Chapter 54 Deserted Village
On the last day of staying in Xiyue Town, Su Yan heard a piece of news.
The news came from a servant at the post station. The Changwei Army stationed in the northwest fought a fierce battle with the Hu army in a small town on the border of Da Zhou. The battle was brutal. The Hu army intended to break through the defense line and occupy the land of Da Zhou.
The leisure and laziness of Xiyue Town were diluted, and people were in panic in an instant.
Ever since Shi Yangui appeared in Anping Town, Su Yan had been prepared.
How could the general of the Changwei Army appear in a small town on the outskirts of the city for no reason?
She now only hoped that the fight would not take place in Anping Town, after all, she had friends in Anping Town.
But no matter where the war takes place, it is the ordinary people who suffer. When will the world ever be at peace?
Yun Xing could see that Su Yan was in a bad mood, but for some reason, fighting and killing was just a common occurrence for him.
He followed Su Yan in silence.
Su Yan has already learned to ride a horse, and he can ride very fast. They galloped all the way, planning to enter Beijing in the next few days.
However, the weather was not good. As night approached, autumn rain began to fall, so they found a nearby tea stall to shelter from the rain.
There were a few other people in the tea stall. One group was dressed like gangsters, and another was dressed elegantly but had no temperament, like a good-looking, stupid son of a landlord.
Su Yan was looking at him when Yun Xing grabbed his wrist and said, "Don't talk nonsense."
Su Yan took back the words "silly son".
Yun Xing could see that she was going to complain again?
Su Yan decisively stood behind Yun Xing, so that the other party would think it was Yun Xing who was speaking, and she could successfully avoid trouble.
Yun Xing saw through her little thoughts but didn't expose them.
The autumn rain was falling heavily and the tea vendors had run out of hot water. They could no longer make tea or get more water.
Su Yan and his companions could only sit there.
The other people arrived earlier and had hot tea. A few big men were discussing the war. "The barbarians are too bullying. I can't understand a word of their bird language!"
"Alas, what can we do? Look at the masters in the capital, they are all living a life of drunkenness and debauchery. Who cares about our lives?"
"Have you heard that the current emperor knelt down before Zhao Mingde? Tsk, the Great Zhou is finished."
“I hope the prince can do something.”
"Crown Prince? I heard that he wants to call Zhao Mingde his father!"
Su Yan was not very clear about what was happening in the capital, but she had read history books and knew the consequences of eunuchs' misrule.
Judging from the various systems of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Zhao Mingde's rights were actually granted by the imperial power. It was not like in previous dynasties, where the aristocratic families supported the royal family and the power of the aristocratic families was equal to that of the imperial power.
It was because the current Majesty trusted Zhao Mingde too much that Zhao Mingde used the imperial power to do these absurd things.
If the crown prince ascends the throne, there will be a possibility of cleaning up Zhao Mingde, but even the crown prince is against Zhao Mingde...
Su Yan said thoughtfully: "This prince is quite interesting."
Yun Xing said: "This place is not far from the capital, so be careful what you say and do."
Su Yan said indifferently: "In fact, I never thought I could get out of the capital alive."
Not to mention the royal family, even the Shi family is enough for Su Yan to deal with. In the end, maybe she won't even be able to see the Shi family.
The sorrow of the common people has been like this for generations.
On the other side, the young master started arguing with some gangsters.
"How do you know they don't want to defeat the Hu people? What do you mean they are all living a life of drunkenness and dreaming? You don't want to recite a poem or sing "Across the river, I still sing the song of the back garden", do you?"
The young man is thin and looks frail, but he has a strong aura when he speaks.
The other few people were not happy to hear this, and the other party looked like a powerful person. They were angry when they thought about the suffering of the common people while the powerful were enjoying themselves.
"Who are you? Are you also here to enjoy yourself in the capital? What does our conversation have to do with you?"
The young man was outnumbered but not at all shy. After a few moves, several people began to smash the table and bowls and started fighting.
The tea vendor wanted to cry but had no tears. "Why do you choose my place? Small business, small business!"
Su Yan didn't want to be involved in the dispute. Besides, the young master was indeed wrong and he didn't say anything wrong.
Su Yan didn't want to get involved, but they wouldn't let her stay out of it. A tea bowl flew straight towards Su Yan, accidentally hitting her.
