Chapter 39
"Jianzhou, Yongchang County..."
When Pei Liuniang said this slowly, everyone was shocked.
"Isn't that the same county as Sister Gu? The same village?"
Gu Ran got into trouble with a thief on the way to exile, which may have affected the government's placement of her. Pei Liuniang was originally a serious criminal in the horrific family massacre case in Zhengzhou, so it is estimated that this was the reason why they were both sent to the remote Jianzhou.
They were all from the same county, and possibly the same village, but the names Pei Liuniang slowly said disappointed everyone.
"Yongchang County, Qinghuai Village."
"It's not the same place as Sister Gu!"
Gu Ran didn't know what he was feeling. He seemed relieved, but also a little disappointed.
Although she had no choice but to become an accomplice with the Sixth Lady of the Pei Family, according to what she learned during her exile, this girl's nature could not be said to be too bad. She was determined to exterminate the entire Pei Family to avenge her parents.
At least after she knew that she had not spoken nonsense, she could still rely on him based on his interest as an accomplice.
Moreover, the two of them were in similar situations, both being weak and lonely women. If there was anyone she felt close to in these few short months, it would have to be Pei Liuniang, but...
Gu Ran recalled how helpless he felt when he was beaten by that thief Shan Yi, and felt relieved.
Well, forget it. I forgot where I heard this, but the word "human" originally means that people can only stand upright on their own two legs. So no matter when, the only person we can truly rely on is ourselves.
Thinking of this, the sadness caused by the impending separation disappeared immediately.
On the second day, the prisoners going to Jianzhou will be escorted there by officials sent by the Puzhou government. Moreover, instead of walking, they can ride in donkey carts, which is much more convenient.
Before setting off, the Puzhou officials gathered the prisoners they were responsible for escorting to various places in Minzhou and began to check their identities and numbers.
Gu Ran saw that the more than 200 prisoners were now gathered into several groups according to their assigned locations.
Fujian is a vast area, and there are many places that need manpower. More than 200 people were assigned to various provincial capitals, and it was obvious that many people were diluted all of a sudden.
Seeing that the Qin family members looked good among the group of people, he knew from their expressions that they were probably sent to a good place. As for the accomplices who went to Jianzhou together, Gu Ran retracted his gaze and looked at the group of people he was with. There were several gazes in them that he couldn't ignore even if he wanted to.
Shan Yi's bandit accomplices, led by a man called Uncle Ying, seemed to have joined the group of twenty or so prisoners going to Jianzhou. Since then, this group of people have been stealing glances at him with fear and reluctance, obviously because they hold a grudge against him because of Shan Yi.
Gu Ran did not expect that it was such a coincidence that this group of bandits were also taken to Jianzhou.
However, considering the harsh environment in Jianzhou, most of those assigned there were serious criminals. These people were bandits by profession and were probably a group of exiles with serious crimes. It was not surprising that they were assigned to Jianzhou.
Fortunately, although they are all in Jianzhou, they are not in the same place as Uncle Ying and his group - Jianzhou is also a large area with ten counties under its jurisdiction. Even in the same county, there are many villages under the county.
In addition to Pei Liuniang, there were three other people who went to the same county with her, but no one knew which village they were sent to.
These two men were strangers and he was not familiar with them, so Gu Ran did not greet them.
Before they set off, officials came to remove the chains on their feet.
Gu Ran, who had been walking like this with chains on his feet for several months, felt much more relaxed as soon as the chains on his feet were removed.
At this time, the officers were no longer afraid that the prisoners would escape and run around if they were not shackled.
You've already arrived at the place of exile, why are you running?
Fujian is a wild and desolate place, and it is said that there are many poisonous insects and large beasts. People are unfamiliar with the roads and have nowhere to go if they run away.
Go home? This place is far away from the prisoner's hometown. Even with the escort of officials, he still has to go through hardships and he may lose his life if he is not careful. If he goes on the road alone without any money, can he return safely?
In Fujian, the best way out is to follow the officials obediently and live in the designated place of exile, where there is still some hope.
So when Gu Ran got on the donkey cart, many prisoners outside the prison were still waiting obediently for the officers to come and remove their shackles. The rattling sound of the iron chains would be heard every once in a while. It was the sound of the officers throwing the removed shackles into the pile of chains.
Gu Ran listened to the sound proclaiming freedom and left the Puzhou government office in a donkey cart.
The donkey cart went all the way south. When it left Puzhou City, the prisoners sitting on the donkey cart were obviously relieved. They asked each other about their respective counties of exile, hoping to find someone who had settled in the same place and become a companion.
At this time, Pei Liuniang was also sitting next to Gu Ran.
There were generally few women who committed crimes, and single female prisoners who were exiled were even rarer. Among the group of prisoners going to Jianzhou, there were only Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang, so they quickly became the focus of the crowd.
"Ladies, where were you assigned to settle?"
"That's right, let's talk about it. Maybe we're from the same place, so we can take care of each other!"
