Chapter 33: Plague
Han Xing was the first to react, and quickly stepped forward to kneel and salute:
“It is our duty to receive the Prince, we dare not accept any reward.”
“These silver coins were obtained by exchanging the Prince’s treasures, how could we possibly accept them!”
“Please withdraw your order, Your Highness. Trust your subordinate, once we reach Yandi, you will have plenty of places to spend money.”
Hearing his sincerity, Jin Sui was very moved.
She really wished Gu Changxiao could see this scene. No matter how Chang’an treated you, these border soldiers were still loyal to you.
Having gained experience from selling treasures, she didn’t plan to say much this time, and directly crossed her arms and said:
“It’s just a mere mirror, five thousand taels of silver. This King doesn’t take it to heart at all.
If you don’t accept what this King bestows, do you have an opinion of this King?”
The soldiers repeatedly shook their heads and said they dared not. Jin Sui said in a rather unreasonable tone:
“If you dare not, then accept it.”
“Captain Han, tomorrow enter the city and exchange all these silver notes for cash, and distribute them to the brothers. Keep the remaining military pay safe.”
Han Xing had no choice but to reply: “Your subordinate obeys the order.”
Only then did the soldiers dare to cheer, their faces flushed red to their necks with excitement. Ten taels of silver! That was almost their annual military pay!
The military pay for the border army was extremely low, mostly paid in grain, salt, and cloth. Furthermore, it was not disbursed on time, often delayed for several months.
When they were ordered to escort the Li King, they all thought it would be a thankless task. They never expected the Li King to have no airs and to be so generous to them.
Hei Hu grabbed Hao Duojin by the collar and asked, “Is ten taels enough to marry a wife? I want to marry a wife!”
Jin Sui said with a playful scolding: “All soldiers, there’s no need to be so excited. As long as you follow this King, this King guarantees there will be more rewards in the future.”
That night, except for Jin Sui, everyone else was too excited to sleep.
Jin Sui was clearly buying people’s loyalty. She heard about the complicated situation in Yanzhou and the assassins sent from Chang’an.
She didn’t know when Gu Changxiao would arrive in Yandi. She had to play the role of the Li King in Yandi, and her safety had to be guaranteed.
The Black Feather Army before her was the only resource she could grasp. She had to make them absolutely loyal and devoted to her.
She knew very well that to gain others’ loyalty, her own ability was one aspect, but more importantly, the money had to be right!
What was the use of her carrying a large sum of money alone?
Besides, if that vanity mirror could be sold at such a high price, other items from the laboratory could also be sold at a high price.
From now on, this sister would not be short of money!
She slept soundly, the tent was comfortable to sleep in.
When she came out, the soldiers’ faces were stiff from smiling, their eyes were red, but they were all full of energy.
Han Xing had already taken people into the city to exchange for silver, and Hei Hu led people to dig a pit in the forest, placed stones at the bottom, covered it with leaves, and boiled hot water, inviting her to wash up.
This was Hao Duojin’s idea. He said the Prince was a distinguished person, fond of cleanliness, and must have wanted to bathe for a long time, but the conditions on the road did not allow it.
Since they couldn’t sleep anyway, they might as well serve the Prince.
See, this is the benefit of paying wages properly.
Jin Sui had of course bathed. She would enter her space every night to bathe and change her underwear, and even used the space to relieve herself whenever possible, unless she was in urgent need and missed the time to enter the space.
She said with a smile that she was not used to bathing outdoors and asked Hei Hu to let the soldiers queue up to wash. It wasn’t that she was disgusted; in this hot weather, the soldiers’ bodies always had a sour smell, and she had been enduring it.
When Han Xing returned with the silver, Jin Sui personally distributed the silver notes. With the silver in hand, the soldiers became even more excited.
For the rest of the journey, the horses and men seemed tireless, eating and sleeping well, and traveling without any fatigue.
Until one night, Jin Sui suddenly had a nightmare.
