The setting sun, like a piece of extinguished ember, branded the last crimson glow onto the plaque of the Mingyan County gate.

The lower half of the character "烟" (smoke) seems to have been soaked in blood, leaving dark brown ink stains.

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

The army startled the crows waiting on the city wall, and those black-feathered beasts took flight in a flurry.

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

She subconsciously covered her mouth and nose, wondering if it was just her imagination, but she felt there was a strange, sweet, and fishy smell in the air.

The formation ahead quickly parted, and a captain from the princess's entourage rode in.

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

Everyone dismounted, and the Fifth Prince stepped forward to inquire about the situation.

"The county is short of water, and there are many injured and poisoned people..."

Having reviewed the intelligence beforehand, and finding it to be roughly in line with Qin Zhaoyue's expectations, the Princess quickly began an on-site investigation of the disaster situation upon her arrival.

A special treatment area was established in the south of the city to gather the seriously injured and poisoned, and to arrange for the disposal of their bodies.

She distributed a small portion of the grain she brought to the households, but grain was not the most important thing. The problem was that the county's water sources had been polluted, and even the groundwater had not been spared.

The princess could only spare 500 soldiers to divert water from other counties.

However, water is difficult to transport, and only a small amount can be brought at a time, which is far from enough for a county.

Qin Zhaoyue noticed that the captain's lips were already cracked, which showed how bad his condition was.

Seeing that his sixth sister remained silent, Qin Jingzhan said, "Our carriages are all equipped with clean water."

The captain's face lit up with joy. "Really? That's wonderful!"

Since reading the intelligence, no one has ridden in a carriage anymore.

Instead, they cleared out some space and filled wooden buckets with clean water, which was naturally Qin Zhaoyue's idea.

The glint in the captain's eyes revealed just how severe the water shortage was in Mingyan County.

Three thousand soldiers and laborers escorted the grain supplies to the designated garrison area.

The remaining people entered the city with only a small number of guards, because the princess had already taken control of the city's defenses and they were safe.

More than two hundred riders escorted them into the city. No one in the entire procession spoke; only the clatter of hooves could be heard.

A hoarse groan pierced the deathly silence. In the shadows at the base of the wall, the old woman was digging into the cracks of the blue bricks with her festering, bone-exposed fingers. The scraping sound of her nails was mixed with muffled sobs: "Water...water..."

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

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

The skin on her neck resembled the surface of tea that had been boiled three times, covered with a whitish, wrinkled film, revealing a dark red, cooked-meat-like color beneath.

The most terrifying thing was those eyes—the pupils were murky and milky white from the alkali poison, yet they were still staring intently at the water seeping from the cracks in the bricks.

"Your Highness..."

Tao Yao looked reluctant, while Qin Zhaoyue's pretty face was tense, her lips pressed into a thin line, making her appear somewhat harsh, and she did not respond.

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

Five or six children knelt and crawled in front of the ruins of the teahouse, occasionally licking the white frost that had condensed on the beams and pillars.

Beneath the broken pillars of the teahouse, a woman held up a blade of grass, squeezing the roots to smear the lips of the baby in her arms.

Perhaps it was the bitter taste of the grass roots that made the tiny baby frown, turn its head away, and struggle incessantly in the swaddling clothes.

At this moment, an official in the formation tightened the reins, and his horse slowly came to a stop. He reached out to retrieve the water bag hanging on the horse.

Qin Zhaoyue happened to witness this scene, her eyes narrowed, and she immediately ordered her men, "Stop him."

"yes."

Sui Mo's expression was also unpleasant, but he responded immediately, rushed forward, and grabbed the wrist of the military equipment officer.

"what you do!"

After spending more than ten days together, he naturally recognized her as the Sixth Princess's personal maid. As he reprimanded her, he turned to look at Qin Zhaoyue behind him.

He was not afraid of the infamous sixth princess.

“Look at their condition. If they don’t drink water soon, their lives may be in danger.”

Water! There's water!

As soon as he finished speaking, all the children in front of the abandoned teahouse turned their attention to him.

The woman in the teahouse looked up blankly, her somewhat unfocused pupils gradually focusing as she spotted the procession of over two hundred riders. She stood up unsteadily and staggered out.

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

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

The procession passed through five streets in succession, the sound of their hurried pace carrying far and wide, creating a powerful and impressive spectacle.

They only slowed down when no one was chasing them anymore.

Qin Zhaoyue's order was decisive enough, and the momentum of the more than two hundred riders charging forward was impressive, which awakened the rationality of some people, and fear prevented them from charging.

But some people still followed behind regardless, but due to lack of stamina, they were left behind.

Qin Zhaoyue is now a sixth-rank martial artist. Even though she hasn't cultivated any special techniques, her basic hearing and eyesight are already far superior to ordinary people.

I sensed a large number of people rushing in from the abandoned tea stalls on that street.

They are all disaster victims; if they are trapped, the consequences would be unimaginable.

In her previous life, she had seen people who were starving in movies and TV shows, but she had never seen people who were thirsty go to such madness.

The captain's expression was also very grim. He had just said that the city was safe, so he only brought two hundred cavalrymen into the city, but they immediately encountered a riot by the refugees.

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