exile
I hurried to the front hall, where I saw the leader of the Rao Gang, Ge, with two attendants, waiting for me under the eaves.
"The big boss has arrived late at night. What brings him here?"
Leader Ge shook my hand and said, "Lady Qing, I apologize for disturbing you. I've come to apologize on behalf of my brothers."
"What are you saying, Boss? Lord Wei escaped danger during the day entirely thanks to the brothers of your gang. We're too busy thanking you to ask for anything in return."
"Lady Qing, don't try to cover for those scoundrels. I've already found out that when Lord Wei fell into the water, not only did they not rush to his rescue, but they also tried to ask for a reward. Even after being reprimanded by Lady Qing, those scoundrels still didn't learn their lesson and secretly stole Lord Wei's purse. I only discovered it when they went to buy wine that night."
I laughed and said, "Boss, don't hold a grudge against those brothers. I was the one who offended them during the day, and I haven't even fulfilled my promise to treat them to drinks yet. If you keep blaming them, won't no one dare to go into the water to save people in the future?"
"Thank you for your understanding, Madam Qing." Chief Ge waved his hand, signaling a follower beside him to step forward. "There is also a sword they found under the bridge. I suspect it may also belong to Lord Wei, so I brought it along. Please pass it on to Madam Qing."
I accepted the gifts: "No problem."
"Farewell!"
"I'll see you off." I held up the lamp and escorted the boatmen to the inn's gate.
Chief Ge mounted his horse and took her hand again: "The night is deep and the dew is heavy, Lady Qing, please return."
I returned to Feng Qiao's room with my sword in one hand and the money bag in the other: "Congratulations, sir, on returning the jade intact."
Wei Ji took the sword with both hands, a look of delight on his face: "You found this too?"
"The people from the Rao Gang are like water monkeys who have become spirits. Even if you drop a needle, they can retrieve it for you," I said with a laugh, holding his money bag.
The purse felt light and airy. I squeezed it and found a few coins and some copper coins inside. The purse itself was of good quality, soft and smooth to the touch, with fine lines. Although it was a bluish-green color, it had a beautiful, diffused quality.
I put down my purse: "Adults don't have much money, but their purses are quite nice."
“This is Pu silk, a common type of silk from my hometown.” Wei Ji picked it up, poured out the loose silver and copper coins inside, and handed the silk bag to me. “If you don’t mind, Qing Niangzi, keep it as a souvenir.”
"I don't mind." I took it without hesitation. It's better to make the best use of something, even if it's just a souvenir.
I took out my money pouch and transferred the coins one by one.
Wei Ji looked at my money bag and said, "The embroidery on this bag is very special."
"This is the head embroidery master of our Nanguang."
"It looks like the embroidery is of a rabbit."
"Yes, I was born in the Year of the Rabbit."
"What a coincidence, I was also born in the Year of the Rabbit."
I smiled and pushed the empty purse over: "Then it's yours, don't be picky."
After another month of hard work, I finally saved enough money to buy horses, and I asked Lin Zhong and Feng Qiao to go to the military horse farm in Luzhou to take a look.
The two of them were lucky; they ran into Zhou Hong, who was also at the military horse farm choosing horses.
Zhou Hong, remembering my favor in getting Wei Ji on his behalf, spoke with the stable manager and, among the culled warhorses, picked out a horse with a foal for us. Buy one get one free, Huai Xu's little wish was fulfilled.
But for some reason, the child thought that Wei Ji was the biggest contributor to her wish coming true.
"Godmother, next time I see Lord Wei, I must thank him."
"What are you thanking him for? For falling into the river?"
I was both amused and exasperated. Turning my head, I saw Feng Qiao smiling to the side, and I was absolutely furious.
"Feng Qiao, stay away from Huai Xu from now on! You're driving my daughter crazy!"
Feng Qiao hurriedly waved his hands: "No, Aunt."
Lin Zhong, who was watering flowers outside the courtyard, slowly strolled into the house: "Huai Xu, the person you want to thank has arrived."
