Road
Jiang Nian has not really figured out the actual situation in Cang County and can only speculate based on the limited information currently available, but no matter which path is taken, the sect is likely to come out again.
Did Meng Zheng give this reminder purely out of the sect's standpoint, or was he grateful to her for the pill?
Jiang Nian was not a member of the sect, he was just using this identity temporarily and could not really ask Tao Yu and the others for an answer.
Meng Zheng looked proud and noble, but physically weak, but it was not hard to tell that he was a man with great insight into the world. He could easily detect any subtle changes in expression, not to mention the extremely obvious lack of a single word in reply.
The cabin fell into a brief silence. While she was struggling, the person who had been resting with his eyes closed answered for her.
"Cang County is plagued by an epidemic. The sect should come out to stabilize the country. Boss Meng, there is no need to worry."
Xiao Yingzhu's voice was cool and deep, as if he had just woken up, and his tone was lazy.
Her heart was at ease, and Jiang Nian seized the opportunity to exchange some polite words with Meng Zheng. As she walked back, her gaze met Xiao Yingzhu's deep eyes. Their glances met and then separated. She returned to her seat without looking away.
He had hoped to get information from Jiang Nian but it was in vain. Furthermore, the boat was rocking on the water, making his already uncomfortable body even more uncomfortable. With a face as pale as paper, Meng Zheng swallowed the pills dryly, raised his head, and still had the strength to smile at Xiao Yingzhu:
"Xiao Shengshou is willing to condescend to pay attention to this. If he knew about this, he would definitely be very happy."
He spoke briefly and pointedly, referring to what had happened in the past with Emperor Changde.
Only the two people in the conversation knew the cause and effect. The others were just vague outlines. Darkness surged around them. Meng Zheng's words were a bit sharp, but Xiao Yingzhu was not annoyed. After a moment, she raised her lips:
"Boss Meng, you're being polite, but it's just routine. There's no need to worry about it."
Since we are in the same industry, we naturally meet more frequently these days, and I can notice the changes in people I haven't seen for a long time.
Meng Zheng was surprisingly thoughtful and did not expect Xiao Yingzhu to react like this.
Meng Zheng stared at Xiao Yingzhu's calm face, a hint of complexity flashed across his expression, and he raised his hand to press his forehead.
Although the medicine he had just taken alleviated some of the symptoms, his weak constitution could not be cured overnight. He had just talked to others for a while when the dizziness he had suppressed began to rise again, dragging him straight into the heavy water.
The feeling of fatigue flowed up through the blood vessels in his body and filled his head. He felt his cheeks begin to feel abnormally hot. He frowned and changed into a comfortable position, leaning against the wall with his head lowered, supporting his bent knees with his arms, and half-closed his eyes to rest.
Although the pampered prince from the capital could easily get rid of the scouts following him, he was also very smart and did not seem to have any physical problems at first glance.
Only by actually getting to know him can you see how strong his addiction is.
The clear gurgling sound of the river outside the boat reaches the ears, the mountain and water scenery is like a long scroll of ink, the river and sky are the same color, like a scene in a dream.
Everyone should have been in a cheerful mood, but the faint smell of illness in the cabin made it a little dull.
Jiang Nian came back to his senses from the book, and Meng Zheng was still sitting there, leaning against the wall of the boat dejectedly.
Her fingertips paused as she turned the page, and a question inexplicably arose in her heart.
The Fourth Prince is so sick and weak, and the epidemic in Cang County is serious. Can he really survive there?
—
The boatman rowed the boat and approached the shore at the edge of the grass bank beside Cangjun.
Food is the most important thing for people. Meng Zheng gave him the reason for crossing the river to do business and make money to make a living. Others went to the city to practice medicine, but because they could not find a passable road, they had to turn to the waterway.
The boatmen who do business at the junction of the two cities are well aware of the recent developments.
Cang County has strengthened its road security in recent days, controlling the entry and exit of people inside and outside the city, so several land roads leading to the city have been blocked.
The commerce between the two cities was hampered by the road closure, which was naturally unacceptable. Since land transportation was not feasible, water transportation became the only option.
Countless eyes were glued to the announcement, and secret thoughts were secretly growing in people's minds. Market gossip was inserted into the most conspicuous places at the right time, quietly opening a loophole for these long-accumulated thoughts.
The gossip said: In addition to the main gate, there is another way to enter Cangjun City. As long as you have the money, you can come and go freely.
Most of those locked outside the city gates, unable to enter or leave, were ordinary people. Little did they know that the place had undergone tremendous changes. The Dragon Head, once a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, had long been forcibly replaced by a commander in charge. So, they took advantage of any opening and any hole, one after another, boarding the boatman's boat from the water's edge and happily departing.
Because someone had arranged for the boatman to take them in, it was stipulated that they had to explain their purpose to the boatman.
Perhaps they felt that they could be allowed to pass as exceptions, so it was not excessive for the kind-hearted seller to make some strange suggestions, and not many people doubted the real purpose of this regulation.
Except for some people who complained, most of them told the truth and got on the boat. The rest, because their livelihoods were not open, made up some excuses related to recent events and got on the boat safely while being on the verge of being rejected by the boatman.
Therefore, he was already accustomed to the reasons given by Meng Zheng.
However, people are greedy after all. The boatman felt that not questioning them in detail was a great favor, so he let them go, but the courtesy should not be missed.
