Chapter 619
Wanted Person Notices and Forged Documents
Anyone living in Qin should never underestimate the meaning of the words "blockade".
Xu Zhi's escape stirred up forces both overt and covert, prompting Qin and the other six states to launch a simultaneous manhunt.
The traveling merchant was led to the somber hall.
It was spacious and quiet. The decor was predominantly dark.
He was a man who had traveled all over the country and had struggled in various states for many years. This was the first time he had faced officials from the Qin Dynasty. Even though the person interrogating him was twenty years younger than him, his gaze and gloomy demeanor were unbearable for him, and he trembled uncontrollably.
"Lord Li, these medicines are not mine! Please investigate thoroughly. I am just an ordinary merchant. These are my official documents. I am doing business legitimately. I am not a member of the witch clan!"
Li Xian raised his hand.
Uncle Chen threw the seven or eight boxes of witchcraft ointment that he had found piled up in his warehouse in front of him.
"Tell me the truth, did the person who made this ointment come to Lingcheng with you?"
The traveling merchant swallowed hard. He had often heard people on the road say that Qin officials were notorious for using torture to extract confessions. He recounted everything that had happened along the way, regardless of the severity of the crime.
For some reason, the contents of one of the bags had just been emptied when I was pinned to the ground.
The red agate shimmered and translucent in the candlelight...
Li Xian remembered it all too clearly: it was that night when she handed him the cloak and watched him leave, the earring that was hanging there.
She likes bright red things, such as this.
He could say without a doubt that since he regained consciousness, she was the only person he cared about.
How cruel fate is, yet he felt he should be content.
The year I spent with her in Lingcheng was more fulfilling than all my previous lives.
His return to the capital this time was a prelude to an assassination attempt, a situation where his death was inevitable.
We will most likely never meet again in this lifetime.
But Li Xian both hoped she would never recall the heavy past, yet feared she would forget him. So, he used birds to travel from Xianyang to obtain these red agate earrings, hoping she would remember him even just a little bit.
Seeing that Li Xian remained silent, the traveling merchant turned to Uncle Chen and pleaded, "...Sir, this, this really was sold to me by a woman. There are witnesses among those who have passed by! By the way, the woman's accent didn't sound like she was from Lingcheng; it sounded more like she was from Shangcai..."
Li Xian could no longer remain silent. "What did you sell to her?"
"Lord Li... that woman was injured, so I only sold her two bottles of medicine! I really don't know anything else!"
This traveling merchant was clearly being manipulated, unknowingly smuggling these healing medicines out of Lingcheng and spreading rumors of the blockade and the chaos of killings in the area.
He committed the crime of spreading rumors, a crime that is considered extremely taboo.
The stupidest thing was that he thought it was just a debate about whether he was a member of the witch clan.
Unexpectedly, the things he sold inadvertently saved Xu Zhi.
If Li Xian hadn't shown leniency, the merchant's neck would probably have been severed from his body long ago.
Thus began a large-scale operation involving both overt searches and covert manhunts.
-
Looking down from Bing Shu Bao Jian Gorge, one can see a winding, black army.
The banners of the Qin Dynasty fluttered and the army marched to this point.
Horse hooves trampled through the long wind, rainwater mingled with sewage.
Li Xin was returning to Xianyang from Yue when he passed through Lingcheng. Several prisoners escaped along the way, but news from Lingcheng was blocked, so he was unaware of what had happened there.
Just over a year ago, he received a secret letter from Yong'an, which described a place where, if the general were to return to the capital, he would pass through the sand dunes on his way back.
He asked why.
Ying Hehua's reason was that he was allowed to mourn his ancestors in Zhao.
The sand dunes have a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
In the past, King Wuling of Zhao was besieged and killed here, which caused the State of Zhao to completely lose the opportunity to compete with the State of Qin, and the State of Zhao began to decline.
Li Xin was a soldier. Even though that fleeting glimpse of her was unforgettable, he needed evidence to believe her story.
This is because the messenger was none other than Li Zuoche's confidant, who delivered the message to his military tent.
Even before she lost her memory, Xu Zhi had already been making plans for the Sand Dune.
But he never expected that he would see Princess Yong'an again on the execution ground!
-
Meanwhile, Xu Zhi returned to the thatched hut; the rain had stopped.
