inspire-indiana Chapter 223 The Road to the North
Chapter 223 The Road to the North
The festive atmosphere of the New Year is strong in Shengjing City.
However, the official road outside the city presented a completely different and miserable scene.
On either side of the official road lay desolate mountains and wilderness, the road ahead covered in snow, making it slippery with every step. The bitterly cold wind blew, freezing people's faces and lips to the point of cracking.
"Mom, I want to eat the cakes from Guiyue Tower."
A long procession trudged along the official road. In the procession, Bing'er, dragging Gu's hand, cried out with a long snotty nose.
Gu had a look of despair on her face, her hands chained together as she walked numbly in the team.
The long journey over the past few days had made her physically and mentally exhausted, but the road seemed to never end. She started walking at dawn and only had two meals a day, both of which were hard steamed buns that were so cold that she couldn't even chew them.
Hearing Bing'er talking about the snacks in Guiyue Tower, Gu swallowed subconsciously, but her mouth was so dry as if it was on fire, so there was no saliva left.
She glared at Binger fiercely and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't shout. Save some energy for walking."
Bing'er has lived a life of luxury since he was a child. He has never suffered such hardship. He has become very thin due to hunger these days. He has been crying all the way since he left Shengjing City.
Hearing this, he collapsed to the ground, kicked his legs and began to cry:
"I'm not leaving! I can't walk anymore! I want the dim sum from Guiyue Tower, and I also want the roasted whole lamb, braised beef, and braised pork elbow from Su Ji..."
As soon as Bing'er made a fuss, the marching team stopped.
The escorting bailiffs heard the noise and ran over to see what was happening. Seeing that it was this little ancestor causing trouble again, they became a little impatient.
"Guiyue Tower? Suji? Do you still think you're the young master of the Marquis' Mansion? I can't even eat the food from Guiyue Tower or Suji once a year! Hurry up and get going!"
The yamen runner felt a headache looking at this little ancestor.
"I won't get up! I won't leave! Mom, Dad, it's freezing cold, why can't we stay home instead of going out and suffer like this! I want to go home! I want to go home!"
Bing'er was crying and snotting, and he just lay on the ground and rolled around.
Gu's legs also went limp and she sat down on the ground.
"Traveling non-stop all day is unbearable for anyone! I won't walk anymore. I can't walk anymore. Whatever happens, it's up to you."
As soon as Gu and Bing'er sat down, Second Aunt and Ruyi in the group also sat down.
The others also looked for a place to sit down and rest.
The bailiff took a look and thought, hey, this whole family thinks they are nobles in a marquis's mansion!
Although they accepted money from General Pei and promised to take good care of these people on the road, they couldn't be so excessive.
That’s enough care!
He was not shackled or fettered, just his hands were tied symbolically. He was also given a warm cotton coat sent by the general, a good, thick coat he had never worn before.
Furthermore, they had been on the move and resting as often as they pleased along the way. It had already been five or six days since they left the city, and they had only traveled less than a hundred miles. But from Shengjing City to Ningguta, it was at least two thousand miles!
At this speed, how long will it take to get there?
"Everyone, hurry up! It's about to snow. If you don't hurry up, you won't be able to find a place to stay. It's so cold! If you sleep outside at night, you'll freeze to death."
The chief of the yamen runners spoke kindly.
"Are you kidding me? Freezing to death? How could anyone freeze to death? Besides, you guys still have your tents with you. At worst, you can just squeeze in. Stop scaring people!"
Second aunt was breathing heavily.
She could see that these yamen runners were quite polite to them along the way. They must have accepted Pei Heng's favors and promised to take good care of them and not really let them suffer.
After figuring this out, she felt confident.
She even held Bing'er in her arms and coaxed him kindly, "Be good, Bing'er. Grandma still has half a steamed bun here for you to eat first. When we get there later, grandma will buy you a big pork elbow."
As he said this, he took out half a hard steamed bun from his arms and stuffed it into Bing'er's hand.
Bingge threw it to the ground in disgust.
"How can I eat it when it's so hard?"
Second Uncle sat on a big rock by the roadside, pounding his legs and saying to the yamen runners:
"How about we make a fire? We're really tired. It's just right for everyone to rest and have something to eat."
Several yamen runners couldn't help but get angry.
They have been on duty for so many years and have never seen such an arrogant prisoner, who actually ordered them around?
The head of the yamen runners stopped them with his hands and whispered:
"Forget it, forget it. General Pei has been kind to all of us. He even gave us specific instructions before we set off."
