Before the house is confiscated, the enemy's warehouse is emptied and exiled

All this is because Shen Qingge had mentioned before that food resources are extremely scarce in the Nanling region in winter.

Most local people rely on working and fishing at the seaside in summer and autumn to accumulate enough food to survive the long and cold winter.

In addition, although the climate in Nanling is relatively warm and pleasant for three quarters of the year, it can still be quite cold in winter.

And this kind of cold is not the dry cold like the one in the Central Plains, but a damp and cold feeling, as if it can penetrate into the bone marrow.

Even for the convicts who were accustomed to harsh environments, such damp and cold weather was still unbearable.

Unconsciously, as the team walked, the surrounding environment was changing more and more significantly.

The mountains around them grew taller, and the trees on them grew more lush and green. Furthermore, the air was thicker with moisture, its humid air permeating every pore of their nostrils.

These people from the Central Plains had never felt such humid air before, and they started sneezing because they couldn't adapt.

Not only that, the population became visibly sparse, and it was difficult to find people even on the sides of the official road.

Looking around, those flat lands that should have been cultivated into fertile farmland are now barren, overgrown with weeds and lifeless, forming a sharp contrast with the prosperous scene of fertile fields and beautiful houses everywhere in the Central Plains.

Shen Qingge glanced at the surrounding scenery, feeling overwhelmed with emotion as he muttered to himself:

"Judging from the situation, we must be about to enter the territory of Lingnan!"

When the exiles heard this, they felt extremely complicated.

On the one hand, they felt relieved because the arduous journey of several months and thousands of kilometers was finally coming to an end, and they would be allocated their own housing, even if it was just a dilapidated wooden house.

But on the other hand, they couldn't help but feel panic deep in their hearts. After all, no one knew whether they could endure the hardships of life here, let alone how to survive this long five-year sentence and how to complete the heavy labor work.

However, it didn't take long before they all felt relieved. Things had come to this point and there was no point in thinking too much. They could only take one step at a time. This was also the mentality they learned on the road to exile.

Official Li Tian walked at the front of the exile team. Looking at the winding mountain road ahead, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in his heart.

Counting carefully, this was the third time he led an exile team to Lingnan, but this time was undoubtedly the most dangerous one.

At this moment, he was only thinking about reaching Nanhai County as soon as possible. As long as he could register these fugitives and complete the handover with local officials, he could leave this troubled place as soon as possible.

He secretly vowed that he would never take such a hard job again after returning home.

Wealth, fame, and fortune are no longer important to him. He just wants to retire, live a warm and peaceful life with his wife and children.

It doesn’t matter if life is poor, after all, only by keeping your life can you enjoy life!

Recalling what happened to the captain Li Tian and other officials along the way, he secretly thanked God that he had never taken the initiative to harm the Shen family.

He was even more grateful that Shen Qingge did not kill him and spared his life.

Whenever he thought of this, Li Tian would feel a sense of fear and a hint of gratitude.

At this moment, his eyes involuntarily fell on Shen Qingge. She was walking quietly, her eyes still firm and clear.

Somehow, Li Tian suddenly smiled at Shen Qingge, and that smile contained too many unspeakable emotions.

Perhaps at this moment, all words are redundant, and silence is better than words!

……

About three to five days later, the team finally arrived outside Panyu City in Nanhai County after a difficult journey.

Xiao Heng sat in the carriage, feeling a little uneasy. Although he thought he had prepared himself mentally, when he slowly lifted the curtain of the carriage, the scene that greeted him still shocked him.

The height of the Panyu city wall in front of him was quite appropriate, but its dilapidated appearance was far beyond his previous expectations.

There are only three big characters "Panyu City" hanging high above the city gate. Due to years of erosion and weathering, only the lonely character "Fan" is barely recognizable.

These are actually nothing. What makes Xiao Heng unbelievable is that this city wall is still an ancient rammed earth structure!

Moreover, in the mottled and peeling places on the surface of the city wall, you can even clearly see the straws mixed in.

Seeing this, Xiao Heng's face turned a little ugly. He quickly lowered the curtain, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

After all, this was his first appearance in front of the local people. As a member of the royal family, he had to maintain the proper dignity and demeanor no matter what.

At this moment, Xiao Heng's carriage had already been harnessed and prepared, and was neatly lined up outside the city as a ceremonial guard for the princes of Beiling State.

Many servants respectfully followed the carriage and carefully rolled up the heavy curtains again, leaving only a thin, translucent gauze curtain fluttering gently in the breeze.

The hazy gauze curtain, half-covered and half-hidden, allowed people to only vaguely see the general outlines of the people in the car.

In this way, the people's desire to catch a glimpse of the princes can be satisfied, while at the same time direct offense to the rulers' majesty can be cleverly avoided.

After receiving the news, the county magistrate Zhang Yi and a group of officials in Nanhai County, who were far away, did not dare to slack off and waited at the city gate early.

When the richly decorated carriage slowly approached, Zhang Yi and the others hurried forward, their faces full of respect, and they carefully followed the team and served them.

As the heavy city gate slowly opened, Yun Yi and other personal guards who entered the city first quickly took action. On the road extending from the city gate to the Lingnan Palace, a guard was posted every few steps.

These guards were dressed neatly and looked energetic and majestic.

Not long after, the King of Lingnan's guard of honor finally entered the city gate in a grand manner.

Xiao Heng sat steadily in the carriage, his eyes as sharp as torches, staring straight ahead, but at the same time, he calmly glanced at the people kneeling on both sides of the road to worship.

However, almost no common people dared to look up at the extremely noble King of Lingnan, so Xiao Heng naturally could not see their true faces and expressions.