Chapter 57
Chapter 57
After the villager was dragged into the cabin by Xie Shao, he suddenly pulled out a sharp knife, turned around and stabbed him.
Xie Shao was prepared. He leaned back and kicked him on the wrist. The man failed and fell into the cabin. Pei Qing took the opportunity to step forward and suppress him.
As the man approached, he saw a flash of white light, and the sharp knife was already stabbing towards Pei Qing's throat. His movements were fast and fierce, and it was obvious at first glance that he was a martial artist.
Pei Qing had certainly not worked as the patrol chief for so many years in vain. He tilted his neck to the side, and without waiting for the other party to react, he quickly grabbed his wrist and squeezed it hard. The man felt pain and his five fingers spread apart. The knife fell into the cabin. Xie Shao bent down to pick it up. Pei Qing kicked the villager in the knee again. The man staggered a few steps and knelt in the cabin. Just as he was about to struggle to get up, the tip of the knife in Xie Shao's hand was already against his throat.
Their eyes met, and the man seemed to want to make a big bet with him. After a moment of stalemate, the villager suddenly turned his head, and before the man could jump into the river, the sharp knife in Xie Shao's hand stabbed into his throat without hesitation.
When the tip of the knife entered his throat, he could hear the "gurgling" sound of struggle.
The color had long gone from Wen Shuse's face, and he closed his eyes slowly.
Pei Qing kicked the man into the river, and Min Zhang successfully stuck the pole on the wooden board. Xie Shao turned sideways to wash his hands in the river water, and looked back to see the young lady holding the edge of the boat tightly with both hands and her eyes closed. Knowing that she was nervous, he recalled for her, "Well, the lady is also a person who has seen a lot of situations. Even if she saw someone being killed, she would not blink." He leaned over to check her closed eyes, "She really didn't blink."
Wen Shuse:......
In order to follow him, she gave up such bold words.
Before she could think of how to refute, Lang Jun's tone returned to seriousness and he stretched out his hand to her, "Give me your hand and watch the road carefully."
When the boat reached the shore, Pei Qing jumped off first, then turned around and asked Xie Shao curiously, "How did you know that, Brother Xie?"
"There are a lot of ginkgo trees drying in the village. As the village chief, why didn't he promote the village's products when he finally saw the caravan? Instead, he was in a hurry to send us out." He added, "When other people saw the wound on my forehead, they all avoided me. They must have doubted our identity as merchants. But he, the village chief, believed us without a doubt and even tried to conceal it for us and avoid talking about it. Why? He was afraid of alerting the enemy."
I guess there must be someone waiting for them near the ferry.
Pei Qing was full of admiration when he heard this and sighed, "It's a pity that Brother Xie doesn't become a police chief."
Xie Shao did not appreciate his kindness and was not interested in his captain, so he pulled the frightened young lady beside him ashore.
Prince Jing had already disembarked from the boat. His guards were escorting the village chief with a broken wrist and questioning him, "How many people are there?"
The village chief gritted his teeth and said nothing.
The guard drew his sword and hit him hard on the back of the head with the handle. The village chief cried out in pain and blurted out: "More than a hundred men and horses..." Then he said hatefully: "You can't escape."
In this case, the water route is no longer available, and once people are blocked on the river, there is no way to survive.
If you take the official route, at least you still have a chance.
The few of them did not go down the ferry and turned back to the forest.
Prince Jing walked in front to find the way, and the others followed behind him. After walking a few steps, they suddenly heard a scream behind them. Prince Jing's expression tensed, and when he turned around, he saw that Xie Shao had one foot stepping on the village chief.
The village chief was lying face down on the ground, with half of his face deformed by being stepped on.
Not knowing what had happened, Xie Shao had bent down and pulled out a half-picked fire token from the village chief's arms.
The guard who was escorting the village chief, who had just been kicked from behind by Xie Shao, didn't understand what had happened. Seeing this, his face turned pale and he kicked the village chief in anger, "You want to set fire to me, you dishonest thing..."
As dusk was about to fall, a fire signal suddenly lit up at the river crossing.
With a loud bang, dazzling sparks could be seen ten miles away. All the troops nearby came out in droves, blocking the ferry. More than a dozen boats went down the river, blocking the entire river surface. They searched every boat they saw, and even spared no birds.
At the same time, Prince Jing took Xie Shao and his party, rode on the newly purchased horses, crossed the mountains and ridges overnight, and completely left the town behind them on the morning of the next day.
This tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west played a significant role. The front part of the journey was much easier, and on the morning of the third day, the group arrived smoothly at the foot of the South City.
The prince's Dongzhou Mansion is in the South City. After passing the South City is the East Capital of Dafeng. Compared with Weicheng behind it, the gate of the South City is more solid and majestic.
The door bolt alone weighs more than 400 kilograms.
