Chapter 265
The weather was really cold. When Ying Niang exhaled gently, she could feel the coldness flowing down her mouth and nose into her lungs. She wrapped her robe tightly and listened quietly to the sound of water flowing across the hull of the boat.
There was no difference between day and night in front of her. Only when she was occasionally supported by her third sister to go to the bow of the boat to bask in the sun, she suddenly realized that it was daytime.
The last time the ship owner was buying food, he was shocked and became even more anxious to go to Luoyang.
In winter there are no more people, and it is even colder on the river.
Occasionally you can hear the singing of river birds.
Ying Niang held the bowl in her hand, lowered her head and took a sip. The half-warm water made her throat feel better after a long day of lessons. She leaned against the window of the back cabin and could hear the howling river wind outside the window, which sounded like ghosts. Sob, cry or complain.
Just when Ying Niang thought that today was a normal day, the boat suddenly started to shake. She held on to the window unsteadily, and the water flow underneath became more and more turbulent. What happened?
Yu Dalang opened the curtain and threw the small gold and small silver into the back cabin: "Don't go out, there are water bandits ahead." After that, he left quickly.
Xiao Jinzi and Xiao Yinzi hugged each other in fear. Ying Niang held a wooden stick in her hand, and her heart beat nervously. The next moment, the curtain of the back cabin was opened by Yu Dalang again. He glanced at the noble man with a pale complexion. After looking around her face again, he finally got into bed and pushed the straw mat aside. There was a thick layer of hay under the straw mat. Yu Dalang picked up a pile at the end of the bed. There was a small pull ring on the wooden bed, and he pulled it hard. The pull tab was pulled open, revealing a large hole at the end of the bed.
Ying Niang only heard a squeak, and her wrist was caught by Yu Dalang.
"The water bandits are hijacking the boat ahead and asking for the river crossing fee. You hide in the bed. Remember, you must not make a sound. If you are found by them, you will be finished." Yu Dalang said quickly and urgently. Not caring whether Ying Niang reacted, she led the person to the hole at the end of the bed.
Ying Niang huddled under the bed and heard the sound of Yu Dalang closing the wooden boards, followed by the messy sound of tidying up. Through the hay and straw mat, she heard Xiao Yinzi and Xiao Jinzi being taken out by Yu Dalang again.
The hull of the ship was shaking violently. Ying Niang hid under the narrow bed, her hands and feet clinging to the damp and moldy wooden boards. The extremely cramped space made the darkness in front of her a bit more terrifying, as if it were a coffin. This association made Ying Niang The breathing became heavier for a moment, and then turned into a barely audible slow breath. The calf seemed to be twitching, causing heartbreaking pain.
Outside.
Yu Dalang smeared a layer of firewood ash on the faces of Xiao Jinzi and Xiao Yinzi, making them dirty and invisible. Then he pushed them into the back cabin and warned them again: "Don't talk, wait." Dad just needs to pay the toll to cross the river."
Xiao Jinzi and Xiao Yinzi nodded and hugged each other.
On the river, Yu Shitou looked at the several large ships in front, his hands and feet trembling, and so did Miao Cui. There were people on the three large ships. The water bandit boss was standing on the bow of the ship asking for the river crossing fee. Because of the distance, Yu Shitou couldn't hear them. What are you talking about, but you can see the bright swords of the water bandits, and more and more bandit ships surrounding them. Many people knelt down and begged the boss of the ship. Some people handed over enough and put them on another ship. , most of them were given.
There were still some who were determined not to give it. The boat boss ordered his men to shake the boat. In the river wind, the boat boss's threatening words came vaguely: "...lose money and avoid disaster...throw it into the river to feed the fish if you don't know what is good..."
Yu Dalang saw clearly that several disobedient ones were thrown directly into the turbulent river one by one by the arrogant-looking boat boss. Only their heads emerged, and they quickly disappeared.
This move greatly shocked the others, and soon the bandits finished their robbery, leaving only a solitary boat not far away.
Yu Dalang had cold sweat on his head. The Jiang bandits quickly arrived on their boat. A dozen bandits surrounded the Yu family as soon as they boarded the boat.
