Besides, Madam Luo wasn't without other options. She simply didn't want to completely break with the Third Prince, so she wanted to use her to achieve her goal.

Her threat to Mrs. Luo was no joke. If Mrs. Luo remained obstinate, she wouldn't mind letting those hidden pawns prove their worth.

Upon returning from Taibai Tower, Gu Qinlan immediately instructed her servants to expedite the reinforcement of the courtyard's walls.

Recently, due to the devastating floods, building materials have become extremely scarce, thus the project to reinforce the walls of the Prince Duan's Mansion has been delayed for many days.

Fortunately, Hongye acted prudently and spared no expense in purchasing the necessary bricks and tiles.

The craftsmen quickly moved into the Prince Duan's residence and began reinforcing the walls.

Gu Qinlan instructed Granny Zhang to keep a close watch on Zheng Huiyi and Zheng Huaiyu, and to forbid them from moving around freely.

Seeing that the Prince Duan's mansion was busy fortifying its walls, many powerful and influential families in Jindu City sent people to find out what was going on.

Gu Qinlan did not hide her concerns and frankly offered her advice, suggesting that they should also reinforce their walls. Many families agreed, believing that caution was always wise, and thus followed suit. However, some families, like the Ji family, disagreed.

Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Luo Feng brought ominous news: "Madam, just as you predicted, a large number of refugees are approaching Jindu. The first batch of refugees is expected to arrive in Jindu in ten days."

Gu Qinlan frowned: "How are the crops growing on the estate outside the city?"

Hongye stepped forward and reported: "Some crops have already entered the harvest season, while others will take some more time to mature."

Gu Qin asked, "What about the other people's estates in the city?"

Hongye replied, "Most of their farms grow grain crops, which are at least half a month away from maturity and harvest. In addition, the improper planting season has led to a poor harvest."

Gu Qinlan shook her head helplessly; she had already anticipated this outcome.

"You must set off for the estate immediately and tell the tenants to harvest all the crops as soon as possible, starting with the ripe ones, so that the unripe ones can continue to grow for a few more days. But you must act quickly, lest there be no harvest when the refugees arrive."

Hongye dared not delay for a moment and immediately mounted her fast horse to deliver the message to Zhuangzi.

Gu Qinlan then went to inspect the granary.

The granary of Prince Duan's mansion was not spacious; even when it was full, it could only sustain the mansion's food supply for the first half of the year.

However, the duration of this disaster should not be underestimated, so Gu Qinlan specifically instructed her servants to clear out a guest room and remove all the furniture in it to use as a temporary food storage room.

After stockpiling enough grain to feed the Prince Duan's mansion for five years, Gu Qinlan finally felt relieved.

Upon hearing the rumors of refugees, Zheng Huiyi was filled with anxiety and rushed to find Gu Qinlan.

"Sis, is the refugee thing true?"

Gu Qinlan nodded gently, her tone calm: "There's no need to worry. The walls of the mansion have been reinforced and raised considerably, so the refugees will absolutely not be able to climb over them. Sang Qian and his ten brothers have been training tirelessly these past few days and have also made many defensive devices to prevent the refugees from forcibly breaking in."

For months, Sang Qian and his brothers have never let up, not only continuing to train but also meticulously crafting various defensive weapons in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Zheng Huiyi was still uneasy; this was the first time in her life she had encountered such a crisis.

But seeing Gu Qinlan's composure, her mood gradually calmed down as well.

In the following days, Gu Qinlan's dowry estates, as well as all the estates under the Duan Prince's Mansion, were put into a tense harvesting effort.

They harvested various beans, dried them, threshed them, and packed them into boxes; root crops were also dug up one by one, dried to remove surface moisture, and stored in baskets. The harvested grain was quickly sent to various villages.

Fuyu led the accountants from Chushu, Xiaoman, and Duanwangfu to busy themselves settling accounts for the tenants.

The harvest was somewhat reduced due to the unfavorable timing, but overall it was still satisfactory. Compared to the tenant farmers who grew rice and millet, their situation was far better.

The estate of Prince Duan's manor was bustling with activity, while the tenants on other estates were extremely anxious.

News of the refugees had spread, and they gazed at the unripe crops in the fields, wishing they could personally help them grow.

Meanwhile, the tenants of Prince Duan's mansion were all overjoyed as they settled their payments while delivering the grain, which made the tenants even more miserable.

After several busy days, the grain in the fields of Prince Duan's residence was finally harvested.

After all the grain was properly collected, each village sent its harvested supplies to the Prince Duan's residence.

With grains piled up like mountains, the Prince Duan's residence was almost overflowing. All the empty rooms were emptied to store the grain. Due to the lack of space, many temporary sheds were also erected to cope with the situation.

Once all the food supplies were in place, signs of refugees appeared outside the city.

Upon seeing the city of Jindu, the refugees rushed towards it as if they had gone mad.

"Quickly, close the city gates!"

The government quickly ordered the city gates to be closed to prevent a large influx of refugees.

The heavy ancient city gates, like an impregnable barrier, kept the first batch of desperate refugees outside the city walls.

The refugees, overcome with emotion, rushed toward the city gate, pounding on it and crying out, "Please, open the gate! Give us some food..."

The residents of the city were moved by the heart-wrenching cries, and deep sympathy appeared on everyone's face.

However, no one dared to suggest opening the city gates.

Because the refugees were driven to the brink of starvation, their safety would be compromised once the city gates were opened.

As time went by, the number of refugees increased day by day, and the entire city wall was crowded with ragged people. The capital city seemed to be surrounded by a sea of ​​wailing.

Unable to enter the city, the refugees turned their attention to the fields outside the city.

Although the grain in the fields was not yet ripe, the starving refugees did not bother to select any and flocked to the fields to plunder the rice ears that were still in their gestation period.

The tenant farmers in the fields, witnessing their months of hard work destroyed, felt a surge of impatience. They brandished their hoes and bravely rushed towards the refugees.

The refugees, having traveled a long way, have finally found a glimmer of hope; they will not easily give up.

The two sides quickly descended into a chaotic and bloody conflict, with injuries and even deaths on both sides.

In the end, the tenant farmers could not withstand the fiery-eyed refugees and had no choice but to abandon their crops with tears in their eyes.

Within just two days, the fields outside the city were completely looted by the refugees.

The refugees who managed to grab the food continued their march toward Kyoto, while those who arrived later, having failed to get a share, gathered outside the city of Kyoto.

For half a month, Jindu City was like an isolated island under siege.

Having learned in advance of the refugees' northward journey, the city's residents stockpiled food. However, vegetables were extremely scarce, and many families had no vegetables to eat at all, let alone meat.

Only the Prince Duan's residence remained unscathed.