Chapter 7 The first night of exile in the camp
It was almost midnight, the handover procedures were completed, and we immediately started on the road.
If other relatives of the sentenced prisoner voluntarily accompany him to the border areas, they can accompany him according to the Daliang law, but they must not interfere with or replace the prisoner's daily punishment.
Leaving one's homeland and going to a barbarian land, the dangers and tortures on the road are no less than the death penalty. Historically, only four out of ten people who have been exiled can reach their destination safely.
Not many relatives were willing to go into exile with the prisoner, but a dozen people gathered together and followed with their luggage.
Except for the elderly and young children over sixty years old who walked with ropes, the rest of the criminals were all shackled, with twenty or thirty kilograms of torture instruments weighing heavily on their bodies, making their movements slow and inconvenient.
When the team first set off, the prisoners were complaining, chaotic and noisy. The escorting officers were not used to it at all. Carrying fire sticks and waist knives, they started from the front of the team, beating and scolding them all the way to the end.
The beatings made many of the troublemaking prisoners scream.
"Hurry up! Whoever dawdles again, be careful with the vine whip!"
The prisoners' feet immediately moved much faster.
Twenty or so members of the Xie family were at the front of the team. Because Xie Yuchuan was seriously injured, the brothers from the side were afraid that he would not be able to bear the strength, so they supported him along the way.
One of them, he had some impressions.
"Are you Hezhi?" He was not sure.
A smile bloomed on Xie Wuying's young face.
"It's me, Sixth Brother!"
Xie Yuchuan's eyes were slightly surprised, "Shouldn't you be studying in your hometown in Huaiyang? How come... I'm hurting you."
< br>Xie Wuying smiled naively, "What are you talking about, Brother Six? I, Wuying, am also a descendant of the Xie family. The Xie family will suffer both prosperity and loss. Even in my hometown in Huaiyang, I am afraid that I will not be able to escape. I think That's good, we can protect the old lady and everyone on the road."
Xie Yuchuan nodded slightly.
He looked to the right. The other person was a little shy and announced his home address.
"Xie Wenjie, also known as Huaizhang. He went to the capital with He Zhi and stayed at the Duke's Mansion until next spring." His voice paused slightly, "Brother He and I have the same thoughts."
The lineage of Duke Zhongguo in Beijing is the pinnacle of the Xie family. If the imperial court cannot even accommodate Duke Xie's family, what future will they, the descendants of the Xie family, have in the future?
Xie Yuchuan nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He just said: "Since we are together, we will be a family from now on."
Xie Wuying and Xie Wenjie looked at each other and nodded in unison.
“Listen to Sixth Brother.”
Most of the female relatives are in front. They have lived in boudoir for a long time. They have never walked through such a difficult road. The female relatives of the Xie family support each other and encourage each other not to fall behind, lest anyone next to them lose their temper. The bad official rushed over and whipped him.
Xie Yuchuan's calm eyes swept around him, secretly remembering the faces of all the escorting officers without leaving a trace in his mind.
“The journey this time is nearly three thousand miles. The government has given us two months to reach the place of exile before the dead of winter. Calculating from this, the escorting officers will definitely have to drive us away, at least fifty miles a day. I’m afraid it won’t be easy on the road.”
Some of the prisoners in the team next door actually had the time to settle accounts.
Unfortunately, no one responded to him.
A large group of people walked unknowingly for most of the day until the glow began to rise.
Tu Hua, who was concentrating on her work in the study room on the second floor, did not notice that the sky outside the window changed from day to night. After finishing a small section of composition in the middle, when I got up to rest, I suddenly remembered that Xie Yuchuan didn't seem to have looked for her all afternoon.
When I walked to the balcony, I was faced with a gust of cool breeze, and I couldn't help but close up the long sweater on my body.
The escort officials seemed to have found a suitable place to spend the night.
Tu Hua looked for a long time under the moonlight before she saw Xie Yuchuan.
He was resting against the tree trunk with his eyes closed, looking very tired.
Tu Hua thought for a while and did not disturb him.
After coming out of the villa and walking all the way to the exile team, no one noticed the existence of "her" until she stood in front of Xie Yuchuan.
Due to lack of energy, Tu Hua, who could only temporarily maintain the "invisible state", felt very safe.
The ancient nights were quiet and fresh.
Especially the place they selected for the official election. It has no village in front of it, no shop in the back, starry sky above its head, and wasteland under its feet. It is very primitive.
However, there is a small river in the distance, flowing slowly, and the sound of gurgling water can be heard in the quiet night. Tu Hua saw several people wearing "bad" uniforms rolling up their trouser legs and catching fish in the river.
When the officers were resting, they naturally chose the best place to bury the pot and make rice. The fire was lit. In the cold night, many officers and soldiers soon gathered around the bonfire. The food was slowly simmered in the boiling water, and soon released bursts of aroma, which made the exhausted prisoners around them drool with saliva and scream with their internal organs.
Unfortunately, the officials turned a deaf ear.
The prisoners rested in the lower area. More than a hundred people gathered together and walked for half a day. Everyone was too tired to speak.
Many people are used to living a life of wealth and wealth, and suddenly they are so depressed that it is unbearable both physically and mentally.
In the quiet night, Tu Hua could hear many suppressed cries.
Even the Xie family members who were leaning against her to keep warm, there were also several female family members who silently wiped away tears.
“Alas——”
Looking at it makes people feel uncomfortable.
Xie Yuchuan, who was catching up on his sleep, suddenly heard a sigh in his ears. He opened his eyes in a daze, thinking he heard it wrong.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing her son suddenly wake up, Mrs. Zhou thought he was feeling uncomfortable.
As soon as Zhou opened his mouth, everyone else looked at Xie Yuchuan worriedly.
Hearing the voice, Tu Hua couldn't help but look back at Xie Yuchuan.
The distance between the two of them was only four or five meters. Under the moonlight, Xie Yuchuan's face looked paler than in the daytime.
"It's okay, I'm used to marching."
"If you feel uncomfortable, don't hide it."
Ms. Zhou frowned and looked at her son, feeling very uneasy.
"Mom, don't worry, I won't die yet."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Zhou glanced at him and said, "Drink some water."
"No hurry."
He stopped his mother, his eyes He glanced around inexplicably. For some reason, he always felt like someone was looking at him.
Thinking of some possibility, he lowered his expression and looked around cautiously.
Tu Hua looked at him and found that the scabbed wound from the past few days had cracked again.
He took out his cell phone and said in a voice:
"Your wound is suppurating. Here it is. Why didn’t the anti-inflammatory medicine work?”
A familiar voice sounded in Xie Yuchuan’s ears.
The look in his eyes suddenly changed, the original sharp aura disappeared instantly, and the tense nerves immediately relaxed.
Tu Hua: "Are you out of medicine? No, I can give you some more."
There seem to be a few boxes left at home.
Xie Yuchuan: "There are still some, but it was inconvenient to use in the first two days, but now I can."
Tu Hua understood. In the prison a few days ago, Emperor Longqing's people were staring at him. Be careful, if there were any special changes in his body, it would easily make Xiahou Jie suspicious again.
She reminded him: "It is not good to have pus. Don't make the wound serious."
If the inflammation does not go away, what will happen next.
Xie Yuchuan was moved.
"Thank you to the family god for reminding me."
"Yes."
She observed the state of the Xie family. More than 20 people walked for most of the day, and their state was Not very good. Mrs. Xie is old. After walking for half a day, her body and bones can't bear it. She is tiredly leaning on her luggage to catch up on her sleep.
It was only the first day of exile, and she felt that most of the people were already half disabled.
(End of this chapter)