Chapter 244 She Has a Good Heart

The second prince Xiao Nanyong was inspecting Liaodong on behalf of Emperor Jiaping. Because he was inspecting incognito, not many people knew about it. He set out only half a day later than Chen Ning, and was blocked by a heavy rain, so they happened to meet each other.

Perhaps because of the two life-saving graces he had given her, or perhaps because the Second Prince was naturally very casual and kind, Shen Ning found that he was particularly friendly to her. Not long after he stopped, he had someone send over a lot of fine food.

Chen Ning and Xiao Nanrong had no grudges against each other, but they didn't want to build a relationship, so they politely returned the gift without being overly enthusiastic.

Shuchi Yan had returned to Shen Ning's carriage. After Xiao Nanrong appeared, he sat on the frame of Shen Ning's carriage without moving, staring at that side with a fierce look, like a little wolf guarding its territory.

Shen Ning was a little amused: "Why do you look like you're ready to fight at any time?"

"He is not a good person!" Shuchi Yan said coldly.

Shen Ning thought thoughtfully: "Why do you say that? Do you know him?"

Shuchi Yan shook his head, then said, "I grew up on the grasslands and have intuition... My intuition is very accurate."

The young man turned around and said to Shen Ning: "You are good, he is bad."

Shen Ning was amused.

As the night deepened, Xiao Nanyong did not show up in the carriage again. Chen Ning and Qiyue also rested in the carriage. Shuchiyan and Eryue leaned on the carriage frame, and Yuanyue was responsible for guarding the first half of the night.

The soldiers and servants in charge of the exile also took turns to keep watch, and someone was left to look after each fire.

It was autumn and it had just rained, so everyone slept around the fire to dispel the cold and prevent people from getting sick.

After all, injuries sustained on Path of Exile could very well be fatal.

The night was peaceful and the next morning the weather was clear.

But when they found a small river to replenish the caravan's water, they discovered a problem: because of the heavy rain the day before, the water in the river was turbid and yellow.

There is no place to replenish water after passing this section of the road, but the turbid and muddy water really makes people feel a little overwhelmed.

After Shen Ning learned the news, he had several pieces of coarse linen unloaded from a cart and asked the manager to make arrangements.

On the other side, Xiao Nanyong was having breakfast with the help of two maids, Yan Nu and Shi Shu, when he saw the convoy over there was bustling with activity.

What's going on over there?

He looked at Yan Nu and signaled with his eyes: Go and see if there is anything I can help with.

Yan Nu, who was dressed as a servant, pursed his lips, stood up and went to the caravan, and came back to reply not long after.

Hearing that Chen Ning had no water and the replenishing water source was turbid and yellow, Xiao Nanyong glanced at the water they brought with them: Send some of our water over.

Yan Nu has been trained since childhood and can understand everything his master wants to say without him saying a word.

Seeing that her master wanted to help Princess Yong'an, she immediately said reluctantly, "Your Highness, we don't have much water left, and the weather has been bad these past few days. If you give her the water, what will you do if it's not enough for you later?"

Xiao Nanrong frowned upon hearing this. At this moment, the secretary, who had walked a few steps to the side to check, quickly returned and said with a smile, "Your Highness, don't worry. Princess Yong'an has already come up with a solution."

The secretary chattered like a sparrow, describing to Xiao Nanyong how the people over there had wrapped the ashes from last night's burn in several layers of linen, then covered the bucket with it. Then, they poured the muddy water they had drawn over the linen, and the water in the bucket became clean...

"Princess Yong'an's brother even had the prisoners boil water in a pot before storing it, saying drinking it directly would make people sick... This must be the County Lord's."

The secretary's eyes were full of curiosity: "Princess Yong'an knows so much. She is almost as wise as His Highness."

Xiao Nanyong laughed and shook his head.

Yan Nu curled his lips and snorted: "Growing up in the countryside, naturally I understand some vulgar things..."

Xiao Nanrong looked over, her words stagnating before she immediately lowered her head: "I know I was wrong."

The exiled prisoners finished their breakfast while the water was boiling, and drank some hot water. They felt as if they were alive again. Not long after, everyone set off on their journey.

Shen Ning had been keeping an eye on the Second Prince Xiao Nanyong without making a sound, and then she discovered that the other party seemed to be waiting for them intentionally or unintentionally. They would only pack up and set off together after the exiled prisoners had left.

After thinking about it, Shen Ning sent Wu Yue to pass on the message.

Wu Yue had a pleasing smile on his face, and no one would have thought that he had been murdering people since he was a child.

"My princess said that the Second Prince is of noble status and she dared not go first. Please let the Second Prince go first."

Wu Yue's words were respectful, but as soon as she finished speaking, the "servant" next to the Second Prince snorted coldly, "Your Highness can go however he wants. Isn't Princess Yong'an meddling too much?"

Xiao Nanrong looked up and saw Yan Nu's face turn pale: "I have overstepped my bounds."

Xiao Nanrong smiled at Wu Yue. Yan Nu pursed her lips and said stiffly, "Master said, thank you for Princess Yong'an's kindness, then we won't be polite."

May bowed and took his leave.

Soon, Xiao Nanyong and his group arrived in front.