The boss of the ship finally boarded the ship. He could tell at a glance that the company was out of luck and was in a bad mood.
Yu Shitou stood in front of Cui Niang, and the two couples were so frightened that they knelt down at the same time.
"Big boss, this house is not good." A young man said.
Yu Dalang took a step forward, bent down and held his hands, and said with an apologetic smile: "The big boss looks like a hero at first sight. We passed by accidentally. We all know the rules on the road. The toll for crossing the river has been prepared long ago. I beg the big boss to show your respect. It's too cold. , leave this little money to the leader to buy some wine."
As he spoke, Yu Dalang opened a shabby cloth bag, revealing a small pile of copper coins, a few grains of broken silver, and Miao Cui's old thin silver bracelet.
Although this young man was very smart, the boss of the ship really looked down upon his small amount of money. He winked and asked the people below to search inside.
Soon, the cabin became a mess.
Xiao Yinzi and Xiao Jinzi looked at the water bandits who entered the house in fear. The bandits rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, but found nothing valuable, and the bed was not spared either. Xiao Yinzi looked at the straw mat being opened by one of them, and suddenly started to cry loudly. The little girl The sound was sharp and piercing the eardrums. Xiao Jinzi was influenced by his younger sister and started crying too. It became a mess and the water bandits impatiently slapped each person and directly carried them outside.
"Nothing good."
The boat boss weighed the poor money in his hand and said, "Take them all with you and stay in the village from now on."
When Yu Dalang heard this, his heart sank.
Yu Shitou couldn't help crying and begged: "Big Chief, our family is going to Luoyang to find relatives. Please let us live."
The boatman laughed and pointed at the boats full of people: "Hey, what a coincidence, most of the people on the other side are going to Luoyang. Since the flood occurred in the south, many people want to cross the river to Luoyang."
After saying this, he laughed twice. It was obvious that these people, who were different from the refugees and had a little extra money, were the big fat sheep of the boat boss. They drove the ferry to the fast water and began to extort money. Those who were disobedient would be drowned. .
Yu Dalang looked at those people who had survived the disaster. They thought that everything would be fine after they paid the money. It was impossible. These water bandits would also ask for ransom from their families and relatives. If they didn't kill them completely, they would not be water bandits. .
Soon, their ship was herded together for easy care.
Under the watch of the water bandits, four ships entered their territory at night. Yu Dalang only hurriedly covered the head of the bed in the inner cabin with debris before being pushed to the cell by the water bandits.
Miao Cui hugged the two children and touched the slap marks on their faces distressedly. Xiao Yinzi ran to her eldest brother's arms and said in a low voice, anxiously: "Ms. Ying is still on the boat, what should I do?"
"She is more dangerous here." Yu Dalang looked around and said, now he was worried that Lady Ying would not be able to help coming out, which would be bad.
Ying Niang hid in the bed board. When she was really sure that there was no one in the cabin, she opened her eyes and took a big breath silently.
She heard the sound of water bandits breaking into the cabin and even beating people. The cry of the third sister made her heart feel cold and painful. In the darkness, all the sounds were amplified, hovering in her ears like a nightmare. Until this moment, She didn't know where the Yu family had been taken by those water bandits, but she didn't dare to go out. Her body was extremely stiff, and her hands that were numb from the cold were licking at her mouth. After a long time, she heard water bandits drinking and having fun outside the boat. the sound of.
In the dark, it is easy for Yingniang to lose her sense of time.
She didn't know how long it had been, but the wooden hairpin in her hand was polished until its tip shone brightly.
Just when Ying Niang felt sleepy again, she heard even more noisy sounds. It seemed that another wave of people were attacking the water bandits. Ying Niang suddenly woke up. She listened intently to the sounds outside, shouting to kill. The sound came from afar, making her palms sweat.
at the same time.
Wei Yunzhou led his army to occupy the village, and the original water bandits were naturally killed by him. The hiding spot chosen by this wave of water bandits was really not good. It was within the scope of Shanyangdu. His army was about to return to Luoyang from Shanyangdu. Behind him, The rebels were chasing after them. They went crazy and chased towards Luoyang. Han Fu had already sent troops after hearing the news.