Yun Xing reached out to catch it, then threw it back. The tea bowl collided with a man's knife, and the man was about to chop the table with the knife.
The force of the tea bowl hitting the man stunned.
He silently put away the knife and bowed to Yun Xing, "I almost hurt you two just now, I'm sorry."
Seeing this, the others stopped.
"What's going on?"
The man silently shook his head at the others. The others were stunned for a moment and then suddenly realized.
This is a tough opponent they can't defeat.
Since you can't win, just be honest. When you are in the world, you have to rely on your strength.
A few of them packed their luggage and set off again, not forgetting to glare at the young master before leaving.
Liang Yi was actually panicked just now.
He really disliked those people, but when it came to real kung fu, he really didn't have any of them.
If Yun Xing had not taken action, he would have been injured today. Liang Yi developed a strong interest in Yun Xing.
He didn’t walk with the grace of other noblemen, jumping up and down like a monkey. He jumped to sit next to Yun Xing and said, “Brother, are you good at fighting?”
Those who use the word "fight" are basically not very powerful.
Yun Xing didn't want to pay attention to him.
Su Yan was afraid of embarrassment, so he said, "He is a master, don't worry, those people won't come back to cause trouble again."
"Humph, I think they deserve a beating. They actually said something bad about the prince. What do they know?"
Su Yan nodded repeatedly.
Seeing that this person was quite reasonable, Liang Yi said warmly, "Looking at the direction you are going, you are going to the capital, right? My name is Liang Yi, I am going to the capital too, let's go together so that we can take care of each other."
Just as he finished speaking, he heard Su Yan's voice - "Zhao Mingde is in power, who can be blamed? This noble young man is really..."
Liang Yi: “…”
How can you say one thing and do another, cursing people secretly? !
Yun Xing saw Liang Yi's expression change drastically, and then he said, "We don't need to be with others."
Liang Yi retracted his gaze and scratched his head, "Actually, I need..."
The journey back to Beijing was extremely bumpy. There were several times when Liang Yi almost thought he would not be able to make it to the capital.
The Hu people have clearly not attacked yet, and no one knows where all these dangers come from.
Liang Yi refused to admit that he was provoked by his mouth.
Liang Yi took out a purse full of silver and said, "Send me back to the capital, and all this will be yours."
Su Yan's eyes sparkled.
Yun Xing: “…”
Su Yan looked at Yun Xing cautiously, "If you think it's okay...you get eight for the silver and I get two for the silver."
Yun Xing was helpless, "It's up to you."
*
Liang Yi's joining is not a bad thing. He is a chatterbox and has been talking about how patriotic and people-loving His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is all the way.
It’s a pity that Your Majesty trusts Zhao Deming to the point of obsession.
He seemed to worship it as a deity.
The prince was powerless and could not change the situation before he ascended the throne.
The more Su Yan listened, the more puzzled he became. "You seem to know a lot about the affairs of the court."
Liang Yi said indifferently: "Who in the capital doesn't know this?"
Yun Xing said: "The royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty was named Liang."
Liang Yi: "!!, Brother Yun, you are too smart. Excuse me, why is your last name Yun?"
Liang Yi has no good impression of the surname Yun.
This is all Zhao Deming's fault. He claims to love poetry and books, but he keeps a bunch of killers and gives them fancy names. He really wants something without having anything.
The existence of Chuyun Tower gave Liang Yi a headache whenever he saw clouds.
Su Yan was worried that Liang Yi knew Yun Xing's identity, so she interrupted their conversation and reminded him, "If you are really a royal family, you shouldn't expose your identity when you go out without anyone to protect you."
Liang Yi realized it later and said, "That makes sense."
"Besides, you are alone, so you shouldn't rashly get into a conflict with them. They are not bad people. If you really run into vicious criminals, they might be unfavorable to you just by looking at your clothes."
Liang Yi: "Miss Su's brain is comparable to that of a military strategist!"
Su Yan: “…”
——"Is it possible that you are too stupid..."
Liang Yi blinked.
Miss Su said he was stupid? Probably not, because he was praised by his picky second brother as being extremely smart.
He must have heard it wrong.
Su Yan said patiently: "I don't think you have bad intentions, but you shouldn't have said those words directed at the prince just now."
"Why is that?"
"Now all the civil and military officials in the court believe that the prince is also Zhao Mingde's man, right?"
"Indeed."
