Kou Xuan looked apologetic and sincere, and his proposal was very appropriate without being overly enthusiastic.
Wei Jing smiled and said, "Very good. Brother Lao Kou, thank you for taking care of my husband and me."
He went on to say, "To be honest, Brother Kou, even if there hadn't been any incident today, we two would have been on our way. I came to the southwest to take up my post, and even if I encountered bandits and was injured, I would not have dared to delay."
Going to take office?
Shao Qing couldn't help but look at him, but she didn't say much. She just turned her gaze to Kou Xuan calmly.
Kou Xuan was also surprised: "So Brother Yang is actually an official. I am so shortsighted. I am so sorry. I didn't know..."
"I am just the magistrate of a county. I am ashamed to have come from the Central Plains to the southwest."
From Wei Jing's perspective, the county magistrate was certainly nothing special. But in this remote southwestern border area, the county magistrate is indeed the real head of the county, holding both military and political power. For example, in Gong County, the preferences of the two successive county magistrates directly determined the living space of the Kou family.
Kou Xuan exclaimed: "I have long felt that Brother Yang is not an ordinary businessman. He is indeed young and promising."
"Brother Kou, thank you for your praise."
Seeing that it was almost time, Wei Jing said, "Brother Kou left home with his family in a hurry. Do you have a safe place to go? If not, why not come with us?"
Kou Xuan fled not only his hometown, he also gave up his job and means of livelihood, and took his entire family with him. The world was not peaceful and he was unfamiliar with the way of life, so it was not easy for him to settle down again.
At this time he discovered that the person he had saved was a county magistrate who was about to take up his new post and had invited his family to go with him. What reason was there to refuse?
Kou Xuan was really delighted, and bowed deeply to the ground: "I am extremely grateful, and I dare not refuse. I am deeply grateful for Brother Yang's kindness."
"Hey, Brother Kou, what you said is wrong."
Wei Jing reached out his hand to help Kou Xuan up, smiling: "It's just a small favor, why do you have to do this, brother Kou. Let's pack up quickly, it's better for us to set off earlier."
"Exactly. Exactly."
There were four people in the Kou family, including a small child. They left in a hurry and were in a mess. Therefore, Kou Xuan did not dare to stay any longer. After saying goodbye temporarily, he hurried back.
…
"Husband."
After watching Kou Xuan enter the main room, Shao Qing closed the door and asked Wei Jing in a low voice: "Are we going to Pingtao?"
Pingtao County is where Yang Ze is going to take up his post. His certificate of appointment and household registration are in her hands. Shao Qing has already figured it out.
"Yeah." Wei Jing nodded.
If you want revenge, assassinating someone alone is the stupidest and worst option. Of course he would not adopt it, and he was not alone now. He still had Shao Qing. How could he put her in danger again?
However, the northern border army, on which he had spent five years of hard work, had always nominally belonged to the Great Chu. If he had been in the army when the sudden incident occurred, he would have been confident that he could have controlled it. Unfortunately, he rushed back to the capital overnight.
This is also the fundamental reason why his father had to summon him back to Beijing.
Since the late emperor had this idea from the beginning, he must have prepared preventive measures early on. Wei Jing knew clearly that there were several old monarchist generals in the Northern Army who had served through two or three dynasties. They had imperial seals and imperial edicts, and more than half of the generals' families were not with them.
When the new emperor ascends the throne, he will immediately take over and deal with all matters concerning the Northern Army. Those who should be killed should be killed, and those who should be demoted should be demoted. After a few months, everything should have been done.
As for Wei Jing's former fiefdom of Qi, he was accused of treason by his own father, the emperor, and his title and fiefdom were stripped from him before he was exiled. Qi was in the northeast, and he fled to the southwest, so the late emperor had plenty of time to deal with it.
Times have changed, and Wei Jing certainly would not go north to fall into the trap.
"Don't worry. You should know that the invincible Northern Army was defeated repeatedly in the past, forcing the imperial court to cede land and marry a princess in exchange for an end to the war."
All the changes began after Wei Jing arrived in the northern border. He took drastic measures to eliminate the chronic problems, established military orders, and trained soldiers, thus revitalizing this exhausted army.
