Chapter 031 I'm Not Your Father

The setting sun was like a dying charcoal, leaving its last bit of scarlet on the plaque at the gate of Mingyan County.

The lower half of the character "烟" seemed to have been dipped in blood, leaving behind dark brown ink marks.

Two days later at dusk, three thousand soldiers escorted the first batch of collected food to Mingyan County.

The army startled the crows waiting on the city walls, and the black-feathered beasts fluttered into flight.

Qin Zhaoyue pulled the reins, and the horse's front hooves made a "crunch" sound as they sank into the mud.

She subconsciously covered her mouth and nose. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that there was a strange sweet and fishy smell in the air.

A gap quickly opened up in the formation in front, and a captain beside the eldest princess rode over on horseback.

"Report! The Princess has ordered the grain escort team to be stationed five miles outside the county."

Everyone dismounted, and the fifth prince stepped forward to inquire about the situation.

"There's a water shortage in the county, and many people have been injured or poisoned..."

After reading the intelligence in advance, it was similar to what Qin Zhaoyue had imagined. After arriving, the princess quickly began to investigate the disaster on the spot.

A special treatment area was set up in the south of the city to gather the seriously injured and poisoned people and arrange for the disposal of the bodies.

She distributed the small amount of food she brought to households, but food was not the most important thing. The problem was that the county's water sources were polluted, and even the groundwater was not spared.

The princess could only allocate 500 soldiers to transfer water from other counties.

It’s just that water is difficult to transport and not much can be brought in at one time, which is a drop in the bucket for a county.

Qin Zhaoyue saw that the captain's lips were already showing signs of chappedness, and one could imagine how bad the situation was.

Seeing that the sixth sister was silent, Qin Jingzhan said, "We all have clean water on our carriages."

The captain's eyebrows lit up when he heard this. "Really? That's great!"

Since reading the intelligence, no one has taken the carriage anymore.

Instead, he freed up some space and filled a wooden barrel with clean water. This was naturally Qin Zhaoyue's idea.

From the gleam in the captain's eyes, you can tell how severe the water shortage in Mingyan County is right now.

Three thousand soldiers and civilians escorted food and fodder to the designated garrison.

The remaining people only brought a small number of guards into the city, because the eldest princess had already controlled the city defense and it was safe.

More than two hundred riders escorted them into the city. No one in the entire team spoke, only the sound of horse hooves.

A hoarse groan pierced the dead silence. In the shadows at the base of the wall, an old woman was digging at the cracks in the bricks with her festering fingers. The scratching of her nails was mixed with a vague whimper: "Water...water..."

The cavalry passed by not far away, but she seemed unaware.

The old woman's lips were swollen and purple, with two bloody cracks at the corners of her mouth, like a tea bag that had been forcibly torn open.

The skin on the neck was like the surface of tea that had been boiled three times, with a layer of white wrinkles and a dark red like cooked meat underneath.

The most terrifying thing was those eyes - the pupils had been corroded by the alkali into a turbid milky white, but they were still staring straight at the water seeping out from the cracks in the bricks.

"Your Highness..."

Tao Yao showed reluctance, Qin Zhaoyue's pretty face was tense, her lips were pressed into a thin line, looking a little mean, and she did not respond.

Tea leaves were embedded in the cracks between the stone slabs of the long street, and after being soaked by rainwater, they swelled into dark brown scabs.

Five or six children knelt in front of the ruins of the teahouse, licking the white frost on the beams and pillars from time to time.

Under the broken pillar of the tea shed, a woman was holding a piece of green grass, squeezing the roots and smearing them on the lips of the baby in her arms.

Perhaps because the grass roots tasted bitter, the little baby frowned, turned his head away, and struggled in his cradle.

At this time, an official in the formation tightened the reins, the horse under him slowly stopped, and he reached out to take the water bag hanging on the horse.

Qin Zhaoyue happened to witness this scene, his eyes tightened, and he immediately ordered his attendants, "Stop him."

"yes."

Sui Mo's expression was also very unhappy, but he responded immediately, rushed forward quickly, and grabbed the wrist of the Xuan Gesi official.

"what you do!"

After spending more than ten days together, he naturally recognized that this was the Sixth Princess's personal maid. While scolding her, he turned his head to look at Qin Zhaoyue behind him.

He is not afraid of the infamous Sixth Princess.

"Look at their appearance. If they don't drink water, their lives may be in danger."

Water! There is water!

As soon as he finished speaking, all the children in front of the abandoned tea shed focused their attention on him.

The woman in the tea stall looked up blankly, her somewhat dazed pupils gradually focused, and she saw a team of more than two hundred riders. She stood up shakily and staggered out.

The official was stunned, seeing the bloodthirsty madness in the eyes of the children and women.

Qin Zhaoyue's face was solemn as he shouted, "Everyone, charge!"

The team passed through five streets in succession, and the sound of their hurried running could be heard from far away, with a huge momentum.

He only slowed down when there was no one chasing him anymore.

Qin Zhaoyue gave the order decisively enough. The powerful charge of more than 200 cavalrymen awakened the rationality of some people, and fear made them dare not charge.

But there were still some people who followed regardless, but they were not physically strong enough and were left behind.

Qin Zhaoyue is now a sixth-rank warrior. Even though he has not practiced any martial arts, his basic hearing and eyesight are already far beyond that of ordinary people.

