Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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The next morning, three horse-drawn carriages and an ox-drawn cart, escorted by guards, quietly left Xiaofu Village.
Mama Hu, Hong Wei and the others never expected that they who could ride in the horse-drawn carriages when they came would have to squeeze into the ox-drawn carts and feel the cold wind all the way back.
Hong Wei huddled beside Mama Hu, her teeth chattering from the cold, “She wants to take all these pots and pans back with her. She even loaded two carts and took up our seats!”
“She is indeed a rough and uncouth girl who grew up in the countryside. How can she treat us so harshly? No, no, she has no sense of propriety.”
She would definitely file a complaint after returning and make sure that this damn girl could not even take a single step in the governor’s mansion!
In fact, riding in the ox-drawn cart and feeling the cool wind was not the most aggrieving thing. What made Mama Hu and the others feel the most uncomfortable was that they were sandwiched in a group of smelly refugees, smelling all kinds of fishy smells, and were forced to accept all kinds of strange looks from the people around them.
Hong Wei subconsciously tightened her arms around the bundle, feeling that the stares of those disheveled refugees were piercing.
“Stop talking nonsense and keep an eye on your things,” Mama Hu scolded her angrily, feeling upset.
She had felt something was amiss since the guards came early in the morning to report that Mama Fang and her son had disappeared.
They had been locked up in the woodshed, so how could they suddenly disappear before leaving?
The legitimate daughter was even making veiled accusations, as if she had secretly let them go!
She felt so wronged.
“Big sister, please be kind and give us some food.”
Someone suddenly reached out, and Hong Wei screamed in frighten, pushing the person away. “Go away! No, no, nothing. Nothing.”
“Please give me just a little! My child is starving. Just a little, just a little! Anything will do!”
Hong Wei screamed. “Go away! Go away! Don’t touch me, you filthy creatures! I’m warning you, this is an official road, don’t mess around!”
Several accompanying guards rode up to drive away the refugees. Seeing the raised swords, the others retreated tactfully.
Seeing them fear the guards’ swords, Hong Wei sneered and trembled. “You still want to rob us? I’ll beat you to death. You’re a bunch of filthy beggars, you have no sense of self-worth. Get out of here!”
“Don’t say a word,” Mama Hu said, her heart pounding, and she tugged at her arm.
This damned girl mustn’t really anger these refugees. Or even the guards would be overwhelmed.
“What are you afraid of, Mama?” Hong Wei sneered, her head raised. “They’re just some starving people, their lives as fragile as paper. How dare they come and tamper with us?”
Then, she pulled out a handkerchief-wrapped snack from her bundle and unfolded it to show off. “See? We have plenty of food, but you stinking beggars don’t deserve it!”
“You’re crazy!” Mama Hu yanked her back, her eyelids twitching wildly and her face twisting with anger.
Why did an old woman like her bring such a brainless piece of crap on this journey?
Mama Hu was screaming inwardly that something was wrong when the surrounding starving people, their faces flushed with cold, rushed towards them like crazy.
“They really have so much food!”
“Give it to me, give it to me!”
Hong Wei was so frightened as she was dragged from the oxcart and thrown to the ground. Her back hit the dusty ground hard, and she screamed in agony.
“Guard Chen, help me, help me!”
Several guards drew their swords, but more starving people rushed at them from behind, grabbing their waists and pinning their legs.
Guard Chen was horrified with his sword snatched from his hand. In his panic, he was stabbed in the shoulder, and blood gushed out.
“Ah,” Hong Wei screamed.
She was dragged to the ground, trampled countless times in the chaos, and she curled up in pain.
To make matters worse, one of the swords taken by the refugees fell and hit her face, immediately opening a bloody gash.
The refugees were frantic, and many grubby hands tore at her arms, pulling out the bundle and wrestling it away.
Hong Wei screamed and tried to sit up, but someone stepped on her face, causing the wound to burst open completely, and sticky blood flowed down her chin.
However, no one cared whether she lived or died. The refugees scrambled for the looted bags, stuffing whatever food they could find into their mouths.
The woman who had earlier begged for food sobbed and tried to grab the cakes from the strong man’s hand, “Leave some for my child, I beg you, please.”
“Get out of here!” The strong man flung the woman out, throwing the child with her, and they fell with a thud.
The scene was in utter chaos, spiraling out of control.
Yu Linlang’s carriage wasn’t the only one on the official road. Others, in horse and donkey carts, watched the mob unrest and turned pale with fear, fearing it might affect them.
The refugees, scrambling for food, jumped onto Yu Linlang’s carriage like crazy, and Jiu Jin knocked several of them back with a fire poker.
Yu Linlang’s face was cold as she raised her hand and lifted the curtain.
Jiu Jin leaped out, stepped on the carriage roof, and sneered, “I advise you not to touch those two carts. There’s nothing to eat on them, only some poisonous flowers and plants. Eat them if you’re not afraid of being poisoned, but don’t blame others if you die.”
“Don’t waste your time with them! Search the carriage!” The refugees, furious, raised their swords high, not caring about anything else.
“I see who dares to touch my miss!” Jiu Jin’s eyes widened, ready to strike.
“Whoosh!” A stray arrow swiftly shot down the sword held high in the hands of the leading refugee.
A loud “clang” made the refugee’s face turn pale with fear.
Then came the sound of horses’ hooves, accompanied by a gust of wind and sand.
Everyone looked back in shock, only to see a young officer in black armor galloping towards them. He held a token high in his hand and spoke rapidly, “The pacification envoy has been ordered to go to Weizhou City to provide disaster relief. All relief grain is on the way. During this period, any famine victims who rebel, loot, or incite disturbances will be dealt with strictly according to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, and all bandits will be executed without mercy!”
The refugees, in a chaotic mess, retreated, their seized swords clinking and clattering to the ground.
A deep silence fell on both sides, as the soldiers stepped aside to make way for an unassuming carriage in the middle.
Yu Linlang glanced casually and happened to see a thick curtain slowly descending across from her.
In that fleeting glimpse, she caught a glimpse of a face as cold and pure as snow, a few strands of silver hair brushing against the curtain.
“Miss, what are you looking at?” Jiu Jin jumped off the roof, her eyes curious.
Yu Linlang stared at the lowered curtain opposite and said lightly, “Well, it’s a pity. He’s so young, but he won’t live long.”
“Ah?” Jiu Jin turned back and looked, scratching her head, “Who are you talking about?”
Suddenly, a woman with blood all over her head rushed out of the crowd with a child in her arms and cried for help.
“Doctor, is there a doctor to save my life? Sir, please save my son! Save him!”
The woman was shaking the unconscious child in her arms in a panic and threw herself in front of the young general’s horse and cried bitterly.
“Is there a doctor here?” The young general looked around and asked.
“If you shake him again, he will be disabled if not dead.”
Yu Linlang leaned out half of her body, took Jiu Jin’s hand and slowly got off the carriage.
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