When Wei Yunzhou learned about the death of Caizhou Jiedushi, he was shocked by Zhou Manzi's methods.
Barbarian could be crazy this week.
He already had a bad reputation, but now there are several more evil things, which have attracted the impeachment of the court officials. Although Wei Yunzhou also knows that those impeachments are nothing, but he heard that Youzhou is building a golden platform to win the hearts of the world. Zhou Once these things happen to Barbarian, who will go to Youzhou?
It was simply not worth the loss. Wei Yunzhou recalled a piece of news circulating in the Jianghuai region. It was said that the main reason why Wang Baiwan died so miserably was because he led troops in Chuzhou to prevent Zhou Manzi from finding his bride, who was famous all over the world the year before last. The mistress of Youzhou, Mrs. Huarong.
Wei Yunzhou thought about it. The Youzhou army was spreading out from the direction of Chuzhou, Sizhou, and Guangling to search for people. Recently, it was even extending towards Luoyang. Of course, Wei Yunzhou couldn't see the Youzhou soldiers inserting their hands so long. It was natural for them to lead the troops. Fight back.
He has the qualification to not be afraid because he has Luoyang behind him.
As for the unlucky ones caught by the water bandits, Wei Yunzhou found out that they were all going to Luoyang, so he let the people below him go. If there was a fight, he would not be responsible for their life or death.
When the Yu family returned to their boat again, Yu Shitou was so shocked that he caught up with the three big boats in front and walked together.
Ying Niang heard the movement outside, especially the voice of Third Sister calling her, and slowly got out of the end of the bed with numb hands and feet. Suddenly out of the closed environment, Ying Niang felt as if she had come to life.
Miao Cui took the two children's ears to apply ointment.
"The imperial navy killed the water bandits and rescued us." Yu Dalang simply told the story: "It's safe now."
He looked at Lady Ying who was sitting by the boat window and stepped forward to close the window.
"I want to blow some air, can I?" Ying Niang raised her head and asked. Under the moonlight, her face was filled with cold innocence, and her expression was still calm and gentle, even though she had just experienced such a thrilling thing.
Yu Dalang left some cracks in the window.
When there was no one in the cabin, Ying Niang slowly let go of the bloody palms pinched by her fingertips through the free wind.
No one knows that she is really afraid of dark and sealed environments.
Chapter 266
The refugees outside Luoyang City formed a long queue, and the new Luoyang Order opened warehouses to provide disaster relief.
But after all, it was freezing cold, and people lost their lives in the cold every day. Soon, the wealthy Oxfam family in Luoyang and some well-regarded temples also began to provide relief to the victims. For a time, there were actually a few people outside Luoyang city. Noisy.
Although disaster relief is mainly provided by government warehouses and supplemented by private warehouses, there are many luxury homes in Luoyang City. In addition, the Tang family, who have always been charitable, took the lead and took the lead in sending clothes and food to the victims, as well as free medicine. In addition, please There were Taoist figures dedicated to fighting disasters and praying for blessings. The formation was larger than that of the government. The victims who had benefited from the Tang family kept kneeling and kowtow to express their gratitude to the Tang family.
In the cold winter, the Tang family's servants all looked at the victims receiving food and clothing with serious faces, and maintained order on the sidelines.
Tang Wulang personally went out to scoop porridge for the victims. This year can be said to be a year of great disaster. From the turn of summer to autumn, the rain began to rain continuously. In October, floods broke out, thousands of acres of fertile farmland were destroyed, and refugees were everywhere. Since the winter month, At the beginning, the rain and snow continued, and the disaster area further expanded. Fortunately, these victims were in Luoyang, which is a famous large granary in the world today. They were not like other remote areas where they had no food to eat, no clothes to wear, and they were frozen to death and starved to death. die.
Luoyang is still Tokyo after all, and there are always more ways to survive than in other places.
Tang Wulang sighed when he thought of this.
He wiped his hands with a hot handkerchief and glanced nonchalantly at the government relief department. Xun Yan, the newly-appointed eldest son of the Xun family of the Luoyang Order, was also assisting in the disaster relief. He looked dignified and behaved well.
