Chapter 18: Departure to Zuo Huai Brings Back Unpleasant Memories...
Centered on Kyoto, and covering dozens of surrounding prefectures and counties, people's lives are improving.
Spring's return to the earth is not only a change in climate, but also a silent proclamation that the harsh winter is about to end.
The year of disaster will soon become a measurable memory, just like winter.
The restoration of the Sheji Tu (a map depicting the land and its people) has been very successful.
Jiang Yuzhi originally wanted to transfer the little remaining strength in her body to Bai Yan, but that little bit of strength was clinging to her tightly.
It was as if He Ji's embers were telling her, "Even if you become a ghost, I will not let you go."
The Emperor of Fengdu returned to the underworld with the four ghost kings, and the duties of the Black and White Impermanence finally returned to normal.
They were responsible for overseas assignments and rarely stayed in the field for long periods to handle paperwork.
As a result, the group that set off for Zuohuai grew even larger.
There is another undecided candidate – Bai Yan.
"What, you want to take that kid with you?" Xie Bi'an asked Jiang Yuzhi casually while taking stock of the shop's fabric inventory.
“He wants to go to Zuo Huai to find his father.” Jiang Yuzhi sat on the low stool next to Xie Bi’an and watched him tidy up. “I’m worried that if he leaves, the fortune of the capital will be unstable and there will be changes.”
"No, that won't happen. Given the current situation, the power of the Sheji Tu is abundant. As long as his condition doesn't worsen, that kid can go wherever he wants. However, I don't agree to him going."
Xie Bi'an refused without hesitation, which was exactly what she expected.
Fan Wujiu finished arranging the outside of the shop and happened to hear him say that he disagreed.
"who?"
"It can't be the one possessed by the Map of the State." Xie Bi'an said through gritted teeth.
"Zuo Huai has not yet been included in the scope of the Sheji Tu. If Bai Yan goes, he may be able to influence the local fortune with his own body. However, whether or not to take him with you is up to you to decide."
Jiang Yuzhi still wanted to go with Bai Yan, and knowing that it wouldn't cause any negative changes, she had practically made up her mind.
Seeing that Xiao Zhi's expression had softened, Xie Bi'an knew that the boy wanted to come along. He still added, unwilling to give up, "You should think it over carefully. If you take him with you, we can only travel on the main road, which will take at least one or two months. If you don't take him, we'll travel from the underworld, departing at night and arriving at night."
Jiang Yuzhi wavered for a moment, but then she thought that traveling on the main road was not so bad, except that it would be slower, and she could also see the recovery progress along the way.
"Take him along. His father has businesses in Zuo Huai. He might be able to help us make arrangements." It was a high-sounding excuse, but none of the ghosts present believed it. If they wanted to know something, they could simply hide and enter someone's house to see for themselves. Why would they need any kind of arrangements?
On the day of departure, Bai Yan brought a total of five carriages: three for people and two for luggage.
She started to regret it.
The ghosts have no luggage, no need to eat or drink, at most they'll catch some wild game and roast it for the Di Ting.
Of the group of humans and ghosts, only Bai Yan was truly happy.
Jiang Yuzhi also needed to prepare an extra bundle to cover his tracks.
The shop was handed over to Zhou and her son, as well as Xiao Jin.
Including the coachman, the large group moved forward slowly.
Bai Yan actually wanted to ride in the same carriage as his wife. He knew that his brothers-in-law would not let him have his way, but he still held onto a sliver of hope.
The three men sat silently in the carriage.
The last two, Jiang Yuzhi and Zhi'er, and Di Ting, were in one cart, while the remaining three were in another.
At first, Zhi Er was somewhat afraid of Di Ting, whose mighty beast was as loud as thunder in the ears of the ghost messengers.
But soon he joined Jiang Yuzhi and played with her, changing clothes for Di Ting.
Di Ting couldn't stand the two reckless ghosts touching him all over, losing several hairs in the process. So he simply climbed out of the carriage and jogged alongside them.
