The sound of orderly footsteps echoed from the alleyway. "Who dares to cause trouble here?"
The thugs grabbed the purses on the ground and ran away, but they were no match for the soldiers and were quickly caught.
One of the constables said, "Brother Chu, you guessed it."
The constable, called Brother Chu, said smugly, "The money exchange is right next door. This alley is so easy to navigate, so naturally we'll always be here. As long as we don't get caught, we're sure to extort some money."
Constable Chu stepped forward, took the purse from the leader's hand, and turned to hand it to Liu Huan and the other man who had been facing away from them.
"Madam, is this your purse?"
Liu Huan looked up and gave a slight smile to express her gratitude. Her gentle smile stunned the person in front of her. "It is indeed my red envelope, but there should be another one in their hands."
Another constable searched the purse from the lewd-looking man next to him, but before he could give it to Liu Huan, Constable Chu snatched it away first, asking, "Is this it?"
"This is it, thank you, sir."
The constables scratched their heads shyly, "We're just doing our job. You can go now. Don't take this kind of alley next time."
Liu Huan took two steps and then turned back to the big brother, sighing and saying with a mix of disappointment and frustration, "I told you to hurry up and leave, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what happened, you've been caught."
"Be a better person next time; you can't just take what doesn't belong to you."
After saying this, he curtsied to the constables again, saying, "Thank you, gentlemen."
She turned and left gracefully.
Several constables shook their heads regretfully, "So beautiful, it's a pity she's already married."
"Yes, otherwise, this look would be a perfect match for our Brother Chu."
The handsome man, who was called Brother Chu, blushed and said angrily, "Alright, you just want to arrange a marriage for me as soon as you see a pretty girl. Do you really think I'm a hot commodity that everyone likes? Don't ruin the girl's reputation."
The people around laughed: "She's already styled her hair up, and Brother Chu is still calling her a little girl."
Brother Chu said with a stern face, "Alright, take her away for questioning first. Whether she is a lady or a young lady is none of our business. Don't talk about her like a lecherous scoundrel all day long."
The person next to him muttered aggrievedly, "We're just worried about you. Brother Chu, you're almost thirty. Your ex-sister-in-law has been gone for so many years. If you don't find someone soon, you'll be too old."
Brother Chu wasn't in a hurry at all. "Fate is predetermined. It's not about who you think is good enough. Let's call it a day."
When they led the people out, Liu Huan and the other person had already disappeared.
They lingered for a while to give them time, so that no one would see them together and ruin the girl's reputation.
Everyone's attention returned to the criminals; these people had been committing crimes for a long time and had finally been caught today.
Qiu Rong, who had already arrived at the market, still felt lingering fear when she thought about what had just happened. "Master, next time you go out, please bring Ermo with you. My presence won't help."
Liu Huan agreed, "We don't get many chances to go out, so if anything happens in the future, we'll bring Ermo with us."
Qiu Rong asked, "Why were you so calm just now, Master? I was terrified."
Liu Huan said, "With so many soldiers on the street, only a fool would rob someone at this time. They'd catch you every time."
The way he spoke didn't seem like someone who frequently committed crimes; he even started chatting with her.
Liu Huan's guess was right. When the constables took the people back for questioning, they discovered that the four were committing the crime for the first time. They thought that since others could rob money from there, they should be able to as well.
Little did they know that the robbers always chose to do it when it was getting dark and the police were changing shifts, not in broad daylight.
The last few were detained for fifteen days and given twenty lashes before being released.
Liu Huan and his companion bought some things and left the city, getting into an oxcart and leaving, clearly not wanting to encounter Feng Shi again.
When he got back, his basket was turned inside out. "Brother, here's a candied hawthorn."
Anran excitedly rummaged through the things: "Wow, this piece of cloth must be for making new clothes for me, and this beaded flower must be mine too. Thank you, Mother, thank you, Aunt Qiurong."
Liu Huan hugged her daughter's face and kissed her cheeks twice: "Don't be shy, you little bandit."
For the next few days, it was rainy during the day and thunderstorms at night. Everyone was sound asleep when they were awakened by a shaking sound.
The two children rolled over and hugged Liu Huan: "Mommy~"
Liu Huan hugged one of them in each arm, saying, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mother is here."
Qiu Rong and Qiu Ju from next door pushed open the door, "Master, the earth has turned upside down, we need to get out quickly."
An earthquake occurs when the earth dragon turns over.
Liu Huan didn't have time to change her clothes. She grabbed her shoes, handed one child to Qiu Rong, and ran off with the other in her arms.
It was still raining outside. Qiuju risked going inside to get a cloak and a raincoat, while Ermo grabbed an umbrella from the doorway. The group then went outside to a more spacious area and stood there.
Fortunately, dawn was approaching, but it was also the worst possible time.
People were most sleepy back then, and if they were fast asleep, they wouldn't even know if the earth turned over.
Unaware of the situation in the village and not daring to return to their house, the group stood outside for an hour until dawn before heading to other parts of the village.
The village was full of people: people crying, injured people, and dilapidated houses.
Upon closer inspection, it was found that almost all the mud houses were damaged to varying degrees, with some collapsing due to years of neglect.
Liu Huan went to the village chief's house, which was a brick house, so it was unaffected.
The village chief's wife cried and said, "Liu Huan, the earth has turned upside down! I don't know how many people and crops will die or be damaged. The autumn harvest is just around the corner!"
Liu Huan felt a chill run down her spine. How could someone born in an earthquake zone not know the pain that earthquakes bring?
Human beings are truly insignificant in the face of nature.
When the village chief went to the city government office at dawn to find out what was going on, he learned that their county had only suffered minor damage. The villagers in the border area between Hongdu Prefecture and Tanzhou Prefecture were the ones who were truly hard-hit, because they all lived in mud-walled houses and many of them were buried.
A nearby solution cannot quench a distant fire, especially since villages in Nanchang County have also been affected.
The village chief organized the villagers to carry the injured villagers out, and those in serious condition were sent to the county.
In a dilapidated house, they found Gouwazi's parents and child, who had been crushed to death by the mud wall, with only a small child shivering in a corner.
Gouwazi escaped unscathed because he wasn't home.
About ten people died in the village; all of them lived in houses that had been in disrepair for years.
Liu Huan felt very upset after hearing this, and even the two little kids who usually loved to go out were unusually quiet at this moment.
The urgent dispatch from Hongdu Prefecture and Tanzhou Prefecture arrived in the capital in just a few days, and the young emperor was deeply saddened upon seeing the memorial.
The external threat had just been quelled, but some rebels, whose whereabouts were unknown, were causing him great anxiety and sleepless nights.
Now this has happened again. This is the first major event since he took the throne. If he doesn't handle it well, how can he win the hearts of the people?
After convening his maternal uncles and senior officials of the court to discuss the matter, he decided to send Su Yi to handle it.
He had not yet established his authority in the court, so the person who handled this matter had to be the one he trusted most.
The Emperor and his court officials watched as Su Yi left with relief supplies, grain, and silver.
A veteran of three dynasties who had witnessed the earthquake sighed, "The earthquake has brought devastation and death to the people. May Heaven protect the people and help them get through this calamity safely."
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