Tang Wulang couldn't help but think of a recent news circulating in Luoyang. It was said that the Dongyue Embankment burst in Qinghe County was the work of his father and son. Now that Xun's father has been promoted and made a fortune, it is in line with the development of the matter.
He's not that old, but he's quite ruthless.
Xun Yan felt his gaze, and he looked at Luoyang's rich man, Tang Wulang of the Tang family.
Tang Wulang smiled at him, and after the Xun family man entered the city under the protection of his entourage, he took a porridge spoon and poured it into a porcelain bowl next to him. He sucked up half of the bowl of porridge and drank it.
There are many victims of snowstorms around Luoyang. If the Xun family and his son were in the Jianghuai area, they would not be eaten alive by the refugees.
As for why Tang Wulang believed in the arrest warrant issued by the big rebels entrenched in Guangling, we have to talk about the Xun family father and son, who are now worth as much as the heads of princes.
The Youzhou Jiedushi, the King of Zhenbei, and the general of the Dazhu Kingdom, who had been designated by the imperial court as a major rebel, was known as Zhou Manzi at the time. This person recently issued a wanted notice for the Xun family and his son. The crime was as mentioned above, and the evidence was conclusive. When The three Yi tribes completely ignored that Xun's father was already under the order of Luoyang at this time. The wanted document issued by Zhou Manzi stated that anyone who could cut off the heads of Xun's father and son could obtain the position of prince!
The court was naturally furious.
However, the Xun family father and son are now accompanied by guards wherever they go. They have completely lost the spirit of making friends when they first entered Luoyang. They have clearly become Luoyang orders, but now they are like shrunken turtles, hiding behind closed doors in the government office. If you don't come out, even if you come out, you will be protected by layers of people.
Should I say he has a guilty conscience? While Tang Wulang was ladling porridge, he was thinking about something and didn't notice that the porridge bucket was empty. It was his book boy who reminded him.
"There's no more porridge, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Tang Wulang said.
The book boy asked Jian Pu to bring the porridge bucket and continue to serve porridge.
But the person in front of him who asked for porridge did not move.
Tang Wulang couldn't help but look at it a few more times. Most of the victims were nothing to look at. It was winter, and the smell on their bodies was not obvious. For example, the person in front of him had a faint fishy smell from his clothes, and his men's-style robe was dirty. Perhaps he was afraid of the cold, so he wore unexpectedly bulky clothes and a hat that covered most of his face. The occasionally exposed parts were covered with a layer of black gray, making it difficult to see his appearance.
"Hey, you're blocking the road." The book boy said dissatisfiedly when he saw the victim standing there like a tree.
The man seemed stunned for a moment, then he knocked the wooden stick to the side and stepped aside.
Turns out he is still blind? Tang Wulang became kind-hearted, pulled the man's wooden stick, asked him to return to his position, and filled him with a full bowl of porridge: "Be careful, don't spill it. As for you, just eat next to me. I, Tang There is a doctor who will treat you for free today. When he is free, I will ask the doctor to take a look at your eyes."
"Hey, why don't you speak? Could it be that you are still mute?" Tang Wulang asked curiously. Ordinary victims would not be grateful immediately after hearing his words. Some people would even kowtow to him.
Ying Niang remembered Cui Niang's warning and hesitated for a moment. Cui Niang warned her not to let others know that she was a woman and to only dress up as a man, so that she would be less troubled outside.
Tang Wulang muttered: "Is it possible that he is both blind and mute?"
"You're not deaf, are you?" he asked.
"No." Miao Cui lined up behind Ying Niang and couldn't help but said, this person just said that he would ask the doctor to see Ying Niang's eyes. If he misunderstood that it is unlucky for Ying Niang to be blind and mute, he would be in big trouble if he didn't show her eyes. After getting it, hiring a doctor now costs a lot of money.
Ying Niang shook her head. The Tang family who provided disaster relief had a good reputation. She thought about it and said in a very soft voice: "Thank you."
Yingniang knew that the Yu family didn't have much food, so she couldn't save food any more. After arriving in Luoyang, the captain's family mingled with the three people on the ship. Many of the people who were robbed by the water bandits had connections in Luoyang. , already half way inside.
