Chapter 345 Since you want to live, I will give you a way out
"I am already a dying man, how could I be afraid of your threat?" Taking advantage of the opportunity to stop, Ruan Mian lowered his voice and spoke concisely.
"You and I share the same suffering. If I'm not mistaken, you must have fled from Yuzhou City, right?"
Although the man didn't say anything, the slight movement of his eyebrows made Ruan Mian certain of his thoughts.
She continued, "We're all suffering from the flood, so we should help each other. Your intrusion is like a bandit crossing the border! Food is limited, and even if you steal it temporarily, it's only for the time being. Have you thought about the days ahead?"
The man didn't want to hear her big talk: "We're going to die anyway, so eat as much as you can and live as long as you can!!"
Seeing those people becoming arrogant, Ruan Mian lowered her eyes and remembered that she had collected a lot of things in the space before the flood came.
Since they wouldn't listen to her big talk, she'd just be more direct.
"Since you want to live, I will give you a way out."
"Everyone, you're all refugees. I know your desire to survive. And as you can see, the victims of Wuheng City are at least not in danger of losing their lives." "Anyone can understand your struggle to survive in this difficult situation. Now that you've arrived in Jinsha Village, you must follow our rules."
"As long as you follow the rules, I will ensure that you have something to eat. At least, you won't starve to death."
As soon as these words were spoken, many people's eyes suddenly lit up.
Ruan Mian then spoke: "If you want this chance to survive, you can stand to my right now. I will count the number of people first."
"I will take you to a nearby wasteland and provide you with the necessary food. However, how much food you can get to survive depends on your determination."
"Madam, what do you mean? We are determined to provide enough."
At this time, the group of refugees had basically stopped fighting and were looking in Ruan Mian's direction.
"I'll find someone to teach you how to build a wooden shed, but it'll require a lot of wood, and you'll have to cut and saw that wood yourself. Whoever cuts and saws more wood will get more food from me."
"Just count the total number of households."
Moreover, this group of foreign refugees cannot be allowed to mix with the people of Wuheng City at this moment, to prevent the epidemic that has just been controlled from spreading again.
At the same time, they also had to pick out those who were unwell among their group of refugees and divide them into epidemic areas like the victims in Wuheng City.
Obtaining food through labor with one's own hands is the fairest way for everyone.
The leading refugees expressed their suspicion: "There are so many people in your city, and there are quite a few of us here too. Where do you get all the food supplies? Are you trying to trick us and make us work for nothing?"
Ruan Mian smiled faintly and said calmly: "We have always grown our own food. With the methods and seeds for planting, how could we starve to death?"
"On the contrary, no matter how much you make trouble and rob, can you really defeat our entire Wuheng City?!"
These words hit the foreign refugees hard. They were forced into a corner and were so hungry that they didn't care about the consequences.
Now that we have calmed down, the disparity in strength is self-evident.
What's more, there are generals guarding the border in the Wuheng area. If those soldiers come over, won't they all become fish on the chopping board?
Thinking of this, they didn't say much, and one by one they stood on Ruan Mian's right side, expressing their willingness to listen to her advice and seek a way out.
Only when everyone formed a united front did Ruan Mian call Yun Xiu.
"Ah Xiu, you and Jin Xiu both know how to build tents, so I'll leave these refugees to you. The officials from the government office will definitely cooperate with you."
As soon as the words fell, Lord Lin's trusted official led several people forward and clasped their fists, saying, "Madam Ruan, don't worry. We will definitely help Master Yun with this matter."
After arranging this matter, Ruan Mian had to go back and arrange some more medicine and food.
Fortunately, there is a lot of food in the space, and the only things that need to be saved are those slightly more expensive medicines.
So in the past two days, as the number of disaster victims increased, she became even busier.
I don't even have time to eat.
But she feels it's okay because she is doing meaningful things and doesn't feel tired.
Especially when she saw that Lord Lin was still concerned about everyone despite being ill, she wanted to do something for him even more.
Because Ah Huai once said that in this world, there must always be someone to take the lead and guide the way so that we can find the road to peace.
Looking at it from another perspective, by rebuilding Wu Heng and rescuing these people, she was also paving the way for herself and Ah Huai.
As long as Wu Heng is preserved and built better, and the bad consequences of being exploited by King Huai in the original book are changed, Ah Huai will definitely not have to work that hard.
Those treacherous people under King Huai are bound to suffer many difficulties.
Her family members all saw how hard she worked.
Ruan Qing felt even more sorry for her sister. Even though her belly was already showing, she still had to personally cook some delicious food for her despite her belly.
Of course, the ingredients are limited, which is why she has developed many different ways to cook it.