Dozens of guards patrolled back and forth in front of the gate. All people entering and leaving the city, whether they were caravans or civilians, had to be questioned one by one. The defense was airtight.
Even tens of thousands of enemy troops might not be able to force their way in, let alone just a dozen of them.
Prince Jing did not rush forward. He stayed in a secret place outside the city, waiting for the opportunity. It was also a good opportunity for the team to rest and adjust.
During the last two days and nights, we hardly stopped on the road and only rested for two or three hours in total.
Wen Shuse was so tired that even the initial dizziness had been cured. She almost fell asleep several times while sitting on the horse last night, but her husband woke her up and insisted that she look at the scenery.
The moonlight was dim, with only the afterglow of the sky remaining. When I looked up, it was pitch black. Apart from the wind blowing in my ears, what scenery was there to see?
Knowing that her husband was afraid that she would fall down while sleeping, she secretly twisted her thigh countless times. It still hurts now. Now that she has finally gotten off the horse, she cherishes having a bed to lie down on for a while.
After hurriedly taking a shower, she was about to let her husband in, but she saw that he was already lying in the armchair beside the bed with his clothes on, and had fallen asleep.
Along the way, Xie Shao was more tired than her.
Although I didn't want to drag him down, I still caused him a lot of trouble.
Because of himself, he was restrained everywhere and had to pay some attention to himself.
When they left Weicheng that day, he carried her on his back for an hour. When she fell off her horse the day before, he cushioned her and prevented her from getting hurt. He was always the first to hand her water and food, and when she camped in the wilderness, she would rest on his shoulders...
There are so many subtle cares like this.
Seeing the fatigue on his face, I couldn't help but feel sad. I couldn't help but blame myself. If I hadn't insisted on following him, he would have been more relaxed. But it was too late to regret. I was already here. I could only tell myself to be stronger, to cause less trouble to my husband, and to pray that I could reach Dongdu safely as soon as possible.
Wen Shuse wanted to let him go to bed, but he was sleeping too deeply, so he didn't wake him up. Instead, he took a thin quilt from the bed and gently put it on him.
I was also very sleepy, so I came back and fell on the bed and fell asleep.
I don't know how long I slept. When I was half asleep, I heard some noise in the yard. I was on the run these days, so I was easily startled when I woke up. I struggled to open my eyes, but it was already dark outside.
The light of the torch in the distant hall shone into the house. Wen Shuse turned over and sat up. There was no one in the easy chair. She hurriedly put on her clothes. Just as she put on the cloth shoes beside the bed, she saw her husband pushing the door and entering. "Get your things and go into the city."
Several people hid here and there on the road and couldn't get any news.
Today, Prince Jing learned from a secret agent that the Crown Prince had incurred the Emperor's wrath because of the war and food issues in Luoan, and was expelled from the Eastern Capital by the Emperor a few days ago. He is now in the Nancheng Mansion.
The document that Deputy General Xiao of the Liao army gave to the emperor last time was indeed given by him.
It was because he felt that the prince's actions were too absurd and he did not care about the lives of the soldiers and civilians at all. It was easy to start a war, but it was difficult to end it. He had been born in a peaceful era and had never seen a real battlefield. His original intention was to hope that the emperor could reprimand him and guide him.
Unexpectedly, the emperor actually drove people out of Dongdu.
The news that I had been to Luoan could not be concealed. I believe that by now the prince already knew that the document was handed over to the emperor by me.
He had always acted uprightly and had nothing to avoid, but the prince held a grudge against him and must have wanted to cut him into pieces.
From this, we can infer that the imperial edict to reduce the power of the princes was fake.
The imperial edict was fake, but the Fengcheng mutiny was real, and the news would reach Dongdu tomorrow at the latest. Once it was confirmed that Xie Daoyuan was plotting treason, even if the emperor wanted to save the Xie family, he would not be able to find a reason.
Even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire, they have to go through this journey. Prince Jing asked his secret agents to go out and inquire. No matter what, they must find a way to enter the city tonight.
The secret agent came back in the evening with a harvest.
As soon as the prince returned to Dongzhou, he was in a bad mood every day. It was said that his subordinates dared not even say a word. The servants around him were picked again and again, and the cooks were replaced batch after batch.
Upon learning that a batch of food and cooks would be delivered from outside the city tonight, the secret agent immediately came back to report.
This man is an old soldier who had fought on horseback with Prince Jing in the past, and his information is reliable.
If something unexpected happens, it must be the prince's conspiracy. If so, we can only take advantage of the situation. Even if we are ambushed by the prince when entering the city, it is still better than attacking the city alone.
Everything that comes into South City must be checked.
After checking the vegetable baskets one by one, they continued with body searches. The team of people who were delivering vegetables into the city were delayed at the city gate for half a day.
