Chapter 98: You Are Not In Exile You Are Clearly Traveling!
Chapter 98: Good Impression
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and even showed a hint of relaxed smiles. It was not only because of Xie Yunshang's words but also because of his attitude.
After all, compared to the previous general, Xie Yunshang was much better.
Not only did he look handsome, but his attitude was also good.
They indeed needed rest. First, they went through a riot, then Captain Sun forced them to march for days and nights without much rest. After that, they experienced an attack by bandits. At this moment, they just wanted to find a place to rest. They had been on edge for too long, and it was exhausting.
Seeing everyone looking hungry, Xie Yunshang distributed all the food carried by the bailiffs to everyone, allowing them to eat their fill.
The other bailiffs dared not stop him. After all, the food was originally for the prisoners, even though it was supposed to last a long time, Xie Yunshang used it up in one go.
"Master Chen, is this what you usually eat?" Xie Yunshang picked up a stale steamed bun, his expression somewhat unpleasant, feeling sorry for Master Chen.
"Um..."
Chen Yuan touched his nose, feeling somewhat embarrassed to tell him that they didn't usually eat this. They always had delicacies and spicy food.
"Ah, Master Chen, you've suffered!" Xie Yunshang felt guilty, thinking that if he had returned to the capital earlier, maybe he could have prevented Master Chen from being falsely accused, and Master Chen wouldn't have to suffer like this.
"Master Chen, rest assured, I will find a way to clear your name. I guarantee it with my life!"
"Let it go!"
Master Chen shook his head. "I appreciate your intentions, but His Majesty has made a promise regarding this matter, and it cannot be changed. If you forcefully try to clear my name, you may put yourself in danger!"
He actually guessed that with only Zhang Yiquan's support, how could His Majesty protect him? Obviously, there were more important figures behind Zhang Yiquan.
The identity of this person was self-evident.
So, he was very clear that with the importance of that person's identity, it was fortunate enough for his family to survive. If they tried to clear his name, it might anger His Majesty and even implicate those who wanted to help him clear his name or plead for him.
"But, Master Chen..."
Xie Yunshang became anxious. "Master Chen, although I haven't been to the southern barbarian region, I presume it's as harsh as the borderlands, if not worse..."
He had seen people exiled to the borderlands, many of whom died before even reaching the road. Even if they arrived at the borderlands, they were left with half a life at most.
Even if they had half a life left, it wasn't a life of comfort. They had to do all sorts of dirty and tiring work.
Washing clothes, cooking, farming.
Even when enemies attacked, they were used as cannon fodder to deplete the enemy's strength.
Although Xie Yunshang and his father wouldn't treat prisoners like this, other soldiers would, and almost all soldiers believed that these prisoners should be treated this way.
Their treatment was similar to that of prisoners of war.
Because Xie Yunshang knew all this, he wanted to try his best to prevent Master Chen from experiencing such hardships.
Originally, he thought Chen Yuan had been exiled to the borderlands, so he could secretly take care of him. Who knew he would be exiled to the life-threatening southern barbarian region.
This made him even more determined to stop Chen Yuan from being exiled to the southern barbarian region.
Seeing how he was considering his family's welfare, Chen Yuan was deeply moved. He didn't expect that a small act of kindness back then would lead to this... It also proved that his decision to save Xie Yunshang was worthwhile.
However, he didn't save Xie Yunshang for any reward and certainly didn't want to involve an innocent person like him.
So, he subtly hinted that the situation was not simple, even speculating about the identity of the person behind the scenes.
Frowning, Xie Yunshang suddenly understood why his father had said that the situation was not simple. He had thought his father didn't want to spend a lot to intervene...
Now he realized that if his father hinted to other generals to plead for Chen Yuan together, His Majesty would probably be more determined to get rid of Chen Yuan.
"I understand." He nodded. "I will be careful. I won't act rashly until I find a foolproof plan."
As they chatted, they had already arrived at Pingyin County.
Xie Yunshang had already sent his subordinates to inform the county magistrate, so the magistrate and his men were waiting at the city gate to greet General Pingwei.
After seeing the county magistrate from afar, Xie Yunshang and the others hadn't approached yet, but the magistrate hurried over, respectfully bowing to Xie Yunshang.
"Your Excellency Pingyin County Magistrate Xu Yuan, I greet General Pingwei!"
"Magistrate Xu is too polite!" General Pingwei returned the greeting with a fist salute, without putting on airs.
"General, please don't be so polite. Just call me by my name!" Magistrate Xu said nervously.
"Magistrate Xu is older than me. How can I call you by your name? If my father hears about it, I'll be punished."
"This..."
Magistrate Xu felt helpless on his face, but he felt relieved in his heart. Although it was just a title, it revealed the character of a person.
Obviously, General Pingwei was more accommodating than he had imagined, which made Magistrate Xu overjoyed as he wanted to curry favor with him.
"These people have just experienced an attack by bandits. Could Magistrate Xu please arrange something for them?" Xie Yunshang didn't forget about the people behind them, and he didn't treat them as prisoners either.
"No problem!" Magistrate Xu nodded. With General Pingwei speaking, how could he refuse? Even if he couldn't owe a favor, he could still gain his goodwill.
"These...?"
After arranging for his subordinates to settle the prisoners, Magistrate Xu looked at Chen Yuan. Since he came with General Pingwei, he was curious about his identity.
"These are Master Chen... for some reason..." Xie Yunshang didn't say much, but he showed respect to Chen Yuan.
Seeing this, Magistrate Xu was somewhat surprised. He knew that General Pingwei called him 'Master' simply because of age.
But he could tell that General Pingwei called Master Chen 'Master' not because of age but out of genuine respect.
So, this made Magistrate Xu even more curious about Master Chen's identity.
From his appearance, it was obvious that he was also a prisoner, so what was his relationship with General Pingwei?
Could it be that General Pingwei appeared here this time because of him?
But didn't they say that General Pingwei just happened to pass by and unexpectedly rescued the team attacked by bandits?
Regardless of the situation, since General Pingwei respected Master Chen so much, Magistrate Xu felt that this was an opportunity. As long as he took good care of Master Chen, maybe General Pingwei would have even better feelings towards him.
In the future, even if General Pingwei didn't directly help him, a few words from him could still be helpful when he encountered problems.
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