Chapter 23: Shocking Words
The commotion turned to silence amidst the sound of hurried footsteps.
The people who were tearing at each other couldn't help but let go and looked behind them in amazement.
At the end of the narrow path, about a hundred people came in a mighty procession.
In addition to the officers and soldiers who had not returned for many days, there were also some ragged men.
These people had sallow complexions and looked sickly, but their eyes, which should have been cloudy, were now frighteningly bright.
The most eye-catching thing was the dozen or so horses mixed in the team, which made the officials who stayed behind rub their eyes hard.
Were they going to suppress bandits or to raid the city? Why did they pack up everything they had and bring it back?
Wait until the team comes to you.
Everyone seemed to have just noticed the leading carriage. Remembering the questioning voice just now and the identity of the person in the carriage, Li quietly took a few steps back.
As soon as she moved, the things around her scattered, revealing it completely.
"Those wolves were clearly killed by my master!" the driver said indignantly.
Li was startled and pointed at Chen Chunxing hurriedly: "She gave them all to me, but they're not what I want to eat!"
The driver looked at Chen Chunxing, and his previous anger completely disappeared. He sat back awkwardly, muttering something.
"Eat it if you want. It's not something good. How can my master stop you from eating it?"
Chen Chunxing tilted his head in confusion.
This reaction was beyond her expectations, but there was nothing wrong with it.
Seeing that the other party was so easy to talk to, Li secretly regretted it in her heart, and her eyes rolled around.
At this time.
An official came forward to pay his respects and reported everything that had happened in recent days.
After listening to this, Wei Da glanced at Shen Chunxing with a strange look.
All the officials behind him looked at the little girl sitting on the big rock with subtle expressions.
The scene was really weird.
But the person being stared at didn't care at all. He stood up, patted his clothes and smiled shyly.
"Congratulations, sir, on your victorious return. It must be God's will that protects the loyal and righteous, allowing Bi to proceed without any danger."
Wei Da's heart moved, "How do you know it was a close call?"
"You're joking, sir. So many people left, so many came back, and we didn't even see anyone seriously injured. Isn't that a close call?"
The little girl's gentle words, like a warm breeze lingering in their ears, instantly brought everyone back to two days ago... Their faces suddenly became even weirder.
It was more than just a close call; it was like God’s help!
They never thought that suppressing bandits could be so easy!
Wei Daxu nodded at the villagers watching nearby, then pointed at the stove and asked, "Did you come up with all this?"
There was no expression on his face, giving people a feeling of displeasure.
Li saw the opportunity and rushed to file a complaint.
"Sir, you have to make the decision for us! This is all the idea of the Shen family girl. She is just a prisoner, and she dares to act recklessly. She really doesn't take you officials seriously... Ouch!"
Before he could finish his words, something hit him on the head.
Li thought it was Diao, and turned around angrily, but saw Diao lowering her head in surprise.
He seemed to be wondering why the big spoon was still in his hand.
"Who, who threw me!"
What responded to Li were stones thrown from all directions.
"Old hag!"
Chen Yandong popped his head out from the low wall and mumbled three words.
Then countless little heads appeared, all staring angrily at Li.
Diao raised the corner of her mouth with satisfaction and was about to praise the fourth brother, but when she saw the big men opposite her suddenly changed their expressions, she alertly picked up the big spoon and held it in front of her.
What does that mean? Could it be that the old hag is their long-lost mother?
"You little bastards, how dare you act so violently in front of adults! Be careful or you will all be thrown into jail!" Li was hit on the head and jumped up and down to threaten.
The villagers looked at each other, and when they thought of the eldest daughter of the Shen family's intentional or unintentional chattering when they collected medicine these days, they actually knelt down on the spot.
"Stop messing around and come kowtow to the adults! Thankfully, the adults are so kindhearted that they not only don't care about our mistakes, but they also arranged for people to donate food and medicine. This great kindness must be remembered in our hearts!"
A white-haired old lady waved her cane at the wall.
The children immediately climbed down in a hurry and kowtowed three times to the officials.
"Excuse me, please stand up quickly..."
The officials were not new to the world. In the past, when they were in the capital, the powerful and wealthy people who were imprisoned had to bow their heads when they saw them... But they couldn't help feeling insecure at this moment!
The wolf meat was sent by County Magistrate Xue, and the eldest daughter of the Shen family was the one who took care of it. The only thing I did was to mix in a few bowls of meat to eat...
It's embarrassing.
Then I heard the old lady talk to herself: "We have lived here for a long time, originally to seek peace and quiet, but the world is not peaceful, and the situation has forced us to do some dirty things. Now we are fortunate to be rescued by you, sir. We can no longer stay in Yuzhou, so we have to beg you to take us in!"
The officer stretched out his hand to help the man, but quickly withdrew it as if it had been burned, and his eyes almost popped out.
"Are you crazy? We are going to exile!" Li blurted out.
The old lady snorted, "What's wrong with exile? Don't think I don't know! Lord Wei is kind-hearted and extremely lenient towards prisoners like you. He gives out rations and makes medicinal soup for you, fearing that someone will die of illness on the way!"
"Listen, listen, listen everyone! Does this sound like exile? Life there is much better than ours!"
The prisoners who were shouting and looting just now now looked dazed, as if they were listening to a foreign language.
Is there anyone willing to buy this thing? Could it be that they really don't know how to appreciate it...
I suddenly fell into self-doubt.
The old lady secretly glanced at the opposite side, then glanced at the gentle Chen Chunxing, and as if she had gained confidence, her tone became rogue.
"All the able-bodied men here have been conscripted by the imperial court. Only the elderly, children, women and young women are left in the village. Any refugees can easily take over. If you only care about rescuing us and not taking care of us later, we will all die sooner or later!"
"I heard that Chiling Pass, although poor and cold, has plenty of land. I think there's a place for us to survive!"
The officers were more than just stunned. Some of them scratched their ears, and some pinched themselves secretly.
It’s so strange, why haven’t I woken up from the dream yet?
No normal person would say such a thing!
They were ordered to send people to the border across thousands of miles because the people there were about to run away!
Now I actually heard that some people were begging to go, it seems they are still asleep!
The most shocking thing was that after listening to the old lady's earnest plea, the strong men in the returning team actually knelt down.
"This lady has spoken to my heart. We used to be a decent family, but a flood submerged our land and we ended up here. To survive, we had no choice but to obey the orders of a few evildoers. Who would want to do such a dangerous business if they could just have a bite to eat?"
"Thank goodness that God has allowed you to pass through this place. I beg you to sentence us to exile together!"
The whole place was silent.
This is really a shocking statement.
Li took a step back in a daze, lost her balance, and sat down on the ground without even noticing.
Is it still possible... like this?
Wei Da touched his left hand hidden in his sleeve, and saw a inch-long wound on his wrist that was horribly knotted.
I sighed in my heart.
If this woman had been in the capital back then, I wouldn't have almost broken my tendons, right?
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