Yi Haoran said with emotion: "What's so difficult about this? The business in the store is also deserted now. Teaching Wen Heng to study is a trivial matter. It doesn't cost anything - as for the tuition money, don't mention it anymore. It's not easy for you mother and son to live at home. Life is still there. It's longing, so I can save a few more so that I can marry Wen Heng a wife in the future! My niece and son-in-law know a lot about me, and they will definitely be grateful to you."
Qiu Chan's eyes turned red and she whispered: "Sir! You are truly the benefactor of our mother and son!"
"Don't do this! Don't do this!" Yi Haoran was afraid that she would make some noise, so he attracted Ah Chun and quickly waved his hand, "It's just that this matter needs to be reported to shopkeeper Luo..."
"A Tao is my best friend, so she will naturally help with this matter." Jiang Qiuchan was very confident.
Make an agreement now and choose a day to become enlightened. The place to study is located in Yuxinmihang Lane, and the children are sent there by the Jiang family's clerk every morning. Pick up again at noon.
After sending Jiang Qiuchan away, Yi Haoran was so excited that he couldn't help himself: God is really helping me! What a good day is today? I met Jiang Suo when I went out, and when I came back, I ran into something like this again! Great things are expected!
A few days later, Qiu Chan sent the child to study. He reported it to Luo Yangming, but the boss just laughed it off. Obviously, his mind was not on the rice store, and the business was entirely entrusted to the old shopkeeper Li Wensheng.
Because the child was still young and the world was unstable, daily classes only ended before noon. The Jiang family sent a boy to pick up the child, and Yi Haoran basically had nothing to do in the afternoon. Every once in a while, Qiu Chan would come to the door in person to deliver soup or snacks. Yi Haoran originally thought that Qiu Chan was still in Xiaozhong, so frequent visits would be scary. She should have been reminded to avoid suspicion. Considering that this was necessary for the "great cause", not to mention that she had a teacher-student relationship with her son, she did not mention it. Waiting for news about Jiang Suo.
Chang Qingyun returned to the lower part of Sanhezui, feeling upset.
Today he met Jiang Suo by chance by the Gui River Floating Bridge.
He knew Jiang Suo, the team officer of Jia Ding who was trained by Governor Xiong. His whereabouts are unknown after the battle at Bangshan. He had no contact with Jiang Suoyuan, and he was even more dismissive of such low-level military attachés. If he hadn't heard that he was a "Jiang Kun" and became a little curious, he probably wouldn't even remember his name. In fact, I have almost forgotten what he looks like now.
However, Jiang Suo did not forget him. He called out to him just as he was about to step onto the pontoon bridge. Said he wanted to "talk" to him.
Chang Qingyun didn't want to talk to him. Although he is a prisoner now, he still lives a comfortable life. Although the Kun thieves despised the scholars of the Ming Dynasty, they still had to take advantage of their reading and writing skills. Chang Qingyun could write and do math, and was treated well in the prisoner camp. Even the fake Kun officer who guarded the prisoners called him "Mr. Chang" ". I seldom work, and even when I do, it's all paperwork, so I don't have to work hard. Chang Qingyun estimated that the Australians were probably still doing the same thing, asking everyone to pay the ransom when the situation calmed down, and those who had no money could accumulate points to redeem themselves. Either way, he could escape safely - this time Yu Mu passed away without any danger. When he returned to his hometown, he never came out to play again. The Australians had a deep psychological shadow on him.
However, Jiang Suo's next words made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
"Sir, you don't want to talk to the villain, so why don't you want the villain to submit a letter? Is the gentleman who reported it the same as Mr. Chang?"
Although a fire during the destruction of Wuzhou City did not cause a catastrophe that destroyed the entire city, it destroyed many families and killed many people. Therefore, the people all hated Xiong Wencan and others, especially Chang Pu, who planned to burn Wuzhou with fire. He was spurned by thousands of people and cursed by thousands of people. When mentioning "Master Chang under Xiong Wencan", the people all gritted their teeth and wished they could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.
Unfortunately, Chang Pu, who proposed this plan, was named Chang, and Chang Qingyun was also named Chang. And they were all under Xiong Wencan at the time. After Chang Qingyun was captured, he spent a lot of effort to tear himself and Chang Pu apart. Fortunately, the Australians did not have the intention of "borrowing their heads", otherwise these two points alone would have killed him. Seventeen or eighteen times.
"What nonsense are you talking about! It was Chang Pu who offered the poison plan, and he is the magistrate of Enping County. What does it have to do with me? As long as everyone is in the Xiong Governor's tent, no one knows about it." Chang Qingyun couldn't help but get angry. Chang Pu disappeared before the city was breached. He didn't know whether he ran away with Xiong Wencan or died in the rebel army. If there was really going to be a riot, he couldn't tell clearly with all his words.
"Haha, even if you are not, didn't you recommend this Chang Pu to Xiong Wencan?" Jiang Suo sneered, "He was originally a deposed official, and he was already facing crime after being thrown into the county seat. He was just fleeing for his life with the army. But you Introducing him to Xiong Wencan is not a lie, right? Can you tell by just asking?"
