Chapter 52 Re-returning to the ZongCheng City
"Mum, I can't walk ... anymore," a young child's soft voice rang out; she seemed to be pampering herself while somewhat weakly squatting down, unable to walk on.
"Sweetheart! Good girl, let's hold on for a little while longer. Wait until noon. Mother, let you have a good rest, ah!" Mother and father were each carrying large and small luggage, and father was also pushing a one-wheeled cart in his hand, piled with various pots, pans, and labor tools.
"Sister, let me carry you! Come on, brother." A six—or seven-year-old boy squatted in front of the toddler, and the little girl obediently plopped down on her brother's body.
"Our Dalang has grown up and will help his father and mother care for his sister!" Father and mother looked at each other with relief and continued to march forward.
"Father, Mother, I am a man! From now on, my sister will be cared for by me; don't worry!" The boy, who was not yet as tall as a small car, carried his sister on his back and followed his parents, continuing the problematic road of escape with hundreds of thousands of people.
Ouyang Zhong happened to pass by here, heard the family's conversation, and had mixed feelings in his heart. They were a very ordinary family on the road to escape. This reminded Ouyang Zhong of the first time he met Linghu Xian; he was probably just as old as this pair of siblings.
He rode his horse solo and had been thinking about General Wei's proposal for the past few days. Overthrowing the dim king and assisting the new king was still barely acceptable to Ouyang Zhong, who had grown up following the rites and teachings of loyalty to the king and serving the country. However, to appoint himself as king and establish a new regime, a rebellion in the traditional rituals, is disloyalty and injustice. Ouyang Zhong momentarily can not agree, not to mention that courage to carry out.
Hundreds of thousands fled the army vastly from north Wangcheng to the once-capital city of Zongcheng for half a month. Among them, a lot of people had already died due to exertion, injuries, illness, insufficient food, cold weather, and other factors. Some hid in the villages and towns along the way, and some even fled to the deep forests; people were at the mercy of God. Everyone, including Wei Kongji and Ouyang Zhong, did not know when the departure would end. Where do we have to go to settle down?
A soldier who was scouting the way ahead rode his horse to Wei Kongji and Ouyang Zhong. They are less than 50 miles from Zongcheng. If they are fast, they will arrive tonight;t; if they are slow, they will arrive tomorrow.
Wei Kongji nodded and said to Ouyang Zhong, "Why don't you take a group of people to arrive at Zongcheng first to get ready, and I'll be here behind to wrap up." Ouyang Zhong expressed his agreement and led some of the soldiers and the young and robust commoners to speed up their feet toward Zongcheng.
According to the previous plan, a small portion of the clan members of the two big clans, the Ouyang Family and the Wei Family, stayed behind in Zongcheng City to maintain order in the city on the one hand and, more importantly, to receive the two generals who had returned from the north. All the nobles, clan members, and commoners who could leave tried their best to accompany the new ruler to the southern capital and the initial group of people. The only people left in the city were the old, weak women and children who could not go, living a precarious life.
The once bustling bazaar was now desolate, and the once bustling main street was empty. But they did not expect that almost half of the northern military and civilians had gone south. Although Zongcheng was the largest city in the Zhongming Kingdom, it could not take on such a large population for a while.
Ouyang Zhong had to lead the advance troops and prepare for the people behind them, as well as shelter, food, security, order, and so on; there was something to worry about. Ouyang Zhong took a few generals with him, guiding the deployment individually. Zongcheng was the hometown he grew up in. No one knew the city better than him. He will be a vertical city east, west, south, and north of the layout, detailed sketches, and according to the division, will be coming into the city of the people for resettlement, but also will be a few critical drinking water points, defense points marked, people have to rest for a few days to continue to the south, otherwise endless rushing only to lose several people again. There are also defenses inside and outside the city that can't be taken lightly, and at any time, we have to be on guard against the Dingling Clan and even other enemy intrusions.
The generals who followed Ouyang Zhong's side now sincerely admired this young general. Hearing the order, the generals shouted in unison, "Promise!" With that, they quickly led their groups and dispersed for deployment.
As Ouyang Zhong rode his horse and cruised through the streets, he couldn't help but walk to the entrance of the once County Lord Princess Jiao Yang. He didn't have much affection for this place, but since he was here, it was right to go in and look at what could be utilized for the time being so that the army and the people could use it.
