Although he knew that the possibility of assassinating Emperor Xuan Qin was low, Qin Ran still felt that he should go and take a look at the man named Zhao Zheng... He was very curious.
This man who intended to unify the immortal ruins reminded him of the man who unified China in his previous life. He could no longer see that man in his previous life, but he could see this man.
He took the map, set out from Wuyi City, and flew to Xuanqin along the nearest road.
As we flew along, we saw the areas of Northern Chu that were occupied by Xuan Qin. It was snowing heavily and there were few people to be seen. The people we saw were Northern Chu soldiers whose bodies were left exposed in the wilderness with no one to collect them, or women, children and the elderly who had frozen to death on the roadside.
As the saying goes, in a war, nine out of ten houses are empty and corpses are floating everywhere.
Qin Ran couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he flew high into the sky and accelerated towards Xuan Qin. Finally, as dusk approached, he flew into Xuan Qin's territory.
After flying in Xuanqin for a while, he stopped as the night gradually darkened.
It was snowing in the dark sky. It was already night and you couldn't see your hand in front of you. It was also freezing cold and windy.
Qin Ran pondered in the snow:
He didn't know what was happening in the capital of Xuan Qin, but he was going to find the Emperor of Xuan Qin, so there was a high probability that there would be a fight. He hurried in the dark, and rushed to an unfamiliar place, and the situation was unknown. It was too dangerous. If he was not in good condition, he might just give himself up.
It’s better to find a place to rest, take things slow and plan for the long term.
He descended his altitude and searched while flying at low altitude. After searching for a long time, he finally found the house with smoke coming out of it.
In the valley over there, there were the sounds of chickens crowing and dogs barking. He could also see smoke rising from cooking fires in the night. It must be a fairly large village.
When he was near the village, he landed on the ground and changed his shape into an old man on the road. He walked into the village tremblingly and looking pitiful, leaning on a cane and coughing.
It was very strange. There were clear sounds of chickens crowing and dogs barking in the village, as well as the smell of cooking smoke and firewood. There were even dim lights in the houses by the roadside, and human silhouettes could be seen through the windows and human voices could be heard. However, on the road outside the houses, there was not a single living being. No one was walking, not even cats or dogs.
In this situation, Qin Ran had doubts and speculations.
He knocked on the door of a nearby house where people were talking, and said, "Ahem, master, I am from Anlu City, and I am on my way to Mo City. But it is dark and snowing heavily, and I have no choice but to stay here. I would like to stay for one night. Please help me."
Then, as soon as he knocked on the door, the voices in the house suddenly stopped. The house was originally full of people talking and laughing, but now there was no sound at all, as if no one was in the house.
He frowned and knocked on the door again. This time he didn't have time to speak because the lights in the house went out.
His hand stopped awkwardly in front of the door.
Qin Ran stood in front of the door for a while, and then changed to another one, but still no one responded. He even knocked on several doors in succession, but the results were similar. Either they held their breath and blew out the lights, or they let the dogs bark, or the owner directly urged them to stay, but no one was willing to take him in.
He went to four or five houses in a row, and finally, when he was about to slip away and wander in the snow for a night, someone finally took him in.
The house is very small, with a small courtyard and several adobe houses. The lights in the house are dim, and it looks particularly cold and deserted in the cold night.
There were only chickens in the yard, but no dogs. Qin Ran knocked on the door. The chickens that were already in the chicken coop were disturbed by the noise and made a lot of "clucking". Soon, the door of the adobe house in the yard was opened, and the light of an oil lamp shone out from inside the house. He saw a woman walking out of the house through the low earthen wall and fence.
She walked across the courtyard, came over to open the gate, and when she saw Qin Ran, she asked softly, "What's the matter, old man?"
Qin Ran looked at the woman, who was nearly thirty years old, with a dignified appearance, rough skin, tied hair, and wearing a thick cotton coat. She had a gentle demeanor and was an extremely beautiful country woman.
"It's dark and the roads are slippery. I'd like to stay here for one night." Qin Ran replied in a hoarse voice.
The woman hesitated for a long time after hearing this. She wanted to refuse, but seeing that Qin Ran was an old man, she nodded and reached out to help him, saying, "Please come in, old man."
What a kind woman! Qin Ran sighed.
In this situation and at this night, if someone from outside the village came to stay overnight, what if something happened, if that person had a vicious heart... it would be a disaster for her.
She knew it because she hesitated, but she still led Kieran into the house because she was indeed kind.
In troubled times, I just hope that kind people like this can live longer.
I followed the woman through the neat courtyard and into a house with oil lamps lit.
There was a stove and a fire place in the room. The stove was warm, and the fire was on, and rice was cooked; there was a fire on the fire place, and there was a pot on the fire, and vegetables were cooked in the pot. On the fire place, around the firewood, there was a chubby little boy of six or seven years old, wrapped up thickly, sitting on a small stool, holding a bowl, and eating.
