Chapter 201 Returning to Xihan 2
A few days later, Xie Sangning stood on the city wall of Xihan, his gaze falling on the camp that had just been cleared outside the city.
The air she inhaled was chilly, yet it made her thoughts even clearer.
From beneath the city wall came a chorus of shouts.
As night fell, in the back hall of the Xihan government office, the stove crackled and popped, barely dispelling the biting cold.
Magistrate Qu sat stiffly on a low stool at the lower end of the table. Xie Sangning, who was in front of him, was wearing only a simple indigo cotton robe, without any makeup, and her long hair was simply tied up. She was carefully looking through the household registers and land records of Xihan that Magistrate Qu had reorganized, under the dim light of an oil lamp.
“Magistrate Qu,” Xie Sangning put down the booklet and looked up, “you’ve worked hard to sort out these clues in such a short time.”
"I dare not accept such praise! Your Excellency is too kind to me!" Magistrate Qu hurriedly put down his teacup, stood up, clasped his hands, and said with a mixture of fear and excitement, "It is all thanks to Your Excellency's strategic planning that the people were willing to come back and register... I was just doing my duty."
He was telling the truth.
If it weren't for Xie Sangning's iron fist and the granaries, his title as county magistrate would be of little use in Xihan.
Xie Sangning gestured for him to sit down, picked up the teacup in front of her, and gently blew on the steam: "It's your duty, and to do it to this extent is already quite an achievement. Xihan's foundation is shallow, and any slight disturbance could cause all our previous efforts to be in vain."
She looked at Magistrate Qu's loyal face beneath his gray hair and slowly said, "Magistrate Qu, this young lady wishes to restore order to the world and rebuild our land."
She didn't say the word "rebellion," but the meaning was like a thunderclap in Magistrate Qu's ears!
Magistrate Qu felt his head buzzing!
His instinct was to kneel down and beg for mercy, to plead for mercy, to run away... countless thoughts collided in an instant.
However, he calmed down when he saw Xie Sangning's eyes.
Those eyes seemed to tell him that Xie Sangning was confident of victory.
She spoke as if it were something obvious and certain to succeed.
Considering the extraordinary abilities Miss Xie has displayed since entering Xihan, a kind of almost blind trust and fanaticism suddenly ignited in Magistrate Qu's heart, which had been dormant for twenty years!
thump!
Magistrate Qu knelt down again, this time without any hesitation, his forehead hitting the cold ground heavily with a dull thud.
“Your Highness! I am but a lowly official, having toiled in this Western Cold for over twenty years, long forgotten by the court like a worn-out shoe! It was you, Your Highness, who gave this Western Cold a way out, and gave me a path to start anew! Your Highness has grand ambitions, while I am dull and do not understand any great principles, but I know that whatever Your Highness wants to do, you will surely accomplish!”
"Through water and fire, through mountains of knives and boiling oil, I entrust my old life to the magistrate!"
These words came from the bottom of his heart. He didn't need to know Xie Sangning's specific plans. He only needed to believe one thing: following the county magistrate meant there was a way to survive and a future!
Xie Sangning looked at him, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.
"Get up." Xie Sangning's voice softened slightly. "I don't want you to die here. I want you to live well and take good care of this Xihan for me."
Magistrate Qu stood up excitedly, tears streaming down his face: "This humble official... will certainly live up to the magistrate's trust! I would give my life for her!"
“Very good.” Xie Sangning nodded, then changed the subject, her tone becoming more profound, “We need a solid foundation and enough manpower. Xihan is remote and talent is hard to find. Besides the people I took to participate in the imperial examination, I still have some useful people in Jinling.”
Magistrate Qu's heart leaped into his throat.
Xie Sangning took out a thin list from his sleeve and handed it over. It contained only a dozen or so names, without any official titles, and looked quite ordinary.
"The families of these people," Xie Sangning's voice was calm and even, yet carried a cold, controlling quality, "need to be moved to Xihan in batches and discreetly. You will be in charge of this personally, selecting absolutely reliable local confidants to handle it. The route, rendezvous points, and disguised identity documents along the way will be arranged in detail for you later."