As long as he doesn't die, nothing will be a problem.
Wei Jing's voice was not loud, but his eyes were stern: "During the reigns of Tianchu, Jianyuan, and Xiande, the emperor favored eunuchs and ignored state affairs. The eunuchs and powerful officials fought for power for decades, and the decline of the Great Chu Dynasty was evident long ago."
The emperors of previous generations were all incompetent. The result of their desperate efforts was not only the decline of imperial power, but also internal and external troubles, and even the extinction of the direct bloodline. They had no choice but to choose a son from the side branch to succeed to the throne.
This is how Wei Jing's father, Emperor Zhongping, came to power. He was elected after competition among many forces. His biggest characteristic was that he was gentle and low-key, with mediocre talents.
Emperor Zhongping was still stronger after all. He endured for many years and finally joined forces with the Fu family to eradicate the powerful eunuchs and regained the imperial power.
However, holding on to the imperial power was already the limit of his ability. He was unable to clean up the mess left by the previous emperors. Moreover, out of suspicion and vigilance against the Fu family, he personally eliminated the second legitimate prince born to Empress Fu, who was capable of saving the country.
Internal worries are different from external troubles. The previous crown prince had been in power for too short a time and although he had implemented many new policies, they were only treating the symptoms and not the root cause. Anyway, the current Chu State is corrupt in its administration and its people are poor. Two years ago, it was hit by a major disaster and plague, and civil unrest still occurs from time to time.
In such a tricky and difficult situation, can the new emperor, who has never received orthodox royal education and whose talents and abilities are not as good as those of the former crown prince, successfully resolve it?
Wei Jing raised his lips, revealing an extremely cold sneer.
It's basically impossible.
Therefore, his first step now is to take over a piece of land, develop and expand it while accumulating strength, so that he can take advantage of the situation when the east wind comes.
Didn't his father, the Emperor, endure and plot for many years just to hold on to the Great Chu? And the new emperor sitting on the dragon throne today, has he been humble and subservient for more than twenty years, isn’t it just for the sake of ascending the throne and ruling the Chu kingdom?
After watching the Great Chu fall step by step, he went straight to the capital and cut the mother and son into pieces, as well as his father. What other way of revenge could be more satisfying than this? !
At this moment, the gene of tyranny was roaring in his blood, and Wei Jing revealed a very bloodthirsty sneer.
"Husband?"
Shao Qing's clear voice was filled with worry, and it was as cool as spring water, soothing the restlessness in his bones and blood. He relaxed, lowered his eyes to look at her, and whispered, "Don't worry, we will be stable soon."
Stability is indeed good. This difficult life is really exhausting. Pingtao is far away from the Central Plains and is a very suitable place.
Shao Qing smiled: "Yeah."
Wei Jing said again: "Ah Qing, wait for me, I will get rid of Sun Zong first, and then set off."
Due to Yuan Hong's panic and biting, Sun Zong and his confidants also learned about the incident on the river beach. The Kou family members stayed for the time being due to Shao Qing's persuasion. They could ignore Yuan Hong for the time being, but Sun Zong and his gang must not be let go.
He and Kou Xuan had agreed to set out at the end of the hour of Hai. Now there were still nearly two hours until the end of the hour of Hai, and the distance of five miles was only a short distance away. He planned to settle this matter first.
This time, Shao Qing didn't say much. Sun Zong of the Sun family and even his minions bullied the common people, ran rampant in the village, and blatantly killed more than one person. This was not said by the Kou family, but was what she heard in the house when the neighbors came to visit and chat.
"Okay, go ahead. I'll wait for you."
Shao Qing warned again: "The wound on your body has just scabbed over, you need to be more careful and don't try to break free."
Wei Jing's poison has now been completely eliminated. Although his wounds have not healed and his face is still pale, he is now completely different from before. His martial arts strength has recovered more than 50%, and this is a remote little place. Shao Qing's only worry is that he might accidentally break the wound.
She was quite relieved, but Wei Jing was the one who was worried. He was not willing to leave her alone.
Shao Qing's body, as a rich lady, is essentially delicate and weak, with no fighting power at all. If she cannot take advantage of the crisis, she can only be slaughtered.