When the little boy saw Qin Ran enter the room, he just stared at him with his bright eyes. He said nothing and was not afraid, but just curious.
The woman led Qin Ran to sit on the stove, poured him a bowl of hot water from the pot on the stove, and said with a smile, "There is no wine at home, so drink a bowl of hot water to warm yourself up."
Qin Ran thanked him and took a sip of the hot water.
The woman went to get another bowl of rice, and was overly enthusiastic, treating Qin Ran as a guest.
"The old man is very lucky. The food is just cooked." She smiled, "It's just that the food is very simple, without much oil or water. Please forgive me, old man."
Qin Ran looked into the pot, which was filled with cooking oil residue, radish and cabbage. It was simple, but it was not simple at all. As a woman, it was not easy for her to bring her children to eat such food in this cold winter.
"It's not a big deal. In this situation, this is a delicacy. I've been walking along the road, and every household has closed their doors, as if I were a wolf, tiger, leopard, or a cult demon. No one would welcome me." He smiled and said, "Fortunately, young lady, you are kind-hearted and welcomed me. Otherwise, I would have to sleep in the snow tonight. With my body, I might not wake up tomorrow. Young lady, you saved my life!"
“Haha…” The woman smiled shyly, handed the rice to Qin Ran, and went to get chopsticks, explaining, “It’s winter, and there are no young men in the village. There are only old, weak, women and children. Everyone is very cautious, closing the door early and going to bed early at night. At this time of year, we dare not entertain strangers. This is a special situation, please don’t take it to heart, old man.”
"No young men?" Qin Ran felt a little complicated for a moment.
Because all the young men of Xuanqin are in front of Wuyi City in Beichu.
He took the chopsticks and couldn't help but sigh: "When prosperity comes, the people suffer; when destruction comes, the people suffer. War is always a hardship for ordinary people like us."
The woman went to fetch her own bowl of rice, and sat down next to the little boy. She said, "After all, it is to serve the country and be loyal to His Majesty. But those are too far away from me. I just hope he returns safely."
"Is your husband also on the front line?" Qin Ran asked.
"My father is a war hero!" Before the woman could answer, the little boy raised his head and shouted, "He expanded the territory for Xuan Qin and made great military achievements. He is a great hero respected by everyone!!"
Qin Ran and the woman both looked at the little boy, who had a proud look on his face, his eyes gleaming with glory.
Your hero is a demon in the eyes of others. Qin Ran felt even more complicated.
"My husband went to the war at the beginning of the year and hasn't returned yet." The woman reached out and touched the little boy's head, her eyes full of pity, and said, "A few days ago, the army sent news that the situation on the front line was tight and the expeditionary troops would not go home for the New Year. After all, I just hope he can return home safely. It's a pity that he hasn't seen his father for more than half a year... I hope the child will always have his father by his side."
After talking, eating and warming themselves by the fire, the woman boiled some hot water for Qin Ran to soak his feet, and led him to a guest room to sleep. Fearing that Qin Ran would feel cold, she gave him two extra quilts.
The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, Qin Ran heard a noise coming from outside the yard.
The roars of men, the cries of women and children, and the barking of dogs filled the air.
He listened carefully and probably figured out that a young man in the village had evaded military service and was now being visited by the officers and soldiers in charge, who wanted to force him to serve in the army.
...It feels like experiencing the story of "The Stone-Harrow Officer" in person.
Qin Ran couldn't help but sigh, got up, dressed, and prepared to go out to see what was going on.
But just as he put on his clothes and opened the door, the woman from last night came running over and pulled him to the back of the house. As they walked, she said to him in a hurry, "It is said that the situation on the front line is tense and the soldiers are here to collect taxes again. Don't let them see you."
The confrontation on the front line, with hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops being consumed every day, was a huge amount. The Xuan Qin court would frequently levy taxes, which was normal. Qin Ran could understand it, but...
"Why?" he asked. What did it have to do with him? "I'm just an old man passing by."
"If they see you, they will count you as one of ours, and the soldiers will use this as a reason to collect more taxes," the woman said. "Besides, the current domestic situation is tense, and ordinary people are not allowed to move around freely. If they see you, they will charge you with vagrancy and take you back..."
Before she could finish her words, she heard the front door being roughly pushed open, and someone shouted loudly: "Where is the person? Where did he go?!"
"Old man, run for your life!" the woman said, stuffed a hard bun into Qin Ran's hand, and hurriedly ran back to the room.
Qin Ran held the steamed bun in his hand and watched the woman leave. For some reason, he sighed again.
Soon, there was a noise in the house:
"There are still people in their family..."
"I watched her hide someone in her house last night."
"No……"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
After a while, the woman was pushed by the soldiers to the back of the house, but she did not see the old man that the villagers talked about.
Another onlooker asked, "Where did he go? That old man knocked on half the village's doors last night. She was the one who took him in..."
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