Chapter 140 Do you want it?
Outside the city of Chang'an, the Qin family members were walking with difficulty.
One of the officers drove a horse-drawn carriage and walked in front. On the carriage were their bedding, food, pots, pans, and other supplies.
Next came Qin Zhao in shackles, with his wife Nie Yunniang tightly holding his arm with one hand and holding their second daughter Qin Zhen with the other.
Qin Heng was also wearing shackles and carrying the luggage they had packed in the prison. The hems of his clothes were tightly held by his son Qin Han and daughter Qin Jia.
Qin Yu from the third family followed Qin Sheng.
Mother Qin (renamed after identity change) was holding her granddaughter who was born not long ago. Lu Songli supported Mrs. Qin and occasionally took turns holding the baby with her.
They all walked forward with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
Several officers were scattered around them to supervise them.
Lu Songli found that the road was really difficult to walk on at this time. The road was bumpy and there was snow on the ground. It was difficult for adults to walk, let alone children.
This is still the official road around Chang'an City. As they go further and further, the road will only become more difficult to travel.
They were walking in the open air, and the north wind was unbearable. Fortunately, they were all wearing thick windproof clothes, otherwise they would probably be sick after half a day.
When Lu Songli thought about the fact that they would have to travel like this for the next three or four months, her scalp tingled. Fortunately, she had made some preparations, otherwise life would have been really difficult.
Another fortunate thing is that the Great Cold among the 24 solar terms has passed, and the next solar term is the Beginning of Spring, after which the weather will gradually become warmer.
After leaving Chang'an City and walking about seven or eight miles, Xu Zheng saw that the women and children of the Qin family could no longer walk, so he found a slope sheltered from the wind to rest for a while.
After stopping, Xu Zheng brought them some dry food. There was no water, so they were preparing to boil some snow water to drink.
Lu Songli handed the child back to Nie Yunniang and asked her to take the child aside to feed him. Naturally, Qin's mother had to help.
Qin Sheng looked around and walked to the side.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm thirsty and want to eat some snow." After he said that, he asked her hesitantly, "Do you want some?" If she did, he would dig out a clean piece.
Lu Songli looked at him speechlessly. Regardless of whether it was clean or not, it was so cold, wouldn't it upset her stomach if she ate it? But she also knew that she had no choice now.
After Qin Sheng asked this question, he remembered that his mother had said that women should not eat cold things, so he frowned.
Drinking water is indeed a problem. Lu Songli glanced at Xu Zheng.
Qin Zhen was still a five-year-old girl. When she heard what her uncle Qin Sheng said, she asked softly, "Mom and Dad, I'm thirsty too. Can I eat snow?"
As soon as he said this, the other children couldn't help licking their lips, obviously they were thirsty too.
The children were very sensible and did not ask for hot water or anything.
"Don't eat yet, wait for me for a while." After saying this, Lu Songli walked towards the officers.
Lu Songli found Xu Zheng and the other bailiffs and officers. "My dear officers, could you please remove the shackles from my husband and my two uncles? We promise not to run away. There's no place for us in Chang'an anymore, and the road ahead is covered in ice and snow. Where can we run to?"
"These three grown men are still in shackles. They won't run away. If they run away, will we women and children be abandoned?"
"If we remove their handcuffs, they can help carry more luggage, and we can move faster, don't you agree? If you're worried, then remove the handcuffs during the day when we're on the road, and put them back on at night when we're resting."
As he spoke, Lu Songli handed the silver in his hand to Xu Zheng.
This silver was given to her by her father when he left town a while ago, and she wasn't sure if anyone had seen it. She took it all out now, not keeping a single ounce. Showing off your wealth and keeping it on yourself would be a disaster.
Besides, the backup plan she had arranged earlier would surely come in handy soon. The people from Yang Wei's escort agency were definitely waiting to pick them up up ahead.
The most urgent task now was to see if they could remove the shackles from the three of them. If that wasn't possible, they could also use this as a test to see if there were any officers who harbored strong malice towards them, so they could take precautions in the future.
She had reasons to make this request.
The exile system had certain written standards. It started with Chang'an City and was divided into three levels according to the distance. These three levels were 2,000 li, 2,500 li and 3,000 li.
The Qin family was exiled to Pingzhou, which is now Liaoyang City in Liaoning Province. Chang'an is about 1,700 kilometers away from Pingzhou, and the distance of exile is more than 3,000 miles, which means that the Qin family was exiled at the highest level.
The escort of prisoners was also subject to time limits. They had to escort the prisoners to the destination within the specified time and complete their mission, otherwise they would be punished. Almost every dynasty had a clear regulation on this, and escorting prisoners had to walk 50 miles every day.
A person in poor health would collapse after walking 3,000 miles. The prisoners were shackled and chained, making the journey extremely difficult. Most people would die before reaching their destination.