Jiang Yuzhi didn't find it boring at all, as Zhier told her many interesting stories about catching ghosts.
Including being injured by the vengeful ghost in the Stone Mill Hell, but ordinary ghost messengers probably know less than Jiang Yuzhi.
Along the way, apart from the horses needing to rest, they were basically traveling. Bai Yan saw Jiang Yuzhi less often than in Kyoto, and they could only exchange a few words when they set up camp.
The farther you are from Kyoto, the worse the surrounding environment becomes.
Jiang Yuzhi's heart, which had long since stopped beating, grew even colder.
For two whole months, Jiang Yuzhi was unable to intervene in the karma of mortals. Many people starved to death on the road, most of them elderly people who stubbornly stayed behind. They were unwilling to leave with the fleeing groups, fearing that they would be a burden to the young people and children, and they did not believe that they could really get enough to eat if they left the village.
It's better to wait for death, to wait for the fallen leaves to return to their roots.
The Bai family's caravan had already traveled along this road once, and some of the refugees followed them to Zuohuai, while others went together towards the capital.
The imperial court's disaster relief efforts were too slow; there were simply too many victims.
The closer a prefecture was to Kyoto, the more abundant the supplies were. As a result, the refugees would leave some supplies in each prefecture they passed through to alleviate the pressure of disaster relief.
Jiang Yuzhi guessed that Bai Wulan was ordered to go to Zuohuai with a large amount of grain, ostensibly to inspect, but in reality to prevent the mentally challenged people from robbing it.
Zuo Huai was considered the border of the Xia Dynasty. It was located by the sea, and fishing could temporarily relieve the pressure on the granaries. From there, a comprehensive disaster relief effort was launched to disperse the refugees.
The reason why no riots or tsunamis occurred in the sea despite the damage to the Sheji Tu (a mythical map of the land) and the imbalance of fortune is because there is a dragon in the sea that protects the sea surface and keeps it peaceful.
It was told to them by an old woman who wanted to go to Zuohuai to stay with her daughter, but died on the way.
Jiang Yuzhi couldn't bear it, so she secretly hid in the carriage carrying luggage, altered a set of funeral clothes, dressed her mother-in-law in them, buried her under a nearly dead loquat tree, and watched helplessly as the ghost messengers took away her bewildered soul.
Di Ting told Jiang Yuzhi that the dragon in the sea was a rare and diligent beast from heaven. It lived in the human world year-round and received offerings from fishermen, which is why it worked so hard to maintain the stability of the sea.
They stayed under the tree for one night, and before leaving, they discovered that a tender green bud had sprouted from a branch of the loquat tree.
At this moment, Jiang Yuzhi finally had a real understanding of the power of the Sheji Map. She couldn't help but hug Bai Yan tightly before quickly letting go before Xie Bi'an got angry.
Bai Yan was inexplicably shown affection by his wife, and seeing that the gloom of hardship along the way had dissipated somewhat, he revealed a silly smile.
From where the city wall of Zuohuai can be seen, one can also see the shacks outside the city, where many people gather.
It's afternoon, and a midday nap is a great way to relieve fatigue.
The vehicle was parked not far from the shed.
The group of ghosts and humans got off the vehicle and looked at the scene ahead.
One of the guards at the city gate must have recognized Bai Yan. Upon seeing him, he hurriedly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Young Master Bai, Chairman Bai received His Highness's message a few days ago and has already arranged accommodations for you. Let me show you in."
Bai Yan nodded, and seeing his wife looking around as if observing something, he did not suggest getting into the carriage.
They trudged through the cracked earth, step by step, into the city.
Passing by the shack, I discovered that the people living there were all unkempt, unshaven men.
The officers noticed Jiang Yuzhi's scrutinizing gaze and explained, "These are all people who are waiting to receive porridge but don't want to work. Don't be afraid, Miss. They can't hurt you. Those who are willing to work have already gone to the city."
