Chapter 752: Oh ho, all familiar faces! [Requesting monthly votes]
Xie Qi naturally wanted to save people.
After all, they had served in the same court for many years and had shared the experience of making a living under Zheng Qiao's oppressive rule. They were a typical example of sharing joys and sorrows. It would have been better if we hadn't known, but now that we know they are in trouble, we can't just stand by and do nothing, both morally and logically.
Furthermore—
Among the former officials of the Xin Kingdom were some capable individuals.
It can still be used after some picking and choosing.
"Shi, Shizang, are you really serious?"
Upon hearing this, the fleeing men were immediately moved to tears, their tears mingling with the mud on their faces, leaving long streaks that made them look both disheveled and somewhat comical. Without even bothering to ask who Xie Qi had served, they blurted out the whole story.
However, this matter is not something that Xie Qi can decide alone.
He also needed to ask Chu Yao and others for their opinions.
Chu Yao pondered for a moment: "Is the place far away?"
Saving lives was secondary; Chu Yao valued their connections and relationships more. His lord suffered from congenital developmental deficiencies, and despite years of effort, few had willingly pledged allegiance. While the core group's diverse backgrounds were beneficial for maintaining unity, a shortage of manpower would hinder progress in large-scale territorial expansion. If he could secure these people's favors and cultivate positive relationships, things would be easier to discuss in the future. Of course, if he arrived too late, it would be their fate. Chu Yao had a plan in mind.
The group quickly replied, "Not far, not far..."
They were afraid that Chu Yao would give up on saving the person because he thought the distance was too far.
Chu Yao then asked, "How many troops are there over there?"
Several people said, "About five or six hundred people."
The actual size should be smaller than this.
Zheng Qiao, that madman, mobilized the remaining elite troops of Ganzhou to fight against the Dragon Slaying Bureau's allied forces. This resulted in many of the garrison troops stationed in various places being newly recruited, and in some places, only the old, weak, sick, and disabled remained. Digging pits to bury people didn't require many elite troops.
Chu Yao said, "Gather the troops and go to the rescue."
Because Zheng Qiao generously distributed the Imperial Seal, Ganzhou was in crisis everywhere. Chu Yao dared not risk dividing his troops, nor could he stay in one place for long. He simply sent someone to leave an important message. Led by several people, he went to rescue the former officials of Xin Kingdom.
To be fair, the former officials of Xin State knew Zheng Qiao well.
When they were arrested and imprisoned together, they looked at each other and realized that they were all enemies of Zheng Qiao, and a sense of foreboding immediately arose. In the dimly lit cell, they clung to the iron bars of the bars and communicated by voice, piecing together their information.
One guy asked, "Where has the fighting progressed to on the front lines?"
These words stood out as particularly unusual in the nearby prison cells.
Don't they care at all about the fighting on the front lines?
Faced with this probing question, the other party replied nonchalantly, "Why should I care about the war on the front lines? If word gets out and Zheng Qiao hears about it, wouldn't I be handing him a knife? He could easily frame me for something, and I'd be at his mercy."
If you're going to slack off, then slack off completely.
You can't show even the slightest bit of ambition.
Finally, a voice came from the deepest part of the prison cell diagonally opposite: "Alas, Yanzhou has been lost, and Ganzhou is left with only the natural barrier of the Miaojiang River."
Someone else, who was better informed, joined the group chat: "I heard that Cunshan City was swindled away by someone, and Zheng Qiao was furious. Ganzhou probably doesn't have any natural defenses left, right?"
"Cunshan City was swindled? Haha, who is this person?"
Someone said, "I don't know..."
Someone else said, "Perhaps he's just a nobody?"
Some people complained, "It seems that few of the people in the Dragon Slaying Bureau are up to par. After all, even their leader came from humble beginnings. If they are under the command of such a person, what kind of heroes and outstanding individuals can they possibly follow? However, no matter who it is, it is not easy to trick Zheng Qiao into taking the impregnable Cunshan City."
As they chatted, everyone became curious about the "nobody" until someone with more recent information spoke up.
"I heard it was Yan Xingning who recommended him for a lateral transfer."
"Who is that?"
"That person? His surname seems to be Shen."
"I think her name is Shen Tang?"
The surname 【沈】 was naturally familiar to the former officials of the Xin Kingdom, as it was the surname of the Xin royal family. Of course, now, mentioning the Xin royal family only evoked contempt in them. Only some older officials would still sigh a few times. After all, before the old king of Xin became senile and ambitious, he had a period of wisdom and affection with his ministers.
How can one not miss those days of harmony between the emperor and his subjects?
At this moment, someone blurted out a rumor, the contents of which were quite explosive: "...I've heard that this Shen Tang seems to be a male heir of the Shen family who was lost to the outside world..."
The group of people in prison who were bored out of their minds: "..."
Wait, which Shen family?
