Chapter 336 Setting Off for New Post
Those who went to the address claiming to be redeeming people wondered why, since Xie Wanniang not only didn't charge redemption money for freeing slaves but also rewarded the servants who chose to leave with some money, they didn't go and "redeem" their own people as well.
Anyway, the other party is naive, rich, and overflowing with kindness!
Even if they don't have enough money or food to support so many people, they can simply sell the people they redeemed back to make another profit.
A group of people, foolishly unaware of their own ulterior motives, only began to arrive in stages in the second month after Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan arrived in Jiangnan, because they received the news very late.
However, the managers and estate owners under Xie Wanniang's command smiled and told them to pay the money according to the contract the moment they asked to redeem the people.
Once the money was paid, they would issue a receipt and notify their princess. Their princess would then arrange for someone to return the servants they wanted to redeem.
The process itself was fine, but those people were only after money from the start.
They refused to pay, insisting instead on seeing their child and Xie Wanniang in person.
Xie Wanniang's estate managers and shopkeepers naturally refused. They directly used the terms of the contract to their advantage. Although their attitude was polite, they were not at all unsure of themselves.
After all, the contract clearly states the terms in black and white. Even if those people take it to the yamen (government office), the yamen will still rule that they are in the wrong.
Those people cried and knelt, making a scene and causing trouble, but in the end they not only failed to gain any benefit, but also wasted a lot of money and food on the journey and lodging. They were extremely frustrated and angry.
But they dared not openly speak ill of Xie Wanniang, after all, she was a princess, and she was undoubtedly in the right.
The incident faded away without affecting Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan, but it added some more gossip to the lives of the high-ranking officials and nobles in Baoding Prefecture.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
At this moment, Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan were busy arranging carriages and planning their travel route.
The journey is long, and Hao Yu's family, Wang Xiaozhi's family, and the siblings Atai and Xiaomei will not be leaving with them. Instead, Xie Daoheng will send over a group of academy students and members of the Xie clan.
Those students from the academy had originally planned to travel and study abroad, but their families were not wealthy enough to afford to hire bodyguards or escorts, so they had not been able to put their plans into practice.
The few Xie clan members who were over twenty years old and not studying at the academy were carefully selected by Xie Daoheng for Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang. They were capable, trustworthy, and reliable assistants.
Although Jiang Yuan's official rank rose higher and higher, he didn't care whether he supported advisors or retainers because he always had the Chang family father and son looking after him.
But things are different now. Jiang Yuan is leaving Baoding Prefecture for the unfamiliar southeastern coastal region.
After making all the necessary preparations for the move as quickly as possible, Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan, along with their child and several accompanying personnel, embarked on a long journey to the southeast coast.
In this era without high-speed rail and airplanes, traveling long distances is a very arduous experience. Not only does it cause physical suffering, but one may also encounter various dangers and accidents along the way. This is why many people in this era are unwilling to leave their hometowns.
Fortunately, Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang were surrounded by many servants and guards. Thanks to them, the students from the academy who went out to travel enjoyed excellent travel treatment.
Of course, this "excellent" only applies to safety.
They don't have to worry about encountering bad people or accidents along the way, nor do they have to worry about not receiving timely medical treatment when they feel unwell.
However, Xie Wanniang would not cover all their expenses during their journey; they would have to take care of their own food, drink, and transportation.
This was a test, and also a bottom line. Fortunately, the students chosen by Xie Daoheng and entrusted to Xie Wanniang's care were at least of good character and moral values.
Therefore, throughout their journey, no strange remarks have emerged from their team.
When the group reached the Jiangnan region, the students bid farewell and left one after another. They would travel together to study in the literary and culturally rich Jiangnan region. They would only return with the guards and servants who were responsible for escorting them when Xie Wanniang sent festival gifts to her relatives and friends in Baoding Prefecture next year.
Jiang Yuan, Xie Wanniang, and the others continued their journey to Dinghai County in Ningbo Prefecture.
Dinghai County and Dinghai Garrison were closely connected. The existence of the garrison was precisely to protect the safety of Dinghai County and the surrounding areas. The two had a close cooperative relationship in military affairs such as defending against Japanese pirates.
Jiang Yuan was the newly appointed commander of Dinghai Guard, so after discussing it, the couple decided to temporarily take their child to a house in Dinghai County to settle down.
According to Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang's extensive research, Dinghaiwei is one of the important garrison cities in the Great Wei's coastal defense system.
The city walls here are high and thick, with six gates, each topped with a gate tower. Each gate has a gatehouse inside, and there are barbicans outside the gates. Along the city walls are ten watchtowers for combat, and more than two thousand crenellations for shooting. The city is surrounded by a moat, and each gate has a drawbridge. The defensive facilities are very complete.
The internal Commander's Office will be where Jiang Yuan will work from now on. As the new Commander of Dinghai Guard, he will be in charge of nine thousand-household units, including Guoju, Dasong, and Chuanshan.
After the last group of students left together, Xie Wanniang and her group spent more than three days traveling.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, the guard Lao Qian came to report, "My lord, princess, we will reach Dinghai County in less than ten miles."
Xie Wanniang glanced at the sky, which was rapidly darkening, through the carriage window. "Tell everyone to speed up. It would be best if we could get into the city before the weather changes."
In this era, the biggest fear for travelers on long journeys is encountering severe weather on the way, as it can force most travelers to become soaked to the bone. Xie Wanniang and her group were quite well-prepared, carrying oilcloth, raincoats, oil-paper umbrellas, straw sandals, and even wooden clogs with them. However, no matter how well-prepared they were, getting drenched in heavy rain on the road would still be very uncomfortable.
Clothes inevitably get wet, body temperature inevitably drops, and most importantly, the official roads of that era were mostly ordinary dirt roads, which would become slippery and muddy once it rained.
When carriages and horses walk on it, it is uncomfortable for both the horses and the riders, and the risk of danger increases exponentially.
Therefore, if they encounter changes in the weather while on the road, they usually take measures in advance when signs appear.
This time, because they were about to enter Dinghai County, Xie Wanniang did not instruct Lao Qian and the others to find a temporary place to stay.
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