"Really?" Huai Xu ran quickly to the door, then quickly ran back.
"Godmother, Lord Wei and Inspector Guo brought a lot of strange people with them."
"Let's go take a look."
Wei Ji and Guo Cheng rode at the front, surrounded by soldiers from the patrol office on both sides. In the middle was a group of men and women, young and old, all dressed in tattered clothes and covered in dust.
Wei Ji smiled and shook my hand in greeting.
Guo Cheng called out loudly, "Qing Niangzi!"
"My lords, where are you headed?"
"We've brought the neighbors to Qingniangzi," Guo Cheng said, pointing to a group of people behind him.
“Some have been swept away for three thousand miles, some for two thousand miles. Prefect Wei said he would settle them in Yanziping.”
Yanziping is less than two miles from the inn. It used to be a place where garrison soldiers cultivated land. Because those soldiers often clashed with the nearby mountain people, and with the newly established Changning Army in Luzhou, Xiong Tu abolished the garrison here. Now, it is just right for Wei Ji to use it to settle exiles.
Wei Ji led a gaunt old man and a thin middle-aged man out from the group of exiles and brought them to me.
"Lord Wei, who are these two gentlemen?"
"Let me introduce myself," Wei Ji said, taking the old man's arm.
"This is Mr. Liu Xingjian, who once served as the instructor of Tongcheng in Shuzhou. And the one beside him—"
The man coughed and interrupted, "Liu Yu, an exile."
Wei Ji was not offended and added with a smile, "Doctor Liu Yu."
I bowed to them and said, "Mr. Liu, Dr. Liu, from now on we will be neighbors."
"This is Qingniangzi from Qingcheng Inn on Bating Road."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Qing."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Qing."
Wei Ji said to me, "Miss Qing, it is not easy for exiled people in the military. I hope that you can take some time out of your busy schedule to help them."
"Lord Wei, you're too kind," I said sincerely, looking at Liu Xingjian and Liu Yu.
"Neighbors should help each other. If you encounter any difficulties after settling in, please come to the inn to find me. I will definitely not refuse to help if there is anything I can do."
Traveling in Sichuan is arduous, and these two men, having traveled thousands of miles in poverty, must have endured countless hardships to reach this place.
At that moment, the two looked at each other, their eyes even turning a little red.
Wei Ji instructed Guo Cheng to bring the two back to the group, and then shook my hand again: "Wei Ji would like to thank Qing Niangzi on their behalf."
"If that's the case, then Qingcheng will first thank Lord Wei on behalf of the mountain people."
Wei Ji smiled: "I'll figure out a way to handle the others."
I was also pleased with this tacit understanding: "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Wei, please take care of yourself."
Back at the inn, I asked Huai Xu and Feng Qiao to pack some daily necessities and send them to Liu Xingjian and Liu Yu.
They prepared lamp oil, tea leaves, and some dried vegetables and meat that they had dried themselves, and asked me to take a look so I could see if I needed anything else.
Most of the exiles were poor people who, when they were starving and freezing, would steal a piece of clothing or a bite of food in order to survive. According to the law, they would be exiled thousands of miles away.
This has been true in every dynasty.
My father, Feng Xuan, was an expert in law, but he couldn't understand this principle. Disappointed, he went to Qingcheng Mountain to become a Taoist priest.
Among the exiles were some convicted officials and their families. They had fallen from grace, unable to carry anything, and had to endure the humiliation of exile. Often, they died before they even reached their destination.
Liu Xingjian came from Tongcheng, which is more than 3,000 miles away from Yuezhou. At his age, the fact that he was able to survive until he reached Yanziping shows his strong will.
With this in mind, I said to Feng Qiao, "Take your seventh uncle's copy of 'On the History of the Former Han Dynasty' to Mr. Liu. He is a scholar and I'm sure he will like it."
When the two returned from Yanziping, Huaixu asked me, "Godmother, what book did you bring for Mr. Liu? I saw him holding the book and quietly crying."
"It is a book written by Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of our Shu region. Mr. Liu may have had some feelings when he first came to Shu region."
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