A group of soldiers carrying coffins in the back waited for a while but still not ready. They became impatient and went to the front and said to the guards, "Luo An is waiting for the soldiers to return to the earth. Please open the city gate."
Since the war in Luoan subsided, the emperor has issued a notice that all the souls who died on the battlefield must be brought back to their hometowns for burial.
The guards knew this, of course. But recently, many soldiers from the frontline have returned. They acted as if the death of one person was a big deal. They were all arrogant. They had been humiliated a lot in the past few days and had a revengeful mentality. "Can't you see I'm busy? Get in line at the back."
The soldier was not someone to be trifled with. "Behind us are heroes from Dafeng who died on the battlefield. The emperor was kind and gracious. He was extremely saddened to learn that the soldiers had sacrificed their lives for the country, and he specially ordered us to take them back to their hometown for burial. But the officer told us not to do so. I don't know if this was meant for the officer himself or for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
After the truth about the war and food in Luoan came out, the soldiers at the front and the group of clerks in Nancheng had long been at loggerheads.
The quarrel was heard by the generals nearby.
A few days ago, the prince was demoted to Dongzhou Prefecture by the emperor because of this matter. If he makes a big deal out of this and reports it to the emperor, he will probably lose his head.
He hurried forward to apologize and had the door opened for inspection on the spot. When it was opened, a smell was smelled inside. The general took a quick look and had it sealed. He said a few polite words and politely let him go.
The vegetable farmers and the cooks were delayed for a while and lined up at the back. After the inspection, they had just entered the city when they were surrounded by soldiers from all directions. "No one can be let go..."
The vegetable farmers and the cooks had never seen such a scene before and were terrified.
While the hustle and bustle behind them was going on, the soldiers carrying the coffin in front of them had already disappeared into the dark alley.
Wen Shuse climbed out of the coffin. Xie Shao reached out to help her, but she pinched her nose in disgust, "My dear, don't come near me..."
Xie Shao hissed softly, "Don't you have any smell?"
"I finally got used to the smell, and I don't want to get used to my husband's smell again..."
In order to make it look more realistic and avoid being recognized, all people were painted with different degrees of rotten smells, and they really smelled different. Everyone crawled out of the coffin with disgust on their faces and kept a distance from each other.
Another trick to cover up the truth.
Although Pei Qing couldn't stand the smell on his body, he was full of admiration for Xie Shao. "I have said long ago that if Brother Xie puts his mind on the right path, he will definitely achieve great success. I was right about you. Brother Xie, keep working hard. Whether I live or die this time, I am counting on you."
Xie Shao: ...
The young lady was right. It was indeed difficult to adapt to the new smell. She pushed him away and said, "Go away first! Get rid of the smell..."
Knowing that there was nothing unusual with the vegetable farmers, the officers and soldiers would soon suspect them, so they would first have to find a place to change into new clothes.
After this incident, the main gate from the south city to the east capital must be impregnable and cannot be used anymore. However, there is a mountain road in the front mountain that leads to the underground river in the east capital. It was dug out by Prince Jing and the emperor himself, and no one knew about it except the two of them.
Later, a city gate was built in the south city, but the emperor unexpectedly did not have that road closed.
He knew that it was the emperor's trust in him, but this time the situation was urgent and he had no choice but to go.
In the second half of the night, the group disguised themselves as a caravan and headed towards the front mountain of Dongdu.
Wen Shuse changed into a clean robe, still belonging to Master Wen, and swung his wide sleeves. He sniffed himself, making sure that there was no smell, then he felt relieved and held the bag in his arms as usual.
Xie Shao had noticed it several times and noticed something unusual, so he asked, "What is so precious that you would hold it all the way?"
The young lady smiled at him and hugged him tighter, "A handful of yellow soil from my hometown can bring me wealth and is more valuable than gold. My dear, you say treasure is not precious."
It was a rare moment of relaxation, but he couldn't control his mouth. "That may not be of any use."
The young lady was puzzled, "Why didn't it work?"
"The yellow earth that ruined the family, brought to Dongdu, isn't this going to continue to bankrupt us?"
The young lady took a breath, stared at him for a long while, and sighed, "My dear, it would be more pleasing if you don't say anything."
Perhaps he also realized that it was a bit of a letdown, so he stopped talking about this topic and patted his thigh. "Girl, do you want to sleep for a while?"
Ever since I had lain on him several times along the way, this man's speech and expression had become particularly majestic.
"Thank you for your kindness, my dear. I'm not sleepy." Wen Shuse couldn't sleep. The closer he got to Dongdu, the more excited he felt. Even the sense of urgency to escape was gone. He leaned over and talked to his dear about the future. "I guess we can't go back to the Xie Mansion in Fengcheng. Do you think it's possible for us to stay in Dongdu forever?" After thinking for a moment, without waiting for his answer, she continued, "It's actually quite good. My dear will be an official in Dongdu in the future, and I will grow flowers and grass at home. When you come back, I will chat with you..."