Shen Ning also knew that she might be a little suspicious, but there was a group of people following behind her, and it was very likely that they were masters who were unaware of the situation, or the Second Prince who was somehow related to the Xu family. She didn't want to be followed by him like a ghost.

What if he really has ulterior motives?

Shen Ning couldn't help but be curious and gossipy: Does the Second Prince know about the relationship between his mother and his uncle? Tsk... It's too explosive.

By the afternoon, the convoy arrived at the last major river in the interior, the Dongding River.

Because of the heavy rain the day before, the muddy river water was extremely turbulent, rushing forward with waves that were shocking to watch.

Fortunately, the river was not too wide, only about 70 to 80 feet. After the Second Prince Xiao Nanyong and his entourage passed by, the prisoner convoy began to line up and cross the bridge.

Chen Ning was a little worried, so she asked people to stand on the bridge and on both sides of the bridge to keep an eye on her. After she crossed the bridge, they did not continue forward, but stopped not far away and watched the convoy cross the bridge.

I can’t explain it, I just feel a little uneasy…

But just when Shen Ning felt that she was being too cautious, Yuan Yue suddenly appeared and said in a deep voice, "The bridge is cracked."

Almost the next moment, Shen Ning saw a bridge pier leaning outwards... Her breathing suddenly stagnated, and she hurriedly said: "Tell them to ignore the car, speed up, stagger their steps, don't walk in step, separate, don't walk side by side, quickly..."

The sergeant escorting the prisoners also noticed the tilted bridge pier and immediately shouted, "Speed up! The bridge is about to collapse."

The soldiers did not dare to interfere with the prisoners pulling the carts, nor would they tell them to abandon the carts.

These were all rebellious exiles. To be honest, their lives were worth less than grass. They had accidentally seen the cargo in Princess Yong'an's convoy two days ago.

In addition to food, there were more valuable things such as salt, silk, etc. To be honest, the goods on those cars were more valuable than the lives of these refugees.

But the next moment, the soldiers received an order from the princess: order the prisoners to abandon the car and cross the bridge.

There are time requirements for the exile of prisoners. If the bridge collapses and they haven't come yet, it will take an unknown number of days to come back by taking a detour. If they miss the date for reporting for exile, it will be a capital crime.

The soldiers were very impressed by the kindness of Princess Yong'an, but then they discovered that even though they knew the bridge was going to collapse, none of the prisoners threw the cars down to escape.

They gritted their teeth and tried their best to push or pull towards the bridge, even though they could feel the bridge surface beneath their feet seemed to be shaking slightly, and even though the person in charge on the bridge side yelled and cursed at them to abandon the car, those people refused to listen.

Shen Ning's breathing almost stopped, and she kept saying: "Let them throw the car down... quickly!"

Born under the red flag, she never felt that anything was more important than human life. Even though she had gradually accepted the strict hierarchy of this world, she still wanted to put human life first wherever she could.

However, the prisoners refused to listen...

Shen Ning saw the husband of the woman in labor pulling a cart and rushing towards this side with gritted teeth. On the cart, the woman in labor was holding the child in one hand and the goods next to her with the other, for fear that the goods would fall into the river.

At this time, the other side of the bridge began to collapse... Fortunately, most people had already rushed over.

But Shen Ning saw that a woman pushing a wheelbarrow who was at the back was blocked by the collapsed gap.

There are exposed bridge piers in front, and the bridge deck underfoot is crumbling.

Shen Ning couldn't help it, and regardless of her current identity, she shouted urgently: "Throw away the car and run over here, hurry up."

The woman cried out, "The person in the car is Yan Yuesha...it's Yan Yuesha..."

The Yanyue gauze is said to be as white as silver snowflakes.

Shen Ning gritted her teeth and almost went crazy: "Don't worry about it, throw it out of the car."

The woman kept crying and shaking her head, trying hard to control the wheelbarrow and rush over, but at this moment, the bridge surface suddenly broke.

Shen Ning almost cried out: "Yuan Yue..."

The moment before she opened her mouth, Yuan Yue had already flown out lightly. The moment the woman and the wheelbarrow fell into the turbulent river, Yuan Yue swooped down and stretched out her hand.

Under everyone's gaze, he didn't even glance at the pieces of precious silk that floated up from the water. He grabbed the woman and flew back...

Yuanyue stepped on the bridge with her toes and landed on the other side of the bridge like a big bird, carrying the woman. At this time, the entire convoy had passed safely.

Shen Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If anyone fell into the river and drowned because of her, she would never be at peace.

The woman was still kneeling on the ground crying, "You shouldn't have saved me, you shouldn't have saved me..."

Shen Ning sighed silently and winked at the steward, who bowed respectfully and walked towards the woman.

"The boss said this was a natural disaster, so we don't have to pay and we won't blame you..."

The woman was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses, turned around and kowtowed towards Chen Ning's carriage.

Not far away, Xiao Nanyong lowered the car curtain.

The attendant beside him exclaimed in admiration, "Princess Yong'an seems to have a kind heart. She even cares about the lives of those exiles."

Xiao Nanyong's lips curled up.

Yan Nu instantly understood what her master had not said: she just had a good heart.

Curling his lips and rolling his eyes at Chen Ning, Yan Nu whipped the whip and drove forward...