In the first year of Chongzhen, on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Kaifeng Fucheng, Henan Province.

This place is still about 1,400 miles away from the capital.

In nine days, he traveled nearly 1,100 miles. Wu Zongrui was not very satisfied with this speed, but compared to other scholars, this was already an amazing speed. Calculated at this speed, Wu Zongrui could reach it in the middle to late January.

Arriving in the capital, of course, we have to ensure that we don’t encounter any special situations on the way.

The Southwest Horse is indeed not fast, but its endurance is good. Wu Zongrui feeds the Southwest Horse soybeans, buckwheat and water every day to maintain the Southwest Horse's physical strength. During the journey, he also pays attention to giving the Southwest Horse a timely rest.

Entering Henan, Wu Zongrui also traveled with the caravan, but during the journey, he mastered some skills, that is, when he was resting every day and contacting the caravans he was traveling with, he inquired about other caravans' itineraries.

If you have time, follow a certain caravan and speed up along the way to catch up with the caravan in front to save time.

This worked very well. There were many caravans in Henan, far exceeding those in Jiangxi and Huguang.

Henan already belongs to the north, and most of the people in this area are tougher and more generous. What makes Wu Zongrui strange is that in his impression, the slightly barren north has so many caravans.

The barren conditions of the people in Henan had already made Wu Zongrui feel numb. On the way, he could even see corpses lying on both sides of the official road. Some corpses that were not buried in time had the flesh of their arms and thighs cut off.

The drought situation in many places in Henan is also shocking. You can see cracks in the sky and earth on both sides of the official road. You must know that it is the middle of winter, and the drought situation should have improved.

Refugees are everywhere, one after another, and the number of people is getting larger and larger. Some market towns have set up porridge shacks so that these refugees can have a meal of hot porridge. Wu Zongrui once visited a porridge shack somewhere and cooked hot porridge.

Millet porridge, with not much millet visible, is not much better than plain water.

No wonder the peasant uprising that broke out in Shaanxi quickly spread to Henan, and a large number of people joined the rebel army in Henan.

Looking at the tall and majestic city wall not far ahead, Wu Zongrui sighed. He had no intention of entering the city. It was already the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, and tomorrow would be the 30th of the twelfth lunar month. He would give himself a day off and celebrate the New Year outside the city of Kaifeng.

Kaifeng Fucheng is known as the ancient capital of eight dynasties. Its prosperity reached its peak during the Northern Song Dynasty. The famous "Along the River During Qingming Festival" shows the prosperity of Kaifeng Fucheng. It gradually declined during the Southern Song Dynasty, but the magnificent city still shows its majesty.

Although hundreds of years have passed and Kaifeng has gradually declined, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. Kaifeng City is still one of the most prosperous and affluent places in the north.

The inns outside the city are naturally not as good as those in the city, but Wu Zongrui doesn't care. He has been on the road for nearly a month and has slept in tents in the wild. It is good to be able to rest comfortably in an inn for one night and sleep until he wakes up naturally.

.

Wu Zongrui really felt the isolation and loneliness of traveling. After all, he was a civil servant and could not mingle with everyone in the caravan. People respected him with respect and did not dare to approach him.

Not to mention the postmen, they were all respectful in front of him and did not dare to make the slightest mistake.

Just get used to it, sometimes loneliness is also a state.

The innkeeper was sharp-eyed and could tell at a glance that Wu Zongrui was unusual. He asked the waiter to lead Wu Zongrui's southwest horse and quickly introduced the best upper room in the inn. As expected, the young scholar chose the best upper room.

You must know that Wu Zongrui at this moment is covered in dust, his face is stained, and his hair is a little messy. If you don't look carefully, you won't be able to tell anything.

Upon entering the room, the innkeeper quickly brought hot water and poured it into a wooden bucket.

After closing the door, Wu Zongrui took a quick shower and put on clean clothes. The climate in the north was cold and he was wearing a thick cotton jacket, which made him look a little bloated.

Sitting comfortably in the chair, I was about to take a short rest and go downstairs to eat when there was a loud noise outside.

Wu Zongrui tied the package containing the silver tightly around his waist and went downstairs.

A cold wind blew at the gate, and Wu Zongrui, whose hair was not completely dry, said he couldn't help but shuddered.

The cold in the north is different from that in the south. The biggest feature is the dry cold. The cold air surrounds you from all directions, getting into your clothes and even into your bones. You can't avoid it even if you shrink down.

"Get lost, you stinking beggar. If you don't leave, I'll report it to the government..."

A brawny man with no clothes on his back, carrying a haggard-looking woman on his back, stood at the door of the inn.

The strong man's face looked confused, with a hint of resentment.

Seeing Wu Zongrui coming downstairs, the innkeeper immediately showed a respectful look on his face.

"My guest, I'm bothering you..."