Taking potatoes as an example, there are various ways to cook them and their flavors include steaming, boiling, stir-frying, and hot pot. She is also keen on tinkering with and developing food ingredients.
Seeing the beautiful weather, she decided to take her meal to her sister and take a walk. Although she was pregnant, she felt uncomfortable staying indoors. Ruan Qing had also heard about the arrival of a new group of refugees from Yuzhou.
Unexpectedly, before she reached the disaster relief center, she saw a woman with a big belly like herself walking with difficulty.
Ruan Qing was slightly stunned and looked around. The woman was alone and couldn't stand.
Seeing that she was sweating all over, Ruan Qing hurried forward and said, "Madam."
However, as soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly discovered that the woman's clothes were soaked with water.
Suddenly she felt something was wrong. This woman might be giving birth, as her amniotic fluid had broken.
So she didn't care about anything else, and immediately helped her to the ground, took off her coat and covered her with it.
"Wait a minute, I'll go get my sister for help now!"
She knew she couldn't handle it alone, so she hurried to find Ruan Mian.
When Ruan Mian heard that someone was about to give birth, he realized the situation was extremely dangerous, so he immediately put down what he was doing, took his aunt Meixi and several other women, each holding a basin filled with hot water, and went to the woods.
When they got there, half of the child's head was already exposed.
There's no way to move now.
The woman seemed to have used up all her strength, lying weakly on the ground with a distorted expression.
My aunt quickly called out to the others: "Wake her up! Hurry up, boil some water, and bring some cloth, scissors, and candles!"
Ruan Mian squatted on the ground, but the current situation did not give them enough time to deliver the baby. The child came out slowly on its own. Their arrival also gave the woman hope. Everyone surrounded her in the center, cheering her up and telling her not to worry about anything.
It was not until the baby's cry was heard that everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The surging pain completely deprived the woman of her strength. The moment the child came out, she didn't even have the strength to open her eyes to look at the child. She lost consciousness and fell to the ground.
Ruan Mian handed the child to her aunt, took some medicine, and took care of the woman.
He was also force-fed some medicine made with spiritual spring water.
Since he didn't know the woman's identity, he thought of asking Meixi to drive a carriage and take the woman back to his house first, and then deal with everything after she woke up.
Many of the women present were unmarried. When they first started helping women give birth, they were nervous and afraid of the scene of childbirth.
But when they saw the child being born in front of their eyes, looking well-behaved and cute, their hearts softened immediately and they all gathered around the child to tease him.
However, Ruan Qing saw an unusual scene.
Her expression changed slightly, and she immediately looked at Ruan Mian, held the child in front of her, and whispered.
"Girl, this kid..."
Ruan Mian looked over and saw that the child had extra toes on both of his feet.
Most people have five toes on each side, but this child has six on each side.
And he also has six fingers!
"Girl! The six-fingered child is a cursed freak in the book, and he can't be raised!"
In Ruan Mian's opinion, it was just a fetal deformity, and it was nothing as long as it did not affect future life.
After all, there is no way to get prenatal checkups in this era, so there is nothing we can do about children born naturally.
However, her aunt told her, "In the capital, children with six fingers are considered the incarnation of a demon and will be executed at birth. This was said by the late emperor himself. It is said that the Marquis of Nanping once gave birth to a six-fingered prince, who was executed by the late emperor."
"But this is just some rumors among the people. In short, such children are not accepted."
"Is there such a thing?"
Ruan Mian thought it was ridiculous, but when he thought about the fact that his family was exiled because of the nursery rhyme that the late emperor thought was the cause of his country's demise, the rumors that these so-called six-fingered children were to be executed did not seem so outrageous.
But the late emperor had passed away long ago, and this was far away in Wuheng. Even if others knew that a six-fingered child was born, what would it matter?
"Don't worry. We are all in a difficult situation now and we can't take care of ourselves. Who cares about this kid anymore?"
"I just checked, the child is healthy. Apart from the abnormality of the finger, everything else is fine."
As soon as they finished speaking, they suddenly heard a scream.
The woman who was giving birth woke up at some point and saw something strange about her baby. She couldn't believe it and screamed, then just stood there in a daze.
Ruan Mian hurriedly tried to comfort her, but the woman suddenly realized what was going on and grabbed her hand tightly, begging.
"My lady! My lady, I beg you, please be kind and take this child in, okay?"
"He can't follow me. If my husband finds the child's finger, he will definitely not leave the child alive! I can't just watch the child die!"
Ruan Mian was stunned, and even Ruan Qing beside him was surprised.
"Sister-in-law, your husband doesn't want children, but you can have them. Besides, your child is healthy. If your husband doesn't even recognize his own flesh and blood, you don't have to go back with him!"
