Chapter 463 Departure
The next day, it snowed in the evening and the weather was cold.
Zhu Lan was about to leave Beijing, and all the officials of the Censorate went out of the city to see him off.
Supervisory Censor Zhang Xun bowed and said:
"Mr. Zhongcheng has been in the Censorate for four years. He has led us to rectify the government and restore the morale of the country. We all follow him wholeheartedly.
You have devoted your life to the country and the people, but you have been wronged this time. Don't worry, we will persuade Your Majesty to let you return to the court as soon as possible."
Zhu Lan, who had taken off his official robe, was now wearing a plain white robe. Standing in the wind and snow, his handsome face remained calm and composed.
Zhu Lan smiled and returned the greeting:
"I am going to Lingnan this time, so I will have to trouble Censor Zhang to take care of Taichung affairs.
You don't have to worry about me, just work hard on state affairs. As long as the Censorate is in good spirits, corrupt officials all over the world will be afraid.
The time to set off has come, please stay."
Censor Zhang pursed his lips tightly and took a step back. All the officials of the Censorate bowed and said loudly:
"May the Lord Zhongcheng have a smooth journey, good health, and return to the court soon!"
The voices of the crowd echoed in the empty snowfield.
Zhu Lan was covered in falling snow. He bowed deeply to everyone with great solemnity, then resolutely turned around and headed south.
In the long pavilion outside Beijing, Zhu Qingyan, Xiao Wan and others silently watched Zhu Lan's receding back.
Xiao Wan patted Zhu Qingyan, whose eyes were red.
"I have arranged for someone to protect her secretly. Don't worry, she will come back."
…
The journey from Beijing to Lingnan is very long, and it takes at least a month to walk there.
There were two yamen runners accompanying him on this trip, one fat and one thin, who were responsible for escorting and protecting Zhu Lan's safety.
The fatter one is named Xu Bao and the thinner one is named Wu She.
After leaving the capital, Zhu Lan saw other exiled prisoners on the road, but they were all wearing shackles and shackles.
She looked down at herself again. She was not wearing any shackles or fetters, and looked no different from an ordinary citizen traveling far away.
Xu Bao turned around and saw Zhu Lan looking at the other exiled prisoners with confusion in his eyes, so he smiled and said:
"Don't look at it. You are different from those people. You don't need to wear those things."
"Oh?" Zhu Lan was a little curious, thinking that his friends had probably already helped to take care of it.
Xu Bao, however, gave a somewhat profound smile.
"You don't know that the documents issued by the Ministry of Justice to us to exile prisoners are all written with a secret.
As for food, clothing, housing and transportation on the road, as long as there is the word "discretion", it means that the superior is caring and leaving room for leeway, and there is no need to be so strict. "
Zhu Lan nodded, but he didn't have much friendship with the officials in the Ministry of Justice, so he thought they would not do such a thing for no reason.
That can only be the emperor's intention.
Wu She on the side also whispered:
"Master Zhu, we have just left the capital and there are many people on the road. Please bear with us for a while.
After we pass Liangguan, we can hire a carriage to travel on some small roads with few people, but you have to pay for the carriage yourself."
Zhu Lan was a little surprised.
She didn't care about the money, but she was a little surprised by the attitude of these two people.
"Brothers, is this a bit...inappropriate?"
Xu Bao waved his hand. "What's wrong with that? The official document says it's at your discretion, so that means it's tacit consent."
Wu She also said: "Even if it is not stated in the official document, you are our brother's benefactor, and we must make sure you arrive in Lingnan comfortably."
"Benefactor?" Zhu Lan looked at the two of them again and confirmed that he had never seen them before.
Xu Bao laughed and said:
“You haven’t seen us, but we brothers are from Qingzhou and used to be neighbors.
We had heard that there was a disaster in our hometown and that our wives and children were starving. We were very worried, but we really couldn't go back.
This time, thanks to you for arresting the corrupt officials in Qingzhou and getting the court to send more relief grain, my family finally has food to eat.
How can you not be considered a benefactor?"
"I see." After hearing this, Zhu Lan took out two silver bills from his arms.
"My two brothers have braved the cold wind and snow to escort me to Lingnan, so it is inevitable that you will have to endure some trouble along the way.
This silver..."
Xu Bao and Wu She glanced at the amount on the banknote. They were surprised at first, then showed hesitation.
"Just consider it as money to buy some wine to keep warm along the way." Zhu Lan said with a smile.
The two men looked at each other, and although they felt a little embarrassed, they finally accepted the banknotes and were even more grateful in their hearts.
…
In less than a month, the group finally arrived in Lingnan, several days ahead of schedule.
The mountain roads in the Lingnan area are rugged and difficult to travel on, and the roads are slippery in cold weather, so it is somewhat dangerous to take a horse-drawn carriage, so Zhu Lan and his two entourages went on foot.
I had thought that Lingnan would be like what Zhu Qingyan had described, with deep forests and roads blocked, and the mountains filled with snakes, rats, and wolves. However, I had not expected that this place would be normal except that the mountain roads were a little more difficult to travel on.
She secretly observed the details on the road and could feel that the people in Nanzhou were simple and honest. However, due to the difficult roads, the people could only rely on farming to make a living and it was difficult for them to engage in business and currency, so they could not become rich.
After climbing over two hills, Zhu Lan saw some farmers living in the mountains and people coming and going.
Those people had dark and cracked faces, and their clothes were far less exquisite than those in Jiangzhou, the capital, and even worse than those in Qingzhou.
Even the farming tools and materials used to build houses were quite backward.
Wu Bao also saw those people and said happily:
"We've been walking for half a day, and my legs are sore. There should be a village ahead. Let's go there and take a rest. After passing here, we should enter Nanzhou!"
Zhu Lan also felt his legs a little sore, so he nodded in agreement.
The three of them arrived at the entrance of the village and saw a weathered stone tablet with the words faintly visible on it:
Biquan Village.
Zhu Lan looked around and said:
"Looking at the terrain here, this Biquan Village should be the only way to enter Nanzhou."
She was very thirsty at the moment, and her lips were chapped, so she went up and knocked on a house's door, asking for some water.
“Knock knock knock—”
The knock on the door lasted for a long time, but no one answered.
Zhu Lan thought that the owner must not be at home, so he turned around and walked towards another house.
Just then, the wooden door made a slight sound.
Zhu Lan turned around and saw that the door had been pushed open a little from the inside.
A pair of wrinkled, lifeless eyes was staring at them strangely through the crack in the door.
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