The night was dark and the sound of the watchman's clapper gradually faded into the lonely night sky. The quiet courtyard suddenly became restless.
The crescent moon was like a hook. Although it was not the best time to commit murder or arson, it was enough for these skilled "bandits".
Gao Ying covered her face with the green cloth and slashed forward with her hand. She shouted, "Depart!"
After Yang Fan and the others were taken into prison, the meticulous Gu Zhuting immediately returned to the courtyard they had rented. She had Yang Fan's people quickly hide to prevent others from discovering that the captured people had anything to do with this courtyard. Then she discussed a strategy with Gao Ying, Lan Yiqing, and the others who knew the purpose of this trip.
They quickly rejected the idea of revealing their identities and asking Fang Ling County to release the people. But they had no better idea. After discussing for a long time, they came to a unanimous decision: break out of the prison!
Although doing so would still cause a commotion in the area, they couldn't care too much at this time. They had already made preparations in advance. Before closing the city gates, they had already called for their men to take their horses out of the city and hide in a dense forest six miles away from the city. They would leave immediately once they broke out of the prison. If they wanted to leave the city, the low city walls of Fang Ling were not a problem for them.
Gao Ying covered her face with a green cloth and held a sharp blade in her hand. She led a group of tigresses and charged at the front. The other hundred cavalry were responsible for bringing up the rear under the command of Huang Xuchang and Xu Liang. They had just charged to the front courtyard of the old and dilapidated residence when they were blocked by a group of people. One of them asked in a bad mood, "Dressed like this, who are you planning to kidnap?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Gao Ying stilled. Using the weak moonlight, she took a few more steps forward and took a closer look. Gao Ying couldn't help but cry out, "Officer Yang! You've already been released? "
… …
When the sun on the horizon released a brilliant red glow and dyed the entire sky red, more than twenty fast horses were lightly galloping on a small mountain path towards Zhushan District.
The dewdrops on the green leaves of the wild grass sparkled with sparkling light. Because of the trampling of the horse's hooves and the trembling of the ground, the sparkling dewdrops either splashed out or slowly rolled down, splashing into the dust one by one.
Yang Fan and the others left the city that very night. By daybreak, they were already halfway to Zhushan District.
The prison door of Fangling County opened, and an old man walked in weakly, dragging a bucket of rice.
He knocked on the rice bucket and was just about to shout, "Time to eat!" when he suddenly saw the situation in the prison, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Their cell was not big. There were only a few cells in total. They could see clearly through the bars. Last night, the cell on the right was full of six people. Why was it so empty now?
As soon as the pair of sufferers in the innermost cell saw someone come in, they immediately shouted, "Warden, something's wrong, something's wrong!"
Old Man Cang quickly put down his rice bucket and rushed over to ask, "What happened? Where are the people in the next cell? "
The two unkempt prisoners pointed and gesticulated, spitting spittle as they told him what happened. The old jailer, who was half dead when he walked, couldn't help but turn pale with fright. He immediately rushed out to report to the warden.
In less than an hour, the county magistrate, the county deputy, the registrar, the county lieutenant, the supervisor, and the warden … a large group of people suddenly came. The county magistrate, He Haijiao, disliked the dim light in the prison and specially ordered a few jailers to light torches. They carefully examined the cell that originally held the six prisoners for a long time.
There were two large footprints on the ground, five feet long and three inches deep. If a shorter person were to lie in it, it could be used as a bed.
The heels, soles, and toes … could be clearly seen, as if a giant had once stood there.
The county magistrate squatted on the ground and carefully examined for a long time. He stood up and said to the two prisoners, "Tell me in detail, what exactly happened last night?"
The two prisoners were both merchants, so they had already trained their faces and lips. Just now, they had rehearsed in front of the jailer, so they weren't flustered at all.
It was still the talkative merchant who spoke to the county magistrate, "Last night, the two of us were sleeping soundly. Suddenly, we felt thousands of golden rays piercing our eyes, and we couldn't help but wake up. When we opened our eyes, we saw a golden-armored deity. He was three feet tall, had a broad waist, and was holding a golden pestle in his hand. His whole body was glowing. Yes, it was the golden-armored deity! Yes, the golden-armored deity was standing in that position. The six prisoners in this cell were all prostrating at the feet of the deity, as obedient as kittens. The two of us brothers worshipped Buddha the most. When we saw that the deity was no different from the Skanda, we quickly knelt down and chanted Amitabha! "
The other slow talker finally interrupted and said, "The deity didn't open his mouth, but there was a bell-like voice ringing in our hearts. The deity said that even though we had committed crimes, we were devout to Buddha and had the heart to repent. Buddha saw this and specially sent a deity to enlighten us!"
"Oh?"
He Haijiao blinked his eyes, seemingly believing it but not believing it. He didn't know whether there were real auspicious signs in the world, but as one of the beneficiaries of auspicious signs, he was very clear that the auspicious sign he made back then was fake.
He had been guarding the hot spring soup all year round, and inadvertently discovered that the parts of the fruit that were exposed to sunlight and the parts that were covered by other things for a long time would have a completely different color.
