Chapter 143: Crossing the River
Hearing Li Musheng's question, Hu Rui'an put away the map, and a deeply complicated expression crossed his face as he shook his head, saying, "I will not hide it from Your Highness. I have some old grudges and entanglements with the master of Zhanliu Manor, Shen Liancheng, and so I have some concerns about the part of the journey that will take us through the manor's territory."
Having said this, Hu Rui'an fell silent and showed no intention of going into further detail.
Li Musheng raised an eyebrow slightly. Judging from the man's expression, the so-called entanglements were probably not simple, and very likely concealed some story not known to others.
Even so, he had no particular interest in prying into it, and could not be bothered to ask further.
Before long, Wu Shang went and came back, his expression somewhat unpleasant as he reported, "The bridge crossing the Julu River up ahead has somehow been destroyed. Everyone on the bank has been stopped, and all the carriages, horses, and people on the road are unable to get through."
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an furrowed his brow, raised his head to look ahead, and said slowly, "This is the only road to Sheng Province in this area. If we take a detour, it will add at least one to two days to the journey."
As he spoke, he looked toward Wu Shang and asked, "Are you certain the bridge is completely gone? There is no way at all for the carriage to get through?"
Wu Shang gave a light nod, saying, "I saw it with my own eyes. The stone and timber bridge built across the river has been completely swept apart. The river is around a hundred zhang wide, and the water is deep and fast. It seems fording it with horses and a carriage would also be out of the question."
Hu Rui'an thought briefly, then turned to look at Li Musheng, clearly intending to consult his opinion.