Chapter 103 The Foreign Demoness

The shadow of war on the southern border not only loomed over the imperial court, but also gradually spread to the capital.

News of the defeat spread like wildfire, reaching ordinary people's homes and causing widespread panic.

As a result, more and more refugees arrived, dressed in rags and with their families, fleeing from the war-torn prefectures and counties, gathering in the corners of the outer city of the capital or in dilapidated temples near the city gates.

Ayina was trapped in the capital, her way home blocked by the war, and letters from the Northern Kingdom became increasingly rare, each one a reassuring reassurance to let her lay low for a while and wait patiently.

Although life in the palace was luxurious, it was also as tedious as living in a gilded cage.

That afternoon, she finally couldn't hold back any longer. She changed into an inconspicuous plain riding outfit, took two equally disguised maids from the northern desert, and left the palace, wanting to get some fresh air in the city.

The scene outside the city was completely different from the orderly scene inside the city.

The streets were dirty and messy, and pedestrians hurried along, their eyes filled with vigilance and unease.

Children begging and old people huddled in corners were everywhere, and the air was filled with the foul smell of cheap herbs and rotting food.

"Princess, it's too chaotic here, shall we go back?"

The maidservant nervously shielded Ayina as she watched a thin, dirty child reach out his hand.

Ayina's blue eyes swept over the street scene, her brows furrowed.

She was born in the royal court of the northern desert, and had seen the wind, snow and bitter cold of the grasslands and the struggles between tribes, but she rarely saw such glaring suffering.

She felt a lump in her throat, but she remained stubborn.

"What's the panic? What kind of situation hasn't this princess seen? Let's go and take a look ahead."

Ayina remembers eating sugar-coated fried dough sticks made by an old lady at the entrance of a small alley when she first came to Daliang. They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a wheat aroma. She wonders how that old lady is doing now.

She followed her memory and found an unexpected figure at the corner of the alley.

It's Huo Yunxing.

He wasn't wearing those flashy brocade robes and fancy clothes today, but only a slightly worn indigo cotton long gown with the sleeves rolled up high, revealing a section of his muscular forearm.

He was standing at the entrance of a dilapidated local temple, which had clearly been occupied by refugees and used as a temporary shelter.

A large, steaming iron pot was set up at the entrance of the temple. Huo Yunxing was holding a long-handled ladle and bending over to scoop porridge for the long line of refugees.

He was accompanied by two equally simply dressed attendants, one responsible for maintaining order, and the other busy distributing steamed buns from a basket next to him.

Ayina stopped in her tracks and instinctively pulled her two maids behind an old tree with fairly dense foliage.

Her eyes widened, almost thinking she was seeing things.

The carefree prince, who used to wave his fan all day and seemed to have no manners, now had a focused and peaceful expression on his face, without his usual cynicism.

He would nod to the old man who shakily handed him a broken bowl, he would tell the child who was eagerly munching on a steamed bun to eat slowly, and he would give extra steamed buns to the woman holding a baby...

"How...how could he do such a thing here?" the maid muttered softly, her voice full of surprise.

"This rogue prince is not entirely idle."

Ayina muttered something to herself, without even realizing it, her tone less harsh than usual, and more filled with a complex and difficult-to-discern emotion.

Just as she was about to leave quietly, not wanting to disturb the unexpected sight she had witnessed, a little beggar, probably starving, ran so fast that he didn't see the road clearly and bumped into Ayina's leg.

"Ouch!" The little beggar fell to the ground, and the broken bowl in his hand rolled to the side.

Ayina instinctively grabbed onto a nearby tree trunk to steady herself.

The commotion was neither too loud nor too soft, but it was enough to alert the people at the temple gate.

Huo Yunxing looked up at the sound, his sharp eyes instantly spotting the familiar figure behind the old locust tree.

Their eyes met.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Ayina's face, and Huo Yunxing was clearly taken aback. Then, a smile appeared in his peach blossom eyes.

After serving the porridge to the refugees in front of him, he put down the large ladle and walked towards Ayina's direction.

"Oh, isn't this..."

Huo Yun walked closer, deliberately drawing out his words, his gaze sweeping over Ayina's simple attire.

"Whose young lady is this? Has she gotten lost?"

Ayina's face flushed, and she forced herself to raise her chin.

"I...Is it wrong for me to come out for a stroll? But you, Your Highness, instead of staying in your mansion reciting poems, painting, and listening to folk songs, you've come to this dilapidated temple to work as a cook. How strange."

Huo Yunxing was not annoyed, and his smile was open and honest.

"It is my duty to travel and enjoy the scenery while also observing the people's conditions. In this time of war and chaos, I cannot pretend not to see what I have seen. Cooking a few pots of porridge and distributing a few steamed buns is just a small favor."

He paused, looking at Ayina.

"You, on the other hand, have quite the nerve. This place is very chaotic; don't come here unless you have to."

Huo Yunxing's tone carried a natural concern, leaving Ayina momentarily speechless.

Just then, in the line of people waiting to receive porridge at the temple gate, a burly man, probably having waited a long time, was both hungry and irritable.

When his gaze swept over Ayina and the two maids behind her, a strong hostility suddenly flashed in his eyes.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and pointed at Ayina, shouting insults.

"Bah! You barbarian witch! It's you barbarians who have made us lose our homes and land, and now we're begging in the capital! Get out! Go back to your hometowns!"

This shout was like a drop of water thrown into a pot of boiling oil, instantly igniting the long-suppressed fear and anger among the refugees.

They lost their homes, were separated from their families, and struggled daily on the brink of starvation; their immense suffering needed an outlet.

Even though they knew in their hearts that the attackers were not from the northern deserts.

"Yes, get out!"

"It's all the fault of you foreigners!"

"You jinx, stay away from us."

"She's dressed so respectably, she might be a spy."

...

Foul language surged forth like a tide, mixed with stones and rotten vegetable leaves.

The crowd began to stir and moved closer to Ayina and her group.

Ayina's face turned deathly pale instantly. When had a princess who grew up in the royal court ever faced so much malice?

"How dare you!" Ayina forced herself to remain calm. "I am a distinguished guest of the Great Liang. You shall not be so rude."

"Distinguished guests? Bah! I think it's you distinguished guests who brought this disaster upon us."

The man in the lead became even more agitated and charged forward, reaching out to shove Ayina.

Just as the dirty hand was about to touch Ayina's clothes, an indigo figure suddenly darted in.

Huo Yun acted with lightning speed, tightly protecting Ayina behind him.

However, in the chaos, someone threw a hard clod of dirt, which hit Huo Yunxing hard on the forehead!