The horses stopped and the sky turned dark.
From the time he heard the news of Zheng's death to now, Chen Kan was basically empty-headed.
Turning over and dismounting, Chen Kan didn't know what to do for a moment.
The personal guards surrounding him couldn't help but sigh secretly when they saw this.
Of course they could tell that something was wrong with Chen Kan.
The elder who single-handedly raised him passed away, but he was out of town and couldn't rush back immediately to pay homage to his elder. It was strange that he was in a right state.
It's just that they are also a bunch of rough guys and don't know how to comfort people. Even if they see that something is wrong with Chen Kan, they don't know how to comfort him.
Several personal guards came forward to help Chen Kan feed the war horse water and dry food, and remove the hair to dissipate heat. The other personal guards took good care of the war horse and began to take out dry food and water to replenish energy.
Each of Chen Kan's personal guards had the habit of carrying at least half a month's worth of dry food and water. This was a sequelae of their trip to the grassland with Chen Kan.
Chen Kan also had dry food and water on his horse, but now Chen Kan had no desire to eat at all, or in other words, he had no concept of eating.
One of the guards helped him take out a piece of dry biscuit that was almost as hard as a rock. The guard thought for a moment, then took off his helmet, broke the biscuit into pieces, poured it in a little cold water to foam, and then broke off two branches from the roadside to make it. Chopsticks.
After doing all this, he handed the helmet to Chen Kan and whispered: "Master Marquis, let's eat something first. If we don't conserve our strength, we won't be able to return to the capital."
Chen Kan was a little dazed, but he still took the helmet and took big mouthfuls of dry biscuits soaked in cold water.
The dry biscuits were made of dead dough. In order to extend the shelf life, a lot of salt was added to them, so they tasted very salty. Many guards drank water while chewing the biscuits.
Chen Kan couldn't taste it.
After taking a few big mouthfuls of the broken cake in his helmet, Chen Kan couldn't help but burp.
After the soldiers finished eating, they divided into two groups. One group was on guard, while the other group leaned on their horses and closed their eyes and began to take a nap.
For an elite cavalry, eating, drinking and sleeping on the horse is only basic. Being able to sleep on the horse after getting off the horse is a compulsory course.
What the cavalry wants is mobility. They must ensure that they have enough energy to charge the enemy at any time.
Chen Kan was talking about resting on the spot for half an hour, so after the resting soldiers rested for a quarter of an hour, they began to change defenses with the people on guard.
Taking a nap for a quarter of an hour may not sound like much, but it can greatly restore your physical strength and energy.
You must know that on the battlefield, every second of rest is precious, let alone a quarter of an hour.
Chen Kan also began to take a nap while leaning on his horse.
But when he closed his eyes, he couldn't fall asleep.
As soon as I closed my eyes, I seemed to be able to see Mrs. Zheng's kind face.
Strangely, in Chen Kan's life, Zheng's presence was not high. Ever since he moved back from Fang Mansion to the house left by his father, Yuan Shen Gui, he had seen Zheng only a handful of times.
Later, when he went to Beijing, he almost ignored this female elder.
So much so that now, he suddenly discovered that he didn't even know Zheng's full name after coming to Ming Dynasty for so many years and calling that kind woman Master's Wife for so many years.
Perhaps it was because every time he went to Fang Mansion, Mrs. Zheng always acted like a traditional Ming Dynasty mother, silently caring for Chen Kan in her own way, without being arrogant or restrained.
The concern was so silent that Chen Kan didn't realize it.
The only thing Chen Kan realized was that every time he went to Fang Mansion, Zheng's meals would always include a plate of stir-fried chicken with chives.
That's Chen Kan's favorite dish to mix with rice.
Why does Chen Kan like fried chicken with chives and rice, a common home-cooked dish?
Probably when he was released from prison, the best dish in Fang Mansion was stir-fried chicken with chives, so he ate a lot of it.
Half an hour passed by in a flash. Chen Kan opened his eyes and felt dazed for a moment.
The guards woke up one after another and got on their horses silently.
Chen Kan didn't say much.
He quickly mounted his horse and started running towards the east with his guards under the moonlight.
The official road from Tanzhou to Jinling is one of the few official roads in the Ming Dynasty whose road surface has been completely hardened, so even if the horse is galloping at night, Chen Kan is not worried about anything happening.
Another night of running wildly, and when Chen Kan ordered to rest again, a touch of fish belly white appeared on the horizon.
The Chang Geng star became the morning star, twinkling in the eastern sky.
After running wildly all night, Chen Kan estimated that they had traveled at least two hundred miles.
At this rate, they will be able to return to the capital soon.
The early hours of the morning are when people are most relaxed and also when they are most sleepy.
After all, Jiangnan is not a grassland. The grassland on the grassland is thick and soft enough. If you fall asleep on horseback, you will not die.
The roads in Jiangnan are smooth, but falling down can really kill someone.
No matter how anxious Chen Kan was, at this point he could only order a two-hour rest on the spot.
