On the day of separation, the sky was overcast, the sun was nowhere to be seen, and the wind was blowing coldly, adding to the sadness of the separation.
Li Luansong's troops passed through the streets of Soto and received praise and farewell from the people. Ribbons, flowers, fruits, beef, mutton, and milk tea... were all stuffed into the hands of the soldiers. The people of Sotho bid farewell to this heroic army with the highest etiquette. Team.
After seeing off Li Luansong, Shen Que also boarded the ship and left. Liang Fan and Mutam came to see him off. Liang Fan burst into tears, making Shen Que dumbfounded. It took a while to persuade him to stop.
Mutam personally sent her to the boat, stuffed her with a lot of food and supplies, and then reluctantly left.
He left a sentence: "Master will tell me when little Liuzi is born, and I will give you a big gift."
Shen Que smiled and agreed. The ship was shrouded in fog, and she wiped the tears from her cheeks where she couldn't see them.
The big ship with just her and Zeelan was much quieter and seemed particularly lonely.
The reason why he took the water route was to take a detour back to Daye from the south. Shen Que took a good look at the drawings and found that the nearest port was the border town of Daye, a small town called Fengyi.
It is said that it has a history of thousands of years and has changed dynasties many times, but this town still stands here.
"Fengyi is the nearest town to Nanyuan. Walk from here and pass by Qing'an, Nanyuan and Huaizhou to reach Heqing." Shen Que studied the map under the candlelight, "My father is in Heqing now." , we can meet up with Dad in about one to two months."
Zelan counted on his fingers: "The spring will be warm and the flowers will bloom by then, and my wife will be five or six months old. Then I will return to Jin'an from Heqing. The journey will be faster, and I can give birth to Jin'an."
Shen Que nodded and stroked his unswelled belly, "She can follow A Niang throughout most of the country. This is Liu Zi's good fortune and blessing."
Three days later, the ship docked, Shen Que and Zelan disembarked, and the ship turned back to Soto. Even if this journey was over, the following days would be a new challenge.
But as soon as they got off the boat, the two of them felt something was wrong.
It is unimaginable that Fengyi, a small town located in the southwest of Daye, is covered in ice and snow during this season.
Outside the city gate, it was desolate, with withered grass and yellow trees, and heavy snow falling all over the sky. When the two of them passed the checkpoint and waited to enter the city, they were greeted with surprised and puzzled looks from the people around them.
This is the border of Daye. It stands to reason that there should be an endless stream of people passing through customs and entering the city every day, but looking at it, there are only two of them.
Shen Que faintly noticed a strange atmosphere.
The two of them walked carefully against the wind and snow as they looked inside the city gate. After passing through the long gate tower and alley, they felt disappointed when they walked out.
The entire Fengyi was covered with thick ice and snow, every household was closed, shops and stalls were closed, and all that could be seen was thick snow and slippery ice.
"Madam, what's going on here?" Zeelan breathed into his hand and looked at everything in front of him in shock.
"You are from outside."
A sudden sound startled the two of them, and they looked around. Only then did they realize that a pair of gray-yellow eyes were exposed from the haystack under the eaves of the house next to them.
The old man opened up the haystack and stuck out half of his head, his face was gray and dirty.
"Old man, we have just entered the city and want to go to Qing'an from here." Shen Que stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong here?"
"It's a snow disaster. Why didn't you ask me about it before coming here? The whole country knows about the snow disaster in Fengyi. It is said to be rare in a hundred years. Look, the houses and pavilions were crushed, and how many people died."
God, how good is this.
"Girl, do you have to go here?" the old man asked.
Shen Que thought for a moment and realized that the big ship had already returned. There was no ship, so this was not the only way.
"We are just passing by and will not stay here long."
The old man shook his head and said, "It's difficult. Don't say that I didn't warn you. It's getting dark and there are bandits at night these days. You two young ladies should hide well to avoid being robbed by the bandits. But just …”
He didn't say any more, and the cold wind blew on his face, like a knife cutting him. Without saying another word, the old man hid in the haystack again.
What to do, we can only move forward.
"Don't be afraid. Let's go find the government inn. It should be safer there." Shen Que encouraged Zelan. Zelan nodded and followed her closely.
The road was covered with snow and nothing could be seen, but after taking two steps, they discovered something. From time to time, things would get caught under their feet. Shen did almost fall down several times, but when they peeled back the snow to take a look, Oh my god, it's unbelievable that all the bodies buried under the heavy snow are bones.
"The road is freezing to death." Shen Que muttered, pulling Zelan towards the government post station at a brisk pace.
Fortunately, Fengyi's place was not big. When it was getting dark, they finally arrived at the inn, but the shopkeeper said that there was only a small room in the corner under the stairs.
Shen Que didn't care, it would be nice if it could shelter from the wind and rain, so the two of them moved in.
There was nothing to eat at the inn that night, so they had to make do with the dry food they brought.
This room is not only small, but also very cramped and irregular. There is only a bed in the corner, a wooden cabinet, an irregular wooden table next to it, a candle lamp, and nothing else.
Zelan finally found a water basin from the store and helped Shen Que soak his feet. After washing, the two went to bed early to rest.
"Let's try to leave here tomorrow. This place is too dangerous to stay for a long time." Shen Que said.
