They did not wait for the snow to completely melt before leaving. When there was still a foot of snow on the ground, Chang'an and the others set off fully prepared.
The few remaining people in the camp also left along with them.
It must be said that during these past five or six days, Old Gu Six and Chang Le had earned a bit of money, splitting it evenly, each earning more than ten taels of silver.
This time their mule carts were loaded to the brim, and Chang'an had no place to sit, only able to sit on the quilts. Fortunately, it was not hot now, so sitting on the quilts was quite warm.
Old Gu Six and Chang Le took turns driving the cart. Chang'an sighed again, having an outsider around was inconvenient. If Chang Le was not there, all these things could have been stored in her spatial bag.
Following behind them was Mu, alone driving a donkey cart that had been abandoned by the group that had left earlier. At that time, the snow was too deep, and the donkey carts could not move at all.
That bunch of idiots who were in a hurry to leave discarded everything they could.
Behind Mu were the brothers Yang Poxiao, and finally Yu San's family of three and Doctor Ren and his wife. They maintained a distance of more than thirty meters from those in front, indicating their intention not to follow Old Gu Six anymore.
Everyone understood it in their hearts, and tacitly did not mention it.
Before leaving, Chang'an poured a box of Shuanghuanglian oral liquid into the cool white porridge, and everyone had a share, even Older Tong's family.
Chang'an was not sure if taking the medicine this way would still be effective, but it was just to ease her mind.
It was Old Gu Six who distributed the medicine, not letting Chang'an do it. He handed out the medicine without much explanation, and did not force those who did not want to drink it.
Those on their side all drank it, including Yu San's family and Doctor Ren's wife who were no longer traveling with them.
Among Older Tong's group, only Older Tong's family drank it, while the others dared not drink it. However, Old Gu Six did explain briefly, "To prevent epidemic diseases."
Seeing that despite the explanation, those people still did not drink and looked at him with suspicion, Old Gu Six simply turned and left with the medicine bowl. After all, it would not be him and his daughter who would die if something happened, and what did those people have that was worth him scheming for?
Outside the mountain forest, the bodies of refugees that had been covered by the snow were exposed due to the melting snow, and began to rot and stink in the warming weather.
"Dad, Chang Le, cover your mouths and noses," Chang'an handed out two pieces of coarse cloth cut to size from the cart, for them to cover their faces.
The two obeyed and guessed Chang'an's intention.
Chang Le went back and reminded Mu and the others, asking them to pass the message along, whether they would follow or not was up to them.
The snowy road was slippery, so everyone walked cautiously, covering only over twenty li that day.
As the temperature rose day by day, the heavy cotton padded jackets were taken off and replaced with summer clothes. It was too hot to sit on the quilts, so Chang'an had no choice but to store them in her spatial bag first, and take them out again when she got out of the cart cabin.
More than ten days later, Chang'an and her group parted ways with Little Ya's family and Doctor Ren's family.
Chang'an and her group continued northward, while Little Ya's group went to the capital.
When parting, Yu San came to bid farewell to Old Gu Six, without saying much, only saying: "Safe travels, take care!"
Older Tong's family of six stood at the fork in the road pondering for a long time before deciding to also head north, but most of those following him did not catch up.
The capital was a gathering place for the nobles and elites, not an easy place to survive. It was better to find a place far from trouble and live freely.
The further north they went, the quieter the road became. In contrast, the refugees heading to Lingnan were the opposite – after half a year of famine, many had died, and most people had run out of food.
Evil intentions were unleashed, and many small towns and cities were attacked and occupied by refugees, who committed arson, murder, and looting without restraint.
Many officials who genuinely cared for the people also lost their lives. The starving people began to resort to eating children, their humanity twisted, and various local warlords became self-proclaimed kings in their own territories.
Meanwhile, in the magnificent imperial palace, the old emperor indulged in wine and women, surrounded by singing and dancing.
None of the information from outside the imperial city reached the old emperor's hands, all of it went to the hands of Zhenguo General Chen Qixiong, who commanded an army of two hundred thousand.
In the front courtyard study of the Zhenguo General's residence, General Chen and his eldest son Chen Su were discussing rebellion.
Chen Su was truly exasperated by his father's indecisiveness and rubbed his temples with a headache.
He sighed lightly and asked, "Father, what are you afraid of? The realm is divided, and the people are suffering. Do you still want to remain loyally obedient to that incompetent ruler?"
Chen Qixiong wanted to scold his son for such treasonous words, but he opened his mouth and swallowed the words back down.
He waved his hand helplessly, as if accepting reality. The ruler he had been loyally serving had somehow become like this.
The Ye Dynasty had become rotten, and to revive it, it must be broken and reorganized.
The general's usually straight back was now hunched, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "Go ahead and do what you want to do."
He then staggered to a hidden compartment, carefully took out a small box, and handed it to Chen Su, "This is the military tally that commands the two hundred thousand troops. Take it."
A flush of excitement appeared on Chen Su's handsome face. Heaven knows how long he had been persuading his father, and now he had finally gotten his wish.
He received the military tally with both hands, carefully tucking it into his robe, as if afraid of dropping it, even pressing down on his collar to secure it.
"Father, do you know who has the tally that can command three hundred thousand troops?"
"I don't know about that. It used to be in the hands of Shuo Prince, but later Shuo Prince returned it to the emperor. After that, I'm not sure whose hands it fell into. There hasn't been a war in twenty or thirty years, so perhaps it's still with the emperor."
Chen Qixiong shook his head slowly. He truly did not know about this. Their emperor, ah, in his youth he was a notorious tyrant known throughout the land, possessing literary and martial talents, as well as cunning and resourcefulness. No one could fathom his thoughts.
Unexpectedly, in his old age, he had become like this, as if he were a different person from the tyrant he was in his youth.
"I understand, thank you father," Chen Su bid farewell with a bow. He was extremely excited now, pressing his rapidly beating chest. After taking a few deep breaths outside the study, he finally managed to calm his agitated heart.
Returning to his own courtyard, he summoned his trusted aides, beckoning one over and whispering a few instructions in his ear. The aide nodded solemnly and said, "Yes."
Then he was seen using his lightness skills and disappeared from the spot.
Chen Su summoned his staff overnight, and the group discussed until midnight before dispersing.
They planned to initiate their rebellion in the south, with Chen Su leading the bulk of the troops to occupy territory and establish his own kingdom.
To prevent the old emperor from making a desperate move, some men were left behind to secure the families of the generals.
From then on, the Ye Dynasty began to splinter into numerous feudal states, while the old emperor residing in the palace remained oblivious, like a domesticated pet caged and isolated from the outside world and major events unfolding.
