Chapter 163 Pingnan County
"What did you say?!"
"All the students who were...captured will be exiled to Beidi, and they will set off on a chosen day."
Lin Xiaoen's expression finally couldn't hold back any longer, and he pulled his brother-in-law and said anxiously, "Can you think of a way? If five thousand taels won't work, then give ten thousand taels. Even if it means losing everything, you have to rescue Feng'er!"
Gao Shijin said in embarrassment: "Brother-in-law, money can no longer solve this problem. I just found out yesterday that Lord Fang has been dismissed from office. The new prefect doesn't know him. If I rashly send money, I'm afraid I won't even be able to keep my official position."
Lin Xiaoen's face turned pale, and he paced back and forth in the study. "Since I can't think of a solution here with the prefect, I'll think of one on the way!"
How could anyone stay in Beidi? Not to mention that the journey was thousands of miles long, the climate was bitterly cold, wild beasts were everywhere, and it was said that there were many uncivilized barbarians. It was unknown whether his son could survive the journey, so he could not let Feng'er go to Beidi.
"I'll ask someone to contact the soldiers who are in charge of escorting the students. Should I tell my sister?"
Lin Xiaoen shook his head and said, "Don't tell her. Even if she knows, she can't help. She will get anxious for no reason."
"Oh." Gao Shijin left in a hurry. Lin Xiaoen thought for a while and hurriedly opened the warehouse, took out the cultural relics and calligraphy and paintings that he had collected for many years, and tried to find a way to meet the new prefect.
*
Inside the Suzhou government office, Li Jie was sitting in his study, writing furiously.
This time the escort was passing through Beijing. In order to prevent someone from bribing officers and soldiers to replace people, Li Jie wrote a letter to ask the general of the Jingxi Camp to help count the number of people.
After writing, I sealed the envelope with sealing wax and asked my subordinates to send it back urgently. It will arrive in ten days at most.
Someone outside the door reported: "Sir, many students' families want to see you."
"No." Li Jie knew that these people were here to beg for mercy. If he had known this would happen, why did he do it in the first place? Besides, this was the emperor's decree, so he couldn't do anything about it.
Near noon, Yang Baoshan, the garrison commander of Suzhou, arrived.
"Sir, all the escort items are ready. We can set off at any time." Escorting thousands of people is no joke. Many things need to be prepared in advance, including prison uniforms, torture instruments, and food for the road.
Li Jie said with a grim expression: "Pass the order down, escort the criminal to Beidi immediately, and do not delay on the road!"
"Yes, sir." Yang Baoshan walked hurriedly towards the prison.
At this time, the captured students did not know that they were about to be exiled. However, most of them looked panicked and not as lively as they were a few days ago.
Because the environment here is really bad!
They slept on a thatched bed, which had been used by countless people. It was dirty, smelly, and full of lice and fleas.
They ate rough salty bean cakes and corn cakes, without even any vegetables. It hurt my throat to swallow a mouthful. Even dogs wouldn't eat this stuff!
Not to mention that there are dozens of people locked up in one cell, excretion alone is a big problem.
It's okay for urinating, but it's really embarrassing to have dozens of people watching me when I'm defecating. Moreover, the excrement smells terrible. My body has been stinking for the past few days and it's simply unbearable.
They originally thought that they would be released after being detained for two days, but they were detained for four or five days in a row and were not released. Many people began to panic.
"Someone come! Let us out quickly! Someone come quickly!" A group of people banged on the cell door and shouted, among them was Lin Xiaoen's only son Lin Feng.
He had been pampered since childhood and had never suffered such an injustice. He didn't eat or sleep well for several days and lost a lot of weight. He was so anxious that his mouth was full of blisters.
"Why are you making so much noise? Stay still!" The jailer knocked on the cell door with a big stick.
Lin Feng shouted: "My uncle is Gao Shijin, the magistrate of Suzhou. Let me out immediately, or I will let him punish you!"
Normally, after saying this, the jailer would surely humbly comfort him and tell him not to worry and that he would let him out right away.
Unexpectedly, today the jailer not only didn't give him face, but mocked him: "Tongpan? Your uncle is the king of heaven, and it won't work even if your father comes. Be honest, or don't blame me for being blind with the stick in my hand!"
Lin Feng's eyes widened, his hands tightly grasping the railing, his heart filled with horror.
The group of students led by Lin Feng were also panicked for a moment. Even his uncle couldn't deal with it, let alone others.
The timid ones have already started to sob quietly: "What should I do... If my father knew that I had caused such a big disaster, he would definitely break my legs..."
"It's all your fault. If you hadn't asked me to go to Bailu Academy that day, I wouldn't have been arrested!"
"How can you blame me? Your legs are on your own body. I didn't drag you there!"
Some people also bravely said: "Don't be afraid, there are so many of us, they won't do anything to us..." This worked a few days ago, but now no one believes it anymore.
Just as they were arguing, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the prison.
Everyone involuntarily fell silent, lying in front of the cell door and looking out. Not long after, a group of soldiers came in. They quietly opened the cell door, threw bundles of prison uniforms in, and said, "Hurry up and put them on and get ready to go out!"
Everyone's faces lit up as they grabbed their clothes and put them on. Lin Feng held the gray prison uniform and asked in confusion, "Why do we have to wear these clothes if we are to be released?"
The officers and soldiers did not answer, but urged them more urgently. Anyone who dared not to wear it would be beaten up and pulled up to put it on.
After everyone put on their prison uniforms, they lined up and walked out in a mighty procession.
The weather was gloomy today, just like the faces of these students. When they came outside, they realized that the government had no intention of letting them leave.
