PDLP Chapter 108 Develop by Covert Means, Endure When Necessary
Chapter 108 Develop by Covert Means, Endure When Necessary
No matter how many people there are, or how slow the inspection is, as long as the line keeps moving forward, it will eventually be your turn.
"The Wen family is coming over, the first one is the clerk, Qian..."
The bailiff shouted loudly as he looked at the list in his hand.
It was finally the Wen family's turn.
The clerk straightened his clothes, faced the situation calmly, and showed no fear in the face of the inspector's sharp gaze.
Although a fallen phoenix is no better than a chicken, Old Master Wen was, after all, a veteran who had fought his way through the battlefield.
He had more experience than these petty officials, and when questioned and verified, he answered calmly, his tone carrying the kind and gentle tone of an old man.
The officials did not make things difficult for them; they were simply performing their duties by carefully checking the documents before letting them pass.
After a thorough investigation, all the female members of the Wen family were allowed to pass.
However, when they checked the Wen family's cart, they caused a big joke.
The Wen family used to have two handcarts, but after they were burned, they repaired and pieced together a broken handcart. At this time, in addition to a large wooden box, there were many scattered wooden planks of various sizes piled on the handcart. Some of the planks still showed signs of burning on their edges.
What are these wooden planks for?
The inspectors were quite surprised. They picked up a broken plank in front of them, looked at it again and again, and even poked at the pile of planks with their swords. After confirming that they were all planks, they looked very suspicious.
The officials were also puzzled. They had never seen a bunch of broken planks in the exile zone before. They were really baffled and wanted to ask them to find out the reason to satisfy their own curiosity.
Wen Qikang, who was pushing the cart, replied earnestly, "Sir, we use these wooden planks to lay on the ground when we rest. It's getting cold, and we have many elderly people and children at home, so we don't want them to get sick and delay our journey."
"Oh, I see. That's it? It's that simple?"
"It's that simple, I hope Your Excellency will understand."
Wen Qikang bowed and scraped respectfully, not daring to do anything reckless.
Although Wen Qikang has successfully guided his Qi and can be considered a cultivator, he has only just begun to do so. He doesn't have much spiritual energy in his body, nor does he know any magic. He is only slightly stronger than the other prisoners. If he doesn't cultivate diligently in the future, this little bit of Qi will slowly dissipate over time.
Therefore, apart from Wen Wen and Wen Yuanqian, who have reached the first level of Qi Refining, the rest of the Wen family members are in the same situation.
Moreover, there is a whole family behind him, young and old. For the safety of the whole family, it is best to keep a low profile under the public eye. Taking a step back will open up a whole new world.
Therefore, before setting off, the family reached a consensus: to forge ahead cautiously for now, to endure what needs to be endured, and to deal with the future later.
"Sir, look at these wooden planks in my house..."
The inspectors had never encountered such a situation before, and they didn't dare to let them pass immediately. They whispered among themselves and ran over to report to Lord Zhu.
After listening, Lord Zhu glanced at the cart with a dark look in his eyes, then nodded almost imperceptibly to them.
Once the officials received the clearance, they inevitably uttered a few unpleasant words to his face.
"Carrying all this wood is such a burden. Wouldn't it be better to save your energy? You're really stupid."
"Alright, if you have the strength, you can push it yourself. If it delays the journey, let's see how Lord Zhu punishes you."
Wen Qikang pretended not to hear and pushed the cart smoothly through the checkpoint.
The Wen family's first cart passed the test smoothly, and the second one followed.
This cart was just bought; I bought the raincoat and straw sandals along with the cart and boxes from the same person.
The vehicle is neither new nor old, and the carriage is very large; I estimate that several of my children could lie down comfortably in it.
There's a lot of stuff in the car.
A large wooden box and two bamboo baskets, along with several bundles belonging to the family.
After inspecting each basket and bundle, the inspector casually opened the large box.
The box immediately emitted a strong smell of hay.
People from farming families are familiar with this smell.
The inspector reached inside and rummaged around, looking on in disbelief.
"All of them are straw raincoats? So many?"
Wen Chengjian, pushing the cart, looked honest and replied, "Sir, there are also straw sandals. My family is large, so I just bought them over there. As you said, there are discounts for bulk orders."
A dark-skinned, thin official nudged the person next to him with his elbow. The inspector coughed feignedly, closed the box, and waved his hand, "Let's go."
Wen Chengjian pushed the cart, with Wenwen following beside him, and walked towards the city gate.
The faint laughter of several constables came from behind.
"Hey, tell me, the one in front is hauling a bunch of broken planks, and the one behind is buying a bunch of straw raincoats and sandals. Is this family out of their minds?"
"That's right, dragging planks on the road to exile is enough to make people laugh."
"The one behind is even worse; he has a whole box of raincoats, which he eats as food, so he doesn't need to spend much money."
"Oh, you're quite concerned. Whether he needs it or not, just buy it."
"This money is well spent here; we only get a kickback if we buy from them."
"Hehe, there's nothing wrong with that."
"Alas, things can change unexpectedly, so let's all keep quiet."
Wenwen ignored these words.
What do a few unpleasant words mean on the road to exile? They'll just blow away with the wind; there's no need to pay them any mind.
The Wen family was the last to be questioned; the family had just stopped standing at the foot of the city wall.
The yamen runner not far behind him started banging his beloved broken gong again.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
The resounding gong echoed instantly above the city gate.
Upon hearing the gong, the waiting prisoners fell silent instantly.
Wenwen was closest to the yamen runners, and the sound of the gong was so loud that her head spun instantly.
However, this dizziness only lasted for a very short time.
Wenwen felt a pang of sadness as she witnessed the momentary silence among all the prisoners.
It had only been seven or eight days, and they had just passed the first town, but all the prisoners had already developed a conditioned reflex to the sound of the gong, and would immediately fall silent upon hearing it.
This shows how terrible habits can be.
The sound of the gong will accompany them for several months, and they may eventually become dependent on it.
Wenwen was terrified. She estimated that it would take her a long time to forget the sound of that broken gong after arriving in the northern desert.
For a moment, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to all sorts of random thoughts.
However, before she could think for long, the constable got to the point.
"There's something I need to make clear to everyone, so please listen carefully."
There were casualties on the way to the city the day before yesterday, and there was also a fire at night. In Yanta Town, Lord Zhu made a request to his superiors to remove his shackles and chains for the rest of the journey. Originally, his superiors disagreed, but our Lord Zhu is compassionate and did not want any more accidents on the way. He pleaded with them, and they finally agreed.
but.
"If you spot anyone trying to escape on the road, kill them on the spot. Listen carefully, all of you. Don't cause me any trouble on the way."
Upon hearing that they could remove their shackles, the prisoners were stunned for a moment, somewhat taken aback.
However, there are always some exceptions.