Chapter 144: Layers of back-up plans
Zhao Long died silently.
When Xu Zheng and several other officers went in, they found him lying on the bed with blood foam at the corners of his mouth and his limbs stiff. It can be inferred that he died last night.
They checked his room and found that the door was locked and the windows had not been touched. Then everyone ate and drank the same thing, and there was no movement or sound last night. There was nothing unusual about him, and how he died is a mystery.
The innkeeper's nephew is the postmaster of a nearby post station. Someone died at his cousin's inn, and he rushed over. After checking it, he discussed it with Xu Zheng and finally decided to classify Zhao Long's death as an accidental death. Both of them signed and fingerprinted. In addition to them, several other officers also signed as witnesses.
Finally, Xu Zheng took the initiative and bought a new straw mat, wrapped Zhao Long in it, carried it to the foot of the mountain not far away, dug a hole and buried it.
Next, Yang Wei Escort contracted the food and drink for Xu Zheng and his party as before.
Yang Wei also gave the Qin family an 'old' swaddling clothes, which was easy to tie the child to the chest, and it was very warm at first sight. Everyone also got two pieces of candy, which they could eat if they got hungry on the way. The candy is said to be made from milk flower hearts and sugar. It tastes delicious at first glance and smells very fragrant. People who got the candies put them in their pockets.
Not only did he not restrain himself, he even got worse! Xu Zheng was no longer able to complain, so he just let them do whatever they wanted.
The guard touched the candy in his pocket: he didn't dare to say anything, and he didn't dare to do anything.
Zhao Long just doesn't have a clear mind and doesn't know how to enjoy happiness. Along the way, if Yang Wei Escort took care of them like this, they would be able to relax.
Anyway, their mission is to escort the prisoners to Pingzhou. As for the conditions of the prisoners on the way and whether they are living well or not, there is no requirement from above. They just need to deliver the prisoners within the specified time, right?
The remaining four officers were thinking very wildly. If the sky fell, Xu Zheng, a tall police officer, would be there to hold it up. Why should they stand out?
Think about it, Zhao Long's body has just been buried, and the soil on the grave is still new.
On the evening of the second day after leaving the inn, the group of them arrived at their intended destination - the old house in the mountains.
As expected, the people from Yang Wei Escort Bureau were also waiting in front and had already prepared meals.
It's just that Yang Wei's face looked a bit wrong when he went out to greet him.
"What's wrong?" Xu Zheng asked.
"When we got here, there was already a wave of people moving in."
"Who is that?"
Yang Wei thought about what the other party said, "It's a group of wealthy businessmen who are helping the spirits return home. The other party brought many nurses and servants with them."
"How much better?"
"At least thirty people." The key is that everyone seems to be very skilled.
What, to escort a corpse, so many guards and servants were arranged!
Xu Zheng asked, "Have you ever found out where the wealthy businessman's hometown is?"
"The other party was very tight-lipped and didn't say anything."
Xu Zheng frowned, and the other officers looked at each other. Why does this situation seem familiar? Isn't it exactly the same plot as when they first met Yang Wei Escort Agency?
Damn it, it’s almost Chinese New Year, why are there so many people hanging around outside?
While they were talking, a strong man with a beard came out of the main room.
Xu Zheng and Yang Wei were secretly on guard. The evil spirit on the other party's body was very strong, and he had obviously seen blood.
Qin Heng suddenly said, "Zhou Da, is that you?"
Zhou Da was confused at first, and then after realizing it, he immediately looked at Qin Heng in surprise, "Young General Qin, it's me."
Lu Songli asked, "Brother, do you know (your person)?"
Qin Heng nodded slightly, "Zhou Da used to serve under our father, but due to some things, he was discharged and returned to his hometown. I didn't expect to meet anyone here."
Xu Zheng and Yang Wei were looking at each other in confusion just now, but now their mouths twitched. How many backup plans did this family prepare for exile? Like what, shallots? Layer after layer, endless.
"Haha, since we know (my people), we are destined to meet each other. It's freezing outside, so don't stand outside and let's go in." What else could Yang Wei do, take the initiative to be the middleman.
After a sumptuous dinner, the four-person team including Qin Heng, Qin Zhao, Qin Sheng, Lu Songli and his wife met again.
"Third brother, sixth brother, sixth brother and sister, you must have guessed that Zhou Da is mine."
The three of them nodded in unison, yes, they all guessed it.
Qin Heng looked at them and said with a smile, "I didn't expect the sixth brother and sister to be so well prepared at first."
"Now, because of the proper arrangements made by the sixth brother and sister, we have a safe journey to Pingzhou without any big problems. But what I want to say is that if Zhou Da follows us, he will not be of any use."
"The other thing is that over in the north, the second mother, the second wife, the second daughter-in-law, and the fourth brother and sister are exiled to Pingzhou. They probably have no preparations. They also have five such small children. I am very worried." He said During the preparations, he divided the personnel he could mobilize into two, and the other half went to the north to protect them. Even with this arrangement, he would still be worried because of the unknown in the north.
"My current idea is to let Zhou Da send half of his people to go north and directly drive them up to protect them secretly. The remaining half will be merged into the Yang Wei Escort Bureau." In this way, they will also have more than thirty strong men escorting them. They headed to Pingzhou, and the strength of their three brothers was enough to cope with all accidents and dangers.
None of Lu Songli had any objections to his arrangement.
At night, Lu Songli also asked Yang Wei's escort agency to take out a basket of sugar and rice cakes for them to take, as well as medicinal materials and other emergency supplies. Zhou Da was a big man, and the things he prepared were not so detailed. Besides, the cold in the north needed high-calorie food more than them. And they now had abundant food, more than enough to eat to Pingzhou.
So the next day, Zhou Da left half of his men for them, and the rest followed him, holding the coffin, and set off north.
Xu Zheng and Yang Wei looked at the shallow marks where the coffin passed, and couldn't help shaking their heads.
That day, after dinner, Qin Zhao touched his full stomach. To be honest, their exile along the way was really smoother than he had imagined. It should be said that it was much better than he expected.
At that time, his little daughter had just been born and his wife had just given birth. He really had no confidence that he could keep them after experiencing such a big change. Although he vaguely knew that his eldest brother had made some preparations, he still had no confidence in his heart.
Unexpectedly, except for the first and second days when they suffered a little, they were almost able to eat well and sleep well afterwards.
On the way to exile, he did not encounter the vicious bailiffs who liked to torture people. He was able to eat well and wear warm clothes, and he did not have to experience occasional beatings and food deductions. He was already very satisfied with the good food.
All this depends on the planning of the eldest brother and the sixth brother's wife at home. Especially the sixth brother's wife, all the arrangements were too appropriate and detailed. In this way, Qin Zhao could not help but think of the Xie and Zhao families who were also confiscated and exiled.
"Sixth brother's wife, how did you overthrow the Xie and Zhao families?" Qin Zhao asked curiously.
Qin Heng and Qin Sheng also looked over when they heard it. They only saw the Xie and Zhao families turning over cards, and they really didn't know the inside story.
Seeing that the three of them were very curious, Lu Songli thought that it was normal for them not to know about the news in the prison. And in order to prevent the wall from having ears, she had never mentioned her plan in detail. Lu Songli felt that it was not impossible to talk to them at this time.