"Could he be an orphan of the Xin Kingdom's royal family?"
This speculation was immediately met with criticism from the public.
Bullshit! If Shen Tang were truly a lost orphan of the Xin Kingdom's royal family, the old king of Xin would have found him long ago.
He was good in every way in his life, except for his brother, who was detached from worldly affairs and detached from worldly desires, relying entirely on some great treasures to maintain his power. Even though he amassed beauties from the common people and forcibly seized them from the royal families of defeated small kingdoms, filling the palace with beauties, there were some things he simply couldn't do. As his body deteriorated, his mentality also became distorted, and his methods of governance became increasingly muddled and radical.
He only had one child in middle age, the only princess of the Xin Kingdom. However, the legitimacy of her lineage has always been questioned by the common people. If this old king of Xin had such a hidden gem, he wouldn't have become so despicable later in life.
The person who broke the gossip explained.
"Not the royal family, but the Shen family whose entire clan was exterminated."
Speaking of which, several of the people in the group were old friends and students of the Shen family. They hadn't originally planned to join the group chat, after all, the prison had treated them harshly these past few days, providing either insufficient food or food with a strange smell; just enduring hunger was unbearable enough. Hearing that it concerned them, they all perked up their ears: "Really? Where did you hear this news?"
The man recalled, "I remember it was a branch of the Gong family who was exiled to the Xiaocheng area. They brought back the news a few years ago. Wasn't Gong Yunchi of the Gong family married to Lady Shen? It's said that the news came from him, so it should be pretty much true."
"Did this kid join the Dragon Slaying Bureau and deceive Cunshan City?"
The crowd laughed and said, "Heaven's justice is clear, and retribution is inevitable."
As they were talking, the jailer came in to bring the meal.
Some people would rather go hungry than eat, because these meals contain drugs that suppress both literary and martial energy, and also weaken the body. These drugs have no other harmful effects on the body, and the restraints can be slowly restored after seven days of abstinence.
However, prolonged fasting can also lead to weakness and fatigue.
Some people have given up and are just eating!
"Eat up, eat up, don't torture your stomach."
Who knows when Zheng Qiao will remember them? Wouldn't it be a waste to starve to death? Even if they die, they'd rather die well-fed! The prison is dimly lit, and after a while, the people can't tell the difference between day and night, so they can only estimate the time based on the meals delivered by the guards.
For some reason, someone quietly spoke up: "If Zheng Qiao is defeated, what will become of us... have you all thought about that?"
"It would be best if we lost, then we wouldn't have to suffer this humiliation."
The man said, "Will Zheng Qiao let us go?"
Everyone remained silent.
Zheng Qiao is an absolute madman. He adheres to the principle of "if we die, we die together," so why would he leave them a way out?
For a moment, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
The thing they feared most has happened.
That day, the jailers brought them all out of the cell, but instead of sending them home, they were moved to another location. They could vaguely see people digging holes…
Some people sensed something was wrong and took the opportunity to create chaos and flee.
Although their literary energy had barely recovered, the lax guards allowed them to escape unexpectedly. However, they still dared not stop, fearing that the pursuers behind them would capture them.
Until they encountered Chu Yao and his troops.
When Chu Yao arrived with his troops, the scene was chaotic, with signs of fighting everywhere. How could this group of illusory prisoners be a match for strong and healthy soldiers? The crater was already half-filled, and many people were buried up to their chests...
The soldiers were cracking their whips to urge the workers to hurry up.
They filled the pit with soil, shovel by shovel.
As soon as Chu Yao's troops arrived, the soldiers offered no token resistance, fleeing in terror. Those at the bottom of the pit looked up at the commotion and saw a young scholar with gray hair standing above them. The scholar was simply dressed, but his demeanor was exceptionally refined.
Are there any survivors below?
Upon hearing the voices of their fellow prisoners, the rescued group was overjoyed, exclaiming, "There are survivors! We're still alive!"
Chu Yao said, "Go down and bring the person up."
As they were dug out of the pit one by one and given hot food, they finally felt a real sense of coming back to life. As they ate, some of them started weeping bitterly, clutching their bowls.
"Why are you crying? You've survived a terrible ordeal, and good fortune is sure to follow."
They almost thought they were going to be buried alive.
I'm so lucky to have escaped death!
After eating, they managed to regain some of their strength. At this moment, a scholar among them, whose appearance was somewhat youthful, straightened his clothes, put on a slight smile, stepped forward, and bowed: "May I ask your honorable name, my benefactor? If there is an opportunity in the future, I, Luan, will certainly repay you!"
Chu Yao was pondering how to settle these people, needing to screen out who was useful and who wasn't, when he heard a familiar yet uncommon surname and asked, "What's your surname?"
The scholar replied, "My surname is Luan."
Chu Yao asked, "Which character?"