"If the prince is pretending, and you leak it casually, it will be heard by someone with ulterior motives, which will hinder the prince's plan. If he really does that, there is no need to speak for him. But I think the prince is young and still has the ambition to make achievements. His current attitude towards Zhao Mingde is indeed a fake."
Liang Yi gave a thumbs up and said, "Miss Su, you are really smart! You should be the prime minister of the Great Zhou!"
Su Yan: “…”
Seeing the Great Zhou royal family like this, Su Yan suddenly felt that the Great Zhou was indeed hopeless.
How she wished that Liang Yi was just pretending to be stupid at this moment, but she clearly saw his clear eyes, and there were two big words engraved in his eyes: stupid.
What's even more stupid is that the dry food Liang Yi prepared was not enough, and he even asked Su Yan to share it with him.
Su Yan had never seen such a... simple prince.
Su Yan seized the opportunity to ask Yun Xing, "Is he really the prince? He is not lying to us, is he?"
"Liang Yi is the youngest son of His Majesty. His biological mother is the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine's brother was once a general. He was at odds with Zhao Mingde, and Zhao Mingde killed both the Imperial Concubine and the general."
Su Yan looked at Yun Xing in surprise, and Yun Xing reminded him, "I can see what you are thinking."
"Then I'll be frank," Su Yan said, "You clearly know that Zhao Mingde is not a good person, but you still want to work for him?"
Yun Xing asked back: "What else can I do?"
Su Yan: “…”
As long as we are alive, aren't there many things we can do?
Su Yan could feel that Yun Xing was not a bad person by nature, he just didn't have a correct understanding of right and wrong.
In other words, he knows what is good and what is evil, but he does not see any difference between the two.
Su Yan didn't know what Yun Xing had experienced to have such an idea, it shouldn't be a good thing.
Su Yan said seriously: "No one is black and white. Maybe the righteous side also has flaws, but the vast majority of people are just ordinary people. We can get along with them and even become friends and family. We should not let our family and friends suffer. Are we two friends? If Zhao Mingde asked you to kill me, would you agree?"
Yun Xing lowered his eyes for a moment, turned over and got off the horse, and seemed unwilling to answer Su Yan.
Su Yan had no choice but to follow him and tie the horse to the tree.
It was getting late and it was not suitable to travel any further today. We happened to come to a deserted village where we could rest for a night.
After tying up the horse, Su Yan looked at Yun Xing.
She didn't want Yun Xing to work for Zhao Mingde as he did before. If he continued like this, he would be infamous for eternity.
Su Yan doesn't like to meddle in other people's business, but Yun Xing's affairs don't seem to be a big deal to her.
Su Yan said, "Eat something and then take a rest. I'll go find some branches to burn."
Liang Yi followed Su Yan and he could see that Su Yan was easy to get along with, but Yun Xing was not.
Although for some reason there were always people scolding him for inexplicable reasons when he was with Su Yan, he just endured it. He firmly believed that the people scolding him were not Su Yan!
Seeing the two people about to walk away, Yun Xing stopped what he was doing.
He looked at Su Yan silently for a moment and whispered, "No."
*
The deserted village was truly a deserted village. Apart from a few scattered huts that were about to collapse, Su Yan didn't see anyone.
After the sun sets, it quickly becomes dark. Although there is moonlight, it is not as bright as during the day.
There were tall trees and weeds all around, Liang Yi felt uneasy and followed Su Yan closely. "How many more branches do we need to pick up? Should it be enough? I think the weather is not too cold, so we should be able to make it through."
Su Yan glanced at Liang Yi's mink coat and secretly reminded himself not to get angry.
Don’t get angry, don’t get angry with your financial sponsor.
Su Yan changed the subject and asked, "Why are you traveling alone?"
"I want to go to war," Liang Yi said unconcernedly, "They all told me not to go, but I refused. I insisted on going, so I slipped out on my own."
Su Yan asked doubtfully, "You have already fought in the war, and you are going back to the capital?"
Liang Yi scratched his head, "I... am lost."
Su Yan: “…”
The Great Zhou is really going to be finished.
Liang Yi clenched his fist and swore, "When Brother Yan Gui comes back next time, I will ask him to take me there! He is the general of the Changwei Army and he fought against the most powerful Hu people. I want to show everyone what I can do!"
Hearing Shi Yangui's name, Su Yan narrowed his eyes and forced a smile, "You and Shi Yangui are very close?"