Uncle Ying and a few of his men heard them diligently inquiring about the two female prisoners. They sneered, and one of them couldn't help but ask, "Don't you know them?"
"Why, you know him?"
"One of them is the murderer who wiped out her entire family, and the other one is Gu Erniang, who single-handedly knocked down that mountain-like Shan Yi not long ago."
The prisoners all fell silent for a moment.
Killing the whole clan, so vicious?
Is she the reckless Gu Er Niang?
It turns out that the two female prisoners who were exiled to Jianzhou with him were these two powerful characters?
The prisoners had originally gathered around Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang, but now that they knew their identities, they quietly retreated.
They couldn't afford to offend a woman who was even more cruel than their husbands.
Uncle Ying was not afraid. He stared at Gu Ran with a ferocious look on his face, as if he would pounce on her and tear her to pieces if Gu Ran made any move.
Gu Ran just pretended not to care.
Pei Liuniang couldn't stand it anymore, so she secretly clenched her hands, waiting for Uncle Ying to do anything rash so that she could pinch him at any time.
There were undercurrents along the way, but with the escort of officials, the group of prisoners lived in peace.
After leaving Puzhou City, they arrived in Jianzhou ten days later. After the Puzhou officials completed their mission, the Jianzhou government sent officials to escort them separately - depending on the different counties, the directions were different. The more than 20 prisoners were divided into three batches, one group heading to the same county.
Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang were both going to Yongchang County, so naturally they traveled together.
When they arrived in Yongchang County, the five prisoners were escorted by Yongchang County officials in turns.
At this time, among the same group of prisoners, only Uncle Ying and two of his men were left on the donkey cart to continue heading south. It was said that the county town they were being sent to was even more remote than Yongchang County.
Finally separated from these troublesome bandits.
Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang both breathed a sigh of relief, looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
With the documents issued by the government, they registered their household registration in Yongchang County.
Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang were both female residents of one household, so the clerk in charge of household registration in Yongchang County took another look at them before handing the household registration certificates back to them.
Only when he held the household registration that proved that he would be a resident of Jianzhou in the future did Gu Ran feel at ease.
After divorcing Qin Zhikai and obtaining her own household registration, she finally had a public identity in this prosperous dynasty.
"Which village are you all going to?"
The official in charge of escorting them was called Captain Lin. He started asking questions as soon as he took over.
When the five prisoners who were sent to Yongchang County told Gu Ran where they were going to settle down, Gu Ran realized that they had gone to five different villages.
This was also the strategy of the Great Sheng Dynasty to divide and rule these criminals.
They are all troublemakers who have violated the law. They are placed in strange villages where they are unfamiliar with the place and have no one to help them. No matter how capable they are, they cannot make any waves. It is suitable for these exiles to reform themselves, accept their fate, and then live an honest life.
"You two, one is from Qinghuai Village and the other is from Xiaxi Village? That's a pity, the two villages are quite far apart! Otherwise, you could look after each other."
Captain Lin, who was familiar with every village in the county, introduced the situation of each village to them on the way. When it came to Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang's village, he said this.
"However, these two villages are small villages with only a few people. They are very desolate. What crime did you two ladies commit to be sent here?" Captain Lin looked at Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang with sympathy.
Gu Ran smiled, and Pei Liuniang glanced at Captain Lin, without saying a word.
The government generally does not leak the information about exiles in various places, firstly for fear of causing dissatisfaction and panic among the local people who accept the exiles, and secondly to allow the exiles to better integrate into local life.
Therefore, unless the exiled criminal violates the regulations again, his previous crimes will be sealed in the county government office, and the criminal will be treated as a local citizen. However, if he commits the crime again, both the old and new crimes will be settled together.
This policy of combining rewards and punishments not only helps exiled prisoners to reform themselves and become new people, but also serves as a deterrent: when you get here, you have to be a good citizen. If you abide by the law, you will be a good citizen. If you continue to do evil as before, you will lose all your dignity and will be killed if you are exposed.
In order to survive, most exiled prisoners naturally would not do anything wrong, but would live a peaceful life with their tails between their legs.
Pei Liuniang first arrived at Qinghuai Village. The official sent Pei Liuniang to the village chief of Qinghuai Village before sending Gu Ran to Xiaxi Village.
When they were about to leave, Pei Liuniang, who had been silent all this time, suddenly called out, "Gu Erniang!"
Gu Ran turned around and looked at her.
"If anything happens..." Pei Liuniang began to say this, then pursed her lips, as if she had some concerns, and stopped talking.
Gu Ran smiled lightly and finished her words for her: "If there is anything, I will come to Qinghuai Village to find you."
She was not worried about Pei Liuniang.
With Pei Liuniang's personality and skills, most people probably wouldn't dare to provoke her, so it would be better for them to worry more about themselves.
On the second day of May in the thirty-sixth year of Jingfeng in the Dasheng Dynasty, Gu Ran came to Xiaxi Village in Yongchang County, Jianzhou, and began his solitary life in the countryside.
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