Zelan nodded, "Madam, you must have seen it today. The streets are full of people freezing to death. It's so terrible. The government doesn't care about it."
"Because of the banditry, I'm afraid the government offices are already empty, which is a pity for the people here." Shen Que sighed.
"Then no one in the capital knows, doesn't His Majesty know?" Zeelan was very puzzled.
"Even if we knew, it would take a long time to send troops here." Zelan looked at the small window above his head. The sky outside the window was overcast, and little snowflakes were floating again.
"Go to sleep and write a letter back when we arrive in Qing'an."
Zelan said yes, "My wife has really suffered."
The two of them fell into a deep sleep, perhaps because they were too tired that day, until there was an earth-shattering sound outside the door, and they suddenly woke up.
Look at the dark sky outside. It's only the middle of the night, but there is a chaos of war outside. There are sounds of women crying, men shouting wildly, and tables and chairs being overturned. It's a chaotic mess.
"It's a bandit." Shen Que sat up immediately, "Quick, hide."
"Ah, madam, hide, where are you hiding?" Zelan panicked. He didn't even have time to put on his clothes and hurriedly went to the ground to get his baggage.
"Cabinet, quickly, get in the cabinet."
The two packed up the bed, baggage, clothes, and shoes, making the house look as if no one had ever lived there. However, time was short, and seeing the footsteps outside the door approaching little by little, the two hurriedly hid in the cupboard.
This cabinet went straight to the ceiling. It was very large and empty. There was a musty smell in the cabinet, but they didn't care about it anymore. The cabinet was stuffed under the sloping beams, so it shouldn't be easy to find.
The two of them did not dare to make a sound, and listened to what was going on outside.
There was a "bang" sound, and the door was kicked open violently, followed closely by a rough and violent man's voice:
"Third brother, there is no one in this room."
Another heavy footsteps came in, and after looking around, the man said: "Idiot, how can there be no one after lighting candles?"
Zelan and Shen Que in the cabinet had their hairs standing on end at that moment. Zelan couldn't help crying, silently not daring to make a sound, not even daring to raise his hand to wipe it.
Time seems to stand still, everything is waiting for fate. The surroundings instantly became quiet, and you could only hear the footsteps of the men getting closer and closer, and it seemed that you could still smell the fishy smell on their bodies.
What should I do? Twenty years of my life will be handed down here.
Shen Que closed his eyes and prayed silently, Auntie, please protect your daughter.
Someone touched the door of the cabinet, and at that moment Shen truly felt what it was like to wait for death to come.
"Third brother, come on, gold is found here."
Suddenly, a voice sounded, and the hand that was about to open the cabinet door stopped, followed by the sound of footsteps leaving in a hurry, and everything became quiet again.
I don't know how long it took, but the two of them kept hiding in the cupboard without daring to come out, and then they slowly fell asleep.
The next morning, when they came out of the closet, they realized how tragic everything had been last night. The waiter who checked them in was killed, and the young ladies staying at the hotel were taken away by bandits. Bodies were lying everywhere, smashed furniture and utensils were everywhere, and there were stains of blood.
The shopkeeper and his people were cleaning and cleaning, silently, no one was crying, and there was no expression, just dull and dull.
Shen Que and Zelan hurriedly paid the room fee, and then the two of them dressed up as two poor boys and sorted their luggage again. They only brought a few necessary items and found a place to hide the rest.
It all depends on luck. Traveling lightly can ensure safety. They just want to leave Fengyi within this day.
However, they still think too simply.
After last night's banditry, there were many more corpses on the roadside, and some people took advantage of their height to openly rob.
Shen Que and Zelan hid and finally went around the path to get closer to the city. Unexpectedly, they saw the bandit again just a few steps away from the city gate.
They actually controlled the city gate in broad daylight and searched the people passing by. A woman was taken away on the spot. The two people hiding behind the pillars even heard the sound of clothes being torn and the heart-wrenching cry of the young lady. .
What should I do? Shen was really panicked. This road was blocked. Now it was no longer a matter of leaving the city. He had to find a place to hide quickly.
Suddenly, a rough voice sounded from behind: "Who is hiding behind the pillar?"
"Zelan, run."
Shen Que pulled Zelan and ran as hard as he could. The footsteps chasing behind him were getting closer and closer. His mind went blank. Shen Que was a little panicked and didn't know where to run. He could only go around the alley and go around the alley. There was a person beside him. The two of them hid through the small black door. They found a small courtyard, dilapidated and in a mess.
There was a small woodshed in the yard. In desperation, Shen Que took Zelan and hid in it.
Soon, they heard the bandit's voice outside the yard:
"Grandma, I saw people coming this way."
"They look like two little ladies. From their running postures and their small bodies, it's obvious that I know the little ladies' figures very well."
A burst of lewd laughter made the two of them tremble with fear.
"Third brother, have you heard that there are troops from the imperial court passing by Fengyi? They are not coming for us."
"You're talking about Shuofang's army, please stop by after defeating Wala."
"Are you really here? Will it be detrimental to us?"
"Don't worry, he has been wiped out by the leader. I heard that the leader of the Shuofang Army has a good background. The man named Li has also been killed on the spot by the leader."
