Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2536 Seeking a meeting
When Mian Bai learned that he and the troupe would be sent back to Xijing City by the Shen family army, he breathed a sigh of relief, and the heart that had been in his throat finally settled back into his stomach.

During the past half month, oh no, to be precise, from the moment he was captured, he was very worried that the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and the Marquis of Wuding's Mansion might keep him at the border and not let him leave.

Logically speaking, it was natural for the Duke of Zhenguo and the Marquis of Wuding to lock him up in Jiapingguancheng. He was arrested for committing a crime here. The Duke and the Marquis's handling of him was in accordance with the laws of Daxia and was also the duty of the Duke and the Marquis, and he had never resisted this.

Although he was the younger brother of Concubine Hui, a prince who broke the law would be punished the same as a commoner, let alone a relative by marriage. When the wife of the old Marquis Wu Ding was suspected of colluding with the eldest prince of the Jin Dynasty, she had to die to prove her innocence in the absence of any concrete evidence. However, he was caught red-handed by the general and had no possibility of refutation. The only choice he had was to accept the punishment.

Although he had used all his fortune to compensate the victims, Mian Bai was not sure whether the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and the Marquis of Wuding's Mansion should communicate with Jiangnan and other places and compensate the people in those places.

Besides, Mianbai felt that judging from the usual style of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and the Marquis of Wuding's Mansion, his punishment would not only be monetary, but there should be other things, such as imprisonment for a few years. He completely agreed with this and would not resist at all, but if he had to choose, he wanted to go back to Xijing City to be imprisoned instead of in Jiapingguan City.

It's not that he disliked the hard life in Jiapingguancheng. After all, being in prison is not a pleasant thing no matter where you are. Instead, during the time he was here, he vaguely felt the sudden tense atmosphere at the border.

When they first came to the border, the atmosphere in the city was not like this, but after only a few days here, the number of soldiers patrolling the streets was several times more than in the previous few days, and the frequency of patrols also increased. He didn't know if this was his illusion, but his instinct told him that this was not normal.

He suddenly thought of his childhood, the night when the government was besieging the Qinglian Sect. The atmosphere in the city was just like it is now. His mother held him and told his father that it seemed like a war was about to break out, and he shouldn't sleep too deeply at night, lest he be too late to run away if something happened.

That night, as expected, he heard a huge noise and chaos outside, listening to the commotion and the howling of ghosts and wolves. His parents covered his ears for fear that he would be frightened, but he still spent the whole night trembling in fear.

The next morning, when they walked out of the room, they saw soldiers in armor escorting the people from the Qinglian Sect out of the city. Those guys who were so arrogant on weekdays became drowned rats at this time, covered in dust and covered with wounds.

Mian Bai felt that the current Jiaping Pass City was exactly the same as when the Qinglian Sect members were arrested, but he was not sure whether his feeling was really that accurate. If it was, he and the troupe might not only be unable to help but also cause trouble if they stayed here. If they left, maybe the burden could be relieved a little.

But these were just his wild thoughts, and he was not sure whether they could become reality.

Although it was only a brief contact, Mian Bai felt that the styles of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, the Marquis of Wuding's Mansion, and the Shen Family Army were different from those of the dignitaries he had met before, and were even completely different from the styles of the palace.

The Duke of Zhenguo, the General Zhenguo and the Marquis of Wuding were all people who had led troops for many years. They were cautious and careful, and would not have sent him back to Xijing City with great fanfare without a foolproof plan. Although his identity was not announced to the world and only a few people knew about it, if something went wrong on the way back, they would probably be to blame.

Besides, his sister, Concubine Hui, has been dead for many years, and he has few relatives and friends in Xijing City. Even if he doesn't have to go to jail, he doesn't know where to go.

Mian Bai hated his own entanglement. Now he really didn't know whether to leave or stay. He was caught in a dilemma.

Just when he was hesitant and didn't know what to prepare, the shadow guarding him told him to pack his luggage and go to the warehouse where their personal belongings were stored to see what they had to take away. Mian Bai was overjoyed and took his troupe to the warehouse to pick out items. Everyone had a happy face, except for one person.

"You want to see the general?" Ying Wu looked at the little guy who was clinging to his legs, then looked at Mian Bai. Seeing that the other party shrugged helplessly, he sighed and said, "What do you want to say to the general? Can I convey it for you?"

"Okay." Xiaotong looked at Yingwu seriously, "I don't want to go to Xijing City, I just want to stay here."

"Why?" Ying Wu and Mian Bai looked at each other, and saw confusion and puzzlement in each other's eyes, "How can this place be better than Xijing City? Didn't you grow up in Beijing when you were a child?"

"This place is not as good as Beijing, but my master is here, so I have to stay here." Xiaotong said confidently, "I know he is not a good person, and I know he has been using me, but he is dead now, and he has paid the price for the wrong things he has done, and that is enough." He looked at Yingwu, "If I am gone, how miserable it would be if no one came to visit and pay tribute to him on his birthday and death anniversary every year. Since I am his apprentice, I naturally have to shoulder this responsibility."

"But he didn't take you as his apprentice."

"Master Wu, it's not important. I don't care whether he treats me as a disciple or a servant. It's enough for me to treat him as a master." Xiaotong suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Yingwu several times, "Master Wu, please!"

Yingwu sighed softly, reached out to help Xiaotong up, and nodded at him.

"I'll tell the general for you, but it's hard to say whether you can be kept by the general. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

Ying Wu patted his shoulder, pointed to the cabinets and baskets filled with the troupe's belongings, and said, "No matter what, find your own things first. If you can keep them, these things can also go with you to the new place. If you can't keep them, just follow your troupe leader and leave. As for your master's grave, don't worry, it won't be deserted without you staying here."

Xiaotong was completely stunned after hearing what Yingwu said, but Mianbai understood the meaning of his words.

"Fifth General, can you please spare me a moment?"

Yingwu followed Mianbai to a place farther away from Xiaotong where he could not hear their conversation.

"General Fifth, what you just said," he lowered his voice, "is he going to show up?"