Chapter 136 Demonstration
As the prince had predicted, the tallow tree moved extremely fast.
With the Crown Prince protecting her, Xiao Yuxuan felt much less jolted. His hands steadily protected her from the side, and Xiao Yuxuan's initial unease about being in such a high place gradually subsided.
The view from above was indeed excellent. The tallow trees were much taller than the snow clouds, and she could easily see the city gate at the end of the road as she looked into the distance.
"Hold on tight."
Qi Jun reminded her in a deep voice, and the vibration from his chest came from behind her. Xiao Yuxuan suddenly gripped her sleeve tightly.
Fortunately, she is only fourteen years old, and the Crown Prince treats her as a child; otherwise, she wouldn't know how to conduct herself.
There were many more guards at the city gate than usual, many of them wearing armor and carrying knives, looking ready to defend themselves at any moment.
Xiao Yuxuan initially thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill, but when the city gates opened, the sight outside immediately frightened her so much that she shrank back.
There are too many people—
There were people kneeling and weeping, begging to go to the city for medicine; there were people holding farm tools, anxiously and angrily cursing and threatening to kill the officials; and there were many more people with stiff, numb faces and lifeless eyes...
Their fatigue vanished the moment they saw the city gates open, and hundreds of people rushed forward, trying to break through the gates. The guards stood behind the barricades, brandishing swords and spears, and ordered them to retreat.
"No one may enter the city without an imperial edict! Retreat immediately! Otherwise, don't blame the swords for being merciless!"
"Damn you, you dog! You only care about your own pleasure and don't care about the lives of us common people at all!"
"That's right! These officials are all parasites! Letting us fend for ourselves is simply outrageous, folks!"
"His Majesty claims to love his people like his own children, yet with the epidemic raging so fiercely, he only cares about his own little corner of the capital! How can he face the people of the world?!"
Several indignant voices rang out from different directions, all speaking in a seductive manner. Xiao Yuxuan frowned, thinking that this was not a good idea. If these people continued to talk, what would the guards and the people in the city think?
Not all of them are people whose ancestors all grew up in Beijing; they all have relatives and friends in other places. If we keep talking, things will get chaotic.
She was about to look at who was speaking when, before she could see clearly, the Crown Prince suddenly pulled on the reins, turning Wu Jiu to face the city gate. In his hand, he had somehow acquired a longbow.
The next moment, three arrows whistled past her ears, the sharp sound sending shivers down her spine.
Three arrows swiftly pierced through the guards and the barricades, heading straight for the three men who had just been loudly spouting nonsense!
"ah--"
The three cried out and fell to the ground, their faces contorted in pain.
Excellent archery!
Whether they knew archery or not, everyone was momentarily stunned when they saw the prince hit all three arrows at the same time.
However, the three arrows did not kill the three men; they struck their shoulders and arms respectively.
The three of them probably never expected that someone would risk being branded as a ruthless killer to shoot and wound them. Caught off guard, they found themselves in the crowd, unable to escape.
"Seize those three spies!"
The guards around the Crown Prince spoke first, and the word "spy" caused an uproar among the crowd.
A spy?!
The civilians who had been terrified and fleeing in all directions by the sudden appearance of three arrows at the city gate were immediately diverted, and they all rushed towards the nearest person who had been hit by an arrow—
In such a critical moment, are there spies among them?!
They didn't recognize the warrior shooting arrows from horseback in the city, but since he had the right to open the city gates and had wounded three people with three arrows, they were determined to capture him for his bravery!
The people already harbored resentment towards the rulers in the capital, and now, upon hearing that there were spies from an enemy country, they channeled all their anger and resentment onto those three individuals.
Catching them wasn't enough; punches and kicks were the least of their worries, and two of them were even knocked unconscious.
The people were unhappy when they saw the three men being taken into the city gate.
A middle-aged man who appeared to be of a refined appearance stepped forward and said in as gentle and respectful a tone as possible:
"Your Excellencies, we people from the nearby villages and towns have contracted the plague and are all waiting to go to the capital to seek medical treatment and find doctors! Please, Your Excellencies, make an exception and let us at least send a few doctors over to take a look."
The crown prince handed the longbow to a guard, his gaze falling on the group of people with sorrowful faces, and said:
"The imperial court is already trying to deal with the epidemic, and Miss Xiao is also organizing the imperial physicians to develop appropriate prescriptions. Father and I will do our best and not give up on anyone."
"Tomorrow, doctors will be sent from the capital to Weixian, Gu'an Town, and Huailai Town to provide medical treatment. Two hours later, when the Atractylodes lancea and Artemisia argyi in the city have burned out, the city gates will be opened."
These words shocked not only the people crowding the city gate, but also the guards.
The Crown Prince had just told the people affected by the epidemic that if any able-bodied person in their household had died, they would be exempt from paying taxes this year, and they were already shocked.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the city gates were opened, the crown prince immediately discovered the spy and promised to send a doctor and open the city gates wide.
They had been wondering why the Crown Prince would risk his life, and why some people had come out of the palace at such a dangerous time, but they suddenly understood his intentions.
The emperor, of course, must remain seated securely in his high position, ensuring his safety.
But the Crown Prince is young and vigorous, so it is his duty to stabilize the people's hearts.
The people were overjoyed, but also surprised that this was actually the crown prince. The refined-looking middle-aged man from before was the first to kneel down and kowtow repeatedly.
"This humble subject kowtows in gratitude to Your Highness!"
A group of people followed suit, dropping everything they had intended to use for the demonstration, and kneeling down to kowtow to the man on the tall horse.
"This humble subject kowtows in gratitude to Your Highness the Crown Prince—"
The resounding sounds of gratitude were like waves, interspersed with the cries of many people. They had been waiting for several days, and now that they saw hope, how could they not weep with joy?
Qi Jun remained silent, tightened his grip on the reins, and Wujiu obediently turned its body. He carefully protected the little girl in his arms, gently squeezed the horse's flanks with his legs, and galloped toward the city gate, which had been spontaneously cleared for passage.
The black-tall tree was too fast. Even though it was carrying two people, a boy and a girl, it quickly shook off the dozen or so guards of the crown prince.
"Your Highness..."
Xiao Yuxuan called out.
Qi Jun's voice rang out from above her head: "Miss Xiao, please speak your mind."
She had so many questions that she didn't know which one to ask first.
Just as he was hesitating, Qi Jun spoke again:
"Giving it to you was my original intention. Shooting those spies was just something I did on the side. You don't need to think about it."
“Those men had loud voices, but their eyes were darting around, searching everywhere. When they raised their farm tools, the undergarments they revealed were spotless white, so they were not real farmers.”
Xiao Yuxuan understood immediately, and was deeply impressed by the Crown Prince's meticulous and swift observation and his decisive and ruthless actions.
It is truly a blessing for the State of Qi to have such a crown prince. If he hadn't died young in his previous life, everything might have been different.
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