Grandma Li was reluctant to let him go and urged him to stay, "Dayong, have a meal before you go back. I'll have Fu Niu cook your favorite dishes!"
Li Dayong refused, replying, "Auntie, I really don't have the time this time. With the Marquis away, the responsibility of guarding the dock is heavy, and I dare not be careless in the slightest. But those two hundred wounded soldiers are all returning from the Jiangbei battlefield. They have had a hard time, so I'll trouble our family to take extra care of them."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Old Mrs. Li glared at him and scolded, "You child, why are you being so formal! You said we're family, so why are you being so polite?"
"These wounded soldiers fought alongside the Marquis and the Fourth Prince against the barbarians. Even if they came to Broken Gold Beach to protect everyone's safety, it would be only right for them to retire and live there permanently."
"Don't worry, they definitely won't be treated unfairly!"
Li Dayong raised his hand and gently slapped himself, then smiled and coaxed the old lady, "It's all because I'm bad with words and said the wrong thing. Don't be like me, Auntie, punish me by making me buy you roast chicken next time I come back."
Everyone laughed, but Old Lady Li patted his hand and said, "The roast chicken isn't important. As long as you're all safe and sound, that's all that matters."
"Now that no one from your family is with you in the army, you must be very tired, but hang in there. Things will get better soon, and then you'll be reunited with Hui Niang and the children, and life will be all about enjoying yourself!"
“Okay, Auntie, I’m looking forward to that time too.” Li Dayong nodded emphatically in agreement.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he got up to take his leave, as the city gates would be closing soon.
Jiayin just came over from the kitchen, with Shuiling behind her carrying two baskets. Seeing this, Jiayin smiled.
“Uncle Dayong, I knew you wouldn’t be staying for dinner. So, I fried some meatballs and made a few dozen pies. Take them all home, and you can just cook some porridge for dinner.”
Li Dayong didn't stand on ceremony at all, smiling as he took it personally and instructed, "Be sure to have someone let me know if anything happens."
After saying that, he left with his men.
The defense of the dock is crucial and cannot be left unattended for even a moment. If he hadn't been so worried about his family, he wouldn't have made this trip...
After seeing Li Dayong off, everyone chatted about trivial matters while eating dinner.
Meanwhile, outside the city, the Broken Gold Beach was still bustling with activity, torches everywhere illuminating both the inside and outside.
The produce from the mountains and fields was quickly brought back.
Similarly, the manors of the Liu, Jia, and Xing families were also like this.
This commotion was quite significant, and naturally, neighboring estates noticed it and were very surprised.
After finding out the truth, these people thought it was crazy.
Although the drought was severe, each manor had some backup plans, such as several deep wells.
Therefore, the crops and vegetables in the manor yielded less, but there were still four or five parts left.
But they're not ripe yet, it would be a waste to harvest them, they couldn't bear to...
So the village heads weren't in a hurry; they planned to report to their owners the next day and ask what was going on...
Unfortunately, they didn't realize that opportunities are fleeting, and the worst thing is to wait.
In this way, some people are busy in the dark night, some are watching the excitement, and some are rushing on the road or carrying their families and persevering forward.
When the sun rose above the horizon again, the soldiers guarding the city gate, seeing the three or four times larger number of refugees below, couldn't help but gasp and almost dropped their swords...
The message was quickly relayed, and the commander on duty, yawning, went forward to take a look, only to be instantly jolted awake.
When did these ragged, emaciated, and dejected refugees, with their families in tow and numb and desperate expressions, take over most of the open space outside the city gate?
When were those dilapidated sheds made of branches, broken planks, and tarpaulins erected under the city wall?
This must be reported immediately!
The commander cursed himself inwardly for his bad luck, having to be on duty on this particular day. If he had known this would happen, he could have easily gotten away with it by asking for a few days off...
Because the Empress has passed away and the funeral has not yet taken place, all court assemblies, both large and small, have been suspended, but state affairs cannot be delayed.
Therefore, the Imperial Study became a temporary court, where important officials from the six ministries would gather from time to time to discuss matters.
The emperor had lost his wife, but he still suppressed his "grief" and continued to handle state affairs. He was flattered by the eloquent courtiers!
At this moment, Chief Eunuch Yi, carrying the Emperor's oral decree, selected five or six officials from among those mourning at the funeral to discuss matters in the Imperial Study.
The other court officials were green with envy as they watched their colleagues being ordered to "slack off."
The courtiers who successfully escaped were initially pleased with themselves, but they soon regretted it.
They entered the imperial study, and before they could even settle in, news of the city's defenses arrived.
The number of refugees has increased rapidly, reaching three thousand, which may lead to trouble!
Whether it was the emperor and the crown prince, or the courtiers who were full of superiority, they were all so shocked that they didn't speak for a long time.
Of course, I just want to say something but I don't know what to say.
Actually, this outcome was somewhat expected, but since it hadn't happened, everyone was deceiving themselves and stealing a few days of peace and quiet.
This sudden bombshell is really hard to accept!
The Emperor was the first to lose his temper, "When did so many people gather? Why wasn't this reported earlier?!"
The city's defense commander immediately responded, "Your Majesty, the incident happened suddenly. There were only a few refugees yesterday, and we stopped them from entering the city for fear of disturbing the Empress's funeral."
"Unexpectedly, the number of people has increased dramatically overnight! They are now gathered at the city gate. If someone stirs things up, it could easily lead to a riot. I urge Your Majesty to give instructions on how to deal with this."
The emperor was agitated and wanted to yell and scold, but the crown prince persuaded him to stop.
"Father, please calm down. Your health is of utmost importance. What's done is done, there's always a way to resolve it."
The other court officials nodded in agreement.
"Your Highness is right, Your Majesty, please calm down. Such a natural disaster is beyond human power to resist."
"Yes, Your Majesty. The only thing we can do now is to quickly arrange for the refugees to be resettled, so as to prevent any unrest."
"Furthermore, how are the southern prefectures taking care of their people? Such a large number of refugees did not form overnight, so why haven't the prefectures submitted any reports to the authorities?"
The Emperor rubbed his throbbing temples, and just as he was about to speak, Chief Eunuch Yi strode in.
"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the southwest has arrived!"
southwest?
Everyone was shocked. Could it be that foreign enemies on the southwestern border had also begun to invade?!
Seeing that the Emperor did not speak, the Crown Prince said, "Bring it here!"
Chief Eunuch Yi quickly held the memorial above his head, and the Crown Prince was about to pass it to the Emperor, but the Emperor waved his hand.
Call it escapism or cowardice, but in any case, even a ruler has moments of weariness and boredom, and truly doesn't want to see any more bad news.
Moreover, the lingering toxins that weren't completely eliminated earlier are still slowly damaging his body, and his energy has been declining lately...
The crown prince understood, quickly opened the memorial and read it, his face turning grim.
Now, the emperor and his court officials were both curious and worried.
The Crown Prince is usually composed and rarely shows his emotions. For him to change his expression like this indicates that the matter is definitely not trivial.
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