He instantly understood Xie Sangning's intention.
This is to hold the families of our own people far away in Nanjing in our hands!
It is both protection, relieving them of their worries; and also... an invisible shackle, ensuring their loyalty!
Without the slightest hesitation, Magistrate Qu solemnly promised again: "Your Highness, rest assured! This matter concerns the foundation of our nation. I will personally oversee it and ensure that it is handled flawlessly! All the Xihan family members who have arrived will be placed in the safest location and given the best care to guarantee their safety and well-being without any mishaps!"
Xie Sangning gave him a deep look: "Remember, they are my distinguished guests, the families of future heroes of Xihan, so you must... take good care of them."
"Yes! I understand!" Magistrate Qu understood immediately.
The secret orders flowed into Nanjing through hidden channels.
When a lowly clerk in the Ministry of Revenue received the secret letter, he was in his dimly lit office reviewing the tedious accounts.
He trembled as he read the few words, then quickly brought the note close to the candlelight and burned it to ashes.
His name was Zhang Cheng. He was a poor family member who was able to stay in the Ministry of Revenue thanks to Xie Sangning's secret financial assistance in his early years. He was in charge of the entry and exit records of several granaries in the capital.
He immediately got up, asked the person in charge for leave, and said that his elderly mother in the countryside was seriously ill and he needed to go home to visit her.
No one would pay attention to such an insignificant minor official.
Back in the small courtyard he rented in the alley in the south of the city, his wife was washing clothes and his five-year-old daughter was playing in the yard.
He closed the courtyard gate tightly, pulled his wife aside, and lowered his voice, his eyes filled with suppressed excitement and a hint of fear: "Xiuniang, pack your things, only take your valuables and winter clothes, we... are moving. We're going north, don't ask anything, just come with me."
Seeing his unprecedentedly solemn and excited expression, his wife didn't ask any questions, but simply nodded silently and immediately began to pack.
She trusted her husband.
That night, the family of three disappeared into the darkness and joined a secret migration group heading west.
An officer from the city gate garrison took an oil paper package from a familiar vendor. Inside, besides several hot meat pies, was a rolled-up piece of paper.
His name was Li Meng, and he secured a position in the Beijing Garrison through Xie Sangning's secret connections.
He chewed on the meat pie, his eyes glancing at the note before he expressionlessly chewed it up and swallowed it.
When he got home that evening, he only said one sentence to his elderly father and wife: "Pack your things. Tomorrow morning, relatives will pick you up to visit them. You won't be back for a long time."
This happens in many places, but not everyone is so cooperative.
Some officials' wives cried and refused to leave the bustling city of Nanjing, reluctant to part with their cosmetics, silks, card games, and banquets.
After being scolded by the head of the household, he reluctantly followed the group.
The most dangerous incident involved the family of an official working in the Ministry of Works.
As their convoy was about to leave Nanjing, they were stopped and inspected by government officials. The official in charge seemed to be particularly careful, repeatedly checking their identity documents.
The guards escorting the caravan were on tenterhooks, their hands already secretly pressing down on the short knives hidden under the cart.
Just then, an inconspicuous attendant behind the clerk tripped and bumped into him, saying something in a low voice.
The clerk waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, alright, go on, go on!"
That's how we got through the ordeal without any real danger.
Magistrate Qu personally took charge of the resettlement.
He specially designated a separate courtyard area in the core area of Xihan City. The environment was clean and tidy, the supplies were plentiful, and there was even a dedicated doctor who would make regular visits.
However, the guards at the villa were all replaced by Xie Sangning's most loyal personal guards, whose comings and goings were all recorded, and who kept a constant, covert surveillance.
On the surface, it appears to be meticulous care, but in reality, it is a thorough house arrest.
When Zhang Cheng's wife stepped off the carriage, which had been bumping along for over a month, carrying her daughter, her eyes were filled with bewilderment and fear as she saw the desolate yet heavily guarded scene before her.
But when Magistrate Qu personally received her and brought her hot porridge and clean clothes, she inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
Each family member's safe arrival was accompanied by a secret letter delivered to their relatives in Nanjing.
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