Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Only after cleaning himself up did Xiao Jingmo slowly return to Jin Bao.
All she had consumed that day was a little of the salted herbal water Lu Shuangshuang had prepared for everyone.
She had long since slipped into a daze, her eyes tightly shut.
Xiao Jingmo’s heart ached as he gathered the little girl into his arms. He no longer had the strength to stand, so he leaned against a rock with Jin Bao in his embrace and closed his eyes.
Xiao Che, Zhu Laosan, and Li Si pursued the sound of the bell.
“Help! Is anyone there?”
Li Si’s throat felt as though it were on fire, and the ground beneath his feet seemed as soft as cotton. He staggered forward, waving and shouting as he ran.
In the darkness, the road across the open plain was impossible to see. Li Si stumbled over the uneven ground, falling and forcing himself back up. His hands and face were covered in scrapes, but the instinct to survive drove him onward.
At last, the bell drew near. A fast-moving caravan carrying torches appeared in his field of vision.
He managed a feeble smile. The torchlight grew brighter and brighter as the caravan approached. Then he slowly collapsed.
“Cousin!”
When Zhu Laosan arrived, he saw Li Si fall.
He and Xiao Che hurried forward as someone dismounted.
“Quick, bring water.”
The man had noticed Li Si’s official uniform and his faint breathing. He was clearly suffering from severe dehydration.
Someone immediately handed over a waterskin.
After the man gave Li Si some water, Li Si slowly opened his eyes.
Zhu Laosan cupped his hands toward the stranger. “Thank you for saving him, Young Master. We became lost in this wilderness and have run out of both food and water. Do you happen to have any water to spare? We are willing to pay for it.”
The man was around twenty, with thick brows and large eyes. He did not look like a bad person.
“Bring them water and food at once.”
At his order, the caravan guards immediately brought over more provisions.
After asking a few questions, the group learned that the young man was from Jinzhou and had just returned from a trading journey. He had happened to pass through the area.
Xiao Jingmo noticed the character Xie engraved on the man’s merchant wagons. Remembering what Old Madam Zheng had said, he could not help thinking of the Xie Family, the Chancellor’s ancestral clan.
“May I ask whether you have any connection to the Chancellor’s Mansion, Young Master?”
After eating a little, Xiao Jingmo had recovered some strength.
The man looked surprised for a moment, then realized these people were probably exiles from the Capital.
Exiled prisoners passed through Jinzhou every year. The locals were used to seeing them.
That was why he had shown neither surprise nor disdain upon seeing Xiao Jingmo’s group.
“Lord Chancellor is my father’s cousin. My name is Xie Yanzhou.”
Hearing this from nearby, Old Madam Xiao took a token from her robes and handed it to Xiao Jingmo.
Old Madam Zheng had given it to them before they parted. It seemed the token truly was going to prove useful.
“Young Master Xie, Old Madam Zheng gave this to us and said we could call on the Xie Family once we reached Jinzhou. We of the Xiao Family are exiles, so it would be inconvenient for us to visit your residence uninvited. However, we do have a favor to ask. Would you be willing to give us a ride tomorrow?”
Xie Yanzhou took the token and examined it by firelight. It was indeed a Xie Family token, and only a handful like it existed. Since the old madam had been willing to give it away, these people must be important to her.
The Xie Family had no reason to refuse them.
“Don’t worry, Young Master Xiao. There is no need to wait until tomorrow. We’ll enter the city tonight.”
The Xiao Family and the bailiffs were overjoyed.
They had nothing left to pack. Everyone climbed into Xie Yanzhou’s wagons.
They were already quite close to Jinzhou. They had merely kept heading in the wrong direction and circling the area.
Now they had Xie Yanzhou to guide them and wagons to carry them.
Just after midnight, the group arrived outside Jinzhou.
Cui Jin and the black-clad men had reached the city ahead of them at dusk and had already spoken with the guards.
If Xiao Che’s group passed through, the guards were to report immediately to the Southside Inn.
The guards had received orders from above to cooperate with Cui Jin. They did not dare be careless and inspected every wagon entering or leaving the city.
Everyone in the Xiao Family was dozing inside the wagons.
Only when the wagons stopped did they realize they had reached the city gate.
Jinzhou was the first major city they had encountered since entering Liaodong. Although it was a border city, it was also an important military stronghold and trading hub. Heavy troops guarded its tall walls, and the city saw considerable traffic.
It was just past midnight, and the gates had long since closed.
Xiao Che lifted the window curtain slightly and studied the situation outside. He had just resigned himself to spending the night beyond the walls when Xie Yanzhou’s voice rang out from the front of the caravan.
