"Liu'er, go report to the authorities." Sun Miao'er looked at the two people in front of her with a cold and indifferent expression. They were pitiful, but even more hateful. They repaid kindness with enmity and were not worthy of sympathy at all!

Sun Caiyun pleaded tearfully, "Miao'er, please, it was all Second Aunt's idea, it was all my thinking. I had my husband take the money. If you really want to send it to the authorities, then send me instead."

"No, I took the money myself, it has nothing to do with your second aunt!" Lu Huan turned to look at his wife and said, "Tiger is still young, he can't be without his mother."

"Husband, I'm just a woman, I can't raise Tiger by myself. After I go in, you can find Tiger a mother and take good care of him!"

Sun Miao'er scoffed lightly. So he's still playing the role of a tragic lover for her?

She was getting annoyed by what she heard, and her head was buzzing from the noise of Sun Caiyun and her husband. She said to Fu Yuchi, "Master, you should deal with them."

If she really sent Lu Huan to the government, and something happened to Sun Caiyun, it would be difficult to explain to Old Lady Sun.

She was getting old, her eldest son was dead, her second son was a cripple, and her eldest daughter had a tragic fate. Only her second daughter, Sun Caiyun, lived a relatively peaceful life.

Feelings are feelings, and reason is reason.

Sun Miao'er remembered how kind Grandma Sun had been to her. She thought that sending them to the authorities was just a scare tactic to teach them a lesson. After all, she couldn't swallow the anger she felt from letting them go so easily.

“I can spare you from being handed over to the authorities.” Fu Yuchi knew that his little Miao’er and he were of one mind, so he naturally knew the best way to deal with them.

Lu Huan suddenly looked up as if he had grasped at a straw: "Really?"

“You are Miao’er’s family. Miao’er couldn’t bear to leave you and asked me to deal with you. She certainly doesn’t want me to make things difficult for you.” His eyes always seemed unfathomable. “You can continue living in the city, working as an accountant in the shop, and just live a peaceful life.”

"Don't worry, I've been to Kezhou. The King of Wei only has 200,000 troops. He can't cause any trouble. Besides, when it comes to fighting, he's the one who leads from the front. They're all government employees. You ordinary folks can just live your lives."

Lu Huan thanked him repeatedly and then knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times.

After Sun Caiyun and her husband returned, Fu Yuchi looked at the girl in front of him with great interest, praising her as if she were a child asking for a reward for doing something right: "Little Miao'er, are you satisfied with my treatment?"

"Master did it on purpose?" Sun Miao'er could easily tell that her master was gentle but not easy to talk to, especially when it came to right and wrong. He never showed any leniency.

Fu Yuchi tapped her forehead and laughed, "You're so smart."

"The rumors of the King of Wei massacring the city are not unfounded; there must be people behind them stirring things up." Fu Yuchi's peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly. "Yingzhou, think about how peaceful it is. Even if the King of Wei were to ascend the throne, he might not be able to conquer it."

"The intentions of the person behind this are obvious."

Sun Miao'er continued, "He wants to throw Yingzhou into chaos as well."

Fu Yuchi nodded. "Miao'er, do you know why the court has been unable to do anything about the Prince of Wei's rebellion for so many years?"

“Because the court is willing but unable.” Fu Yuchi casually drew a few dots on the paper. “Kezhou occupies a natural stronghold, located west of Lushan Mountain. Lushan Mountain rises straight into the clouds, and the mountain roads are treacherous and difficult to traverse. The plank roads can only accommodate two people walking side by side at most. Even if the court’s soldiers can get through, there is absolutely no way that their carts, horses, and provisions can get through.”

“The title of King Wei sounds nice, but he’s just a local tyrant,” Sun Miao’er said, pointing to the westernmost point. “In reality, he’s the local emperor in Kezhou.”

“Yes.” Fu Yuchi’s fingers suddenly touched her fingertips. “I took the northern route when I went to Kezhou, and the southern route when I came back from Kezhou. Although the two routes are completely different, the scenery on both sides of the road is almost the same.”

“The roads are littered with the bones of the starving dead, and famine is an endless disaster.”

Those ten short words, when spoken by him, felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

These two sentences struck Sun Miao'er's heart like two heavy hammer blows. She could barely catch her breath, and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

The roads are littered with the bones of those who starved to death; what a tragic sight that must be.

She was in Yingzhou, and because of the famine, she felt that the people of Yingzhou were already suffering enough. In the fields, she often saw families working together to cultivate the land.

The three-year-old child was rolling around in the mud, his body covered in bites from ants and mosquitoes, leaving almost no unscathed flesh.

Not to mention the children outside Yingzhou who starved to death.

"Little Miao'er, you stay in Yingzhou and don't go anywhere. After the world is at peace, I will come back and take you out for a walk."

He was truly afraid that the small Yingzhou could not contain Xiao Miao'er's heart. In the past, he would never have stopped her from going anywhere, but now that the world is so chaotic, how could he not feel at ease?

Sun Miao'er never claimed to be a saint who "helps the world when one is successful," but when she saw someone pitiful, she would still help out of her conscience.

She moved her fingers a little closer to him, then grasped his palm in her hand; it was as warm as a small, burning stove.

This was the first time she had taken his hand on her own initiative. She didn't promise him anything, but her actions spoke volumes.

In the study of the government office in Pingnan City, a candle was still lit.

Zhang Shengmin was writing furiously at his desk, but his previous memorial to the court had vanished without a trace.

"Is Shanqiu back?" he called out into the corridor outside.

Danqiu looked exhausted, but his posture remained upright. He said in a slightly hoarse voice, "You're back, sir."

"How's it going over there?"

A few days ago, a group of refugees from Huizhou came to Yingzhou and tried to escape into Yingzhou. A fight broke out at the border between the two places, and even villagers from the villages on the border of Yingzhou were involved. They used their farm tools and hoes, resulting in heavy casualties among the villagers.

After three or four days of fighting, some people from Yingzhou came to the yamen to report the case. Zhang Shengmin was too busy at the yamen to do anything but send Shan Qiu with troops to suppress the attack.

"There were more than 800 refugees. I led 500 city soldiers there, and we almost couldn't control them," Shanqiu answered truthfully.

Zhang Shengmin frowned deeply. Back then, he was framed by a villain and had no choice but to be demoted to Yingzhou. He only thought about being a good official who served the people wholeheartedly in a remote place. Later, he realized that the path of an official was just as bumpy everywhere.

When he was a powerful figure, he was concerned with matters of national importance; later, when he became a minor county magistrate, he was preoccupied with the daily lives of ordinary people.

"Is the imperial court still unwilling to agree to tax reduction?" Seeing the troubled look on Zhang Shengmin's face, Shan Qiu had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth.

Zhang Shengmin sighed, "The King of Wei is about to rebel, and Yingzhou is suffering from a year of famine. How long do you think Yingzhou can hold out? Everyone says the King of Wei won't do anything to Yingzhou, but what if his men really come? Shanqiu, what should I do?"