On the Difficulties of Escape in Ancient Times

Chapter 42 Cannon Fodder
  The officer's words were like the sound of nature. Xiao Youfu took the lead in driving the mule cart in.

There are seven or eight simple tables set up inside, but now the tables are surrounded by ordinary people.

There was also an uncle inside, telling them to park the mule cart on the other side, and then asked them to register on the opposite side.

Xiao Youfu and Mr. Wu went there together.

It's not that he doesn't dare to deal with the servants, it's not that he respects Mr. Wu and puts him first in everything.

But Xiao Youfu was afraid that he would have to give money to the guards in order to get directions to where they wanted to go.

When a table became available, Mr. Wu, the culprit, was surrounded by the Xiao brothers, and Xiao Xiao and the others followed to join in the fun.

The clerk who was sitting in his seat took a look at the red sign and note, flipped through the thick book, and said indifferently: "Do you want to settle near Mingzhou Prefecture or go to Yongjia County?"

It sounds quite humane and gives you a choice.

Although Xiao Xiao has never been to the two places mentioned by the police officer, fortunately, she heard Miss Lin tell her where Mingzhou is before. Otherwise, she would have thought it was a good place just by hearing the name.
  Now a thought popped into her mind subconsciously: Maybe there was trouble in those two places? Too many people have died. Are we in urgent need of cannon fodder?

"Thank you for your hard work, sir." Mr. Wu held up his hand as a gift and stuffed a five-tael piece of silver into his hands. He smiled very kindly and said, "We want to go to Wuzhou Wushang. My brother-in-law Chen Ming was previously transferred to Wushang as the county magistrate. We are here to join them."

At this time, he certainly couldn't say that his sister was just the county magistrate's concubine.

My concubine’s relatives are not serious relatives.

Today, even Emperor Gao and the emperor say that the county magistrate is not as good as the county magistrate. He doesn't know if they are willing to give Chen Ming a favor?
  Xiao Youfu was deeply afraid that Mr. Wu's relatives would not have enough weight, so he also pulled the tiger's skin to support him: "We met Mr. Li Ji earlier, and he also asked us to go to Wushang County over there in Wuzhou? He said it was with Just say it, sir, and please show your respect."

Of course, Li Ji never said such a thing at all, but this did not prevent him from using Li Ji's name.

Although he wasn't sure if it would be useful.

The document that was sitting there preparing finally looked at them.

As the old saying goes, the yamen opens to the south, so don't come in if you have reason or money.

As a result, most of the people now are on tenterhooks and trembling when they see the people in the yamen. Almost no matter what they say, the people nod in agreement.

If you make a request, it means you can benefit from it.

The clerk was a little surprised after looking at them.

In the past, it was all men who came to do things, but this family also brought several girls with them.

Even though they were wearing dusty shorts, it was not difficult to tell that they were girls.

Therefore, he really suspected that they had relatives who were officials. Girls from ordinary families would not have such courage.

However, they were far away from Wuzhou Wushang, and the civil servants and their military attachés were not under the same supervision. The clerk was not afraid that the magistrate would settle accounts with him if he knew that he was seeking favors from his relatives.

After all, the county magistrate himself couldn't really be Master Qingtian. He could only use this opportunity to make some money. I think everyone could understand each other.

Anyway, even if the county magistrate wanted to settle accounts with himself, it would be beyond his reach.

So he rubbed his hands vaguely with three fingers and sighed: "Wuzhou Wushang is a peaceful and good place. Why are there so many people rushing to go there? I also need to rely on my connections with my colleagues to guide the way. There are so many of you. Isn’t it difficult to deal with this?" When Mr. Wu heard this, he could no longer maintain the flattering smile on his face, but he could only lean over and say good things in a low voice: "Please help me, sir. I don't know how much money we should pay. Only with the hard work can I get the road guide?”

When Xiao Xiao saw the clerk's little move, he could only sigh in his heart: The world is as dark as crows!
  Fortunately, before she came in, she still had illusions.

The clerk also said in a low voice with the same expressionless expression: "One hundred taels, I will get you a road guide to Wuzhou Wushang."

Mr. Wu was also prepared to bleed, but when he heard this amount, he couldn't help but take a breath and said with a grimace: "Sir, we all came here in a hurry, and our property has not been sold. I spent a lot of money before, but I really don’t have so much money anymore. I beg you to be accommodating..."

He was willing to pay the money, and he also thought that it was so difficult to get to Wushang, which proved that there was no shortage of people there, and it would be peaceful and prosperous.

That means that the two places mentioned in the previous documents must be seriously short of people.

If there is a shortage of people, it may be because a lot of people have died, so you must not die.

But you can’t give this money too freely, otherwise what will you do if people continue to rip you off?

Of course, it would be best if we could take the opportunity to lower the price and make it cheaper.

Xiao Xiao next to him was also frightened by the large opening of the lion's mouth.

She finally understood what it meant that it was good to be at home for a thousand days, but it was difficult to go out for a while.

It's no wonder that when Mr. Xiao and the others left home, their eyes were red, and their faces were filled with reluctance and silent tears were shed.

Not to mention it costs money to go out, but what if you encounter bandits and ferocious beasts? It also costs your life!
  To make matters worse, I also encountered extortionists, which cost too much money!
  No wonder everyone is willing to stick to their one-third of an acre of land at home and not want to stray too far from home. Some old people have never been to the town more than once in their lives.

The clerk took another look at their clothes. They certainly didn't look like fat landlords and wealthy businessmen. He didn't dare to push them too hard for fear of beating them up.

If he really gets pushy and starts making trouble, he will also be punished.

So he pretended to be impatient and said: "Forget it, I can't bear that your relatives can't be reunited. Give me another fifty taels of silver and I will help you take care of this matter."

Added another sentence: "No more!"

Xiao Xiao admired him very much. He was a master of making money. Just by saying that, he earned fifty-five taels of silver.

Is it any wonder that the people want to rebel? It seems like she wants to kill the servant in front of her now!
  However, she suppressed the thought when she thought that falling into danger would mean sleeping in the open air.

She had just arrived in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and she began to wonder if they had come to the wrong place?
  It's a pity that there is no turning back when the bow is fired.

Mr. Wu nodded and bowed his head and thanked: "Thank you for your kindness, sir. Let's go collect the money right now..."

If his wealth is not exposed, he will not naively think that if he gives the clerk a hundred taels of silver, the clerk will give him fifty taels in return.

It would be like a sheep entering the tiger's mouth and never coming back. He decided to go back first to collect fifty taels. The banknotes could be exchanged when he went to buy food tomorrow.

On the way back, Xiao Yougui, who was more honest, felt embarrassed if he didn't have some money, so he touched his purse and found that he was very short of money.

He deliberately pulled Boss Xiao a few steps behind, and then asked in a low voice: "Brother, isn't it appropriate for the Wu family to pay for all this money? How much money do you think we should get?"

(End of this chapter)