NCCnovel Chapter 223: Meeting an acquaintance in Zhongzhou Prefecture 1
Chapter 223: Meeting an acquaintance in Zhongzhou Prefecture 1
Near noon, the city gates of Zhongzhou Prefecture were suddenly closed, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.
Many people who were lingering outside the city gate and preparing to pay the entrance fee had to choose to take the mountain road.
People who wanted to leave the city formed a long queue at the city gate.
At this time, the city gates were closed and the atmosphere was tense. The soldiers and runners in the city were busy, divided into groups of ten, searching every house, whether occupied or unoccupied.
Those refugees who originally planned to pass through Zhongzhou Prefecture and the few residents who had not yet left the city also became the focus of inspection.
The atmosphere in the city was extremely tense. Everyone was afraid that something might happen and they would not be able to leave Zhongzhou Prefecture. People were filled with anxiety and uneasiness. This tense atmosphere made people feel suffocated.
The officers and runners, armed with weapons and serious expressions, questioned each person one by one, carefully checking their luggage and possessions for any suspicious items. They also pried open the locks of uninhabited houses and entered to search.
In the looted backyard of the prefecture, there were constant wailing and crying.
The court doctor was sweating and trembling as he treated the prefect's legs. Everyone in the room was looking at him eagerly. He carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead and said cautiously, "Madam, I am incompetent. I am afraid that your legs... I am afraid..."
"Doctor Xu, please feel free to speak." The prefect's wife knew the result after looking at the old doctor's expression.
"Madam, I'm afraid only the imperial physicians in the capital can treat your leg. I'm sorry that I'm not knowledgeable enough to disappoint you. Please think about it as soon as possible. Go to the capital as soon as possible while your leg bones are not strong enough. There is still a glimmer of hope for you to find an imperial physician to treat it." The old doctor said as he observed his wife's reaction. He had his own selfish motives - he wanted to leave here as soon as possible.
The old doctor was the prefect's doctor, and he couldn't leave unless the prefect left. He had already arranged for his family to go to the capital to seek refuge with relatives, and he also heard that the prefect had arranged for his family to leave in the next two days, but was not planning to take him with him.
The prefect was a person who was very afraid of death, so he planned to keep him here just in case he got hurt and someone could treat him. He might end up being cannon fodder. If he could take this opportunity to leave, maybe he would have a chance to see his family alive.
Therefore, he eagerly hoped that his wife could take him to the capital for treatment, so that he could take the opportunity to leave this dangerous place.
Cheng'er, get ready to leave on time tomorrow, and take your father and Doctor Xu with you, and all the girls in the mansion should follow you. Qing'er, as the eldest son, you stay behind to assist Li Tongzhi in waiting for the imperial court's order.
Aunt Liu, please take a few of the concubines and stay here. Qing'er is your son, so please stay and help him.
"Madam, please take Qing'er with you!" Aunt Liu has always relied on the fact that she gave birth to a concubine's eldest son, and she always wanted to suppress the madam. However, at this moment, she realized that at the critical moment, no matter whether it was the servants or the servants in the mansion, they all obeyed the madam.
"It's settled, Cheng'er go get ready!"
She took the concubine away not because she had a change of heart, but out of selfish and utilitarian considerations. She secretly planned in her heart that if she encountered bandits or other dangerous situations on the road, she could push the concubine away as a sacrifice without hesitation in exchange for the safety of her own children.
Even if she could successfully reach the capital, the concubine's daughter could become a tool for her to please those high-ranking officials. By giving the concubine's daughter to them or using her identity to gain more benefits and power.
She thought of this situation when Madam Zaori, along with her guards, looted all the property in the courtyards of the concubines in the name of buying medicine for the master's treatment, and she thought of this situation.
Aunt Liu looked at the prefect's wife sinisterly, secretly planning something in her heart.
The tense atmosphere in the city did not affect the two people who were resting in the secret room of Jin Yumantang.
The underground secret room of Jin Yumantang has well-designed ventilation holes, which makes it warm in winter and cool in summer. Even in the hot summer outside, the secret room does not feel stuffy at all, and it even feels cooler to sleep inside.
Yun Duo was awakened by hunger. When she woke up, she found herself being held tightly in the arms of a pair of hands. As soon as he moved, Cheng Yuheng woke up.
They smiled at each other. A night-shining pearl in the secret room emitted a dim light. Yun Duo took off the white veil covering the night-shining pearl and said with emotion, "There are really good things in the secret room of this dog governor. There may not be many night-shining pearls this big even in the imperial palace, right?"
Cheng Yuheng said arrogantly: "If Duo'er likes it, I will ask the Golden Palace to send you ten."
"No, just use one to play with. This thing is not very useful to me. It's just for looking good."
Yun Duo took out some food from the space and said, "Come and eat something. You must be hungry!"
Cheng Yuheng raised his wrist and looked at his watch. The time showed that it was already 8:00 p.m. He said softly, "Let's go out. It should be dark outside now. Duo'er, put some food in this secret room. There are mechanisms here. It seems relatively safe for now. Leave this place for Tianying Ge to use as a contact point. Put some food here in case of emergency. You can also hide in it when there is danger."
"it is good."
It was already daybreak when the two men came out. The door of Jin Yumantang was wide open, and the items that were not taken away were lying there in a mess.
It is not difficult to guess what the scene in the city is like during the day.
The people who were stranded in the city resigned themselves to their fate and found an empty inn or restaurant to rest in. Before the curfew, there were still people walking around on the street from time to time, most of them were asking for information, hoping that the city gates would be opened tomorrow to let them leave.
The two of them walked slowly on the street, looking around, but they only saw darkness under the moonlight. The streets that were usually bustling and brightly lit by candlelight became unusually quiet at this time, and the shops on both sides were closed and lifeless. The originally prosperous and noisy scene no longer existed, replaced by a bleak and deserted atmosphere.
There was complete silence all around. Occasionally a passerby would pass by them in a hurry, not daring to linger on the street.