Her words shocked the woman, who didn't understand why she dared to have such thoughts.
The husband is like heaven and the wife follows him. Giving birth to a monster is a sin. If she doesn't follow her husband, who else can she follow?
Isn't this world a dead end?!
"My child, he's a freak, and I'm his mother, I..."
However, before the woman could finish her words, she was so angry that her eyes turned black and she fainted immediately.
Ruan Qing didn't know why, but he was so angry.
"Sister! Look at what she said. Just because the child is not accepted by the world, she wants to give up her own flesh and blood. And she also said it's because her husband doesn't accept her!"
"Husband, husband! Are your husband's thoughts more important than your child's life?! If I had this husband, I wouldn't want him!!"
If he had given birth to a child with six fingers like her, General Huo would not have done this.
However, besides being angry, she also felt powerless: "Sister, she is also a pitiful person. I want to find out who her husband is. If her husband really can't accept the child, I..."
Ruan Mian comforted her, "Don't worry, let's ask her in detail after she wakes up.
The most urgent thing is to find some milk for the baby."
The woman was not feeling well. Ruan Mian checked her body and estimated that she did not have enough milk. The child had already been born, and he could not let him go hungry.
My aunt suddenly thought, "Isn't there a mare in our stable who gave birth to a foal a few days ago? That mare's milk could be used to supplement our supply for now."
There is no other way at the moment. After the woman wakes up, I will prescribe some milk-inducing prescriptions for her and do the same thing at the same time.
After finishing the business here, Ruan Mian saw Ruan Qing standing at the door in a daze.
Ruan Mian was worried that the scene of the woman giving birth might have frightened her, so she wanted to go forward and comfort her.
However, Ruan Qing asked her, "Sister, can this world ever get better?"
Ruan Mian was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Why are you so sad all of a sudden?"
Ruan Qingshen sighed and said solemnly, "Until now, I have always lived under the protection of my parents, my brother, and my sister. I have experienced the greatest dangers in the world, but these are nothing more than the suffering I endured during exile."
"I thought I had seen the ups and downs of life, and understood the sinister and complex nature of human beings. But now I think the truly difficult times in this world are for those women who are trapped in a cage but don't know what the cage is."
"I can't read, I can't understand reason, I'm forced to discipline my thoughts. In a world where my husband is everything, I can't even choose the life or death of my child."
"To put it bluntly, all those officials and those in power are men. Women can't even study and take exams! Even a talented woman like you, A-mei, was sucked dry by the Qi family. If you hadn't woken up in time and used your exile as an opportunity to escape from the Qi family, your future life would be unimaginable."
"And if I didn't have Ah Mei's care, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have the rest of my life."
Tears welled up in Ruan Qing's eyes. She didn't know when, but some thoughts in her mind burst out like a torrent.
"Sister, when do you think the world will get better?"
Ruan Mian could not give a definite answer to this question.
But she understood that if she wanted the world to be a better place, there must be someone who would be a pioneer.
She patted Ruan Mian's shoulder and said, "If there were more people like you, Ruan Qing, who dare to think, the world would get better sooner or later."
"But this is a long-term undertaking. What we need to do now is to make things better for Wu Heng, our family, our village, and our town."
Ruan Qing nodded, and with that decision in his heart, he told her: "Sister, I want to study and become a scholar like Ruan Qiuniang who is well-read in poetry and books."
"Our sister is very smart and quick-witted. You wanted to study medicine back then, but now you can already see patients on your own. If you want to study more, that's definitely no problem."
“But our Ruan Qing suddenly wants to study, but does he have a wish in his heart?”
Ruan Qing thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and asked, "There were precedents of female officials in previous dynasties, and there were also women taking exams, but women have never participated in this imperial examination system."
"I've read some books these days and asked my brother and the general. We've never had any laws in the capital prohibiting women from taking the imperial examinations. It's just that people are too prejudiced and assume that women can't take the exam."
Ruan Mian was a little surprised, his eyebrows moved slightly: "You want to take the imperial examination?"
Ruan Qing smiled and said, "It's not because I want to go to the court, but I just want to prove to the world that there are some things that women can do."
"Sister, do you think I'm just imagining things? I know this idea is very unconventional, and I don't dare to tell anyone else, but it's different for me, sister. I'm sure you can understand me."
Ruan Mian was moved and understood her very well, but he spoke in a serious tone.
"I understand what Sister is thinking, but the road ahead is full of thorns, and it's not something that can be achieved by just daydreaming."
"Amei won't stop you. Living according to your own heart is everyone's right."
