Chapter 50: A Thousand Miles Away "Baby."
"You don't even blush when you talk about this!" Zhao Yan climbed back onto the small stool and glanced over there quietly. "Don't do anything that consumes your energy. Get some rest. We have to leave as soon as you're well."
"How do we write the letter? Do we have to go to the city?"
Yong Shaolan: "Well, to deliver a letter, you need to find an escort agency. It's safer to go on the road."
Zhao Yan remembered that when his mother sent letters from Jinling to Yujing, they were all delivered by the official post station. Shen Buyu told him that there were also private letter delivery agencies, but the cost was high and the delivery time was long.
"Do we have enough money to send the letter?" Zhao Yan was a little worried. "Besides, Brother Wang said that the city's soldiers are looking for us. Isn't it too dangerous?"
Upon hearing this, Yong Shaolan's eyes darkened a little, but after a moment, he said, "We still need the help of Hunter Wang for this matter. Please talk to him later."
"Ask him to help get some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone."
As he spoke, Yong Shaolan touched his robe and pulled off the decorative antique carved gold buttons. "I prepared a lot of money before leaving Beijing. There are still a lot of gold leaves in my boots. Don't worry about the expenses."
"Give it to him."
Zhao Yan: “…”
He was at a loss for words. A prince of the current dynasty would actually use such an unconventional method to hide money. It reminded him of the zippered underwear his father-in-law bought at the market when he was little!
"Okay." Zhao Yan cleared away the dishes Yong Shaolan had used. "Then I'll go out and wash the dishes and talk to Brother Wang about it."
Yong Shaolan: "Yeah, it's hard work."
"Well, what about after we deliver the letter?" Zhao Yan: "When do we leave?"
"We may have to stay here for a few more days. It's best to wait for a reply before making any plans." Yong Shaolan frowned. "Most farmers have cellars. If the soldiers come looking for us, you and I can hide there first. If Hunter Wang disagrees, you can tell him about the renovation of the school. He won't refuse then."
Zhao Yan considered Yong Shaolan's intentions and said, "...Aren't you using moral kidnapping?"
Yong Shaolan didn't refute: "Hmm?"
Zhao Yan: “…”
A little speechless: "Okay."
When Zhao Yan left the house, it was already dark. Wang Dayong was chopping wood in the kitchen. Seeing Zhao Yan coming out of the wing room, he said, "Put it inside to wash. The water is ready."
Because they came in a hurry and Wang Dayong was not talkative, Zhao Yan didn't talk much to this honest hunter.
Zhao Yan nodded, took the bowl in and washed it, and when he came out, Wang Dayong had already prepared the firewood, neatly stacked it, and carried it in a large backpack, looking like he was about to go out.
"Um, Brother Wang, I have something I want to tell you."
Wang Dayong was about to deliver firewood to the home of Landlord Liu at the east end of Xiaowangzhai Village. He heard Zhao Yan say something and put the firewood down. "What's wrong?"
Zhao Yan: "That..."
Zhao Yan really didn't know how to approach Wang Dayong, but the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. He bowed and said sincerely, "Brother Wang, Brother Lan and I do have something very important to ask of you... Here's the thing."
Zhao Yan briefly told Wang Dayong about himself and Zhao Cheng, and explained his current situation, but did not mention what Yong Shaolan had told him. He gave the initiative to choose to Wang Dayong, asking him to help him find a place to hide in Xiaowangzhai and to deliver the letter.
"Anyway, please help me, Brother Wang."
After saying this, Zhao Yan opened his robe and prepared to kowtow to Wang Dayong, but the honest hunter suddenly grabbed Zhao Yan's arm, pulled him up, and said solemnly, "I can't read, so I can't make the decision on what you said. Wait until I go out for a while and I'll get back to you later."
Seeing hope, Zhao Yan smiled sincerely, "Thank you, Brother Wang!"
Yong Shaolan listened carefully to what Zhao Yan said behind the door of the wing room.
…
After Zhao Yan and Wang Dayong finished talking, he gave the gold buttons to Wang Dayong. Wang Dayong did not refuse and went out with a few gold buttons and a basket of firewood.