Lu Songli believed that bailiffs like them had certain requirements for the prisoners' survival rate.
So she guessed that later on, when the prisoners could no longer bear it, the bailiffs would appropriately relax the restrictions, such as allowing the prisoners to remove some of the locks or something.
Because there is no possibility for the prisoner to escape in such an environment, because the terrain is complex and walking will be hindered. Of course, except for those who have committed extremely serious crimes or have high martial arts skills, they will not be considered for removal of the locks.
Xu Zheng flipped his hand, allowing others to see the silver.
"Go back first, we need to discuss this."
"Yes, yes, please. We understand your difficulties if we can't remove the shackles. But in that case, could you please give us some hot water?"
Before Xu Zheng could say anything, a young officer under him said, "Boss, can you give them some hot water?" He was actively trying to help them, all because the other party was so sensible and what they said was pleasing to the ear.
Xu Zheng nodded, "Okay, you can do it."
So the young officer took a porcelain basin that they used and poured half of it into Lu Songli's bowl with hot water.
Lu Songli estimated that it was about three pounds. She thanked him and then took the water back.
Xu Zheng glanced at her and then looked away. His third sister-in-law's younger sister was really good at handling things. She built bridges and handed over ladders, and many things fell into place smoothly. She never made him feel embarrassed, and their relationship was always well hidden.
Lu Songli is not stupid. It is obvious that the judge is on their side. What benefit will it bring to them if she exposes the relationship between the two parties?
After Lu Songli left, Xu Zheng divided the silver. "You heard what she said just now. I think she has a point. I agree to remove the handcuffs from the three of them. It will be easier for them to walk away during the day, and we can lock them up again at night. What do you think?"
"Boss, we have no objection." Several officers took the silver and said with a smile.
Zhao Long weighed the silver in his hand, his eyes scanning the Qin family, especially Lu Songli, who was his main target of investigation.
Sensing his malicious gaze, Qin Sheng's eyes darkened. He pulled Lu Songli behind him and used his body to block the other's sight.
Zhao Long raised an objection, "I disagree!"
Xu Zheng's face darkened. "Why? Don't forget that we have a time limit on this trip! We must escort the person to Pingzhou within two and a half months. Will you be responsible if we exceed the time limit?"
"The three Qin brothers all come from martial arts backgrounds. What if you remove their handcuffs and they run away?"
After all, if the prisoners were lost, they would face extremely cruel punishment when they returned to the yamen.
Xu Zheng said, "Zhao Long, you're really overthinking it. They are three grown men, yes, but don't forget they're shackled. Besides, with six of us, can't we watch over three sick and elderly women and five children? As long as we hold a few of them hostage, they won't dare to move."
The two groups of people were actually not far away from each other, and their voices were not low, so the people from the Qin family could hear them clearly.
The three Qin brothers all lowered their heads slightly, thinking disapprovingly, if we really had to compete, the six of you might not win.
But now, they have more or less realized something. There is something wrong with Xu Zheng, the bailiff. The other party is a little biased towards them.
Neither Lü Songli nor Qin Heng had disclosed their respective backup plans. Firstly, there was no time. From their wedding to the news of Qin Yue's death in battle, to the late emperor's death, to the Qin family's confiscation of property and imprisonment, events unfolded one after another. Secondly, the fewer people who knew about this backup plan, the better.
"No matter what you say, I just don't agree." Zhao Long insisted on this point.
"Zhao Long, don't be unreasonable. This isn't the first time we've escorted exiled prisoners. We all know what will happen in the end, whether the prisoners will be shackled or not. We're just moving the time up a little. It's New Year's Day, and it's not easy for anyone to go on such a long journey. I believe everyone wants to send the prisoners safely and return safely. At this time, giving them a little convenience can also save us some trouble."
"Yes, Deputy Chief Justice Zhao and Chief Justice Xu are right. We only have two and a half months, which is actually quite tight. Right now, half a day has already passed, and we've only covered seven or eight miles. That's way too slow."
"Zhao Long, you don't need to say anything more. Just put it this way, if the prisoners are lost, I will be responsible, okay? Now answer my question just now. You refused to let them remove their handcuffs during the day. If we can't send them to Pingzhou on time this time, can you take responsibility for this?" Xu Zheng forced him.
Zhao Long still didn't speak.
"If you say you can take responsibility, then I won't remove it. If you can't take responsibility, then listen to me. If you don't say anything now, I will assume that you can't take responsibility." After Xu Zheng finished speaking, he asked someone to remove the shackles from the hands of the three Qin brothers.
Those who can take this trip have been arranged before departure.
He had a chief bailiff, a deputy bailiff, and four runners. He had already made arrangements with all four runners, but the deputy bailiff, Zhao Long, was unyielding. He had tried to find a way to replace him, but found that he couldn't. Now he could only find an opportunity to suppress him.
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