Chapter 211 What happened to Zhao Yunjing?!
Four days later, in Wuqi Village.
Boom!
A clap of thunder exploded on the roof, waking Zhou Mujiao, who had just fallen asleep. She got up and turned on the light. Just as she opened the booklet, someone appeared at the window.
The other person was wearing Zhou Yun Logistics' uniform. Upon seeing Zhou Mujiao, he knelt down and said, "Madam! A message has been sent from Jiangnan by carrier pigeon!"
Zhou Mujiao's heart skipped a beat, and she almost lost her balance: "Get up and talk! What happened to Zhao Yunjing?!"
The last letter from Zhao Yunjing was six days ago. At that time, he said that he had already entered the city. On the day he entered the city, it started to rain heavily. At that time, she thought that there would be floods in Jiangnan this year, and his promotion work in Jiangnan would probably encounter trouble. She also thought that with his loyalty to Daliang and the court, he would definitely not stand aside and wait until the floods were over before promoting his work. He would definitely lead people to the front line of disaster relief.
On second thought, he had so many people around him who wouldn't just stand by and watch him go into danger, especially those noble sons who would definitely not let him participate. In addition, with the arrangements she made in Daliang over the past two years, she had seven or eight hundred people in the Jiangnan region. If there were floods in Jiangnan, these people would be the first to go to the rescue.
Two days ago, the magistrate of Qili County said that he had seen the imperial court escorting disaster relief supplies to Jiangnan, and also heard that General Jiang of Jiangbei Camp had arrived at the scene. Therefore, although Zhou Mujiao was worried, she was not particularly anxious - with military officers like General Jiang present, Zhao Yunjing should no longer be at the forefront.
But now, seeing the person who suddenly appeared here, she trembled all over.
The visitor, his voice trembling with tears, said, "Madam, the Jiangnan region is flooded. Our lord has been working day and night on the front lines of flood control. He's fainted twice already, and even Lord Hu and the others couldn't persuade him to stay. Each time he woke up, he rushed back to the front lines. Four days ago, he slipped and fell into the river and was swept away! They've sent people downstream to search, but after a day and a night, they haven't found him… Madam, we fear, we fear—"
"Why are you crying? He'll be alright! Send a message immediately by carrier pigeon, tell Hu Peiran to keep searching!" She said, putting on her coat. "What's your name?"
"Madam, my name is A-Yong."
"Ah Yong, immediately send a message by carrier pigeon, then arrange for manpower. I will depart in half an hour!"
Ah Yong left quickly, and Zhou Mujiao paused in her dressing, her whole body trembling.
Zhao Yunjing fell into the water.
Zhao Yun Jing was swept away by the water, and they searched for him for a whole day and night but couldn't find him!
Nothing will happen! She has a mystical constitution; whatever she says comes true. She said he would live to be a hundred, so he definitely will be fine!
Princess Jinling, who lived next door, heard the commotion and ran over. Knowing that Zhao Yunjing was in trouble, she remained silent for a while before indicating that she wanted to go too.
Zhou Mujiao didn't have time to pay attention to her, but Xi'er and Le'er consciously chose to stay. Most of the villagers in Wuqi Village had already started treatment, and if they all left, the treatment they had received these days would be wasted. Moreover, once trust between people is lost, it is very difficult to rebuild it.
Eighteen woke up too. Without saying a word, the girl packed her luggage. She had originally come out with Zhou Mujiao, so of course she would go wherever Zhou Mujiao went. However, as she packed her things, tears started falling down her face, and soon her vision blurred.
Zhou Mujiao turned her around, gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and said in a deep voice, "Eighteen, your older brother will be alright. I was originally going to take you with me on this journey, but the trip will be very rushed, and you're still young. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it. In the end—"
“Sister-in-law, I want to go with you.” Eighteen’s eyes were firm. “No matter how fast the journey is, there are still horses to ride. Besides, I don’t get horse sickness anymore. Even if I did, it’s better than going hungry. I’m not afraid of going hungry, let alone traveling.”
Princess Jinling said she wasn't afraid of traveling and immediately went back to her room to pack her things.
Zhou Mujiao didn't have time to persuade Shiba, and besides, it was several days' journey from here to the capital. She couldn't bear to leave her alone here, so she took her with her. As for Jinling, she was already eighteen years old, an adult, and capable of taking responsibility for her actions. Moreover, there should be secret guards responsible for Princess Jinling's safety in the shadows, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
However, before setting off, Zhou Mujiao still sent a letter to the capital, asking them to deliver it to the Duke's mansion and then have the old Duke deliver it to the Emperor.
The road leading from Wuqi Village to the city had been repaired when Zhou Mujiao moved in. The road wasn't wide, but it was fairly smooth. As Zhou Mujiao rode her horse along the village road, she saw several dark figures standing at the village entrance in the distance. She reined in her horse and said, "Whoa!"
"See? I told you so! She was lying to us! She's getting what she wanted and she's leaving!"
It was an old woman from the village called Second Grandma. She stood under the archway with her bound feet, and behind her was a group of villagers. The moonlight shone on them, allowing Zhou Mujiao to recognize their identities.
There were Aunt Fang and Sister Ling, who had just undergone surgery, as well as a little girl named Xiao Lü who was only two and a half years old, and Granny Huang, who was lame. Zhou Mujiao had told her to rest in bed for ten days, and she came too, leaning on her crutches!
Zhou Mujiao jumped off her horse and strode over. Before the second old woman could speak again, she shouted at Huang Po, "Huang Po! Didn't I tell you to rest in bed for ten days? Who let you out? Who made her come out? You're harming her, do you know that?!"
Aunt Fang's face and arms were bandaged with cotton, and it hurt when she opened her mouth. She endured the pain and said, "Dr. Zhou, you promised to cure our illnesses. Why are you leaving? You've only been here for ten days! You haven't even cured your own illness!"
"Yes, Dr. Zhou, you can't go back on your word! We trusted you so much that we let you and your apprentices move in, and we even agreed to let you repair the road into the village. Now, outsiders keep sneaking in to watch the commotion. If you just leave like this, it's a small matter if we lose hope of getting treatment. But if outsiders find out that our illnesses aren't all contagious and incurable, and this attracts thugs with ulterior motives, our whole village will be doomed!"
"Dr. Zhou, even if you don't say it, we know you are the wife of an official. Since you are an official, you should think even more about the people! Although we are women, we are still citizens of Daliang! You can't be like them and treat us like we're not human!"
"Dr. Zhou, you can leave today, but you'll have to step over the corpses of everyone in our village!"
Under the moonlight, the villagers looked at Zhou Mujiao with a mixture of anger, despair, and pleading, while behind her, the sound of disordered footsteps echoed.
More villagers came out.
Once the villagers behind her had arrived, Zhou Mujiao mounted her horse and declared loudly, "I, Zhou Mujiao, wife of Zhao Yunjing, the newly appointed top scholar, swear on the lives of myself and my husband that we will never abandon Wuqi Village. If we break this promise, may Heaven punish us—"
Princess Jinling suddenly interrupted from behind: "I am Princess Jinling of the Great Liang royal family. I swear on my life that I will stay here until everyone's illnesses have improved! If I break my promise, may I be struck by lightning!"
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