After I got into the drama, I led the plot astray

The New Year is coming soon, but the streets are not busy at all.

The plague made people panic. Although the smallpox vaccine was widely used, many people died due to limited technology. In addition, unscrupulous businessmen raised prices, and many families could not afford to eat. They were so miserable that they had no intention of celebrating the New Year.

Thinking of this, I quickly sat up. I have a lot of money in my hand now, I can do some good things for the people and accumulate some merits for myself.

Just as I was thinking deeply, Li Si stopped the carriage. I lost my balance and bumped my head against the carriage. With a "bang", a big bump immediately appeared on my forehead.

I touched the big bump on my forehead and lifted the curtain. Before I could curse, a dirty little beggar handed me an envelope.

I looked at the little beggar in confusion. He didn't reach out to take the letter, but Zhang San came over, took the letter and asked, "Who sent you to deliver the letter?"

The little beggar was about eight or nine years old, skinny, with loose hair that was dirty and stuck together. He was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket that he had picked up from somewhere. It was dragged on the ground and was so dirty that his original color could not be seen. It was so cold, but he was standing barefoot in the snow, his feet were red and swollen from the cold, and he kept stamping his feet back and forth.

The little beggar looked at me nervously and whispered, "An older brother asked me to deliver the letter. He said that if I deliver the letter, you will give me a silver ingot."

Seeing this boy, I couldn't help but think of the little match girl. My eyes couldn't help but feel sad. I said, "It's so cold. Even if I give you money, you can't buy food. My family is short of people. Are you strong enough? If you are, you can come back with me and be a servant. Not only will you have enough food to eat, but I will also give you monthly wages."

The little beggar looked at me warily, took a few steps back silently, and said, "Are you trying to trick me away and sell me to a pawnbroker?"

I couldn't help but laugh and said, "Do you think you are worth anything in your current state? You are so skinny that you won't be worth much even if I sell you. I don't mind the money. I am the second young master of the general's mansion. If you are willing to come with me, I will take you to the general's mansion."

The little beggar's eyes lit up. The General's Mansion was well-known in the capital, and Zhao Zhenyuan's image as a god of war was deeply rooted in people's hearts. He nodded his head non-stop, but then said, "I still have my mother. She can wash clothes and cook, but she is sick now. Second Young Master, can you take her to the General's Mansion with you? We don't want monthly salary, we just want to have enough food to eat."

I thought about it and said, "Take me to meet your mother. If we like each other, I will bring her to the general's mansion."

The little beggar was so happy that his whole face was glowing, and he said in a trembling voice: "Second Young Master, please follow me."

I nodded to Zhang San.

Zhang San was resisting with his whole body. He and Li Si had clearly received an order to take me back to the general's mansion. If they went with me, they would be disobeying the order; but if they didn't go with me, they would be violating orders!

Zhang San pursed his lips and said nothing.

Seeing that Zhang San was unwilling, I glared at him and said, "Have you grown so powerful? You don't even listen to me?"

Zhang San handed me the letter and turned around reluctantly. I shouted, "Take him with you."

Zhang San had no choice but to pick up the little beggar, walked to the front with a dark face, and sat down with Li Si.

I lowered the curtain, opened the letter, and pulled out a thin piece of paper. When I saw the words on it, my eyes couldn't help but shrink. These were the words of Ankang!

Ankang, whom I haven’t seen for a long time, actually wrote to me!

I quickly looked down:

Dear Master Aman:

Master A'man, I will soon be leaving the capital and going to a strange place to start my life anew.

There is no Young Master A'man in that place, and I don't know when I can see him again. Whenever I think of this, I feel very sad.

I can only blame myself for being too humble. There are many things I dare not tell the young master. I also hate myself for not being strong enough to protect the young master, causing him to suffer injustice.

Ankang really wanted to stay with the young master, but fate was against him and he was powerless to resist, so he was forced to leave.

Once I leave, I will be in the dark about life and death, and I don’t know where the future lies. If I am healthy and can return alive someday, I will stay by the young master’s side forever and repay his kindness.

Best wishes for your health!

There aren’t many words, but sadness is evident in every word.

Ankang is leaving the capital?

I couldn't help but feel surprised.

Didn't he always follow Zhou Min? Was he going to follow Zhou Min back to Xihe Kingdom?

The letter did not say where he was going, but it can be seen from his letter that he was forced to leave. Who forced him to leave?

Whenever I think of that tall and strong young man with a kind face who treated me with all his heart, I feel very sad.

I folded the letter and stuffed it into my sleeve, thinking that after I finished dealing with the little beggar, I would go to the post station to see if Ankang was still there.

The little beggar took us to the bank of the Wei River.

Because the Wei River was frozen, the flower boats on the river were said to have already moved south to continue their livelihood in the warm south.

So the Wei River looks empty and desolate.

The Wei River is not only a place of entertainment, but also a gathering place for poor families.

People from all walks of life make a living.

But now the whole city is under strict ban, and all gambling houses, taverns and teahouses are closed. Many people have lost their livelihoods. If they stop working, they will have no food to eat. Many people have no choice but to steal and rob secretly.

Therefore, the dead silent Wei River is more terrifying than the bustling one, because you don’t know how many eyes are watching you in the dark, waiting to take your life or rob your property when you are not paying attention.

Before the carriage reached the Wei River, I knew that there were many people hiding in the dark and spying on us, but I didn't feel scared.

When my Ren and Du meridians were opened, the belligerent factor in my body seemed to be stimulated at the same time, and I wanted to find someone to fight all the time. And the more people there were, the more excited I was. I couldn't help but take out the small axe hidden in the carriage, waiting for someone who didn't care about his life to come up and hit me with the gun.

There was a dilapidated temple by the Wei River, where many beggars once gathered. However, after the outbreak of the plague, many beggars were infected with smallpox, and more than half of them died one after another. In addition, the weather was cold and the dilapidated temple was windy on all sides. The remaining small half who did not die in the plague froze to death because they had no cotton clothes or quilts to keep warm.

The imperial court was aware of this phenomenon, but the law of the jungle and elimination of the weak was the way to survive, so they just let it go. As a result, the Wei River area became more and more chaotic, and more and more people died.

Ergou and his grandfather had lived in this dilapidated temple before. At that time, the whole temple was full of beggars. Many beggars even fought each other for a place to stay, and their heads were broken and bloody. But now, there are only a few beggars huddled in the corner of the temple, motionless, which is heartbreaking.

I got off the carriage and looked at the empty dilapidated temple in front of me. Ergou's smiling dirty face suddenly flashed before my eyes: A'man, the flowers by the Wei River are blooming, I will take you to see them.