place, as well as places like Nanjiang, which are far from Dafeng and have harsh environments, to live here.
There is a special camp for refugees here, just outside the city to the west.
Although they were all refugees and the management was stronger, as long as they did not cause trouble in this city for a year, they could move freely like the people in the city.
Shulan also went there to make house calls, and there were quite a few wealthy families there, and the places they stayed were all quite nice.
However, it was only after General He was stationed here that the conditions for the prisoners gradually improved, and everyone began to treat them as human beings.
Before General He arrived, these convicts lived in extremely poor conditions. They were not only mistreated and beaten by the guards along the way, but when they arrived here, the soldiers did not treat them like human beings either. They not only ransacked their possessions of money and valuables, but also raped any slightly younger women.
Convicts who resisted were brutally murdered.
In the early days, conditions in the border town were also very poor.
I heard that there was no town back then, only simple stone houses, and the Chiyan and Kanjin tribes would attack from time to time.
After the previous general suffered a defeat, Chi Yan crossed the border and attacked Yao City.
General He was sent by the late emperor. He not only recaptured the border city, but also guarded it. He not only disciplined the troops stationed there, but also treated the exiled prisoners well, forbidding them from beating or scolding them at will. He even allowed them to cultivate the land themselves. If they lived there for more than three years without committing any crimes, they were even allowed to do business there.
Gradually, this place transformed from a few dozen small mud houses into a huge town, and the lives of the local people improved more and more.
Because people from different places live here, the houses they build are all different styles. Some people have combined elements from both the north and south, so many houses are neither quite northern nor southern, which has become a unique feature of this area.
The constables were somewhat intimidated by He Fengmian riding on horseback and quickly bowed.
Sun Jianfeng, who was in the crowd, was not yet fifty years old. He had long lost his former vigor and had aged considerably. When he saw He Fengmian on horseback, looking at him expressionlessly, he felt fear and worry.
After all, he was from the Right Chancellor's faction and had done a lot of things to trip up the Left Chancellor's faction.
Now that they've fallen into their hands, it's not like their whole family is going to be wiped out.
He had expected the general to make some sarcastic remarks, but the general merely glanced at him and then indifferently led his large group away.
Clearly, he was worried about retaliation, but they didn't take him seriously at all.
While feeling relieved, I also felt somewhat indignant.
Regardless of his feelings, he knew that he absolutely could not afford to offend the He family again in this city.
As for Sun Jianfeng, he had no hope left in his life.
Thinking of this, a look of sorrow appeared in his eyes, but little did he know that He Fengmian had beckoned Chu Yi to him without their noticing and whispered a few words to him.
After the main group left, the constables continued to escort the Sun family.
After He Fengmian and his group entered the city, they arrived at the city's edge.
After entering the city with the official documents, they arrived at the refugee camp. The soldiers there counted the number of people according to the documents and stamped the documents for the officers, thus concluding the escort mission.
Only then were the Sun family members freed from their shackles, and were warned of various punishments for running away and disobeying orders.
The Sun family had assumed they would have nowhere to stay.
Unexpectedly, the soldier asked them, "Are you building your own houses, or living in existing ones?"
Sun Jianfeng saw that the soldier was relatively easy to talk to, and that the soldier's words implied that he had a choice.
But knowing there's no such thing as a free lunch, he quickly asked, "So, what about building your own house, and what about a ready-made one?"
The soldier explained, "To build your own house, you only need to buy land for five thousand taels, but you'll have to buy the timber and hire people yourself."
"Then may I ask, sir, how much is the available housing in silver?"
"Depending on the size of the house, the smallest only costs a few thousand taels, while the largest costs tens of thousands of taels." The soldier, acting like a broker, said, "If you want to see it, I can have someone take you there."
Of course, you can choose not to pay, but if you don't pay, you can only stay in caves filled with animal and human excrement and stables. You have to pay to stay anywhere else.
Whether they stayed or not was none of their concern, since the lives of the convicts were none of their business.
Hearing this, Sun Jianfeng had no doubt that these people were trying to fool him.
He had no idea that this was He Fengling trying to swindle money from him.
His Majesty is merciful. Although Sun Jianfeng's assets were confiscated, he only needs to make up for what he embezzled before, so he still has some silver left.
Seeing that the cave was full of animal and human excrement, his face contorted, and he said to the soldier, "Can we go and see the existing houses?"
He also knew that it got cold early in the border town.
Rather than spending a thousand taels to build a house in an unfamiliar place, it's better to spend some money to live more comfortably.
They had suffered a lot on their way to the border town. After looking at the houses, he spent 40,000 taels instead of a place that could have been occupied for a few thousand taels. He was very happy to finally have a place to stay and no longer have to live in those dirty caves and stables.
After they paid the money, received the deed, and happily moved in...
He Fengmian had already received 40,000 taels of silver notes as soon as he arrived at the camp.
Seeing Shulan's curiosity, he told her what had just happened.
Shulan was immediately filled with admiration: "The General is amazing!"
They swindled the Sun family out of 40,000 taels of silver in one go. Amazing.
Seeing her envious look, he took out 20,000 taels of silver and said, "Everyone who sees this gets a share."
Fearing she wouldn't accept it, he said, "Consider it money for my elder brother's antidote. Thank you for your help in the future."
Shulan was surprised to find money for the antidote and happily accepted it, saying, "Thank you, General. Don't worry, I will do my best to cure your brother's poison."
It's not that she didn't want to be reserved, but this is 20,000!
With this money, her ability to live a life of luxury has taken a big step forward, allowing her to avoid many years of hard work.
Then, with an even sweeter smile, she said, "And General, rest assured, with this silver, I will definitely try my best to escape death as soon as possible."
He Fengmian: "..."
Why do I feel like I've shot myself in the foot?
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