She dreamed of Grandpa Ling and Jin An, hiding in a dark cave, begging, “Save me, save me.”
Jin Sui woke up instantly and could no longer fall asleep.
She thought that by impersonating the Li King, she had lured the enemy away, and Grandpa Ling and the other two would be safe. Had they encountered a new crisis?
After dawn, Han Xing led people to Shunzhou City to procure supplies, but they returned empty-handed.
Han Xing said with a grave expression:
“The city gate is closed, and outsiders are strictly forbidden from entering. They say there is a plague in Luocheng, and it has already spread to the surrounding prefecture cities.”
“To prevent the plague from spreading to Yandi, all checkpoints from the Central Plains to Yandi are sealed.”
Jin Sui’s heart sank. She had a premonition that her dream last night must be related to this matter.
Gu Changxiao was not stupid. After her outrageous actions in Huai Prefecture, he must have guessed that the Li King was her.
He would definitely bring Grandpa Ling and Jin An to chase her to Yanzhou, and their speed was slow.
If they happened to pass through a prefecture city with a plague, they would naturally be sealed inside the city.
Jin Sui was extremely anxious, wishing she could turn back to find Grandpa Ling and the others.
This anxiety was partly her own; she had already regarded Grandpa Ling and Jin An as family.
There was also a blood connection from the depths of her soul, belonging to the original owner, that made her tremble, as if it could influence her thoughts. If she didn’t save Grandpa Ling, she would be tormented.
Turning back was impossible. Not to mention that Han Xing and the others would not agree, it would also lead the black-clothed men to Gu Changxiao again.
After much thought, she decided to discuss it with Han Xing.
“When this King passed by Luocheng, I was saved by three Taoists at the cost of their lives, and I promised to repay them handsomely in the future.”
“Last night, this King dreamed that those three Taoists were in distress. Perhaps it is a spiritual connection from my vow. If I cannot find those three, this King will not be able to rest or eat even if I reach Yanzhou.”
“Could you find someone to replace this King and go to Luocheng? It doesn’t matter if they are merchants, escorts, or porters.
As long as these three are found and brought safely to Yanzhou, this King will reward them with five hundred taels of silver!”
After distributing the five thousand taels of silver, there was still over a thousand taels left for military expenses, so it was no problem for her to take five hundred taels.
Han Xing was extremely surprised upon hearing this: “At the Prince’s command, your subordinate and others can go to Luocheng to find the Prince’s benefactors. Why would we need to find people from Jianghu?”
Jin Sui quickly said: “But there is a plague in Luocheng, how can this King let you risk your lives!”
Han Xing was greatly moved. The Li King truly valued their lives as much as his own!
If it were another master, they would simply issue an order and not care if you were in danger.
When Han Xing relayed this mission, as expected, the soldiers were very excited.
They were excited that such a good opportunity shouldn’t be given to outsiders from Jianghu!
Please let them go. They are not afraid of the plague and will definitely bring the Prince’s benefactors back.
Even Hei Hu was vying for the mission.
This time, Jin Sui was persuaded and agreed to let her own soldiers go, but the reward money would be the same, not a single coin less.
One cannot offer a higher price just because the work is outsourced, and then give a discount when one’s own people do it!
In the end, she chose five soldiers whose hometowns were in the Central Plains, one of whom was Hao Duojin.
Because they were familiar with the Luocheng area and could speak the Central Plains dialect, finding people would be more convenient.
Jin Sui informed them of the information about Grandpa Ling and the other two, and gave them all the antibiotics she had saved up during this time, believing that these antibiotics could save many lives.
She also gave them a token, which was the thermos cup she had always used to drink water, which Grandpa Ling and Jin An both recognized.
She told the five soldiers that their safety was the priority in all matters, and that they could search for the people secretly.
But if absolutely necessary, they could directly reveal their identity: Li King’s Personal Guards.
Perhaps once the news spread, those three Taoists would actively seek them out.
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