Wu Zongrui waved his hand and walked up to the strong man.

The strong man had a pale look on his face, and the woman on his back was even more ashen-faced. She no longer had the strength to raise her head, and it looked like she could no longer hold up.

Before Wu Zongrui could speak, the shopkeeper spoke again.

"Sir, these people are refugees. There are many calls every day. The government has been driving them away. Today is the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. I think the government did not patrol here, so they are here again. They are really pervasive..."

Just as the shopkeeper finished speaking, the strong man spoke.

"Okay, okay, okay, my mother is dying. I want her to have a full meal before I leave..."

"Go, go, go back to where you came from..."

The shopkeeper didn't even look at the strong man standing in front of the door.

Wu Zongrui couldn't help it, but when he saw the refugees wandering in twos and threes on the road, he didn't say anything. It was not that the shopkeeper was unwilling to give out a meal, but there were a lot of refugees nearby. Once he gave alms to one person, the rest

People will also come around, and the shopkeeper will not be able to deal with it at that time.

Reason told Wu Zongrui that he should not meddle in other people's business. If he meddles with the strong man and woman in front of him, other refugees may come over. Spending money is a trivial matter. If these refugees are provoked to follow them all the time, it will be really troublesome.

.

The strong man turned his head, looked at Wu Zongrui standing in front, gritted his teeth desperately, took a step forward, and knelt down.

"Master, please do me a favor and let my mother have a full meal..."

Wu Zongrui was caught off guard and naturally reached out to help the strong man kneeling on the ground.

The strong man was unwilling to get up. Two lines of tears flowed down, and two clear tear tracks appeared on his stained face.

Wu Zongrui was by no means hard-hearted, and the scene in front of him made him unable to bear it any longer.

"Shopkeeper, prepare a banquet..."

"Sir, that's not possible..."

Wu Zongrui turned his head and looked at the shopkeeper, with a hint of cold light in his eyes.

The shopkeeper shook his head and ordered the waiters around him to get ready immediately.

...

The strong man carried the woman into the inn.

The waiter of the inn stood at the door, staring at the refugees in groups not far away, as if facing a formidable enemy.

It was already the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, there were almost no guests in the inn, and the banquet was served quickly.

The strong man carefully put the woman down and helped her sit on the bench.

Wu Zongrui sighed, picked up the warm rice wine on the table, walked to the woman, and carefully fed it. The woman slightly raised her eyes, looked at Wu Zongrui, and showed a smile that was uglier than crying.

.

After feeding him half a cup of rice wine, Wu Zongrui picked up a few soft pastries, put them in a bowl, and continued to feed the woman carefully.

The woman tried very hard to eat more, but she couldn't chew it at all.

Wu Zongrui was already trying to endure it. The woman's body exuded a strong smell of death. It was an unbearable smell. Before the time travel, he couldn't bear it at all.

In fact, the woman is not very old.

Finally, the woman's head hung down, unwillingly.

The shock of seeing a person starve to death with his own eyes was a huge blow to Wu Zongrui.

"Mom, let's go..."

The strong man did not say hello to Wu Zongrui, but carried the lifeless woman on his back and strode out of the inn.

"Humph, beggar, you don't understand the rules. Sir, look at this, refugees are like this..."

Wu Zongrui waved his hand to signal the shopkeeper to silence him. Based on that action just now, he had other ideas about the strong man.

The woman obviously died in the inn. The innkeeper was far away and did not notice. If he knew about it, he would definitely scream bad luck and rely on Wu Zongrui. In desperation, Wu Zongrui could only reveal his identity.

Get out of embarrassing situations.

The strong man quickly carried the dying woman away to prevent Wu Zongrui from getting into trouble.

Wu Zongrui sat quietly without moving his chopsticks. He knew that the strong man would come again.

Sure enough, less than half an hour later, the strong man came to the door of the inn again.

"Shopkeeper, heat up the dishes..."

While talking, Wu Zongrui took out five pieces of silver and put it on the table.

"Okay, I'll warm it up for you right away..."

Wu Zongrui walked to the door of the inn, looked at the strong man and spoke.

"Come in, I'll treat you to dinner and drinks."

The strong man nodded and followed Wu Zongrui into the inn.

Outside the inn, more than ten refugees have gathered.

Wu Zongrui looked at the waiting staff and spoke again.

"Give them some steamed buns."

The waiter looked at Wu Zongrui and was speechless.

"The guest officer has already spoken, why don't you hurry up and do it..."

The shopkeeper was smart at this time and spoke quickly.

The wine was hot and served, and so were the dishes.

Wu Zongrui picked up the wine glass, stood up, nodded in the direction of the door, and poured the wine in the glass on the ground.

"This is a tribute to your mother. I wish you a happy journey and join a wealthy family in the next life..."

"thump..."

The strong man knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Wu Zongrui.
Chapter completed!