"Boss, I've never seen anyone so shameless! We're not escorting prisoners here! Someone who doesn't know would think we're servants, accompanying the master on an outing!"
"That's right, Boss. The New Year is almost here, and we're so unlucky to have been assigned this rubbish job. We can't even have a peaceful New Year, and we have to put up with their bullshit here! I can't stand this humiliation!"
The leader sighed and said:
"Alright, just bear with it for General Pei's sake."
Everyone started to make a fire and roast steamed buns on the spot.
After they had rested for a while, the leader said to the Pei family:
"Everyone, let's set off now that we've rested enough."
But Xiao Wen lay down on the ground and said, "I can't go on. It would be better if I didn't rest. Now my legs and feet are numb and I can't walk anymore. It's almost afternoon, so I might as well set up camp in the field for the night and leave tomorrow."
My second aunt, second uncle, Mrs. Gu and others naturally agreed with both hands.
The yamen runners were all furious, but they had no choice but to set up camp.
Just as everyone was setting up their tents, a roar came from the south.
A cavalry came galloping from a distance.
The men on horseback, all dressed in yamen runners' uniforms, with swords at their waists, looked dusty from the journey. Upon seeing the camp, they all dismounted and surrounded it.
The leader had an indifferent expression on his face. He looked around at the Pei family members with cold eyes, took out a token and a document from his waist, and shouted at the yamen runner:
"We are sent by the Shengjing government to escort the prisoner. This is the transfer document. You can go back now."
"go back?"
The chief of the yamen runners carefully examined the document and the token, and it was indeed true.
After serving for a few days, these ancestors had grown impatient. Now that they heard that the property could be handed over, they were all overjoyed. They rushed back just in time to celebrate the New Year.
"Brothers, let's go!"
In less than an incense stick of time, the newly set up camp was cleared out, and the yamen runners left happily in a hurry.
Leaving the entire Pei family in disarray in the cold wind.
"Roasting by the fire? And eating steamed bread?"
The leader held the sword at his waist and walked back and forth in the camp several times, looking at the Pei family coldly.
As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen yamen runners under his command rushed forward, kicked out the fires, and snatched the steamed bread from Bing'er's hand.
"give me back!"
Bing'er pounced on it like a little wolf cub and grabbed it.
The second aunt realized that something was wrong and wanted to pull her grandson back, but it was too late. With a bang, Bing Ge'er was kicked away by the cold-faced yamen runner in the lead.
"Puff!" Bing Ge'er flew far away and fell heavily to the ground. He vomited a lot of blood, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
"Brother Bing!"
Second Aunt and Gu shouted at the same time, stood up and were about to rush over, but were grabbed by the hair by two yamen runners.
"Let go!"
Pei Yi and his second uncle stepped forward to stop them, but before they could stand up, they were kicked to the ground and stepped on the back.
In an instant, all the members of the Pei family were under control.
Seeing something was amiss, Xiao Wenshi huddled in a corner, terrified. The Marquis, claiming to be the head of the household, stood up to speak to the yamen runner, only to have a knife held to his neck.
Seeing this, Pei Yan squatted aside with cold eyes and didn't dare to speak.
"Marquis Jinyuan's Mansion."
The cold-faced leader snorted, "Even after being confiscated and exiled, you're still so arrogant. You're being served food and drink, and you're wearing such nice cotton clothes. This isn't exile, it's probably more of a picnic."
"Come on! Put them all in shackles and fetters. Exiles should be treated like exiles."
"Yes!"
"Sir, we are General Pei's family. General Pei asked you to take good care of us. Wouldn't it be difficult for you to explain this to him?" Second Uncle said bravely.
"Bah! You're not worthy enough to be General Pei's family! Shame on you! General Pei's family are all nobles, staying peacefully in Shengjing City! You? You're all prisoners of Daqi!"
"Come on, tie them all up and get going!"
At the command, everyone was forcibly put into shackles and fetters. Pei Yi and Pei Yan were pinned to the ground and beaten for refusing to cooperate.
"They're so slow. Are they wearing too many clothes? Come on, take off their cotton coats. Prisoners should behave like prisoners!"
There was another round of ghostly howling, and all the stripped cotton clothes were put on the yamen runners.
"It's two thousand miles to Ningguta. I will accompany you all the way!"
"set off!"
The team, which had been stagnant for a long time, was back on the road, but this time they no longer had any advantages. What awaited them on the road ahead was endless suffering and torture.