He no longer leisurely and casually wandered around the courtyard as he did before but instead headed directly towards the firewood room and the back kitchen, thinking that if there was still food stored here, it would be just the right place to distribute it to everyone.
Walking into the small courtyard of the back kitchen, he was surprised to smell a meal aroma, which had not been smelled for a long time. He was hesitant to approach and take a look, but it turned out to be the old housekeeper of the former county master's residence who was burning the fire and cooking. The old housekeeper's face was now tired, and he didn't clean up as well as before, as if he had aged a few years in just a month.
Ouyang Zhong gently asked the old housekeeper, "Old Steward, why didn't you escape?"
When the old steward saw that the extra horse harnessed by the Emperor's side had returned, he excitedly shouted in a sobbing voice, "Master extra horse harnessed by the emperor's side, you've finally come back!" Then he knelt for Ouyang Zhong.
Ouyang Zhong hurriedly helped the old housekeeper and asked, "Every big family has basically gone empty. Why are you still staying in the house? Is there anyone else in the mansion?"
The old housekeeper wiped his tears and sighed, "Since abandoning the city and fleeing, these people's hearts have been scattered. Many of the sisters, maids, and boys from the former residence have taken advantage of the chaos to escape, have been captured by other residences, have been used as laborers, and have been caught stealing from the master's family and settled on the spot, to name a few. They followed the original Eldest Princess House and Marquis Ping'an's men and women and went to the South Capital together. The old enslaved person is here but also has no choice; after all, I can't leave the county princess alone in this courtyard; she can't survive!"
" County Lord Princess Jiao Yang? Are you talking about Xiao Feifei? Didn't I ask you to return her to her father, Marquis Ping'An? Why is she still in the residence?" Ouyang Zhong was surprised. How come County Lord Jiao Yang remained in the County Lord's Mansion?
The old housekeeper led Ouyang Zhong to a side yard. This used to be where the underlings lived, but now only the old housekeeper and County Lord Princess Jiao Yang are in the mansion. The old housekeeper was afraid that she would be scared to live alone, so he cleaned up one of the underlings' houses; the master and servant lived in this small yard so that there was at least a car.
Xiao Feifei spat out a lot of poisonous insects at that time, and her whole person fell into a state of madness and dementia. Her once beautiful and beautiful face was now waxy and withered. She used to be a baby fat, now skinny bones; before the snow-white delicate skin, because of a long time to take Demon Road light Huo's "elixir" was eroded into transparent, after the demonic venom lifted, it became yellow gray; before the black thick long hair, now also become a mass of straw, tied in knots scattered on the shoulders. She became much thinner, and her eyes were wide and lifelessly empty as she stared alone.
The old housekeeper wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said in a sob, ''Mr. Emperor's son-in-law when the County Lord Princess Jiao Yang was sick, and you went to the northern front, the old enslaved person did send the County Lord Princess Jiao Yang to the Marquis of Ping An according to your instructions, but when he saw the County Lord Princess Jiao Yang in this state, he said he didn't want her anymore. But he said he didn't want her when he saw her like this. He sent her to her brother's place, but he was kicked out. She already had a disability in their eyes.
She often sits alone by the window, stares at the window, and sits there for half a day, not knowing how to drink or eat. The old enslaved person had to look at the back of the kitchen for ease, change the pattern to feed her to eat, feed a mouthful of her to eat a mouthful, do not feed her do not know to eat and drink. You see how thin she has become. The Princess has no relatives to care for; you are her only dependent. I beg you to be merciful and don't leave her alone. I kowtow to you and beg you to help her! No matter what, she is your wife who was married to you in three marriages and six marriages!"
On the same day that Xiao Feifei saw her face in the mirror and was scared out of her wits, her mother, Princess Xiao Wushuang of Nanling, had an attack of internal poison because of the destruction of her face and the humiliation she had suffered, and she went into a frenzy. But in fact, the last straw that crushed Princess Nanling's spirit was her appearance and her husband, Marquis of Ping'an Xiao Zhi. Xiao Zhi has long found that the so-called "elixir" is incorrect. Still, early on in the secret surveillance of the demon road, Guang Hui, and even Guang Hui, secretly in the Imperial Garden to take the palace corpses alchemy, he also knows. But Xiao Zhi hated Xiao Wushuang and hated the entire Zhongming royal family. He knew everything but didn't say anything. He just wanted to see where this rotten Zhongming kingdom would go.