This time it was like a thunderbolt. To be serious, he really couldn't slide over. He knew about Chang Pu's plan to burn Wuzhou - not only did he not dissuade him, but he thought the plan was feasible and recommended Chang Pu to Xiong Wencan.
"You, what do you want..." Chang Qingyun panicked.
"Don't do anything," Jiang Suo looked at the frustrated Chang Qingyun with disdain, "There is an old friend who wants to meet you."
Chang Qingyun couldn't remember how he got across the pontoon bridge and returned to the prison camp. He was in a daze and returned to the lower part of the prison camp.
The prison camp in Sanhezui was very large. It was originally a military school, and Wuzhou was an important military town, with many troops stationed on weekdays. There were therefore many barracks, sufficient to accommodate a large number of prisoners. Not only were the officials and soldiers captured in the Battle of Wuzhou imprisoned, but most of the personnel captured in the battles in the Guangxi direction and the clearing operations in the surrounding areas of Wuzhou were also sent here for screening and detention. At its peak, there were six to seven thousand people. Some of them were released after screening, and some were sent to Guangzhou to wait for "distribution." Originally, some refugees were accommodated here, but now most of them have been deported. There are still about 4,000 prisoners here who are used as laborers.
As a "clerk", Chang Qingyun occupies a small cabin alone, which is both a bedroom and an office. He stumbled back into the house, closed the door, and fell on the broken bed.
Needless to say, the "old friend" Jiang Suo mentioned was someone who worked under Xiong Wencan in the past. He could probably guess his purpose - most likely to "do big things."
In Wuzhou under the rule of the Australians, doing big things is naturally a matter of losing one's head.
When Chang Qingyun was proud, he once had the intense emotion of "why should one sacrifice one's life for fame and fame?" However, after the tragic defeat in Chengmai, when he failed to commit suicide in the chaos, and was finally captured and managed to survive, half of the enthusiasm in his heart had waned. When Xiong Wencan planned a fire and abandoned the city to escape, Chang Qingyun, in a fit of passion, asked to stay behind to "coordinate internal and external affairs" and prepared to die in the city, not only to wash away the humiliation of being captured by the Australians, but also to repay Xiong Wencan. It was a kindness to simply remove him.
However, when the fire really started to burn, Chang Qingyun regretted it again: just as he regretted why he followed the army across the sea to conquer Kun during the rebellion.
He is not dissatisfied with his current life as a prisoner. After surviving the New Year like this, the Australians will naturally let him run away.
It's better to just take action! This thought suddenly appeared deep in my heart. However, when he thought of Jiang Suo's words, Chang Qingyun fell down again.
The relationship between Chang Pu and himself was well known to everyone in Xiong Wencanmu - no less than a dozen people in the prison camp alone knew about it. If Jiang Suo is captured and he really insists that he was responsible for the plan to burn down Wuzhou, how can he defend himself? ! Even if the Australians believe that Chang Pu came up with the plan, it was he who recommended this person to Xiong Wencan that made the burning of Wuzhou come true - even in the Ming Dynasty, he was "crazy". The Australians cut him in two, and no one would think he was unjust.
Chang Qingyun's hands and feet were cold, and his back was sweating. It wasn't until the bell for dinner rang outside that he managed to stand up and muster the energy to go out to get dinner.
Two meals were provided every day in the prisoner camp. Those who went out to work would have one meal provided by the employer outside. Naturally, there will be nothing delicious in these two meals. They are nothing more than stocked grassland dry grain paste, rice porridge, sweet potatoes, etc., with military-standard pickles. The fresh vegetables are prepared on site and are not cooked. They are washed and stewed in porridge or paste. It doesn't taste very good, but it can fill you up.
Chang Qingyun made a bowl of paste and returned to his room, eating the paste while thinking of countermeasures. Suddenly someone outside the door shouted: "Chang Qingyun! Chang Qingyun!"
Chang Qingyun was stunned. Normally everyone in the prisoner camp would call him "Sir", even fake Kun. Why did someone suddenly call him by his first name? He felt a little unhappy and stood up to greet him.
When he went out, he saw a fake cadre he didn't recognize. He didn't dare to neglect him and saluted, "The student is Chang Qingyun. I wonder what Shangguan's mission is?"
"Are you the one?" The visitor looked him up and down, "Take care of yourself and come with me immediately!"
Chang Qingyun trembled with fright. Could it be that someone reported on the conversation between him and Jiang Suo this afternoon? Or has Jiang Suo already reported to the Australians that he was the instigator of the burning of Wuzhou?
"What's the errand?" He asked cautiously, taking courage.
"You will know when you go there, mother-in-law and mother-in-law!" The visitor was obviously impatient, "It's almost getting dark. If you don't leave, you won't be able to reach the city gate!"
Even though he was full of anxiety, Chang Qingyun could only follow the visitor. After leaving the prison camp, crossing the pontoon bridge and entering Dayunmen, the group of people walked not far along the street before they came to a dark government office.
Although it was already dark, Chang Qingyun still recognized this place as the location of the "Three General Offices" in Wuzhou City. This was where Xiong Wencan once resided, and Chang Qingyun, as a member of the shogunate, also lived here, so he was very familiar with it.
Strange, why did you send yourself to the Third General Office? He knew that since the Australians entered the city, it had become a barracks and many troops were stationed here.
(End of chapter)
