"What did you say?" Jiang Shuyue gasped.

Could it be that that guy has already led his men to attack so quickly?

Just as Jiang Shuyue was wondering, Mei'er took a couple of breaths and said, "When I went out to buy things, I saw a lot of people running towards the Prime Minister's residence. I heard that the Prime Minister's granary has been looted."

Mei'er finished speaking in one breath, filled with worry. With so many refugees, who knew if they might sneak into the Jiang residence?

Jiang Shuyue was even more surprised, as she had not instructed those people to rob the place.

She instructed Mei'er, "Go quickly and tell everyone not to leave the manor today unless necessary."

Mei accepted the order and immediately turned and ran out.

Qiuju leaned closer to Jiang Shuyue and whispered, "Didn't Miss tell them to follow Prime Minister Wei and eat when he does? Why are they fighting over it again?"

Jiang Shuyue shrugged. "Perhaps there were too many people and we were starving, so we lost control. I didn't expect this outcome."

Her intention was to let the refugees pester him relentlessly, making it impossible for Prime Minister Wei to eat. Eventually, he would be driven to desperation and solve the problem.

In the end, she underestimated human nature.

Jiang Shuyue put Suisui down and said, "Son, you play by yourself. Mother is going out to take a look."

Remembering Lin Miaoshou's words that the Prime Minister's residence kept many thugs, Jiang Shuyue felt a chill run down her spine.

If any refugees lose their lives as a result, she will be held responsible.

"Sui Sui, Uncle will take you out to see the world too."

Nangong Zeyue also wanted to see what it would be like for those unarmed scholars to see that scene.

Before Jiang Shuyue could leave, he bent down and scooped her up with his hand. Sui Sui disappeared from the spot in an instant, just like an ornament on his body.

"Miss, this rabbit's pee smells terrible, what should we do?" Qiuju said, lifting the bamboo cage. Sure enough, there was a puddle of rabbit urine on the ground.

"Have Lan'er call someone to clean up. We'll also go to the Prime Minister's residence. I'll just put the rabbit in that patch of wasteland."

After Qiuju left, Jiang Shuyue opened the bamboo cage and saw two plump rabbits squatting inside, looking like fluffy lumps.

Before she could think any further, she flicked her sleeve and stored the two snow-white rabbits into her spatial storage.

...

The Prime Minister's residence was in complete disarray, and the women were huddled in a courtyard, trembling with fear.

The servants, armed with large knives, protected the women's quarters as if they were an iron barrel.

The Prime Minister's wife had always been arrogant and domineering; she had never encountered anything so humiliating.

A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes, and she said in a deep voice, "Take advantage of the chaos and drag the leader into the cellar and lock him up."

The steward bowed and said, "Madam, it's no use. There are many common people and scholars watching outside."

Lady Wei, who came from a prestigious family, understood the usefulness of scholars. If someone were to get into trouble at the Prime Minister's residence at this time, those scholars would condemn them with their words and writings, which would not only fail to protect the Prime Minister's residence but would also implicate the Empress in the palace.

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and rescue the master from those lowly people!" Seeing that her daughter-in-law couldn't come up with a solution, Old Madam Wei slammed her cane on the ground and shouted to the servants outside.

Seeing her mother-in-law's anxiety, the Prime Minister's wife quickly stepped forward to comfort her, "Mother, you can't do it. I'll instruct the steward to take people to the front hall right away."

If she weren't afraid of being attacked by the refugees, she would have rushed out long ago.

"Grandmother, Madam, please calm down. Those refugees are only after food; they haven't rushed into the backyard." The steward said, waving his hand and leading more than ten servants to the front hall.

In the front hall, Prime Minister Wei and his personal servant were surrounded by refugees and could not go anywhere.

The refugees carried bags of rice, and some were even chewing on steamed buns.

Some people were even eating fruit in their hands, not letting go of anything edible.

"Your Excellency, we've been kneeling at the yamen gate for so long, some of us have even fainted from hunger, while you're hiding in the Prime Minister's residence feasting on fish and meat. Do you deserve to sit in that high position?" A man who looked like he was educated questioned angrily.

Prime Minister Wei was so angry that he was trembling. The food had just been served when a group of people suddenly appeared out of nowhere and snatched all the food from his table, even the food in the kitchen where the servants ate.

The refugees entered the mansion by stacking human ladders outside the wall. By this time, the gate of the Prime Minister's mansion had already been opened, making it impossible to distinguish between onlookers and refugees.

Some servants, swords in hand, looked at the trapped Prime Minister Wei. Without their master's orders, the servants disguised as thugs hesitated to make a move.

There were so many refugees that the several large halls were filled with people, forcing the servants to retreat step by step.

"You, you are simply lawless! This is trespassing, which is illegal!"

"As the prime minister, you refused to let refugees into the city during the famine year, nor did you open the granaries to provide relief to the people. You are a mere figurehead, unworthy of being a subject. It is people like you who are guilty!"

A neatly dressed young man, resembling a scholar, angrily pointed at Prime Minister Wei and questioned him.

The crowd behind him all said in unison, "That's right, they prey on the people, they're fat and useless, the court is full of people like that, what's the difference between us and raising a bunch of maggots?"

The scholar-like man set a precedent, and immediately, complaints and angry shouts filled the air.

Those refugees, being uneducated and lacking knowledge, launched into a tirade of angry curses, even dragging the Empress into the fray.

"Tsk tsk tsk! I thought life was better under the emperor's nose! Turns out the common people in Yannan are not as well off as they are." Someone in the crowd blurted out.

“That’s right. The Prince of Yannan has also helped so many refugees. These are things that the Emperor should be doing. If Emperor Renzong knew that the people of Wanling Kingdom were living in misery, the Dragon Gate of the Imperial Mausoleum would not be able to be closed.”

"If we don't receive the disaster relief grain from the imperial court today, none of us will leave. I'm sure the Empress wouldn't want her family to starve to death."

“Yes! We’re not leaving.” Some of the refugees simply sat down on the ground, and in an instant, the hall was filled with people.

Prime Minister Wei was so angry that his nose was crooked. These unruly people had no regard for the law and even disregarded him, a high-ranking official second only to the emperor.

The public resentment in the entire Prime Minister's residence reached its peak.

Seeing that everyone was criticizing the incompetent man in the palace and praising the Prince of Yannan as a benevolent man with a heart for the world.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Prime Minister Wei shouted, "Shut up! I will write a letter to the palace right away and ask the Emperor to distribute food to everyone so that we can get through this difficult time."

"He wouldn't have sent the Emperor to arrest us, would he?"

"Since he's not giving us a way out, let's just burn down the Prime Minister's mansion and fight to the death!"

Prime Minister Wei swayed, and the servant behind him quickly supported him, saying, "My lord, these people are truly insane."

Just then, the steward of the Prime Minister's residence walked out of the crowd and instructed a servant behind him, "Quickly prepare pen and ink."

The steward and his servants squeezed next to Prime Minister Wei and whispered, "Master, these people are like starving wolves; they're capable of anything."

He then glanced back at the crowd, "There are quite a few scholars watching outside, this matter..."