She is Jianxiu

Chapter 1441 Zhang Yi Si Que Shi

The road to western Sichuan leads to the hills and ridges.

A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a bleak light on the land. After the middle of the moon, all signs of human habitation had ceased. However, many shadows seemed to flow across the sky like water. Even those on the official road, eager to continue their journey, couldn't help but look up and glance at their surroundings from time to time.

The official road here extends east to Panchuan, passing through the four towns of Fujian, and goes straight northwest to reach Mianzhou City. Therefore, there are many merchants here, and it is quite lively during the day.

However, once the white moon rises at night, there's no guarantee that demons won't fall to earth and devour people. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no one chooses to travel at night. They would rather pay more to find an inn to stay in urgently than risk losing their lives at any moment.

Therefore, there weren't many carriages on the official road, only four in total. The lead carriage was pulled by four bronze horses. The carriage was tall and spacious, with a hexagonal lantern hanging on each side, emitting a dim yellow glow that illuminated an area of ​​about ten feet in radius.

On moonlit nights, the visibility of pedestrians is extremely limited, to the point where it is practically pitch black. Ordinary firelight cannot illuminate the darkness, and unless special oils are used to make lamps and candles, one is completely in the dark and unable to perceive anything around them.

Such ointments were often worth a thousand gold pieces, and the bronze horses pulling the chariots cost even more, ten thousand gold pieces each. It would be difficult for anyone but a noble family to afford such a considerable expense.

Suddenly, the lead cart stopped in the middle of the road, causing the other carts to pause as well. A few low calls came from inside the cart, and then a fair-skinned girl pushed open the door. Without stepping out, she only poked half her body out and asked the driver with a frown, "What happened? Why did you stop?"

On a moonlit night, the worst thing is an accident. The girl lowered her voice, feeling inexplicably apprehensive. Just then, she saw the middle-aged man driving the car turn around and say hesitantly, "There... there's someone in the middle of the road."

Why would there be someone on the road in the middle of the night?

The girl muttered to herself, but dared not be careless. She turned back to the carriage to get an oil lamp, then jumped down and went forward side by side with the middle-aged man.

Sure enough, about seven or eight zhang away from here, there was a figure lying on the ground, it was unclear whether he was dead or alive, and there was no reaction.

"A dead man?" The coachman shuddered, fearing that the man's soul had been sucked away by a demon, causing him to die on the road. "Perhaps they're using this man as bait to lure us in. Maybe we should turn back and go back to the inn!"

The girl was also afraid, but upon hearing this, she mustered her courage, glared at the coachman, and whispered a rebuke: "The Zong family said they won't wait for us if we miss the deadline. If we turn back now, how are we going to get there before noon tomorrow?"

She then handed the oil lamp to the coachman, turned around and said, "You wait here, I'll go ask the young lady what she thinks."

So he climbed onto the carriage shaft, pushed open the door and went inside. He told the woman in the carriage what he had said, and then a sense of lingering fear welled up in his heart: "Why don't we just carry that person to the side of the road? He's not related to us, and we don't know anything about him. What if it turns out to be a troublesome matter?"

The young woman lay half-reclined on the couch, holding half a scroll in her hand. Upon hearing this, she hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "After all, it's a human life, how can we just dispose of it like that? Here's what we'll do: you go and take a look. If it's dead, wrap it up and carry it to the roadside. If it's still breathing, try to revive it first. If it's not alive, we'll talk about it later."

Seeing the girl's pale face, he feared she was frightened and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. I've already calculated this for you, young lady. We'll travel through the night and enter the city by tomorrow morning. Doesn't that just mean that Mianzhou City is not far from us? You know, Mianzhou City is the largest city in the Sichuan-Western Road, the foundation of my Sique clan. It's not so easy to encounter demons there. Perhaps she's just a lone traveler who's exhausted."

The girl dressed as a maid was quickly appeased and got off the carriage after making two "uh-huh" sounds. As the driver approached, he discovered that the person lying by the roadside was actually a young woman, no more than twenty years old. She had high eyebrows and deep-set eyes, and was pretty and delicate. However, her clothes did not look like those of a local, and there were no marks on her body. At first glance, she seemed to be asleep.

Seeing this, the girl had no choice but to bend down and check the man's breath. Finding that he was indeed still alive, she called for help to help him into a car behind, muttering, "Why is he sleeping on the road so late at night? It's really scary."

After speaking, she specifically instructed the driver, saying seriously, "Hurry up and go, the young lady said she wants to enter the city tomorrow morning."

The driver agreed with a couple of "yes" sounds and was about to turn back when he tripped over something hard and almost fell.

So he picked it up and saw that it was a small stove about the size of a palm, covered in dust and ash, and very ordinary in appearance. He was about to throw it aside and ignore it, but then an idea suddenly came to him. So he put the small stove in his clothes and, thinking that he had done nothing wrong, drove off as if nothing had happened.

