Two guards and several servants from the manor were sent out to escort the Third Master's family to Hexi County, where they would settle down before returning. Some rode horses, while others sat on the shafts of the carriage carrying their luggage.
Just outside Kyoto, the road was quite easy to travel. Zhang Zhaoci looked around and saw that the roads in Kyoto were all paved with bluestone. After leaving the west gate of Kyoto, they walked on a bluestone road for a while, and then on a yellow sand road. Fortunately, the road was regularly maintained, and the road surface was relatively smooth. Such official roads were relatively easy to travel for military purposes.
The carriage had poor shock absorption and wooden wheels, making it extremely uncomfortable to sit on while it was moving.
Besides those on horseback and in carriages, some members of the escort agency also walked. Upon seeing this, Xu Di remarked, "That's over a thousand li on foot. I wonder if their legs can handle it."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Once we get to the post station, we can find some herbs that promote blood circulation and relax muscles to make a soup to soak our feet in, and then apply a hot compress to our legs. That should be quite effective."
Granny Lu had always heard Old Madam Xu say that her third granddaughter-in-law was a good person, not old-fashioned, straightforward, and generous. Now it seemed that she really was a good person.
Lunch was a simple meal on the bus. We ate some snacks and drank some tea from the bus's teapot, which was still hot.
That evening, they arrived at a post station several dozen kilometers from the capital. Xu Rao took out his diploma, and the group was properly settled in the post station.
Zhang Zhaoci went to the cart where he kept his medicinal herbs, rummaged through a few herbs, gave some silver to the innkeeper to have a large pot of soup boiled for him, and then asked the villagers to come over so that they could either soak their feet in the hot soup or soak towels in the hot soup and apply them to their legs.
After a short rest overnight and breakfast at the inn, the journey resumed.
Because she was accompanied by Zhang Zhaoci, a doctor who practices both traditional Chinese and Western medicine and is highly skilled in medicine, Xu Rao felt very confident. At the very least, she wasn't afraid that anyone would be delayed due to feeling unwell.
In the following days, they were able to find inns to rest properly. As usual, Zhang Zhaoci arranged for people to brew medicinal soups for everyone to soak their feet or apply to their legs. When passing through some larger towns, in addition to replenishing some daily necessities, Zhang Zhaoci would go to the pharmacy to buy as many medicinal herbs as possible.
On the seventh day of their journey, having missed the post station, they needed to rest in the wilderness.
The镖局 (escort agency) members were experienced in outdoor life, and they pointed out a place with open terrain near a water source, where they stopped the carriage, cooked, cut grass, and fed the horses.
Zhang Zhaoci, along with Xu Di and Xu Zhi, strolled around the area.
Although the terrain was quite open, there was a grove of trees nearby. From a distance, the trees were lush and the grass was deep. It was already May, and Zhang Zhaoci was afraid that there might be insects or ants inside, so she didn't take the child too close.
The pots they bought finally came in handy. Xu Rao went to a blacksmith's shop and had a small iron stove made. The design was the same one she had seen the owner of a farmhouse using when he chopped wood and cooked in the backyard. She had gone over to take a look out of curiosity and thought that such a stove was really practical. This time they would be traveling for a long time. To be honest, neither Xu Rao, Zhang Zhaoci, nor even Xu Di were people who liked to compromise, especially when traveling. They absolutely could not make do.
Xu Rao paid extra for this little stove and spent another day with the blacksmith before finally managing to produce something that looked oddly shaped. Anyway, it didn't matter if it looked good or not, as long as it worked.
As it turned out, this iron lump, which was no longer recognizable as a furnace, was indeed very useful. Whether it was cooking porridge or boiling water, it was excellent. When the镖局 (escort agency) masters saw it, they surrounded Xu Rao and kept asking how it was made. Xu Rao told the镖局 masters about the blacksmith shop in the capital and told them to go there when they got back. He guessed that the blacksmith shop masters had already made an improved version.
After the meal, Zhang Zhaoci found some medicinal powder and sprinkled it around the area. This powder was specially used to repel insects and ants. Nowadays, many places are deserted, and who knows what poisonous insects, snakes, and ants might be hiding there? Taking precautions is better than anything else.
After the guards and the镖局 (escort agency) master assigned the guards, Xu Rao led Xu Di to the back to find a cart for storing things. They laid out a mattress on it, covered themselves with a quilt, and started to sleep. Although the weather was hot during the day, it was still very cold at night.
Zhang Zhaoci's carriage was large enough that she, Xu Zhi, and Granny Lu slept in it. Although they sat in the carriage all day, it was still quite tiring. Xu Zhi lay down and closed her eyes to sleep. Granny Lu, on the other hand, was getting old and didn't need much sleep. Seeing that Zhang Zhaoci couldn't fall asleep anytime soon, she whispered to her.
Granny Lu said, "A few years ago, when I was still young, I met your grandfather in the Empress Dowager's palace."
Zhang Zhaoci was very surprised to hear this and said, "My grandfather? I'm just an ordinary doctor, how could he go to the Empress Dowager's palace?"
Granny Lu said, "In the previous dynasty, your Zhang family produced an Imperial Physician. With your family's unique skills, how could you be an ordinary family? It's just that later, your patriarch really didn't want to stay in the palace anymore, so he repeatedly declined the Empress Dowager's invitation."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "I think it's good that I didn't go to the palace. Even if I hadn't gone to the palace, things would still be like this now. Granny Lu, my grandfather raised me when I was a child. I know what my grandfather was thinking. He just hoped that his children and grandchildren could live peacefully until old age. Who knew that we would still go against his wishes?"
Granny Lu sighed and said, "The truth will always come out eventually, so don't be too anxious. As long as everyone is safe and sound, that's all that matters. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."
Zhang Zhaoci didn't say anything more. He turned over, looked at his little daughter who was sleeping soundly and snoring, smiled, tucked Xu Zhi's feet in, and then closed his eyes to sleep. These were all things of the past. Who had the patience to bring them up again? If anyone ever bothered him in the future, he would just find a way to fight back. In this vast world, wasn't there a place where reason could be sought?
That night, Zhang Zhaoci slept with a sore back and aching waist. Sleeping in a carriage was really not a good thing. Zhang Zhaoci was thinking that even if it would take a little longer, he would rather not sleep in the wild. How could he get better if he didn't get proper rest? As for the people from the escort agency, it was just a matter of money. As long as the money was in place, wouldn't they be willing to stay at an inn and sleep on a heated kang bed with him?
Nothing much happened along the way, mainly because we were traveling on official roads. Although the journey was long, there weren't many mountains. In addition, the dynasty had been established for many years, and apart from foreign enemies, we had also dealt with many bandits and other local tyrants. The first few emperors of each dynasty wanted to create a peaceful and prosperous world, so they really did their best to create a good environment for the people.
First, they went to the prefecture where Hexi County was located, found Xu Rao's superior, and received a new official transfer certificate. The group stayed in the prefecture for a day and then traveled for two more days before finally arriving in Hexi County.
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