Jiang Mian averted her gaze. "It's nothing. Second Brother, let me help you."
She stepped forward to give Xiao Jingcheng, who was behind Mo Zhizhang, a hand. Together, they helped the person into the carriage. Worried that he might not lie comfortably, she adjusted the position of the bamboo pillow several times and covered him with a blanket to keep his navel warm.
Finally, she didn't forget to hold his wrist and feel his pulse.
Seeing that Xiao Jingcheng's pulse and breathing were steady, she finally felt completely at ease.
While she was doing all this, Mo Zhizhang sat with his back to her on the carriage shaft and never looked back. He just wanted to avoid seeing and feeling annoyed.
Over there, Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing were saying goodbye to the villagers of Jiaowei Village. Jiang Mian also walked over.
"When we went down the mountain yesterday, we heard you mention that there's a war going on outside. I wonder how much you know about the situation out there. Could you give us some advice?" Li Zhao asked the village head of Jiaowei Village.
At the mention of this, everyone got excited.
"The war outside has been going on for quite some time. They say the former emperor was driven away by his younger brother. After crossing the Xijiang River, he rallied several southern generals and established a small court to rival the northern court. He also started recruiting soldiers and expanding his army among the common people."
"Yeah, the day before yesterday, we just went to the town to sell some wood. We found that there were already quite a few guards there, and there were also recruitment notices posted."
While Jiang Mian and the others were gathering information from the villagers of Jiaowei Village, Xiao Jingcheng, in the body of the yellow dog, was also exchanging information with the dogs in the village.
【There have been a lot of officers and soldiers in Huyong Town these days, woof. One of our brothers was caught and eaten by these officers and soldiers when following its master to the town. I really want to bite them to death!】
【The officers and soldiers are arresting men. They're very fierce. A lot of men have been quietly taken away on ox - carts.】
Xiao Jingcheng pondered.
Huyong Town already had guards stationed there and was arresting men. Presumably, they were going to expand their army and increase the number of soldiers.
Uncle Huang had been the commander of the Xiao Family Army many years ago. He could quickly rally the troops from Luozhou, Lingyang, and Hexi without Father Emperor's knowledge, which meant that the northern prefectures had already fallen under his control.
The greatest advantage of the north was its strong and powerful army. The military governors of each prefecture had rich experience in fighting the enemy.
The prefectures south of the Xijiang River were the richest areas in Dacheng. Life here was much more comfortable than in the north. Therefore, the common people were relatively gentle - tempered, and the military strength was naturally a bit weaker. They could only rely on numbers, which was why recruitment was going on everywhere.
However, they never thought that Cangzhou had just experienced a flood. The common people hadn't had a chance to recuperate before being forced to go to the battlefield. This was not a good sign.
On the other side, Li Zhao also frowned.
Six days had passed since they left Ling'an Temple. They didn't expect that there were already guards in Huyong Town. It seemed that the current situation was really tense.
"Sigh, we don't care who the emperor is. Anyway, no matter who is on the throne, we still have to live off the mountains and waters. We won't get any benefits." A villager sighed.
"But we can't stop them from fighting. When a lot of soldiers die, they'll arrest common people to fill the vacancies. Besides, they'll also ask us to provide them with food and supplies. We can still live in peace for a few more days now, but if this war continues, we're afraid we'll also be in trouble."
It was just that this place was far from the imperial court, so the common people could speak freely, and what they said came from the bottom of their hearts.
Li Zhao agreed. "You're right. Living in peace is our greatest wish."
"You all should go ten miles west first, and then forty miles northeast. Then you can reach the town." One of them said, "But the town is not safe now. You must be careful."
Li Zhao got the information he wanted. He bowed to everyone. "Thank you all for your hospitality. We'll part ways today. May we meet again someday."
Jiang Zhiqing and Jiang Mian also said goodbye to everyone.
Everyone, including the yellow dog, got on the carriage steadily. Jiang Mian nodded to Mo Zhizhang and Taoist Yuanzheng, then whipped the horse. The carriage left Jiaowei Village and drove towards the main road.
The weather was not good today. The clouds were thickly piled up, and the sky was gloomy without a single ray of sunlight. Therefore, the temperature was also much more stuffy.
After leaving Jiaowei Village, Jiang Mian frowned tightly and never relaxed.
"What are you thinking about, Mujin?" Li Zhao asked.
Xiao Jingcheng also looked at Jiang Mian.
Jiang Mian came back to her senses. "I'm thinking about the people in Dongli Town."
"I don't know how they are now. Have they repaired the damaged houses? Have they replanted the crops in the fields?" Her voice was a bit muffled.
"I also don't know if the recruitment notices have been posted in Dongli Town."
Qi Wen once told her to write him a letter to report her safety every time she arrived at a new place. But looking at the current situation, she didn't know when they could contact each other.
At the mention of Dongli Town, the air became even more oppressive.
Xiao Jingcheng turned his head and looked into the distance.
Yes, he didn't know how things were in Dongli Town either.
If the heavy rain in Cangzhou was caused by his Father Emperor, Xiao Yixuan, then after the flood receded, they would surely send someone to investigate the situation in Dongli Town. Xiao Wuchen was still there. Could he handle it?
...
Dongli Town.
A flood had submerged the entire Dongli Town. The houses were severely damaged, and hardly any family was spared.
After leading the people of Dongli Town back to the town from Qianren Mountain, Xiao Wuchen, along with a small contingent of the Pei Family Army and Zhao Hu and the others, had been running around the town every day to help the people rebuild their houses. Six days had passed in a flash.
Outside the Chen Mansion, Xiao Wuchen looked at the plaque that had been tilted a bit after being soaked in the flood. He squinted his eyes slightly.
He didn't expect that a mere Chen Yuanwai would have such wealth that he could build such a luxurious mansion in Dongli Town.
As Crown Prince Brother had said, after he was chased and killed and fell into a coma, his body had been hidden here. And after they arrived in Dongli Town, Xiao Yixuan had contacted this Chen Yuanwai, which meant that this matter had been pre - meditated.
But when they were evacuating the people of Dongli Town, he didn't see this Chen Yuanwai among the crowd. This meant that when Xiao Yixuan left Dongli Town, this Chen Yuanwai had also left, abandoning his vast wealth.
"Let's go. Search inside." Xiao Wuchen gave the order. He kicked open the moldy gate with the chief officer Cui and the others behind him and entered the Chen Mansion.
The inside of the Chen Mansion was full of traces of being soaked in water. Since the people had left and the house was empty, no one had come to take care of it until now.
He didn't really expect to find anything useful when he came here today. However, when he searched Chen Yuanwai's bedroom, he found a secret chamber. And what was hidden in the secret chamber made his face change instantly.