The other party replied, "The Luan of Tanluan."
Chu Yao: "..."
"My benefactor, is there anything amiss?"
Chu Yao said, "This surname is quite rare."
I don't know what her relationship with Luan Xin is.
He sent someone to invite Luan Xin over.
When Luan Xin arrived slowly and with a limp, the scholar's eyes seemed to hold a trace of reminiscence. After a while, he cautiously stepped forward and asked softly, "Sir, is your surname Luan and your given name Xin?"
Luan Xin looked at the scholar in surprise: "Who are you?"
The scholar was overjoyed: "Father!"
Chu Yao, who was standing to the side, almost choked on his own saliva. He never expected to be able to watch Luan Xin's antics again. He immediately smiled and joked, "I never thought that Gongyi's eldest son had grown up so much."
Although the scholar looked young, he was quite tall.
She looks older than Luan Xin's children.
Without a second thought, Luan Xin said, "Nonsense! When did I, Luan, have such a grown son? Who are you, and why do you call me 'Father'?"
The scholar was taken aback upon hearing this, and quietly corrected himself, saying, "Uncle."
Now it was Luan Xin's turn to freeze.
By the limited light, he carefully discerned the scholar's features. Although his face was smudged with dirt, some outlines were still discernible. Luan Xin recognized the face of this man nearing adulthood, and considering the title "scholar"...
Could it be—
"Are you Cheng?"
The "A-Cheng" that Luan Xin mentioned was actually his sworn sister's only son, who was adopted by Luan Xin when he was just a month old. Judging by his age, he should be about the same age as the scholar in front of him. It's not wrong for him to call himself "Father," and it's also not wrong for him to call him "Uncle."
Upon hearing this, the scholar was immediately moved to tears.
"Uncle, you are really still alive."
"If Mother knew, she would be overjoyed."
Looking at his eldest nephew, whose face was clear and naive, with an expression that seemed to say, "Uncle, it's so good that you're still alive," Luan Xin was almost speechless. Although he had never contacted the Luan family in recent years, he had served under Wenyan Gong, who knew his eldest sister.
There's no way we could say he's dead.
"Who told you that something bad was about to happen to me?"
Scholar: "Outsiders say that Wenyan Gong has lost power and was forced to commit suicide by the Qiu family patriarch. There are also rumors that you followed him..."
Because of the lack of communication between the two places, Qiu Cheng's mother only received news of Shen Jun's cruelty and greed several months after his defeat. She learned that Shen Jun was using prisoners as hostages to demand ransom from families, threatening to tear people apart if the ransom wasn't paid. Without a doubt, her uncle had been torn apart.
Luan Xin: "..."
He suspected that his elder sister had even prepared his memorial tablet.
The scholar whispered, "They offer incense three times a day."
Luan Xin: "...At least send someone to verify it."
He was stunned after he finished speaking.
Because of what happened back then, Luan Xin left as soon as his leg injury healed slightly, making it clear that he didn't want to be disturbed, and never contacted the Luan family again. However, whether his former master, Qiu Cheng, helped to tip him off, he didn't know...
Luan Xin sighed deeply, suppressing his extraneous thoughts.
Are you alright? Were you frightened?
The scholar obediently shook his head: "Uncle, I'm fine."
Aside from being a little hungry and getting kicked when descending into the pit, there were no other problems. Former officials of the Xin Kingdom nearby overheard their conversation and, upon learning of their uncle-nephew relationship, were immediately relieved. Having connections at the top is truly advantageous.
Luan Xin brushed the mud and sand from his temples.
Have the guards fetch him a clean set of clothes to change into.
At that moment, he caught a glimpse of a suspicious figure crouching down, and he immediately used his spiritual energy to drag the person back.
Upon recognizing the person, the scholar exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle!"
At this moment, Luan Xin could barely recognize the other party.
At first, she was slightly surprised, then smiled and said, "What a coincidence."
Those who were arrested were trembling with fear.
This man had indulged in a life of debauchery and debauchery over the years, and had also been obsessed with cultivation, which had already worn his body down. Coupled with his recent imprisonment, he had been tormented to the point of being haggard, with graying temples. His eyes revealed the age and weariness that could not be concealed. At first glance, he did not look like Luan Xin's peer, but rather like his father.
He was still hunched over, his hands covering his head.
She didn't dare look at Luan Xin at all.
However, even after he turned to ashes, Luan Xin still remembered him.
"It's been so many years, how have you been?"
His voice was deep and menacing, like a vengeful ghost, and chillingly sinister.
The scholar glanced at Luan Xin, then at his trembling colleague and half-brother, pursed his lips, and took a step back.
(*￣︶￣)
I'll add an extra chapter when I get back from playing!
P.S.: Oh right, there's a little Easter egg related to Zheng Qiao in this chapter. I wonder if anyone has noticed it.
(End of this chapter)
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