"Line up and put on handcuffs!" Yang Baoshan gave an order, and the soldiers came over with rattling iron chains, handcuffed the people together like grasshoppers, and drove them outside.
Lin Feng's eyes lit up when he saw Yang Baoshan. He had seen this man before and had even had dinner with his uncle before!
"Uncle Yang, it's me, please let me go back!"
Unexpectedly, Yang Baoshan acted as if he didn't hear anything and turned his head to continue counting the number of people.
Upon seeing this, the soldier whipped Lin Feng hard with the whip in his hand. Lin Feng screamed and dared not make any more noise.
After counting the number of people, the Suzhou garrison said in a low voice while riding on his horse: "You have not focused on your studies, but have gathered together to cause trouble, forcing thirteen people to death. The emperor spared your death because you are young and do not know right from wrong. However, you cannot escape the punishment of life and death. You will be exiled to Beidi from today, and you will atone for your sins by reclaiming wasteland!"
Everyone's face changed color. Many students were so scared that they collapsed on the ground and wet their pants, and some even fainted from fright.
The students who fainted were immediately woken up by a basin of cold water. No one could delay the journey, and with an order, more than 1,300 students who had caused trouble were forced to embark on the road of exile to the north.
Lin Feng's uncle asked people to look around, but no one dared to interfere in the matter.
A strict order was given from above that if one person was missing or replaced during the escort, the guards had to take over personally. If anyone died of illness during the journey, the body would be burned on the spot and the ashes brought back.
It is unknown whether these weak scholars can reach the end of the journey of thousands of miles to the north.
Lin Xiaoen was really at a loss and could only give some money to the soldiers in charge of escorting his son, hoping that his son would suffer less on the journey.
This incident caused an uproar throughout Jiangnan, and the students who were not arrested were secretly thankful that they did not participate in the parade that day.
However, from then on, no one dared to make a fuss about girls' admission to school.
*
After dealing with the criminals, Li Jie immediately went to comfort the people who had lost their children and the relatives of Dean Bai.
Bai Hong's old wife was the only one left in the family. The couple had raised three daughters and one son. The son died when he was young, and after the daughters got married, the couple were the only ones left in the family.
Dean Bai's sudden death was a great blow to his wife, whose hair turned white overnight. There were also many dirty rumors in the city, slandering Bai Hong as a bad person, which made it impossible for his three daughters to return home.
When Li Jie arrived, Mrs. Bai was sewing winter clothes in the yard. When she heard the knock on the door, she tremblingly got up and opened the door.
Seeing Li Jie, he asked in confusion: "Who are you looking for?"
"I came here specially to see you."
"Well, then come in."
Dean Bai's home is very simple, with a few green bamboos planted in the old-style courtyard, just like him, with a straightforward and clear character.
Madam Bai asked the servants to bring a stool and asked cautiously, "You...are you my husband's students?"
In the past, Bai Hong's students often visited his home, but since his death, no one has come here anymore.
Li Jie said: "I am the newly appointed prefect of Suzhou. I am here at the request of the Emperor. I am here to ask if you can erect a monument for him at Bailu Academy to commemorate his heroic deeds in protecting the students?"
Mrs. Bai was stunned and her eyes instantly turned red.
She had never expected that the young man in front of her was the newly appointed prefect, and she had never expected that the emperor would erect a monument for her husband. She was so excited that she was speechless.
Li Jie quickly handed over the handkerchief, and waited for the old lady to calm down before talking about Dean Bai.
Although they had never met each other, Li Jie could still imagine this old man who had dedicated his entire life to the academy.
In the last moments of his life, he was persuading the troublesome students to go back to study.
Unfortunately, he neither persuaded those people to come back nor saved his students.
The two chatted until noon, and the old lady wanted to keep them for lunch, so Li Jie got up and said goodbye.
After leaving the Bai family, Li Jie took his subordinates to visit other students' homes, distributed them the pensions allocated by the court, and informed them that a monument would be erected in the academy.
All these people had tears in their eyes, expressing their gratitude to the court for its compassion and for standing up for the people.
In fact, the people's idea was very simple, they just wanted to ask for an explanation for their daughter, and not let the girl die unclearly. But Fang Mingzhang wanted to make a big thing small, and a small thing nothing, which chilled the hearts of the people and made Song Yuzhu disappointed in him, and finally ended up being dismissed from office.
*
It was already mid-November when the Suzhou affairs were completed, and Xu Bing was preparing to return to Beijing.
The weather was cold and the canal leading to the north was frozen, so we could no longer travel by water. Our next best option was to take the train back to Beijing.
Xu Bing thought of his old friend Han Song, who happened to be passing through Suzhou on this trip, so he decided to pay him a visit.
Last year, the two exchanged several letters, in which they said that Pingnan County had developed very rapidly in recent years, especially the local hot springs, which had become famous. Many foreign tourists specifically went there to visit during the winter.
Pingnan County has gradually become prosperous from a poor county. Last year, it was rated as upper-middle in the assessment, which has never happened in the past ten years!
Xu Bing could see his old friend's excitement from the letter, and he was happy for him too.
The train traveled for six or seven days and arrived in Suzhou. Pingnan County is in the north of Suzhou. A small transfer station has been specially set up here, which is very convenient for tourists from other places to travel.
This trip of Xu Bing was a private one, so he did not make a big fuss. He only brought six guards and two servants with him, and looked like a rich master who came for fun.
As soon as I got off the train, I was surrounded by a group of burly villagers holding hatchets: "Are you here for tourism?"
The guards surrounded Xu Bing and shouted angrily, "How dare you! What do you want to do?!"
(End of this chapter)
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