Liang Yi was shocked. "How can you call him by his name?"
Su Yan didn't care. "We are friends. He got separated from the army before, and I saved him. If it weren't for my father treating his wounds, he would be dead now."
"...Really?" Liang Yi asked suspiciously, "You are not kidding me, are you?"
Su Yan: “…”
She couldn't stand it any longer and cursed in her heart - "You believe everything you shouldn't believe, and don't believe things you should believe. I just said this one truth!!"
Liang Yi: "What did you say?"
Su Yan forced a smile, "Don't worry about this for now. Shi Yangui and I are indeed friends. If you don't believe me, write him a letter after you return to Beijing."
"Well, I'll have to ask him."
"If you're sure, could you take me to Shi's house to have a look?"
"Okay," Liang Yi agreed immediately, "but I'm not familiar with the Shi family. Except for Brother Yan Gui, the rest of the Shi family are cowards."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, this is a long story. The Shi family rose to prominence because of the prime minister, who was ostracized by eunuchs and died on his way to his hometown. The Shi family fell into decline and only had a few minor officials. It was not until Brother Yan Gui fought his way out on the battlefield that the Shi family achieved its current status. However, Brother Yan Gui's third uncle and younger uncle were determined to control the Shi family. On the surface, they did not dare to disobey Brother Yan Gui, but in fact, they secretly tripped him up. People like this are the most annoying."
Su Yan was a little surprised, "Shi Yan Gui is not on good terms with the Shi family?"
"It's not just bad, it's simply intrigue!"
Su Yan didn't understand.
If that’s the case, why did Shi Yangui hide the matter of the token in the first place?
...Perhaps it’s because compared to the Shi family, Su Yan is more of an outsider?
But there is one thing Su Yan can be sure of, Shi Yangui must be hiding something.
Su Yan asked: "What kind of person is Shi Yangui?"
"Naturally he is upright and aboveboard, and he is the person I respect the most."
Su Yan didn't know whether he should believe Liang Yi.
The two of them went back holding the branches. Yun Xing had found a house where they could stay for the night.
There were tables, chairs and beds in the room, and there were even two plates of moldy and blackened food on the table.
Su Yan looked around the house, wondering, "What's going on in this deserted village? The candles are completely burned out, but the food is still on the table. How come it looks like..."
Liang Yi didn't understand and asked blankly: "What's the problem?"
Su Yan said: "It's like the owner of the house evaporated overnight."
Liang Yi shuddered, "Don't scare me on purpose at this late hour."
Yun Xing had already made up the bed. "She didn't scare you. I went to several houses nearby and saw that every household was like this."
"How could it be that nothing has changed in three years?"
"Yes," Yun Xing said, "Every household has been searched, and there is nothing valuable in the house. There must have been many thieves in the past three years."
This is really strange.
They passed by the deserted village because Yunxing temporarily changed his itinerary and took a less frequently traveled route.
Few people pass by this road, so there should not be many people who discover the deserted village.
Before entering the village, they saw some seals on the ground, but the doors were all opened and they walked in without noticing.
As soon as I came in, I found that everything was wrong.
How could an entire village suddenly disappear?
Su Yan took out some dry food and said, "Eat some first. When you are full, go out and take a look to see what is going on."
"You still dare to go out?!" Liang Yi now just wanted to hide in the quilt. He looked nervously at the dark door outside. "Forget it. This place might be haunted. Maybe everyone in the village has been eaten by ghosts. If we go out, I'm afraid..."
Su Yan said: "If you are afraid, just wait for us at home, we will be back soon."
Liang Yi: "..., then let's go together."
He was afraid that the ghost would only eat him.
There are quite a few households in the deserted village, a total of about one hundred, scattered near the water source.
The villagers disappeared around the time of dinner, and nearly half of the families had leftovers on their tables.
Some families only had empty plates with traces of food on them, which must have been taken away by later people.
What happened in this village that could attract so many people?
As the few of them shuttled through the lonely and deserted village, Liang Yi's heart almost jumped out.
The wind blew, and the waist-high weeds swayed. Liang Yi jumped behind Yun Xing and stammered, "Brother Yun, you must protect me. If I die, who will assist my second brother in the future?!"
After Liang Yi finished shouting, he heard Su Yan's indifferent voice - "I'm afraid his second brother doesn't want him to assist him."
Liang Yi: “!?”
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