There was a man who was quite an eyesore, and was also extremely shameless. He leered at Jiang Yuzhi and the four women, scanning them from head to toe. When he met the expressionless faces of Xie Bi'an and the others, he shrank back and looked away, but still couldn't help but steal glances at them.
Di Ting couldn't bear it any longer and howled as it lunged at him to bite him, but it stopped abruptly, roared twice, and hid behind Bai Yan, who was closest to it, and began to retch.
Ugh—it stinks! I almost threw up all the pancakes I ate last night.
The Black and White Impermanence couldn't act rashly, and were just thinking of dealing with this person properly when no one was around when Bai Yan gave the soldiers a wink, and the soldiers immediately understood.
“You guys come here. I’ll take them into the city, arrest this guy, and send him to the state prison.”
"yes."
Several soldiers quickly bound the man to the ground, rendering him unable to move.
Unable to resist, the man began shouting, "What are you doing? What are you doing? I'm a law-abiding citizen!"
Di Ting wouldn't be disgusted by ordinary stench; it could also smell the malice emanating from the man's soul. Needless to say, the Black and White Impermanence had a thick layer of black mist that any ghost messenger could see. How many times had they bullied men and women, committed murder and robbery?
If you go down there, you'll be sentenced to prison in the eighteen levels of hell for hundreds of years, and then you'll be reborn as an animal in the next life.
Bai Yan recognized him but couldn't quite place him. It wasn't until his repulsive gaze fell on his wife that a corner of the dusty memories in his mind finally surfaced.
Isn't this a distant relative of the prince consort, the previous master of the princess's mansion?
While Bai Yan was confiscating the princess's mansion with his mother, this man was in the main hall of the princess's mansion, being affectionate with his concubine, ready to pounce.
As a result, Xiao Yao was followed by a large number of soldiers who broke down the door and entered the hall. The man was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground, and yellow water stains spread under his body, with a foul smell. His concubine also secretly crawled away from him on her knees.
This caused great harm to Bai Yan's pure heart.
This disheveled appearance is so unrecognizable, it's hard to remember, and I don't want to remember.
Most likely, when the previous dynasty leader fled, he ran away with him. It was too chaotic at the time, and no one paid attention to an insignificant little person.
"Zhu Xuanwei, you say you're a law-abiding citizen? Then, do you still remember me?"
"Who are you? How come you're here? What are you doing here?"
Zhu Xuanwei tried to turn around and run away in terror, but he was tied too tightly and could not move.
The handsome man in front of him had tried to destroy his means of procreation the first time they met; he would probably never forget it for the rest of his life.
"Take him away. What kind of work has the prefect of Zuohuai done?"
The officers and soldiers awkwardly tried to save face for their superiors, saying, "As you know, the Prefect and Chairman Bai have been busy with disaster relief work lately, so it's inevitable that they've neglected this aspect."
Bai Yan didn't respond, so the officers and soldiers could only wipe the sweat from their brows and lead the way in silence.
The surname Zhu immediately suggests a remnant of the previous dynasty. Zhao and Zhu are the surnames of the former dynasty's officials and the former dynasty's father, respectively.
Fortunately, Chairman Bai wouldn't allow these lazybones to leave, and gave them some food to keep them alive, saying he would deal with them when he had time.
The ghosts were fooled by Bai Yan; they were usually undetectable, but they looked quite imposing at this moment.
Inside the city, however, the scene was quite different.
The drought has lasted for days, and the fields have yielded no harvest.
Although the people on the street were pale and thin, there was still hope in their eyes.
Several grain shops along the way were open, with notices posted on the doors stating that rice and flour could be exchanged for work time vouchers from the government office.
Their long convoy was eye-catching, but no one stopped to pay attention; everyone was busy with their own business.
A note from the author:
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Listen carefully: Ugh—my nose is dirty.
Bai Yan: Ugh—my eyes are blind!
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