"girl!"

The guards behind him quickly stepped forward and protected him.

"It's alright, let's see."

After dismounting, he turned and instructed, "Don't reveal your identity later. Contact Li Dequan immediately if any problems arise."

The guard immediately responded and followed Dulan forward.

"Girl, please have mercy, young lady!"

An old woman spoke first, holding a broken bowl in her hand, with a child following timidly behind her.

Dulan's tense heart instantly relaxed; at least they weren't bandits.

Their appearance was too coincidental; they hadn't been noticed when they passed through the capital, and in just a short time, dozens of them had appeared.

"Where did you come from, and why are you here?"

The old woman wiped away her tears: "Girl, we come from the north."

We were supposed to reach the capital today, but this morning soldiers cleared the road and wouldn't let us through, saying that a high-ranking official was passing by and that anyone who blocked the road would be beheaded.

We only dared to come out after the soldiers left. Girl, please give us something to eat.

Dulan knew nothing about the affairs of the previous dynasty.

However, the officials clearing the road were likely arranged by Li Dequan's side.

But if Li Dequan knew there were refugees near the capital, he would have told the emperor.

Therefore, there must be some secret behind this.

She can't investigate, and even if she did, she wouldn't understand, and she'd easily complicate things.

He turned and gave the guard a look, who quietly walked a little further away, and then released a signal flare.

“We have no food on us. We came from the original route to the capital, and we have long since run out of food.”

"I can give you food, but you mustn't move around or fight over it."

After Dulan finished speaking, he turned to the guards and continued, "We are kind-hearted and can help you, but you must behave yourselves, otherwise my guards are not to be trifled with."

These people were starving, and some were dressed in thin clothes and were even shivering from the cold.

Now that he heard she would help, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude, completely disregarding her warning.

"Get up, all of you. There's a dilapidated temple three miles ahead. Go and wait there."

Although the matter of Harigana was very important, Dulan knew that even if her princess were there, she would save these people first.

He mounted his horse and went straight back to the capital, where he found Sainziya and Baoliri to prepare food, pots and pans, and some thick clothes.

Meanwhile, at the manor, Li Dequan's heart tightened when he saw the signal egg, and he quickly knocked on the door to report to Emperor Kangxi.

"What?"

Harigana had just woken up when he heard him say that there might be a problem in Dulan, and that a signal flare had been fired.

He quickly sat up and was about to leave when Kangxi stopped him.

"Jiaojiao, don't worry."

After Kangxi finished speaking, he turned to Li Dequan and said, "Take your men and go check on things quickly. Remember, you must bring Dulan back safely."

Although she didn't like the look of her, she was Harigana's person and her most trusted servant.

Moreover, it was she who asked Dulan to go back this time. If something really happened, she would blame herself for the rest of her life.

"Li Dequan, I beg you to bring Dulan back to me, bring her back alive."

Li Dequan's lips twitched. Wasn't he clear?

It's a blue signal, not red. It means you've encountered a tricky situation, not danger.

Is there something wrong with the Emperor and Empress's ears?

But at this moment, he dared not offer any further explanation: "Yes, Your Majesty, this servant obeys. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Turning to his own thoughts, he thought: Dulan is really lucky. That's the Empress, and she actually begged him for Dulan's sake.

"Xuan Ye, I was wrong. I shouldn't have let Dulan go back, I..."

Harigana looked at Kangxi with tears streaming down his face, his eyes filled with regret.

"Jiaojiao, listen to me."

Kangxi grabbed her shoulders: "Jiaojiao, you were half asleep just now, did you not hear me clearly?"

Dulan has encountered a difficult situation and needs help, not danger.

Harigana blinked and looked at Kangxi: "Huh?"

Kangxi nodded. He had been confused by Harigana just now, and only now did he realize what Li Dequan meant by blue.

No wonder that lackey hesitated to speak, then looked at the two of them in shock; he was watching the spectacle.

"Yes! Don't cry, don't worry, Dulan will be fine."

Harigana was still worried: "Xuan Ye, can we go and check on him? I... I'm not comfortable with this."

She realized something was wrong as soon as she finished speaking. The person in front of her was the emperor. If he were to get into danger, she would be a sinner for all eternity.

He quickly shook his head: "No, no, no, let's wait here. Li Dequan has gone with his men, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

Kangxi knew she was worried: "Jiaojiao, nothing will happen, be good."

At this moment, Dulan had finished speaking with Saiengiya, rode his horse back to the palace, retrieved the cloth bag that Harigana had mentioned, carried it on his back, and hurriedly rode towards the direction of the ruined temple.

"lady!"

They finally caught up with Seingia less than a mile from the ruined temple.

"Dulan, slow down and don't rush."

Saenjiya was also riding a horse, looking dashing and heroic; you couldn't tell at all that he was nearly fifty years old.

Baoli was at the front, accompanied by a group of guards, while Dulan brought up the rear with the items he wanted.

"Madam, I'm fine, hehe!"

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned foolishly.

When they arrived at the dilapidated temple, they ran into Li Dequan and his group. The people were so frightened by the large number of people that they huddled together and dared not make a sound.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!