At that time, it happened to be the time when the world competed to offer auspicious signs the most, so he had an idea. He used black paper to cut a mold of the two words "Long Live" and stuck it on the golden peach. When the golden peach ripened, he removed the paper mold and sure enough, the two words appeared.
With this method, he was able to release a county magistrate. Today, listening to the eloquent words of the two prisoners, he naturally didn't believe in such a miracle.
He Haijiao asked, "What about the six people?"
The prisoner followed the words taught to him by Yang Fan and said, "The six prisoners witnessed the miracle with their own eyes and were influenced by Buddha. They were willing to follow the great Skanda to cultivate, so they were taken away by the deity."
The corner of He Haijiao's mouth twitched twice, and he asked again, "Then why did you let go of such a good opportunity?"
The prisoner sighed and said, "The two of us have a father, a mother, a wife, and a son. Our fate in the mortal world is not over. The deity said that we will be released soon. If we sincerely worship Buddha, as long as we go home and fulfill our filial piety to our parents and our duties to our wives, one day we will be rewarded."
He Haijiao's eyes turned cold, and he said sternly, "Really? If you lie, your nine generations will be executed! "
The two immediately swore a vow. He Haijiao pinched his chin and thought for a while. He turned back to the giant's footprint and squatted down. He carefully observed it again, and then looked up at the skylight above the prison cell. A sly look suddenly flashed across the bottom of his eyes.
Seeing him stand up, the registrar Shu Chen quickly moved in front of him and said in a low voice, "The Ming Mansion, I think this matter …"
He Haijiao raised his hand and stopped him. He said in a measured tone, "There is no doubt that this is an auspicious sign! This is because the Holy Son of Heaven is benevolent, so the Heavens have sent an auspicious sign! This auspicious sign appeared in my Fangling County because my Fangling County is clean and honest. This matter needs to be reported to the Holy Son of Heaven! "
"Yes, yes, yes!" The registrar Shu tactfully retreated to the side.
He Haijiao turned to look at the two prisoners and said, "The Holy Son of Heaven once issued an edict. If auspicious signs are reported everywhere, the local government cannot hide or obstruct them for any reason. Those who find auspicious signs must be immediately sent to the capital. Whether the auspicious signs are real or not, the imperial court will verify it. The local officials who find auspicious signs must send people to escort them. Those who find auspicious signs will be treated like a fifth-rank official."
He Haijiao's words were not false. Wu Zetian had indeed issued such an imperial edict. Although she had ascended to the throne and was a little annoyed by the frequent reports of auspicious signs, she did not cancel the imperial edict.
He Haijiao paused slightly and then said in a serious tone, "Haha, as long as what the two of you say is true, then you are blessed …"
The two peddlers hurriedly swore again and guaranteed with certainty that everything they said was true. He Haijiao nodded with satisfaction and turned to order, "Seal the prison and wait for the people from the capital to investigate. Send these two people who found auspicious signs to the residence and treat them well. I will arrange for people to send them to the capital as soon as possible! "
Since the county magistrate had already said so, the officials naturally did not dare to say anything. They immediately agreed.
He Haijiao left the prison and returned to the back residence of the county yamen. She immediately sent for her brother-in-law, Lin Er, and told him in a low voice, "Find a few craftsmen who can keep their mouths shut and build a few layers of bricks for the ventilation holes above the prison. Make it smaller. Otherwise, when the people from the capital come and find out that our prison system is not in accordance with the rules, they will inevitably reprimand us!"
Lin Er understood immediately and hurriedly went to make the arrangements.
…
When Yang Fan visited Fangling County, he had a general understanding of Zhushan District.
Zhushan District was one hundred and forty li away from Fangling County and became famous because of Huang Zhu Ridge. Huang Zhu Ridge was located to the north of Huang Zhu County, and the bamboo on the mountain was all yellow, hence the name. The Prince of Luling, Li Xian, lived on Huang Zhu Ridge. The area around Huang Zhu Ridge was classified as a forbidden area. Ordinary people, hunters, and woodcutters were not allowed to set foot on the mountain.
Because of the long period of watching over the Prince of Luling, the families of these military families had all been brought over. These military families had lived here on royal rations for fifteen to sixteen years and could be considered to have taken root here.
Ten li below Huang Zhu Ridge was Huang Zhu Village. Yang Fan decided to first settle down in Huang Zhu Village and gain a better understanding of Huang Zhu Ridge. He would first contact the Prince of Luling, who was trapped on the mountain, and then decide on a strategy.
However, the flow of people in this era was not large. Without the cover of the circus, even a dozen or so burly men like them would be enough to attract attention, not to mention that there were many young women among them. Thus, Yang Fan decided to have them split up and settle down in the villages around Huang Zhu Village.
In this era, information was not smooth. These people disguised themselves as husband and wife or brother and sister and settled down in the various villages. If the news could not be reported to the garrison commander in the village or the mountain in time, it would not attract attention. By the time the garrison commander in the village or the garrison commander in the mountain discovered something suspicious, they would probably have already picked up the Prince of Luling and left.
Thus, when Yang Fan was about to reach Huang Zhu Village, he decided on a method and place of contact with them. He then had them split up into different paths and head straight for the villages around Huang Zhu Village while he and Gu Zhuting directly entered Huang Zhu Village at the bottom of Huang Zhu Ridge!
… …
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