They continued their journey without stopping, and indeed, as dawn broke, the outline of Mianzhou City came into view. Smoke and fire could be seen along both sides of the official road, and even before entering the city, inns and teahouses sprang up like mushrooms after rain. The maids, young and full of life, eagerly lifted the curtain to look out at the sounds outside, chattering incessantly: "We haven't even entered the city yet, and it already looks more lively than the town! So many people! Much more than in town!"

The Sique clan was a prominent family. The main branch of the family lived in Mianzhou City. Apart from a few branches that were closely related to the main family by blood or had a particularly developed literary lineage, the other branches of the family were scattered throughout various parts of Sichuan and the west. Unless summoned by the main family, they would not usually travel thousands of miles to Mianzhou City.

The branch of the Si Que clan to which Si Que Yi belonged was in charge of the Si Que clan's affairs in the four towns of Fujian, encompassing agriculture, business, and mining. It was a very stable and lucrative position.

Before this trip, my parents managed to scrape together four bronze horse-drawn carriages and over sixty catties of bright lamp oil from their treasury. Among the local wealthy families in the four towns of Fujian, it would probably take them several years to accumulate enough to buy such a thing.

The maids' vision was far beyond that of ordinary people, but what lay before them was Mianzhou City, the largest city in the Sichuan-Western Road. Looking at the entire Jinlai Kingdom, only the capital Lijing could hold a higher position. Even a behemoth like the Sique Clan could not rank first in Mianzhou City, let alone a branch of it.

Normally, given Si Queyi's doting affection for her maids, it wouldn't hurt to let them go out and play. But this time, she was in the city because her family's academy had allocated her a place, and if she couldn't go on time, she would have to wait at least three more years, so she naturally couldn't miss it.

So they continued on their way, only to be stopped at the city gate for another inspection. They were asked, "Who is in the carriage behind? Why haven't they come out? Are they also servants?"

Si Queyi was extremely anxious, wishing he could rush to his family home immediately. However, he knew that revealing the person's background would likely lead to further questioning, so he couldn't care less and simply explained, "He is a companion chosen by the family. He has always been in poor health and was frightened while traveling at night, so we gave him medicine and put him to sleep."

The demons in the heavens are strange, and many of them eat human souls, especially when people are frightened. Therefore, the gatekeeper nodded, thinking that since the Sique Clan Academy opened, many people have come from all directions to study. As an ordinary commoner, how could he dare to make things difficult for the disciples of the sage? So he simply waved his hand and let Sique Yi and the others in.

Upon arriving at the gate of the main residence, he took out his waist tag and announced his name. Only then did a man of medium height stroll out with his hands behind his back. The man looked the newcomer up and down and said with a sneer, "You're from Fujian? It's not that far. Why did you take so long to come? That's troublesome."

This man claimed to be in charge, and his expression was extremely arrogant, suggesting that he had someone backing him up. He also showed no kindness to the members of the collateral branches of the clan.

Si Queyi frowned, not wanting to create animosity on his very first day, so he began to explain, "On the way—"

"No need to say anything more!" The man waved his hand, not allowing her to explain further, and casually pointed inside, saying, "Go in first, and after you fill in your names, someone will naturally take you to your accommodations."

The so-called "arrangement" was actually just assigning guest rooms based on the number of people. However, Si Queyi arrived late, and the spacious and comfortable guest rooms had already been taken. Even though she was willing to use money to smooth things over, the room she was assigned was a small, remote courtyard. It was spacious enough, but it was nowhere near as nice as her own courtyard. Even if she were to find someone to repair it, it would probably cost a lot of money.

After the four carts of luggage were placed, the driver was instructed to lead the carriages and horses to the outer courtyard for storage. From then on, he lived outside with the lowly servants.

This is the rule of the Sique family. The maids can accompany Sique Yi because they are also literate. They are called servants, but it would be more appropriate to call them companions.

The Sique clan has been studying for over three thousand years, and they have their own methods for interpreting the teachings of the sages, which is a major source of confidence for their presence in Mianzhou City.

Si Queyi's trip to the city was for the purpose of enrolling in school.

The maids had already placed the various books they brought from home inside the house. These were the teachings of the sages, which were actually distributed by the family as well, so the most precious items in their luggage were various writing implements.

Scholarship in aristocratic families is not entirely devoid of external resources. In fact, from nourishing the body and mind to reading and writing, the main family members call it cultivation, while collateral relatives call it advancing in learning. None of these aspects are free from the need for money and provisions. Unless one is a genius with a spiritual awakening, it is difficult to find even a few literate people among the common people.

Si Queyi, attended by his maidservants, burned incense and washed his hands in the room, preparing to interpret a text.

Suddenly, a joyful voice came from outside the door. It was the girl who had discovered the man last night. She hurried to the door and exclaimed happily, "Miss, the man has woken up!"