Since Xiao Wushuang recruited Xiao Zhi to be the Emperor's son-in-law, she looked at this Emperor's son-in-law very closely. She didn't give Xiao Zhi any chance to take a breath, but on the other hand, she often sneered at him and capitalized "contempt" on the couple's face. This makes Xiao Zhi live a very suffocating, depressing, and heart-resenting life. However, for the future of the entire clan of his already declining eldest grandson line, Xiao Zhi endured the change of his family name to join the royal family, endured the daily face of an utterly unloved woman to live together, and even endured the harsh requirements of the Princess, who did not allow him to take a concubine or even to look at other women more than once.
Just married a few years, a look like heavenly fairies and a meter hall, even if not so many couples love, but more or less each other have a little attraction and affection, whether it is really moved by love or to complete the task, Xiao Wushuang in the marriage two years later gave birth to a son Xiao Tai. The son's birth let Xiao Di not cry with joy; he had once thought that perhaps with time, their husband and wife's feelings could gradually wear good and ultimately keep each other's whitehead love unquestionably. However, I did not expect Xiao Wushuang to warm up to the Emperor's side by the side of the Emperor's side. Still, on the contrary, he became colder and colder and intensified his mental abuse.
Once Xia,o Zhi was in the street, and a flower girl climbed a few words and nothing else; the result was Xiao Wushuang's eyes passed to the ears of the Princess. Xiao Wushuang, even the next day, sent a hitman to be the flower girl on the street to death. This makes Xiao Zhi shocked and angry, but helpless in Xiao Wushuang's obscene authority and her brother-in-law, Xiao Zhan, the son of the Emperor, backed up; Xiao Zhi can only break his teeth and swallowed his blood and secretly sprouted the seeds of hatred.
Especially when Xiao Wushuang later gave birth to Xiao Feifei, Xiao Zhi felt very strange but could not take offense because he knew very well that Xiao Feifei must not be his daughter. After Xiao Wushuang beat the flower seller to death, Xiao Zhi simply did not have the heart to touch this snake-hearted woman. But how did she conceive a child again? Xiao Zhi secretly investigated, which led him to discover the biggest secret of the Zhongming royal family.
It turned out that Xiao Wushuang had been in love with Xiao Zhan since she was a child, and although there was a difference of nearly 20 years in their ages, they were half-brothers and half-sisters. Xiao Zhan married Xiao Wushuang to the Zhangsun clan, initially wanting to break his sister's thoughts. But I did not expect Xiao Wushuang to give birth to a son, still obsessed many times with returning to her mother's home to visit relatives and visit the Emperor's brother in the harem on the pretext of private meetings with Xiao Zhan. Xiao Zhan is almost 40 years old, and before sitting on the dragon chair, the whole person drifting is even more obscene. He once looked at his sister Xiao Wushuang, who took the initiative to show up after drinking and could no longer hold the so-called ethical rules and regulations, and she had a whole night of fish and water.
The next day, Xiao Zhan woke up in order not to expose the scandal. That night, on duty to serve the palace maids, attendants, and nearby guards were secretly executed. But never expected, Xiao Wushuang surprisingly got pregnant and eventually had to give birth to a girl, Xiao Feifei.
To preserve their position and power and everything in the Zhangsun clan, Xiao Zhi and Xiao Wushuang had never stirred the matter up, but that didn't mean that he needed to be clearer about what was going on. His smiling tiger image was also formed at that time. On the surface, he loved this newly born daughter, but on the other hand, in his heart, he was extremely disgusted and loathed.
He looked at his extra horse harnessed by the side of a team with such a big green hat that he didn't have a fit and was still treating his daughter quite well. Xiao Wushuang knew that he was at a disadvantage, and then he eased his attitude towards Xiao Zhi and loosened up his surveillance a bit. This gave Xiao Zhi a chance, and he secretly took in several concubines in later days, some even adding to his family. He was growing his power and making adequate preparations for the prosperity of the Zhangsun family.
When Xiao Wushuang has been deeply poisoned, and his appearance is destroyed, Xiao Zhi still carries his smile and harmless mask, leisurely coming to his wife, who is crying, messing around, and smashing things in front of the madness. He really laughed this time, laughed happily, and laughed so hard that his tears flowed out. He looked at Xiao Wushuang fiercely, grabbed her wrist, and cut it with a dagger. Xiao Wushuang looked at the black and purple blood that flowed out and was shocked and terrified, and then she realized that she had fallen into the trick of demonic Taoist Guang Hui.