The guards reined in their horses, and the first thing they did was still serve the horses. However, after serving the horses, the guards had no time to eat, so they immediately closed their eyes and began to rest.
You can eat on the horse's back, and you can also defecate on the horse's back.
Of course you can sleep, but no one dares to sleep to death on horseback.
When daylight dawned, a group of people hit the road again.
Finally, after running wildly for five days and five nights, a haggard-looking Chen Kan appeared under the walls of the capital with a group of haggard-looking personal guards.
Chen Kan stood on horseback under the city tower, looking at the capital that had not changed at all from more than two months ago, his eyes couldn't help but feel a little gloomy.
Zheng is not a famous person, her biggest identity is that of a minister's wife at best.
After Zhu Di came to power, he reused Fang Xiaoru, but perhaps out of pettiness, he always chose to ignore Fang Xiaoru's family.
Therefore, even when Zheng died, he did not receive a imperial reward.
Therefore, the news of Zheng's death was naturally unlikely to have any impact on the capital.
Chen Kan was stunned for a long time under the capital city tower, and passers-by couldn't help but cast surprised glances at him.
At this time, Chen Kan had sunken eyes, a sallow complexion, messy hair, and stubble all over his face. His nose was not a nose, but his eyes were not eyes. Therefore, even though he had been under the tower for a long time, no one recognized him as that person. The legendary marquis of Ming Dynasty.
The soldiers guarding the city looked at Chen Kan in surprise and involuntarily clenched the weapons in their hands.
Chen Kan looked like a beggar, but the clothes he wore were very luxurious, but a little dirty.
The key is that the dozens of fully armed cavalry behind him look like tough soldiers in the army at first glance.
So for a while, they were not sure where the strange man in front of them came from.
He neither dared to move forward to drive them away nor let them into the city. He could only be on guard secretly and be prepared to call for help at any time.
After being stunned for a long time, Chen Kan looked away and said in a hoarse voice: "Let's go into the city!"
After saying that, he took the lead in riding towards the door.
However, before reaching the gate, the way was blocked by the soldiers guarding the city.
"My lord, please identify yourself."
The doorman plucked up the courage to ask Chen Kan.
Chen Kan was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand to lift his hair, and said hoarsely: "It's me!"
Listening to Chen Kan's hoarse voice, Mending carefully raised his head and looked at Chen Kan.
After a moment, Mending's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he knelt down as soon as his knees became weak.
"I don't know that the Marquis is here. I am humble and ignorant of Mount Tai. Please forgive me."
Seeing the servant's performance, Chen Kan shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter. I am returning to Beijing for a funeral. Can I go in now?"
"Yes, Lord Marquis, please!"
The doorman stood up and stepped aside respectfully. The soldiers in the doorway had already heard the name of the man on the horse from the colleague who came forward to question him, and hurriedly moved away from the horse respectfully.
Chen Kan was too lazy to waste time at the city gate.
In the past few days, he had been galloping wildly on his horse. Except for the necessary stops to let the horse recover its strength, he basically spent it on the back of the horse. He had no time to tidy up his appearance.
With his current appearance, it would be a shame if others could recognize him.
After entering the city, Chen Kan did not delay and immediately rushed towards Fang Mansion with his personal guards.
Along the way, there was naturally a sudden uproar, which caused a lot of curses from the people.
Not long after, Fang Mansion was already in sight.
The first thing that catches the eye is the big money hanging on the big tree in front of Fang Mansion. The big money is hanging down, three feet high. The second thing is the huge white soul-calling flag above the door of Fang Mansion. The big word "Die" is on the white soul-calling flag. The flags flutter in the wind.
The couplets on the door were replaced by elegiac couplets, and the lanterns above the door were replaced by white lanterns with the word "Die".
After Chen Kan saw these things clearly, a faint sense of sadness lingered in his heart for no reason.
Very light, but very unforgettable.
He got off his horse and quickly came to the door of Fang Mansion.
There was no one in front of the Fang Mansion, but bursts of noise and crying could be heard from behind the door.
Chen Kan knew that this was because it had been some time since Zheng's death, and the colleagues, relatives and friends who should come to express condolences had already arrived, so the Fang Mansion did not arrange for anyone to come to the door to greet her. It was not because the Fang Mansion was rude.
Chen Kan quickly walked in. The small courtyard was decorated as a mourning hall. Many people in the mourning hall were chatting quietly. Looking past the crowd, Zheng's coffin stopped in the main hall.
As soon as he entered the door, Chen Kan's eyes fell on Zheng's coffin.
Quickly crossing the crowd, Chen Kan knew the source of the crying, which was Fang Xiaoru's two daughters and two daughters-in-law.
Wearing sackcloth and mourning, they knelt in front of the coffin and cried until they almost fainted.
The Fang brothers knelt on both sides of the coffin with sad faces, sobbing from time to time.
Chen Kan glanced around the mourning hall, but he never found Fang Xiaoru.
"Big brother!"
Chen Kan shouted hoarsely. Fang Zhongxian, who was in grief, was stunned for a moment, and then looked at Chen Kan in disbelief.