Originally, Wang Dayong was planning to deliver firewood to Landlord Liu's house first, but with what Zhao Yan had told him, he turned around and went to the home of Teacher Wang, who lived next to the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Xiaowangzhai.
The title of Teacher Wang comes from his previous official position. He is eighty years old this year. He was originally the teacher of Zhinan County, but later retired due to some things. He was born in the previous dynasty and is one of the few literate people in Xiaowangzhai. He is quite prestigious in Xiaowangzhai.
Because of his prestige, the villagers of Xiaowangzhai would often seek out Wang Jiaoyu for clarity and fair judgment whenever they encountered any issues they couldn't decide. A few months ago, the seventh prince of the imperial court announced plans to build a school in the Guanyang area. Baicheng, being close to Guanyang Town, benefited from this opportunity. The school in Xiaowangzhai was single-handedly run by Wang Jiaoyu and members of the imperial court.
Wang Dayong first went to the ancestral hall to pay his respects. When he arrived at Teacher Wang's house, Teacher Wang was sitting at home, holding a copy of the Three Character Classic and teaching some little kids to recognize words.
When Teacher Wang saw Wang Dayong come in with a basket of firewood on his back, he knew he was going to Landlord Liu's house. He jokingly asked, "You stupid boy, did you take the wrong road in the dark? Miss Liu's house is at the other end of the village."
Wang Dayong pursed his lips and said nothing. He took off the backpack and took out a small amount of firewood. He put it in Teacher Wang's kitchen. After coming out, he murmured, "Uncle Wang, I have something important to discuss with you."
Teacher Wang saw that Wang Dayong seemed to be in trouble, and he thought that it was nothing serious for a bachelor like him. It was just a marriage that didn't go through. "Hmph, if you want to marry the Liu family girl, I, an old man, can't help you. Let's go."
Wang Dayong shook his head. "No, it's a small matter... not a small matter, but it's something I can't make a decision on anyway."
Teacher Wang saw that he was serious and took it to heart. He gave some candies to the children and waited until the yard was clear before asking, "What's going on?"
"The Seventh Prince and the Prince of Yong, who were being pursued by the government, were brought home by me." Wang Dayong said solemnly, "They wanted my help, but I couldn't make up my mind."
After saying that, Wang Dayong showed the gold buttons to Wang Jiaoyu and said, "You've given me something good."
When Teacher Wang saw the intricately crafted gold button, he almost gasped, "Heavenly Bodhisattva... please don't try to deceive me!"
…
After Wang Dayong left, Zhao Yan cleaned up the dishes in the kitchen and went back to his room to take care of Yong Shaolan. But as soon as he entered, he saw Yong Shaolan standing behind the door, which scared Zhao Yan: "Why did you get out of bed? Go back and rest quickly. I've told Brother Wang everything."
Yong Shaolan drooped his eyelashes, said nothing, and returned to bed following Zhao Yan's instructions.
"Don't worry, I think Big Brother Wang will help us, but..." Zhao Yan followed Yong Shaolan to the bed, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said seriously, "I am also worried that we may bring trouble to the people of Xiaowang Village."
"If fewer people knew about it, it wouldn't happen." Yong Shaolan felt under the pillow and put the dagger on his body: "You should have told him not to reveal this matter."
Zhao Yan: "...I knew you were eavesdropping."
"I trust Brother Wang. If he hadn't helped us that day, we would have been doomed. I'm always good at judging people."
"Besides, it's hard for Big Brother Wang to accomplish this alone."
"I think he went to find someone to help us."
Yong Shaolan pursed his lips, put away the dagger, and said lightly: "I hope so."
"But it's better to be cautious. If things change, the back window can be used for escape."
Zhao Yan: "...Okay."
The two waited in the side room for about half an hour before there was movement at the wooden door of Wang Dayong's house. The rustling sound of footsteps was mixed with the voices of people talking.
