Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Chapter 566 Old Man

Zhao Shan was so tired that he almost hung on the horse's back. Jiang Shangxian and Yingzi were not much better off, their buttocks were about to reach the sky.

But Jiubai and the others were just out for a walk, and when they stopped, they kept muttering, "The moon is very bright these days, perfect for traveling at night."

Xiao Jiang, whose legs were still weak after sliding off the horse, breathed a sigh of relief and managed to utter, "Can't you see that Master Zhao is already dying? Let's rest for the night and continue our journey tomorrow!"

Putting the blame on Zhao Shan was her last act of stubbornness.

Zhao Shan did not talk back. He was afraid that Jiang Shangxian would be as unwilling to admit defeat as Cui Bianxu. If he did not take the blame, she would be in trouble if she insisted on continuing on her journey.

When the group entered the post station, the postman was very attentive when he saw that they were from the Cui family. Although the meal was only a large bowl of soft noodle soup per person, at least there was minced meat in it.

It was almost noon at this time. Jiang Shangxian thought that he and his group were already late, but he never expected that the wooden door of the post station would be knocked again.

The postman who was heating water for them heard the noise and ran out to open the door, muttering rather depressedly, "It's really lively today. Usually no one comes at this time."

You see, the ancients didn’t like to work overtime either.

Jiang Shangxian was tired and sleepy. The postman kept looking at her swollen and dark cheeks, which made her feel uncomfortable. She finished her meal quickly, went upstairs to soak her feet, and then collapsed.

However, Zhao Shan, Jiubai and others ate their second bowl and met the visitor.

The guards stayed in two rooms, one for three and one for four. Just as Jiubai was about to go to sleep, someone said, "Jiubai, the person who just came in looks familiar."

"Which one?" Jiubai sat up again. There were a total of eighteen people who came just now. Except for one who looked like a scholar, the rest were all martial artists. They were well-organized and had a temperament similar to theirs. They must be guards from some family.

The other person also stopped what he was doing. As Cui Bianxu's bodyguards, they had naturally met many people in Chang'an City. If they recalled carefully, they might be able to think of something.

It was Jinyun who spoke: "It's that old man, he doesn't look very healthy."

"That old man?" The faces of that group of people flashed through Jiubai's mind quickly.

As guards, they need to be wary of everyone. Among the group, apart from the sixteen guards, there are two people left, one old and one weak. They look like the masters, but their temperament is a little worse.

Especially the young scholar, he doesn't look like he came from a wealthy family.

Going out with sixteen guards means they are definitely not an ordinary family.

"Can you remember who it is?"

Jinyun Bachelor shook his head: "I can't remember, I must have seen him by chance."

He just felt that the face looked familiar. There were so many people in Chang'an City, and everyone he met when he went out was a stranger. How could he remember it clearly?

"Go and call the four of them over and have them take turns on duty tonight. Be alert. We will leave early tomorrow morning. If you run into those people again, look carefully." It doesn't matter if they can't remember. The important thing is that they are protecting their wives now, and there can't be any mistakes.

Jiang Shangxian, who was snoring in his sleep, had no idea someone was guarding his door. The next day, he was surprised to see two people standing at the door. "Didn't they say we'd take turns guarding the night when we were away? Why are we starting now?"

Since this post station was not far from Chang'an, Jiang Shangxian originally wanted them to have a good rest for the night. After all, they would be traveling day and night starting today, and might have to sleep in the open air. He didn't expect them to be so dedicated to their work.

"It's best to be careful when you go out. My lady, since you're awake, please have breakfast first."

At this time, there were already many people in the inn sitting in the lobby downstairs eating breakfast. Yingzi enthusiastically ran over to provide Zhao Shan with a wake-up service, and forcibly woke up Zhao Shan who was sleeping soundly.

As he came over, he kept muttering to Jiang Shangxian, "Auntie Jiang, could you please stop asking Yingzi to call me? My heart is pounding, I'm so scared."

It was so stimulating that when he woke up his mind was fuzzy and his heartbeat was accelerated.

Jiang Shangxian readily offered him a bowl of soft noodle soup. "Well, don't worry. We need to hurry today. If we're fast, we'll probably reach Luoyang by tomorrow night, or the day after tomorrow at the latest."

I wonder if this postman only knows how to make steamed buns. Why did he make the same thing for two consecutive meals?

This bowl doesn't even have any meat in it.

Fortunately, she brought meat sauce and put a big spoonful in each person's bowl, which just filled half the jar.

While eating, Jiang Shangxian noticed that Jiubai and the others seemed to be looking at the people around them calmly. She also looked around but didn't see anything.

Those who could stay at the post station were court officials or their families like her. Most of them were officials, and she was the only one among them.

After leaving the post station, she asked Jiubai, "What were you looking at in there just now? Is there anything wrong?"

When she asked this question, she was also worried. If the Zhao and Cui families leaked the news, and Cui Bianxu was not there, someone in Chang'an City might focus on her, Madam Cui, who was returning to Chang'an alone.

Jiubai had no intention of hiding anything from her. He hadn't said anything inside just now because there were too many people around to talk. Now that he was out, he spoke frankly, "Jinyun said that among the group of people who came after us last night, there was someone he thought looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was."

"So, that's why you suddenly arranged for someone to keep watch last night?" It was impossible not to be nervous since it was the first time for Jiang Shangxian to travel far away by himself in this era. He tried his best to appear calm.

Jiubai nodded, his face hesitant. "I originally asked him to come back this morning to see if he could remember it, but to my surprise, the old man didn't show up."

I can’t remember...

"This is an official post station, and it's close to Chang'an. It's normal to meet some familiar people. Let's hurry on our way. If we meet them later, we should be more cautious." There are too many familiar people in Chang'an City. If you have a good memory, you will probably have some impression of someone you just met briefly when passing by.

Jiang Shangxian touched the box that was firmly sewn into the inner pocket of her small shoulder bag. She checked it when she woke up this morning. The two green spots on the male Gu had become a little bigger. They were in a hurry now and had no time to stay here and wait for Jinyun to remember who this person was.

Zhao Shan, who was standing by, couldn't help but join in when he heard what they were saying: "That man shouldn't be an official from Chang'an. If he were an official in Chang'an, I should have seen him before."

He ate slowly and chewed his food carefully. Even though he was so tired that his brain was almost unable to work, he still maintained his demeanor outside last night.

So he also met that group of people.

This statement was even more confusing, and the group had no choice but to start their journey.

No matter who they are, as long as I don’t meet them again in the future, it has nothing to do with them.

If they encounter them one after another, it means that there is more than a 60% chance that the other party is targeting them.