Chapter 160: Passing
The boatman also clasped his fists towards Chen Wu and said, "Thank you, Mr. Chen, for your understanding. The city gates should be open by now. Please set off now, Mr. Chen."
Chen Wu thanked him and then set off with a group of prisoners towards the gate of Qingzhou City in Hejian Prefecture.
Although it was early in the morning, there was already a long queue outside Qingzhou City.
Hejian Prefecture is very close to the border between Beirong and Dayu. Although there are constant wars between the two countries, they are also in a state of fighting and making peace. There are even many cases where while there is a war on one side, there is still trade going on in the border area on the other side.
But if you want to go to the border trade area, Qingzhou City in Hejian Prefecture is the only way.
Therefore, more than half of the long queues were merchant caravans with mule carts or horse carts, and even camel caravans, carrying a lot of silk, agricultural crops, grains, cloth, medicinal materials, porcelain, ironware, salt and other goods that were produced in abundance in Dayu, and were going to Datong Prefecture, which had opened up for trade, to do business.
Qingzhou City can collect a certain amount of toll from these passing caravans, and many caravans hide the tax in order to avoid paying the tax.
Therefore, the inspection of the city gate was extremely slow.
After waiting for about an hour, it was finally the exile team's turn.
Chen Wu took out the pass he brought from the Beijing government office and showed it to the officers and soldiers guarding the city.
This was just routine work, and Chen Wu thought it would be easy to get through. However, unexpectedly, the officers and soldiers guarding the city looked at the name on the notice, then looked at Chen Wu, and then whispered a few words to the officers and soldiers beside them.
Upon hearing this, the other officer also glanced at Chen Wu and turned to go into the city.
The first officer looked at the group of exiles and said, "If you are escorting exiles, why do you have a mule cart? And what about the horse carriage? Are you really officers and soldiers?"
Chen Wu explained, "My dear, it will take us at least two or three months to travel from the capital to Youzhou. It's winter now, and we have to sleep outdoors to feed so many people. That's why we bought a mule cart to prepare some supplies and prevent too many prisoners from being killed or injured along the way, which would make it difficult for us to report back to the capital. As for the carriage, it has nothing to do with our exile team."
Chen Wu had already agreed with Xiao Yunshuo and the others on this matter. Although they could accompany him along the way, if they were asked about it, they would declare that they had nothing to do with him.
The officer said impatiently, "It's fine that the carriage isn't yours, but we need to inspect what's on this mule cart."
Chen Wu couldn't help but feel fortunate that he didn't covet the one hundred taels of silver in the morning and agreed to the boatman's request. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to get away with it now.
He made a gesture of invitation and said, "Please."
The officer took a few of his men to the side of several mule carts of the exile team and lifted the felt coverings to protect them from wind and snow to check.
There were only a few bamboo baskets filled with grain, some bacon, pickles and the like on it. There was indeed nothing suspicious.
At this time, the officer who had left before came back and whispered a few words in the ear of the first officer.
When the first soldier heard this, his brows furrowed even further and he said softly, "I understand."
As he spoke, he had already walked to Chen Fenghe's mule cart.
In order to avoid being discovered by the officers and soldiers, Chen Fenghe, Qin Mengyue, the three little ones, and the Zhang family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law did not ride in the mule cart.
The soldier lifted the blanket, looked inside the bamboo basket, and suddenly shouted, "Come on, arrest these overtime soldiers who are actually smuggling the goods!"
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