Wang Dayong's face was dark as he hurried home, carrying Teacher Wang on his back. "Heavenly Bodhisattva...Heavenly Bodhisattva...I remember when the King of Zhao was forced to move his capital and passed through my Zhinan County, your grandfather and I escorted them all the way out of Baicheng, but they tortured us. If your grandfather hadn't protected me, I wouldn't have survived."
"How come this kind of thing happened to a silly kid like you again?"
Wang Dayong's mind was filled with the memory of being driven out by Landlord Liu. He could no longer contain Teacher Wang's nagging: "The situation is different. There are only two of them, and one is injured."
Teacher Wang hit the man on the head. "Am I afraid of them? I'm afraid the authorities will come looking for me. Put me down, you little brat."
Wang Dayong let Teacher Wang down, and the two of them slowly walked to the side room and knocked on the door.
Yong Shaolan protected Zhao Yan behind him, took a look outside through the crack in the door, and opened the door only after making sure that there was no problem.
Zhao Yan poked his head out and looked at Wang Dayong and an octogenarian standing in front of the door. "Brother Wang, you're back..."
The boy had delicate features, bright eyes, and a round, smooth figure, like a lucky doll from a New Year's picture. Teacher Wang took one look and was convinced: this was exactly the same portrait hanging in the school! This was the auspicious child born to the Nangong family, the unicorn child who would save their Great Yan!
How lucky they are, how lucky they are!!!
Wang Dayong nodded, but before he could say anything, Wang Jiaoyu knelt down and kowtowed, "I am the former Jiaoyu of Zhinan County, a native of Xiaowang Village, and I pay my respects to His Highness the Seventh Prince!"
Zhao Yan was also confused, but he quickly helped the old man up from the ground: "...Uncle, you are too polite. Brother Lan and I have a request for Brother Wang."
Teacher Wang shook his head and muttered to himself, insisting that Zhao Yan was a living Bodhisattva who could save the world. He kowtowed three times before he stood up to talk business.
Fortunately, the discussion went smoothly. Wang Dazhu followed Teacher Wang back home and brought Zhao Yan some writing brushes, ink, paper, and some fried dough sticks made of white flour.
Around midnight, Yong Shaolan wrote several pages of letters. Zhao Yan stayed by his side. The general meaning of the letter was to explain their location, ask the Nangong clan to secretly send someone to meet them, and then quickly send a letter of cooperation to the King of Southern Fujian: "If this letter is successfully delivered, how long will it take for us to receive a reply?"
Yong Shaolan said calmly, "It will take at least half a month."
"So long? Luckily, Brother Wang and Instructor Wang are good people. They said they'll vacate the cellar tomorrow. We won't have to worry about the soldiers coming to check." Zhao Yan felt more at ease. "If we had known this method existed, we shouldn't have run away on our own. We almost lost our lives."
"Next time, if there's a more reliable method, Brother Lan should still discuss it with me and not act on his own ideas."
Yong Shaolan lowered his gaze and turned to look at Zhao Yan, whose eyes were clear and innocent. "Is it possible that Jinling has just stabilized its position?"
Zhao Yan: "...That's true."
"What about the emperor's uncle? Are you sure he will help?"
Yong Shaolan: "You are the Qilin child, destined for you. Plus, I guarantee you. If he is not stupid, he will not refuse."
"Okay," Zhao Yan had just had a conversation with Teacher Wang, who kept calling him a living Bodhisattva and a Qilin'er. He was embarrassed and wanted to carve out a three-bedroom and one-living-room apartment, but now that Yong Shaolan said this, the Qilin'er setting seemed like a golden finger.
Zhao Yan: "It feels a bit good."
Zhao Yan: "In the history books, it was called the Xiaowangzhai Uprising!"
Zhao Yan: "Then what should we do when our escort arrives? Will it be smooth sailing back to your hometown?"
"Yeah." Yong Shaolan sealed the dried letter and put it away. "Are you looking forward to it?"
Zhao Yan: "What are you looking forward to? Becoming the emperor?"
Yong Shaolan leaned over, took Zhao Yan in his arms, pecked him on the cheek, and changed the topic he wanted to talk about: "I want to have sex with you when I get home."
"Is that okay?"
"Baby."
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