“I am Xie Yanzhou of the Xie Family. Officer, please open the gates and allow us to return to the city.”
Xie Yanzhou held up the token in his hand.
The guards on the wall had already spotted the caravan below. After hearing his words, they looked closely and confirmed that he was indeed a member of the Xie Family. Before long, the city gates swung open.
The deputy commander of the garrison personally came down to welcome them.
Xiao Che had not expected the Xie Family to wield so much influence in Jinzhou.
On second thought, however, it was hardly surprising.
Xie Chengyan now held the office of Chancellor, and his own younger sister had been an Imperial Noble Consort. Although she had passed away, her influence remained.
With power like that, it would not be an exaggeration to say the Xie Family could do as it pleased in Jinzhou. Opening the city gates after hours was a small matter by comparison.
Xie Yanzhou dismounted. He showed none of the arrogance common among great clans, instead greeting the deputy commander respectfully and even pressing a stack of banknotes into his hand to buy drinks for the men.
His courtesy and skill at winning people over were impeccable. No wonder the deputy commander was so eager to ingratiate himself with the Xie Family.
Naturally, no one inspected the Xie caravan. The deputy commander waved them straight through.
The wagons entered the Xie residence through a side gate.
Xiao Che had intended to stay at a posthouse. After Xie Yanzhou returned home and reported the matter to the clan elders, however, the Xie Family assigned the Xiao Family an entire courtyard.
Hot water, tea, refreshments, maids, matrons, and servants were all arranged for them.
Only after taking hot baths and changing into clean clothes did the Xiao Family feel alive again.
Lying in bed, Zhu Laosan thought back on everything that had happened along the road. There had been sixty or seventy people at the start. Now only ten remained, and his roster was filled with names he had crossed out.
Would the road ahead be even harder? Whether they could reach the Northern Frontier alive was still anyone’s guess.
They slept until well after sunrise.
After breakfast, Xie Yanzhou came to the guest courtyard to see Xiao Che and the others.
Xiao Che’s group had just finished eating and was preparing to take its leave.
“Lord Xiao, why not rest for another two days before setting out? I’m sure the officers wouldn’t mind staying a little longer either.”
Zhu Laosan and Li Si truly would not have minded. But the sooner they left, the sooner they would reach the Northern Frontier. It was already late in the seventh month, and the mornings and evenings carried a chill. In another ten days or half a month, they would need lightly padded coats, and the weather would only grow colder. They could not afford to lose time.
The Marquis and his family did not wish to delay either. They had no idea whether the black-clad men had reached Jinzhou and wanted to leave before their pursuers arrived.
“Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Xie. We are exiles. Your residence was gracious enough to overlook that and shelter us for a night, and we would not dare impose any longer. We will take our leave now.”
Xie Chengyan might be the Chancellor, but if word reached the Emperor that his clansmen had sheltered exiles, it could still implicate him.
Seeing that Xiao Che’s mind was made up, Xie Yanzhou did not press them further.
After bidding the Xie Family farewell, the Xiao Family did not leave Jinzhou immediately. They needed to purchase supplies.
Their days outside the pass had given them some understanding of what conditions were like.
They had to stock up heavily and prepare to sleep in the wilderness.
This time, Xiao Jingmo planned to buy three mule carts. They could sleep in the carts at night, and with the added speed, they could also shake off their pursuers and widen the distance between them.
Xiao Jingmo still had six hundred taels of silver. The three mule carts alone cost one hundred.
He then bought a hundred catties of rice and fifty catties of white flour from a grain shop, along with a large sealed wooden barrel for storing water.
Pei Wanqing purchased hides, cotton, and cloth as well. Whenever they had time, she would make thick padded clothing for the whole family.
After so many nights outdoors, they would certainly have fallen ill if they had not already made their light padded coats.
They had just left the cloth shop when Xiao Che noticed someone following them.
“Mo’er, protect them. Someone is tailing us, most likely one of Cui Jin’s men. It looks like we won’t be leaving today. They don’t seem willing to act in broad daylight, so we’ll stay at the posthouse tonight and give them a proper welcome.”
Xiao Che had no intention of letting the assassins go, especially Cui Jin. The man knew Jin Bao’s secret and could not be allowed to live. The only question was whether he had already sent the news out.
Xiao Jingmo immediately drew Jin Bao close, then discussed staying at the posthouse with Zhu Laosan.
The posthouse was in the south of the city, not far from Cui Jin’s inn.
No one in the Xiao Family knew that Cui Jin and his men were waiting at the Southside Inn for them to walk straight into the trap.