She thought long-term, "Who said I want to be an official in Dongdu?"
"What's wrong with being an official in Dongdu?" The young lady encouraged him: "I hope you will rise to a higher position in the future. I can become the most noble lady in Dongdu and be the envy of others."
The young man was stunned for a moment, "I can see that my wife is really ambitious."
"So, my dear, can you bear to let my ambitions go unfulfilled..." When she becomes wealthy in the future, he will have to keep it for her.
"How about you try a different ambition?"
"My dear, aren't you afraid of being beheaded for saying this?"
She really wanted to go to heaven. Before her husband could be shocked by her audacity, he suddenly felt a vibration under his feet. His face changed instantly and he opened a side window and looked out.
The faint sound of horse hooves, accompanied by the light of torches, was approaching this side.
Xie Shao's heart sank as he had not expected the pursuers to arrive so quickly. He immediately shouted to the driver, "Hurry!"
The others also noticed it. The convoy sped forward and the carriage shook violently. Xie Shao supported the wall of the carriage with one hand and held the young lady's arm with the other.
How could ordinary horses and carriages possibly outrun the cavalry?
The surrounding flames became clearer and clearer, illuminating half the sky, and the sound of horse hooves made people's spines cold.
There was no way to escape, the convoy slowly stopped, Xie Shao let go of the young lady's hand, "Hide well, don't come out." He picked up the scimitar on the carriage, lifted the curtain and jumped down.
Prince Jing got off the carriage, and everyone gathered together, looking at the aggressive pursuers behind them.
There is no shortcut, only head-on confrontation.
Hundreds of people against a dozen people, if they continue to fight, they will all die here. Xie Shao's face was solemn, and he turned to Prince Jing and said, "Your Highness, go first and go to the East Capital to see His Majesty."
At this critical juncture, there is no time for careful consideration. Casualties are inevitable, and the only thing to consider is who will be more useful alive.
Having encountered such choices countless times on the battlefield, Prince Jing knew what was most critical and turned around and said, "Madam Wen, follow me."
From Fengcheng to Nancheng, I encountered countless dangers, but each time I escaped unharmed.
It was obvious that this time they were going to get serious. Wen Shuse was scared, but she didn't dare to close her eyes. She was staring at the carriage window when she suddenly saw her husband come back, lift the curtain, and offer her his hand, "Get down."
Wen Shuse didn't dare to ask him what his current situation was, and just listened to him.
Xie Shao pulled her all the way to Prince Jing's horse, then turned around and said to her, "Follow the prince first."
Wen Shu was stunned, and his heart sank, "What about my husband?"
Xie Shao didn't look at her, "I'll be there soon."
There was such a big commotion behind her. She was neither blind nor stupid. How could he survive if he stayed?
Wen Shuse's mind was blank, and her heart was hanging in the air. For the first time, she was so panicked that she couldn't find her direction. She shook her head instinctively and said, "I don't want to. I want to follow my husband..."
"Be obedient!" Xie Shao suddenly shouted.
She listened to everything he said along the way because she had begged him to come with her. Now that he was being yelled at her, she had no right to say a word.
He just clenched his teeth tightly, tears welled up in his eyes and fell on his face, but he stood there stubbornly, not moving at all.
The way she looked was simply life-threatening.
The young man swallowed and had to admit that he didn't know when the young lady in front of him seemed to have entered his heart.
He couldn't bear to see her being wronged. His heart felt like it was being torn apart by someone's bare hands. He stretched out his hand to touch her cheek, and gently wiped away the tears on her face with his fingertips. He said to her in a hoarse voice, "Wen Er, don't be afraid. Go to Dongdu and wait for me first."
Knowing what he said, she couldn't resist. Wen Shuse's sobs were stuck in her throat and she couldn't speak.
Xie Shao couldn't help it, he held her shoulders with both hands, pulled her over, and gently pressed his lips against her forehead.
The softness on her forehead was so hot that it made her breathless. Wen Shuse finally couldn't hold it back and cried, "You said you would share the joys and sorrows with me..."
He did say that.
But now he regrets it and can't bear to let the young lady suffer.
After this separation, he was not completely sure that they would meet again.
He held the young lady in his arms, knowing that she was very smart and had great ideas, and explained to her word by word: "When you arrive in Dongdu, you will be the third grandmother of the Xie family, the wife of me, Xie Shao, and you will follow the prince to see the emperor. You know everything that happened, so don't be afraid, and don't try to lie. Tell the emperor everything that happened. Only when my Xie family is cleared of the charges can you be innocent."
Only then can she have a foothold, and even if he can't go back, she can remarry in the future.
One hundred red envelopes~
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