Wei Jing thought for a while and said, "Ah Qing, I will go out with you and find you a secluded place to stay first."
Shao Qing was surprised, then nodded: "Okay."
She immediately understood what Wei Jing meant, and felt relieved that her efforts were rewarded.
When it comes to one's own safety, one cannot be too cautious. Shao Qing immediately turned around and put on his packed bag. Wei Jing hugged her, and she grasped his narrow waist with her hands in familiarity.
The two of them had reached the rear window, and he reached out to open it, but as soon as his hand touched the window bolt, his movement paused.
"What's wrong?" Shao Qing asked in a low voice.
But she knew why as soon as she finished speaking. Someone knocked on the gate of the Kou family's courtyard. The person was in a hurry, and the knocks were tight and heavy. "Wen Chang, Wen Chang!"
Kou Xuan rushed out in two steps and opened the gate. The person who came was his best friend who was also on duty at the Gong County government office as a clerk named Chen Zhu.
Chen Zhu flashed in and lowered his voice and said urgently, "County Lieutenant Sun and his son have called all the county's police officers and soldiers, and they are rushing towards Hexiang!"
It happened suddenly and there was a lot of noise. In Hexiang, there was a man named Kou Xuan who had always been at odds with the father and son of the Sun family. Chen Zhu, who was delayed in getting off duty due to official business, immediately felt something was wrong. He tried his best to remain calm and got off the shift, rushing over before the Sun father and son.
The Kou family was hurriedly packing up their belongings and had harnessed the donkey cart and pulled it into the yard, obviously intending to escape under the cover of night.
Chen Zhu saw that there was still something he didn't understand, and he became anxious: "Don't pack up, hurry up and leave. County Magistrate Sun and his son will be here in two or three quarters of an hour at the latest. If we don't leave, it will be too late!"
Kou Xuan was horrified: "How is this possible?!"
At most, the only person involved in his family's murder was Kou Yue. Why would it be necessary to mobilize an entire county's worth of troops? Besides, there was no way we could get County Magistrate Sun to come in person!
Also, didn’t Sun Zong say that he would send a sedan chair to pick people up tomorrow? What's going on here? !
The Kou family members were shocked and didn't know why, but Shao Qing was startled.
She and Wei Jing looked at each other and saw the same thing in each other's eyes.
"Quick, quick! Stop packing, get in the car and go out the back door!"
Yan Ming, who had only packed a large bag, was already waiting at Kou's house. Without Kou Xuan saying anything, he immediately jumped on the donkey cart and rushed to open the back door. Upon hearing the sound, Wang Mi, Kou Yue and others hurried out with their luggage.
"Is it any trouble for you to come and report the news?"
"Nothing, you and I have been pretending to be estranged for many years. It has nothing to do with me, so I'm leaving first."
Chen Zhu hurried to the back door. Although Kou Xuan's brows were tightly knitted with a thousand thoughts in his mind, he did not seem confused in his haste. He solemnly ordered his wife's sister to get on the carriage quickly while walking quickly to the west wing.
The door of the west wing opened in time, and he hurriedly said to Wei Jing: "Brother Yang, I'm afraid we have to leave immediately!"
"good."
Wei Jing had just whispered in Shao Qing's ear that he should go out with them first, so the two of them did not hesitate at all and went out from the back door with Kou Xuan.
The donkey cart was not big, women and children rode on it while men ran. Wei Jing was injured, and Kou Xuan asked him to go up, but he declined. A quarter of an hour later, more than two miles out of Hexiang, he suddenly stopped.
"I left some important things in the house. I'll go back to get them. You guys go ahead and we'll catch up later."
"How can this be possible? If we go back now..." If something goes wrong, we will run into the hands of the father and son of the Sun family!
Before Kou Xuan could finish his words, he saw Shao Qing come out from behind the curtain and pounce directly at Wei Jing. Wei Jing caught the man with one hand, turned around, and ran back quickly. He was carrying a person, but his steps were light and his speed was several times faster than before.
He immediately shut his mouth.
The author has something to say: As for the protagonist's former team, there are still some who are so loyal that they abandon everything without hesitation upon hearing the news. We will talk about this later.
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