He was lucky enough that the person on the road today actually had the prescription and herbs he needed to save his wife. After taking them from Qin Lan, he smiled and let them go.
—
The setting sun cast a hazy glow on the edge of the clouds. The boatman squinted his eyes in the orange light and stared at the group of people walking out of the cabin.
The guest, who hid his face, was familiar with the road and soon disappeared under the overgrown hillside.
He frowned and turned his head, wondering when to set off, when a figure in dark clothes appeared in front of the boatman.
The shadow lowered his voice deliberately.
"Is there anyone who can be targeted today?"
The empty boat drifted quietly on the water, the oars resting on one side, a deep and strange feeling emanating from the tranquility.
The boatman rubbed his face, his pockets bulging.
“No.”
The black shadow stood still, his face blurred under the hat, but one could feel that he was staring at the boatman with a very meticulous, cold and smooth gaze, as if he was dissecting a person.
The sound of the rising and falling water beside the shore grew louder, the boat drifted with the waves, making a dull "creaking" sound, the surroundings were quiet and empty, and the guests who had been watching them leave had completely gone away.
Being stared at by the black shadow felt as if cold insects were crawling on his body, and lines of ice were wrapped around his skin, making him cold to the bone and shivering uncontrollably.
Thinking he was dressed improperly, the boatman subconsciously straightened his untucked sleeves and tightened the paper in his hand. Afraid of being an eyesore, he asked cautiously, "Sir, what's the matter?"
“…”
The black shadow ran out of patience and suddenly approached. An extremely sinister voice sounded in his ear. As he smelled the smell of rusty and cold blade at the tip of his nose, his perspective and the voice fell to the ground together.
"You deserve to die."
The cold front brushed against his neck... A warm current flowed out from his neck, and his perspective rolled several times on the ground, finally landing next to the paddle.
The boatman felt a sweetness in his throat, as if it was soaked in water. He wanted to open his mouth and spit it out to avoid being suffocated by the sweet water that kept rising up. However, he couldn't breathe and didn't have the strength to scratch his itchy trachea with his hands. His head became more and more dizzy.
In my sight, the light on the horizon grew brighter and brighter, like the final moment of my life, when I wanted to burst out all my vitality, and millions of cells were glowing with their last possible use...
His head was dark and empty, and he was unconscious.
—
"Exit Cangjun through the main gate, and all other gates are impassable?"
It still takes some walking to get to the city gate. Meng Zheng told the boatman that they were going to Cang County, but the boat stopped in an awkward position that was a little far from the Cang County gate, but not particularly far.
At first I thought there were more convenient channels, but I didn’t expect them to be blocked.
When he met a soldier patrolling the area on the way, Meng Zheng took out the seal of the commander that he had prepared in advance and showed it to him, and he got this answer.
The soldiers did not recognize the true identities of this group of people. They just thought they were the doctors called by Yu He. They casually pointed the way and returned to their original path.
That's strange. Since Cang County was granted to Yu He as a fiefdom, how can the boatman travel freely between the two cities?
Meng Zheng was walking in front. Qin Lan glanced at Xiao Yingzhu, who had not spoken again, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he asked, "
"Your Highness, I would like to ask you, but finding a boatman to take you to the other side is indeed a difficult task. I wonder if Your Highness has made any plans before this?"
Meng Zheng had just gotten off the boat. In addition to feeling dizzy, he had been walking all the way and felt a little exhausted halfway. After refusing Qin Lan's kind offer of help, he chose a tree to lean against and rest.
"The land route is difficult to travel, so the water route is the quickest way to reach Cang County."
He frowned, his lips turned pale, and he felt like he was about to faint.
Seeing that things were not going well, Qin Lan found a bottle of unused water from Ai and handed it to him, sighing, "Your Highness, have you prepared any medicine yourself? We still have some time to get to Cang County, so you might as well take it first."
The man leaning against the tree looked a little dazed. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words faltered. His frown relaxed slightly, and suddenly his strength gave way. His legs went limp, and he suddenly fell forward, feeling top-heavy.
"Oh... no?"
This sudden change startled Qin Lan so much that he quickly stretched out his arm and put his arm around Meng Zheng's shoulders. The situation was urgent, so he turned around and ignored etiquette, directly opening Meng Zheng's bag and pulling out a few pills.
Jiang Nian felt that Meng Zheng was a little weak when he got off the boat. He was thinking of checking his condition after settling him down, but he didn't expect that he would lose consciousness at this moment.
She put the medicine Qin Lan took out aside, kept Meng Zheng's airway open, observed the situation, and then took out the needle she always had on hand for emergency use.
When they were walking along the road just now, Meng Zheng was the one walking in front. Jiang Nian had no chance to observe Meng Zheng's expression. It was not until she looked closer that she suddenly realized how pale this man was.
The area around was all desolate, so naturally there was no place to rest. She couldn't do a detailed inspection either, so she could only do what she could for the time being and then hand it over to Meng Zheng's doctor in the city.
After everything was done, when he looked up into those cold eyes, Jiang Nian suddenly discovered that Xiao Yingzhu had been acting a little strange recently.
Although he seems cold and unkind, he still has proper etiquette, and even when he is really angry, it is difficult to tell whether he is happy or not.
But there were some subtle changes in his attitude towards Meng Zheng.
Just like this afternoon, there were several seemingly unnecessary conversations in the cabin with a dark light.
Then time passed, until later, when he saw that Meng Zheng was unwell, he did not say a word.
...What kind of grudge did they have before?
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