It turns out that the daughter she gave the medicine to was Xiao Yan's younger sister, Xiao Ruo, and their mother was Yao Tong.
"Father will be arriving from Kuaiji soon, and will discuss this with you in detail. If Father knows that you are asking about Xu Kai, you two will surely have a lot to talk about." Xu Zhi thought for a moment. As long as she confirmed that there had been no news of an arrest in the past few days, it would prove that Yan Sheng was safe and sound.
She knew perfectly well that she couldn't stay in Lingcheng any longer.
She always felt that, besides Li Xian and Zhang Liang, there were others waiting here for her to walk right into their trap.
She politely declined, saying, "Thank you for your frankness and for giving me all your money. But I'm pressed for time and have other things to do. If I can't wait to see your father, I'll come to Pei County to find you after I finish my business."
Xiao Yan could see her anxiety. Although he also wanted to know the secret of the photo, he did not force her to stay any longer.
The rain stopped.
A farmer came running in a panic, hoe in hand, shouting, "Hey, you all better watch out! I can't afford to mess with this shed. The officials are coming to inspect again! Everyone, quickly take out your travel permits and credentials. Please, everyone!"
Xu Zhixin's heart sank.
Aruo was also nervous: "How could this be? Didn't they say they caught the bad guys a few days ago and the security was lifted? Why are they making such a big fuss?"
A merchant stroked the bamboo slips in his arms, feeling a little more relaxed, and said, "Oh dear, there's been a lot of trouble lately. Yesterday, some Yue people were wandering around the city, and they even tried to assassinate the magistrate of Lingcheng."
Another said, "Yes, during the day today, the government announced a thorough investigation, and anyone without identification or credentials will be arrested and imprisoned. They arrested a young man on the street earlier, and the government refused to release him no matter what. If he dared to resist, he would be beaten with sticks."
"He's really crazy," Xu Zhi thought to herself.
Xiao Yan was also uneasy.
His elder brother, Xiao Lu, separated from them because he lost his travel permit on the road.
Therefore, Xiao Lu is most likely among those to be arrested.
He had just come to his senses when he noticed that the girl he had met on the road had turned and gone to a corner.
The girl was the one who saved his mother, so Xiao Yan was worried and went to check on her.
He discovered that the girl was trying to carve something onto the bamboo slips with a chisel.
Xiao Yan discovered that she was indeed a noblewoman!
In fact, these identity tokens were bamboo slips issued by officials, engraved with their place of origin, name, and basic relationship.
Most people are illiterate and do not recognize words.
The girl actually tried to forge it, and what's even more amazing is that she actually had the ability to forge it!
She could not only write Chu script, but also Qin seal script.
Xu Zhi turned around warily and found it was Xiao Yan.
"...I lost my travel permit on the way, and there was no one at home. I was about to go to stay with relatives. Usually, as long as I explain properly, the officers and soldiers will let me go. I was just thinking of going back to my place of origin to ask the township head to reissue it...who would have thought that this time I would be arrested and imprisoned."
Seeing that he remained silent, Xu Zhi stared at him and asked, "...Your father is a Qin official. Are you going to report me?"
Xiao Yan repeatedly said no.
At this time, there were many more noises outside, indicating that the inspection had reached the shacks not far away. Some merchants who had stayed there without proper identification were quickly handcuffed.
Xiao Yan lowered himself and said sincerely in front of her, "...I would like to ask you for a favor on behalf of my brother. Please grant my request."
Xu Zhi felt that running away was not the best option.
Then an idea came to mind.
"Then I beg you, my lord, to do me a favor."
How can I help?
She leaned in and whispered in her ear.
Xiao Yan's breath hitched; he had completely forgotten what he had promised.
"It's just a temporary measure, only for this fifteen minutes."
Soon, bluish-white engravings appeared on the blue bamboo slips, revealing Chu and Qin script.
Then, she buried the bamboo piece in the soil, dug it out again, and stomped on it several times.
"...What are you doing, young lady?"
She smiled and said, "This is called 'antiquing'."
"You should also give your brother a good thrashing."
There were five Qin soldiers who came, and few of them had ever seen Princess Yong'an's true face.
They held the bamboo slip, on which was written—
[In the second year of the reign of the Emperor, Ya, a native of Shangcai, married Yan, a man from Pei, at the age of 24, becoming Yan's wife.] (End of this chapter)