An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

At this moment, a yamen runner who was searching the carriage jumped down and pulled two bags of grain onto the carriage. He reported loudly to the burly yamen head, "There's half a bag of dry food on the carriage, and several dozen kilograms of rice and flour!"

After saying that, the dozens of kilograms of rice and flour were thrown heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Seeing this, the woman's eyes reddened and her voice was filled with tears: "Sir, please be kind and bring us a few pounds of food. If my aunt and nephew are still alive, at least they can have a full meal. It's not easy for us on this journey, you can't let us go to see our relatives empty-handed..."

The yamen head snorted coldly. Although his tone was harsh, he was restrained. It was obvious that he did not want to conflict with the people. "All the food will be confiscated. It's easy for us brothers to talk. If it were someone else, you wouldn't be allowed to take any dry food in. If you want to leave, leave quickly. If you don't want to leave, don't block others' way."

Perhaps because the woman was quite cooperative and they were worried that she might have some background, the bailiffs who were interrogating her did not act ferociously and their tone was rather polite.

The woman was still a little hesitant, especially gnashing her teeth as she looked at the two bags of rice and flour. It was clear she was still unwilling to accept the decision and even wanted to fight for it again. A yamen runner who came up beside her couldn't help but shout, "If you don't accept it, turn around. There's an official document posted on the stone ahead. You can go and take a closer look to see if we're being partial and perverting the law to deliberately embarrass you."

Hearing this stern shout, and looking at the silent yamen head, whose expression had turned serious and gloomy, the woman felt a little timid and stopped arguing with them. She just sighed softly and gestured for the fat maid to get on the carriage to collect the messy things. When she had enough space on the carriage, she hurriedly climbed on.

After passing the checkpoint and walking another half mile, the two men breathed a sigh of relief and asked everyone to slow down and continue waiting for the vehicles behind.

The two carriages behind had no food on them, but they also passed the checkpoint one after another. The children got on the carriages and still sat quietly in them, while the maids carefully sorted out the messed-up luggage.

The guards did not dare to bring any larger weapons, but two knives were still confiscated. The reason for the confiscation was very far-fetched. They said that a short knife was also a weapon, and even the guards were not allowed to bring it into the city. Life under the imperial city had never been so strict.

After passing the first checkpoint, the inspections at the next three checkpoints became more relaxed, and fewer and fewer people passed by. Apart from their group, there were only a few scattered people, and it was rare to see people riding in carriages or on horses.

Perhaps they thought that the previous checkpoints had been searched thoroughly and that there would be nothing to gain from further investigation, so the attitude of the yamen runners became noticeably more perfunctory.

But the routine work would always mess up the things in the car, sometimes clothes and bedding would be soiled or fragile items would be damaged. Whenever this happened, Ah Qi could only go up to them in person, say a few good words, or even give them some change.

The second checkpoint was the smoothest. The bailiff just casually glanced at the carriage and luggage, not even bothering to lift the curtain. He took the small change and waved his hand to let them pass.

When we reached the third checkpoint, the yamen runners were even more lazy. They just stood by the roadside and chatted. When they saw a carriage coming, they didn't even ask questions and just gestured for it to pass.

This relaxed inspection allowed the convoy to move much faster. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and the journey went smoother than expected.

During their journey, they encountered a convoy transporting grain to Xunyang City. The convoy was quite large, with more than a dozen carts fully loaded with grain, and the wheels made a dull sound as they pressed against the ground.

The drivers were all big and strong, obviously men who did physical labor all year round.

They were obviously very familiar with the yamen runners guarding the checkpoint. They greeted each other from afar, laughing loudly and speaking with a familiar tone.

"Old Zhang, it's your turn on duty today? Thank you for your hard work! Thank you for your hard work!" The leader of the grain transport convoy shouted to the yamen runner with a smile, and casually took out a package from his arms and handed it over.

The yamen runner took the item, weighed it, and with a satisfied smile on his face, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, hurry up and go. Don't waste time."

"Look, these are the real 'insiders'. We outsiders can't have that kind of respect." A coachman muttered in a low voice.

Another driver sighed and shook his head, saying, "In this world, only the rich and powerful can get by without any obstacles. Common people like us can only be slaughtered by others."

The convoy continued to move forward, and the scenery on both sides of the official road gradually became desolate. The mountains in the distance were undulating, and occasionally a dilapidated village could be seen, but there were rarely people walking around. The village seemed particularly depressed, and no one knew how many people were still alive.

On the afternoon of the next day, the sun shone through the thin clouds onto the earth. From afar, the gate of Xunyang City stood tall and majestic, like a huge barrier separating the city from the outside.

Above the city gate, there are intricate carvings, and the traces of time have left mottled marks on the stone bricks, making it look simple and solemn.

There were not many people queuing up to enter the city. Apart from them, there were only a few farmers and vendors carrying loads and bags.

The atmosphere at the city gate seemed somewhat deserted, a stark contrast to the bustling scene a few days prior when entering Ezhou City. Back then, Ezhou citizens were constantly entering the city, and the city gate was crowded with people waiting to pay the two copper coins fee to enter.