Shangguan Wan Ning couldn't bear it, but they really couldn't find anything to eat.
"Sister-in-law, you get up first."
Shangguan Wanning helped the young woman up and looked at the baby in her arms who had fallen asleep from exhaustion, with tears still on her cheeks.
"I...I still have a sesame seed cake..."
The guard beside him timidly took out his hidden stuff from his sleeve and looked at Mu Jingrui cautiously.
Seeing this, the young woman didn't care about anything and just grabbed it and started to gobble it up.
"Sister-in-law, what on earth happened here?" Shangguan Wanning handed the water bag to the young woman and waited until she finished the sesame cake in a few bites before asking.
The young woman looked around in bewilderment, and the child burst into tears. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she lowered her head, as if she had something to hide.
Shangguan Wan Ning saw that she was holding the child with more strength, and understood what she meant, and said, "Sister-in-law, if you don't mind, come with me to the carriage and rest for a while."
The young woman seemed to be very afraid of Mu Jingrui's stern expression, and she stepped back tremblingly.
"Don't worry, we are not bad people."
Shangguan Wan Ning led the young woman towards the carriage. When she passed by Mu Jingrui, she glanced at him and smiled slightly, saying, "You have a stern face every day. No wonder everyone is afraid of you."
Mu Jingrui was stunned and couldn't help but frowned.
Shangguan Wanning got on the carriage with the young woman, and immediately undressed to feed the child, and then slowly told her about the situation in the area.
"Girl, I can see that you are indeed a good person. You must not go any further, or you will die."
"Why?"
"Alas, I don't know what's going on with the court. There's another war. Most of us are escapees from Anyuan County. Originally, our county was considered stable and prosperous. However, a while ago, a group of rebels appeared out of nowhere. I heard... they were going to Mingdu City to support His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Of course the imperial army would not let them succeed, so they sent troops to suppress them. But they were short of manpower, so they conscripted able-bodied men from several nearby counties to serve on the front lines. As a result, some fled, and some died."
"Those of us who couldn't run fast were left behind. Without food or water, we were worse off than the stray dogs on the roadside. We were hanging on for our last breath, and we didn't know when we would become dead souls on the roadside."
The baby started crying again because he didn't get enough milk. The young woman patiently coaxed the child, and tears welled up in her own eyes.
Shangguan Wanning comforted her with a few words and then got off the carriage. Mu Jingrui walked over.
"I asked them about it. There are two forces fighting ahead. The battle is in full swing."
"So...should we take a detour, or?"
"Taking this detour will add at least three days to the journey. What do you think?"
Shangguan Wanning raised her eyes and looked at Mu Jingrui. Based on her understanding of Mu Jingrui, he was definitely not someone who would escape.
“Where to go is not the point. I just want to know how you plan to resettle these refugees.”
Mu Jingrui fell into deep thought.
Now they themselves are still on the run and really don't have much energy to take care of the suffering people.
However, isn’t the purpose of their hard work in fighting to allow the people to live and work in peace and contentment?
"I'll send someone to buy some food from other places. We'll stay here tonight. We'll talk about other things tomorrow."
"Um."
Shangguan Wanning nodded slightly.
Soon, Mu Jingrui sent his men to buy things, and in the evening they brought back a large cart of flour, vegetables, and some cooking utensils.
When everyone saw there was so much food, they became very enthusiastic and everyone was willing to help. Soon the aroma of food filled the air.
Mu Jingrui learned from these people that the reason why the lieutenant general here captured so many able-bodied men was because he had been falsely reporting the number of people to the court for years in order to collect empty salaries.
This means that the imperial army stationed here now will not be very strong in combat.
Late at night, everyone, having eaten and drunk their fill, went to bed contentedly.
Shangguan Wanning lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw Mu Jingrui standing alone on a hill not far ahead, seemingly with a lot on his mind.
She hesitated for a while and walked over silently.
When Mu Jingrui heard footsteps and turned around, when he saw Shangguan Wanning, he took off his long gown and put it on her.
"It's almost winter, and the wind is strong at night, why are you still out?"
Shangguan Wanning lowered her head and said nothing.
In fact, she didn't know what to say. She just saw that Mu Jingrui was a little sad, and she couldn't help but want to comfort him.
"A lot has happened these days. Are you tired?"
Mu Jingrui reached out and gently tidied Shangguan Wanning's long hair.
"Tired! Very tired." Shangguan Wanning sighed softly, "I really want to boil a big bucket of hot water and take a comfortable bath."
Mu Jingrui chuckled.
"Okay, I'll make sure to arrange it for you."
Such a simple request...
Given the current situation, it is really not an easy task.
The next day, when Shangguan Wanning woke up at dawn, Mu Jingrui's men handed her a letter.
"I'll go get you some hot water. You stay here and wait for me to come back. Don't worry."
Shangguan Wanning was stunned, feeling a little amused and helpless.
However, Mu Jingrui had already left, and she could do nothing about it.
Mu Jingrui left most of his men to her for deployment. She asked Huo Gang to take people to replenish some food, buy some medicinal herbs, and treat the illnesses and injuries of the people.
"Are you really not worried about Mu Jingrui at all?"
Shangguan Wanning had been busy the whole morning, and Ge Shuyan came over and handed her a white flour bun.
"He will know his limits..." Shangguan Wanning said in a low voice.
"You two are quite strange. You clearly love each other, but..."
"Sister Yan, stop talking nonsense. He has a wife at home."
"But aren't men in the Central Plains allowed to have three wives and four concubines? With Mu Jingrui's status and position, marrying one more wife shouldn't be a problem."
Shangguan Wanning lowered her eyes and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"I won't be a concubine."
Seeing that Ge Shuyan wanted to say something, she took the initiative to point at Huo Gang who was not far away. "If Brother Huo told you that he wanted to marry two, would you agree?"
Ge Shuyan was stunned, raised his head slightly, and said: "If that woman can beat me, then I will agree."
Shangguan Wanning couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. "Then Brother Huo will be in trouble."
Ge Shuyan couldn't help but laugh out loud when he thought of that scene.
Late at night, Shangguan Wanning had just got on the carriage and was about to rest when she heard a burst of hurried horse hooves.
Huo Gang and others immediately became alert and surrounded the carriage.
A group of people galloped to the front, and the leading general dismounted and said with a bow, "We are here on the orders of Lord Mu to welcome the princess into the city."
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