"They were people dressed in golden armor, with long swords at their waists. Their faces were all covered by masks, so we couldn't see their features," one of the children said.

“Those are the soldiers of the King of Wei.”

A steady footstep sounded behind them, and Shan Qiu came over with a knife in his hand. When he mentioned the King of Wei, the aura emanating from him was chilling.

Dongli's smile suddenly became forced. "How do you know you're one of the King of Wei's men?"

"The King of Wei is a traitorous minister, and everyone has the right to kill him. I imagine he has done many heinous things."

Whenever Shanqiu thought that if it weren't for King Wei, the world wouldn't be in such a chaotic situation, he couldn't help but want to take up his sword, mount his horse, and attack King Wei.

However, the court was incompetent and no one dared to fight. Shanqiu regretted that he could only be a constable in Pingnan City and could not serve his country.

Sun Miao'er was unaware that Shanqiu harbored such deep hatred for the King of Wei. She found it strange, though. The incident occurred in Kezhou. How could the King of Wei tolerate his own people committing murder, arson, and other heinous acts in Kezhou?

Moreover, if the King of Wei were truly a foolish and incompetent ruler, would the master be willing to assist him?

Dongli smiled and gave the children another cake, whispering, "Perhaps King Wei isn't that kind of person."

Danqiu snorted coldly without changing his expression, "No matter how muddle-headed and incompetent the current emperor is, he was still chosen by the late emperor and received his mandate from heaven. What is the Prince of Wei? Isn't his disloyalty the root cause of this chaos in the world?"

Danqiu was stubborn, and Sun Miao'er knew that there was no point in talking to him. She took Dongli Xiaoxiao's hand and said, "Xiaoxiao, there are many commonly used herbs in the carriage. I'm afraid they won't recognize them. Come with me and I'll explain the herbs to them."

"Officer Shan, I'm leaving this to you."

Once they were a distance from Shanqiu, Dongli Xiaoxiao's smile gradually faded, and a look of melancholy appeared between her brows. "Miao'er, Shanqiu hates the King of Wei. Was my affection for him wrong from the very beginning?"

“You’re not wrong. You’re just each serving your own master. That’s always been the way of the world. The capable will compete for it. I believe that the King of Wei is more capable of sitting in that position.”

She believed that her master's choice was correct. What kind of good person could an emperor be who could slaughter his own teacher's entire family?

By noon, the supplies had been distributed to the refugees, and their emotions had stabilized considerably.

Danqiu was busy all morning, first distributing food to the refugees, and then setting up several tents for them to temporarily use for self-defense in the open space.

Just as they were getting ready to pack up and return to the city, several more carriages appeared in the city.

"Whose carriages are these? Didn't they say the city was locked down? How come people can still come out?" Sun Miao'er noticed that the carriages were quite impressive. The lead carriage clearly belonged to a wealthy family, and there were four or five more following behind.

Before she could finish speaking, the carriages drove towards them and slowly came to a stop.

"Master, please slow down."

Ji Changru stepped down from the carriage and immediately spotted Sun Miao'er in the crowd.

What's she/he doing here?

They both saw each other and thought the same thing.

However, Ji Changru did not come alone this time. A woman alighted from the carriage behind him. She was dressed in a light peach-red dress, with a fair complexion and fair skin, and looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Manager Sun, how have you been?" Ji Changru stepped forward and greeted Sun Miao'er. "Hello, Constable Shan."

He exchanged a few pleasantries with Shan Qiuye, saying, “I wasn’t in the city the other day, so I didn’t go to the yamen. I heard it was about helping the refugees, so as soon as I got back, I immediately ordered people to prepare supplies, and that’s when I ran into you.”

Sun Miao'er was puzzled at the time. It was understandable that Hu Tingzhi didn't go, after all, he was the richest man and could give away five thousand taels of silver with a wave of his hand. Ji Changru was a native of Pingnan City, and his wealth was inseparable from Zhang Shengmin's favor and support. How could he dare not come at such a critical moment?

It turns out they were prepared all along.

"Cousin, is this Manager Sun?" Ji Wanwan openly sized up Sun Miao'er. "I heard my cousin invested quite a bit of money in you?"

Sun Miao'er could clearly sense the hostility emanating from the girl; she was also quite jealous.

Still sullen and sour, Ji Wanwan then said, "That's all there is to it, not good enough for you, cousin."

She's very direct.

The girl's gaze then fell on Dongli Xiaoxiao, and she stared in surprise with her almond-shaped eyes, "Manager Sun, is this...is this your friend?"

Sun Miao'er nodded, puzzled, then immediately realized that Ji Wanwan was having a fit of infatuation.

Dongli Xiaoxiao's menswear is also really outstanding, making it too easy for such a young girl to have a stirring of spring in her heart.

Ji Wanwan's attitude towards Sun Miao'er immediately changed. She eagerly took Sun Miao'er's hand and said, "Shopkeeper Sun, you are my cousin's friend, so your friend is my friend. May I ask this young master's name, where he lives, and how old he is?"

"Wanwan, don't be rude!" Ji Changru glanced coldly at his so-called cousin, signaling her to restrain herself.

Ji Wanwan pouted, but couldn't help glancing at Dongli a few more times.

Dongli smiled calmly and said, "My surname is Xiao."

Ji Changru seemed to have seen through the flaw, smiled almost imperceptibly, and said, "I didn't expect that our Pingnan City is full of hidden talents, and that we have such a handsome young man hidden here, who is comparable to the top male prostitute at Duhuan Tower!"

"Manager Ji, you flatter me. I don't deserve such praise." Dongli smiled and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She had almost been recognized, but fortunately, very few people had seen her true face, so she could keep it a secret for the time being.

Sun Miao'er changed the subject, looking at the things being unloaded from the carriage behind, and said, "Manager Ji is really rich and powerful. Having someone like you is truly a source of pride for the merchants of Pingnan City."

Although Ji Changru did not contribute any money, the several cartloads of supplies he sent were astonishing, containing everything imaginable.

Moreover, they were not only generous, but they also brought plenty of people with them.

“I also invited several doctors over. I heard that many of these refugees are sick and urgently need medical treatment.” Ji Changru nodded. “I’ve heard about Manager Sun’s method. I think it’s excellent.”

"Among women, there are very few who are as brave and resourceful as Manager Sun."

Although it was meant to be kind, Sun Miao'er felt uncomfortable listening to it.

Perhaps it was because Ji Changru was his creditor that every time he saw him, he would think of the 100,000 taels of silver, and thus felt immense pressure. "Manager Ji, you flatter me. I am far from being as good as Manager Ji."

"I've also heard of the white silk fabric. I've heard it's as thin as a cicada's wing and makes a rustling sound when you walk in it. The Prefect's wife tried it on and fell in love with it. It turns out this treasure was made by Manager Sun. I'm quite interested. I wonder when Manager Sun will have the time to teach me this secret technique?"