After the news was swiftly delivered to the Capital City, Li Shuchen's second uncle, Prince Zhong, angrily threw the intelligence report at his Gray-robed Aide's face and said sarcastically, "Look at your brilliant idea!"
"You said the bandit problem in Jinzhou was rampant, and suggested we coerce the mountain bandits to cooperate, then frame them afterwards. It would be cleaner and leave no trace. But what's the result? We've handed him a good reputation for free!"
"He's using the attack as an excuse to take that fool Mo Wangshan to suppress the bandits, and he's even using the poison I prepared at the post station to poison him!"
"That little bastard..." Prince Zhong cursed furiously.
One of the advisors quietly looked up and reminded him, "Your Highness, you're his uncle..."
Prince Zhong choked.
He pondered for a moment - if the little bastard was his nephew, what did that make him?
An old bastard?
Prince Zhong pursed his lips tightly.
He glared again at the outspoken advisor: "You're so clever!"
"Since you're so capable, think of a way to get rid of this little pri... nce."
A calculating, venomous gleam flashed in Prince Zhong's eyes.
The Emperor was disappointing, only managing to produce two princes in so many years, not even a princess.
Clearly, the Emperor was lacking in that department.
Unlike him, with nineteen sons and seventeen daughters.
He was very capable!
Killing his elder brother to take the throne was too difficult and could easily lead to accusations of regicide and fratricide, condemned by history books. It would be better to directly eliminate his two princes. With the Emperor heirless, he would naturally need to adopt a successor.
He had many sons and could lend one to his royal brother.
Once his son ascended the throne, he would become the de facto Emperor Emeritus.
Prince Zhong's schemes were well-laid.
So when the Emperor inexplicably wanted to depose the Crown Prince, he was the first to support it.
After the Crown Prince was deposed and exiled, he had sent assassins, but the Crown Prince had luckily escaped. Later, upon learning that he had lost the use of his leg, Prince Zhong had underestimated him.
Coincidentally, Consort Yao became pregnant with the second prince, so he began plotting against the second prince.
Now that the second prince was in a coma, who would have thought the Emperor would recall Li Shuchen, whose leg had healed. Prince Zhong turned his attention to Li Shuchen once again.
While they were still brainstorming ideas, Li Shuchen faced his third assassination attempt.
On the twenty-fifth day of their journey, they reached the borders of Yunzhou.
The cracks in the parched earth grew wider, and the air was filled with stifling heat. Dark swarms of locusts circled over the wheat fields, their wing beats creating an incessant buzzing.
With their rations and water skins, they were like walking pieces of fat meat.
However, the guards' hard armor and sharp spears served as a strong deterrent to the nearby refugees.
They didn't dare to rob, but they closely followed on both sides.
Whenever the guards stopped to eat, the refugees would stare longingly, shouting, "Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!"
"Would any kind soul spare me a piece of bread? I'm starving to death..."
"I'd be happy with just a sip of water."
"You're too greedy. I'd drink their piss if they offered it."
"Ah, forget it. The one in the carriage is Prince An. Why would he care about our worthless lives?"
"Oh? Prince An? ... Who's Prince An?"
"The former Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. He's still the Emperor's son after all. Now he's been remembered and given the title of Prince An."
The shifty-eyed man lowered his voice and repeated to those around him, "They have so much food but won't spare us a bite. Prince An is truly cold-blooded. He doesn't care about the common people at all. You see people's true colors in times of crisis. He only thinks of himself and doesn't care if we live or die. He doesn't give a damn about the common folk..."
"Aren't you thirsty from all that talking?" a female refugee interjected.
Before he could respond, she continued:
"Your lips look quite moist. You must have had water recently. Do you know where there's a water source?"
The surrounding refugees immediately stopped their criticism of Prince An and turned to stare hungrily at the man, pressing him about where to find water.
Quietly slipping away from the crowd, the female refugee cast a loving glance at the carriage.
Her Shuchen didn't deserve any slander.
Qi Huan found a tree with its bark stripped bare and sat down beneath it. Yan Qing and Yan Jiu quickly followed.
Since entering Yunzhou, refugees were scattered everywhere. Following the merchant caravan, they had been intercepted five or six times.
The long line of carriages with ample supplies was too eye-catching.
At first, small groups of refugees were easy to deal with. They could be knocked out and left behind. But once word spread, they feared larger bands of refugees would surround them.
Li Shuchen had assigned her skilled fighters, but the refugees were numerous and willing to risk their lives for food and water.
The situation was the same throughout Yunzhou and the surrounding areas. There was no way around it. They couldn't fight their way through several provinces.
In the end, Qi Huan suggested they split up. A small group in disguise would be easier to get through than a caravan.
She, Yan Qing, and Yan Jiu disguised themselves as siblings. Xu Nanny and Tao Su each went with two guards, agreeing to meet in Meizhou.
Along the way, they had seen people so hungry they ate dirt and tree bark, and heard horrifying stories of cannibalism.
In deserted areas, Qi Huan couldn't help but casually leave some water and steamed buns by the roadside.
Saving a life was worth fifty points.
Replenishing a bottle of water cost about two points, and a pound of Shandong steamed buns cost about six points.
The points gained from doing good deeds far outweighed those spent on purchasing food.
Why not help the refugees while accumulating more points?
Qi Huan helped the disaster-stricken refugees as much as she could while ensuring her own safety. But truly solving this problem would require the government's intervention.
She had heard that Yunzhou City had emergency grain reserves and a spring that hadn't run dry in a hundred years. The refugees on the road all said things would be better once they reached Yunzhou City. They had already passed through three county towns, and after two more, they would reach Yunzhou City.
She was surprised to encounter Li Shuchen here.
According to Yan Jiu, Li Shuchen had set out the day after them. They had entered Yunzhou, abandoned their horses, and walked for three days. By rights, Shuchen should have traveled faster in his carriage.
What Qi Huan didn't know was that Li Shuchen had encountered an assassination attempt earlier, which delayed him for a day, plus another day of recovery, coincidentally bringing them together at this time.
Her gaze fixed intently on the distant carriage, longing to see him.
As night fell, with no village in sight, Commander Mo ordered his men to set up camp.
The weather was stifling, and almost everyone was sticky with sweat.
During a drought, no one would waste water on bathing.
The surrounding refugees reeked of sweat, and the biting mosquitoes made it difficult to sleep.
Yan Qing swatted a flying insect with a loud slap. As she was about to discard the mosquito's corpse, she suddenly heard a woman nearby say, "If you're not going to eat it, can I have it?"
"......"
Meanwhile, a large wave of refugees quietly approached, wielding clubs as they advanced towards the guards' carriages and horses.
The person at the front shouted loudly, "They have water! And food! There are more of us, we can surely grab some! Charge!"
"Charge!"
Driven by the need for food and water, the refugees' eyes glowed red with determination. They were no longer intimidated by the guards and rushed forward, swinging their clubs.
Li Shuchen had anticipated this.
Earlier, Commander Mo and Eunuch Luo had insisted on following the emperor's verbal orders, refusing to travel light. Their conspicuous presence was bound to cause trouble.
If the refugees came to loot and met no resistance, they would continue to do so.
However, if they resisted and the guards killed anyone, it would be blamed on him. His reputation would be ruined, and the common people would despise him.
Li Shuchen stepped out of the carriage. With a light touch of his toes, he flew onto the roof of the vehicle. His hands clasped behind his back, he parted his thin lips and, using a bit of his inner energy to project his voice, called out: "Stop!"