Xiao Wushuang knelt on the ground and begged Xiao Zhi: ''Husband, I beg you, save me, okay! I will never control your freedom again, bully you, or insult you, and let my royal brother reward you with more silver and land so that your Zhangsun clan can enjoy endless glory and wealth! Good or bad! For the sake of you and I being husband and wife, for the sake of our two children, save me!"
"Husband and wife? Children? Hahahahahaha ... Xiao Wushuang, do you take me for a fool? Other than treating me as a tool, a shield to cover up the salacious affairs of you and that imperial brother of yours, when did you treat me as your husband? Do you think I don't know who that daughter belongs to?" After Xiao Zhi finished speaking, he raised his hand and gave Xiao Wushuang a hard slap.
Xiao Wushuang was hit so hard that her mouth and nose bled; she was completely stunned and then angrily recoiled back, trying to put up a fight. She shouted, ''Come on, people! Arrest this ungrateful and rebellious son who dares to violate his superiors! Kill them all, the Zhangsun clan! Kill them all!"
Xiao Zhi laughed coldly. "Don't waste your efforts. The Princess's residence has long been my people; they will only look up to me. Who would care about the orders of you, a dead man who took too many poisonous pills and eventually went mad and killed himself?"
"You, you, what are you going to do? Xiao Jian, I see you dare! My imperial brother will not let you off!" Xiao Wushuang dodged everywhere while grabbing whatever she could with her hands and smashing it at Xiao Zhi.
Xiao Zhi pressed step by step, his hand fiddling with the dagger from earlier, and said coldly, "To inform you, your imperial brother has become a puppet of Guang Huo and has long since been an invalid. And tomorrow night at the palace banquet, our in-laws, the Ouyang family, will unite with the Wei family and the Crown Prince to force the palace and make the old Emperor abdicate. I'll see who else can back you up as an unruly woman at that time. I can think that you gave birth to Tai'er for me; I'll grant you a whole body today, either a dagger or a white silk; choose one for yourself!"
"I don't believe it! My imperial brother won't leave me alone, and you chaotic officials dare to rebel! I'll go into the palace right now to face the saint and ask my imperial brother to arrest you rebellious ministers!"
"Don't bother with that effort, your imperial brother has been completely controlled by his Shou Noble Concubine. He hasn't been in the court for a month or two to manage the government; my informant told me that he is now like a weak and spineless woman; where is he still a monarch and a man? Oh yes, you still remember Princess Shou, don't you? Previously, it was your disciple who was more Guang Hui Daoist. The 'elixir' he made for you was made from human corpse oil. This inhuman ghostly appearance you have now is caused by eating this disgusting stuff. You ... will die sooner or later, so you might as well die a quick death! This is also counted as the last favor we left for you as a first-life couple."
Xiao Wushuang prostrated on the ground, grief-stricken. She hurriedly crawled a few steps to grab the corner of Xiao Zhi's coat and begged, "I know you hate me, but I beg you not to hurt FeiFei, my daughter. She is also counted as the one you watched grow up. After all, she has also called you father for more than ten years. You can punish me any way you want; don't hurt Fay. I beg you, let me see Fay before I die!"
"Hmph! That bastard is disgusting to me just looking at it. How does the sinful seed born from you two dogs who disregard ethics and morals deserve to be called my father? She's already married anyway. Her death or life has nothing to do with me anymore. However, she has taken too much poison and has become delirious. I think you'd better meet your precious daughter in the netherworld!"
Xiao Wushuang's spirit and belief in survival were thus crushed by a few light words from her husband, Xiao Tai. She had never loved beauty and valued it above everything else. She didn't want to die, but she had become increasingly unable to control her body's rapid aging; in just a few hours, her hair had turned white, her skin was wrinkled all over, and she had instantly aged dozens of years. She could not withstand the double destruction of the body and spirit, screamed miserably, and crashed heavily into the corner of the bed couch where she had been sharing a bed with her husband, Xiao Zhi, for twenty years. Xiao Zhi looked at the sky and laughed wildly before disguising Xiao Wushuang as a hanging beam.