Before, I sensed a lot of people rushing towards the abandoned tea stall on that street.

They are all disaster victims. If they are trapped, the consequences will be unimaginable.

In her previous life, she had seen extremely hungry people in movies and TV shows, but she had never seen people who were extremely thirsty go so crazy.

The captain's expression was also very ugly. He had just said that the city was safe, so he only brought more than 200 cavalry into the city, but he immediately encountered a riot by the victims.

It felt like being slapped hard in the face, and my face hurt.

Qin Zhaoyue pulled the reins and stopped his horse, glancing coldly at the young Xuan Gesi official.

“I’m not your father, so I have no responsibility to teach you.

If anyone makes another foolish move or acts without authorization, they will be dealt with by military law."

"yes!"

The official had never expected that his good deed would be criticized in such a way.

He subconsciously wanted to open his mouth to refute, but when he looked up, he found that many people around him were staring at him with unfriendly eyes.

"I..." The words of explanation were stuck in his throat and he couldn't say any more. Qin Zhaoyue ignored him and set off again.

"Brother He Qing..."

Pei Xueqiao's gaze was fixed on the figure in front of him, his expression gloomy.

He suddenly remembered how he had acted decisively in the capital even though he knew someone was planning to drug him, and his father's words, "You are not worthy of him."

At the time, I was angry and thought it was just a joke from my father, but now it seems...

The order just now was decisive. He could see her profile from a distance during the charge. Her pretty face was tense, and when she gave the order, she was resolute and bold as he had never seen before.

"Brother He Qing..."

The calling sound woke him up from his thoughts. He turned his head and saw an aggrieved face, as if seeking some comfort.

Pei Xueqiao's eyes darkened, "You were wrong just now. Disaster relief cannot rely solely on enthusiasm or kindness.

If it weren't for... His Highness the Sixth Prince's decisive order to charge, we would probably have been surrounded by the victims.

The news will spread quickly, and there may even be a riot among the crowd. By then..."

The official's face turned pale, and he was a little scared. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word of defense.

But Pei Xueqiao had already withdrawn his gaze.

When he saw that scene just now, he felt a flash of sympathy in his heart. The sight of the baby struggling in the cradle was really too shocking.

He helped out casually because of a bad intuition, but he hesitated for two seconds before thinking it through. When he saw the group of children and women rushing towards him like crazy, he suddenly realized what was going on.

Pei Xueqi didn't think he was a bookworm, and he understood that reading ten thousand books was not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.

The fact that he did not speak out directly before but hesitated was proof that he immediately realized the danger.

But the Sixth Princess...

How did she, who was uneducated and had never left the capital, figure out the key points in an instant and issue the correct orders?

He was not the only one who was shocked. Many people had a changed opinion of Qin Zhaoyue, especially officials with rich practical experience and veteran clerks.

But the person who was most shocked was the fifth prince Qin Jingzhan.

Sixth sister's decisiveness is one thing, and when she gave the order just now, the guards around her did not hesitate at all, including the captain beside the eldest princess!

Even if the order is correct, shouldn't we look at the highest-ranking officer on this trip?

He was the deputy envoy for disaster relief, but no one looked at him except his own personal guards.

Qin Jingzhan smiled bitterly. This sixth sister was really good at hiding things.

I originally thought I was low-key enough, but this guy was even better, he chose to pollute himself directly.

He suddenly remembered the conversation between the eldest princess and Xiaoliu when she left. He originally thought that she was just telling her not to get into trouble, but now it seems... it is not that simple.

The group of people had different thoughts and rode their horses forward in silence. They arrived at the county government office in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Qin Zhaoqiong personally greeted her at the door, and Qin Zhaoyue's first glance fell on her.

There was a dark spot under his eyes, and his serious face could hardly hide his fatigue, but when his eyes met, a smile immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Qin Zhaoyue frowned. After only two days of not seeing her elder sister, her lips were already a little chapped.

She immediately dismounted, took off her water bag and rushed forward, "Sister, you are the backbone of the disaster relief team, how can you ignore your own safety!"

No one expected that the first moment of reunion would be scolding.

Qin Zhaoqiong was stunned for a moment, but when he saw the anger between his sister's brows, he subconsciously reached out to smooth it out, but his palm was roughly slapped away.

Looking at her puffed cheeks, she seemed really angry.

He swallowed and said awkwardly, "I had some water to drink, but I was too busy to take care of it."

Qin Zhaoyue didn't give in. He stared at the other person stubbornly and reached out to hand over the water bag.

Seeing that she was determined not to let it go unless she drank it, Qin Zhaoqiong shook her head helplessly, took the water bag and took a sip as she said.

"Drink some more!"

Helplessly, he drank two more sips before he laughed and scolded, "Are you satisfied now?"

The Shao Si of the Ministry of Civil Affairs curled his lips. He was the chief envoy of disaster relief, and his lips were also chapped.

Who saw him? Who cared about him? Who saw his silent dedication?

No, not one!

"Sister, you must have had a hard time on the journey. Come to the county government office and rest."

"Hmph!" Qin Zhaoyue turned around and walked in, leaving her with only the back of his head.

Qin Zhaoqiong shook her head helplessly, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. It was still hard to coax her...

Qin Jingzhan at the door:?

Just...all left?

The eldest sister only has her sixth sister in her eyes. What about her fifth brother?

Can't you see it?