"But for now, we still have to be pragmatic. You should take care of yourself first. After the baby is born, we can think about our own path."
Ruan Qingzheng nodded, and at this moment, Mei Xi came over with some medicine.
Ruan Mian suddenly remembered that he hadn't seen Cuizhu all day.
She couldn't help but ask, "Why don't I see Zhu'er today?"
Ruan Qing seemed to be reminded: "I didn't see her yesterday either."
Mei Xi hesitated for a moment before telling her the truth about Cuizhu's current whereabouts.
It turned out that Cuizhu had voluntarily gone to the isolated epidemic area three days ago.
She felt unwell and uncomfortable all over, as if she was being burned by flames all the time. Every time she swallowed a mouthful of water, it felt like swallowing a knife.
She knew she might have been infected with the disease.
When she thought of the pregnant women and children at home, she absolutely could not bring these diseases back home.
So as soon as she saw any signs of illness, she put on a mask and told Meixi about her situation, and gave her special instructions so as not to worry the girl.
"Xixi, the young lady is very busy right now. There are many things waiting for her to deal with. There is no need to tell her about my affairs."
"I will go to the epidemic area and recuperate with the patients. However, I can only leave some of the things I have to do to you."
At that time, Mei Xi was still very worried, but when she thought about the people who had recovered in the epidemic area one after another, she didn't think too much about it.
So he agreed to Cuizhu's words.
However, Cuizhu greatly underestimated her condition. After staying in the epidemic area for less than a day, her condition worsened significantly. She felt dizzy and heavy, as if she was being pressed down by a mountain, unable to breathe.
At night, people around her were either asleep or sick. She felt thirsty and wanted to drink some water to relieve the pain, but there was no one to rely on.
I could only force myself to sit up from the bed as my body was about to fall.
However, as soon as she walked out of the shed, her legs suddenly became weak and she fell to her knees!
The next moment he fell into a warm embrace.
Her gaze tensed, and she subconsciously turned around to look, only to meet a pair of familiar eyes.
"Liu... Liu Langjun? Why are you here? Are you sick too?"
This person is Liu Shu.
However, the truth was not what Cuizhu thought. Liu Shu was not sick. He came here specifically to visit Cuizhu.
"I came to see you. Fortunately, I came. Don't say anything first. I will help you."
Without waiting for Cuizhu to speak, Liu Shu picked her up horizontally.
However, Liu Shu did not enter the greenhouse, but took her to a thatched hut in the nearby woods.
Cuizhu was surprised. She felt that the straw hut was newly built, even the mattress inside was new.
Just as she was about to ask, Liu Shuhan told her with a smile.
"How can a woman like you sleep in a tent with so many people? You're surrounded by women and elderly people, which is very inconvenient."
"I have nothing to do these two days, so I can take care of you."
Upon hearing this, Cuizhu quickly lowered her eyes and said, "Aren't you afraid of contracting the disease? Liu Langjun, I appreciate your kindness, but I can't drag you down with me!"
"It's inconvenient to stay here any longer, you should just go back..."
"Pearl."
Liu Shu suddenly grabbed her hand. Cuizhu looked up in fear and subconsciously wanted to pull it back.
But Liu Shu held her hand forcefully, and the heat from his palm seemed to spread throughout her body along with her blood.
These days, the two of them often deal with each other, and they have become familiar with each other.
Especially since Cuizhu used to handle cargo transportation for Ruan Mian, the two met almost every day.
Some feelings have already arisen without you realizing it.
Cuizhu also saw how good Liu Shu was to her.
Not only that, Liu Shu also treated other people very well. He was both enthusiastic and efficient. No matter how she looked at it, Cuizhu thought he was a very good person.
But she didn't expect that when she was infected with the disease, he would risk his own life to take care of her.
Even so, I still feel a little worried.
"My dear, this is not a joke. The epidemic is terrible. If you..."
"Zhu'er, I'm a man of eight feet tall, how could I be afraid of this?"
"Compared to the epidemic, I'm more afraid of something happening to you."
"I know your personality. You would rather come here alone to recuperate than trouble Madam Ruan. So if I hadn't come, you, a woman, would have had a hard time."
These sincere words brought tears to Cuizhu's eyes.
She tried her best to hold back the tears in her eyes and felt the burning heat in the palms of their clasped hands.
The gratitude in my heart is beyond words.
She has reached the age of marriage, and like other girls, she has long been looking forward to having a good home in the future.
Before this, she was exiled with the girls, and their food, clothing, and lives were in question, so she didn't think about other things.
Just thinking about surviving.
But now that she has the conditions to survive, she can't help but wish that she can have a husband, like the girl and Lord Song.
Although Lord Song passed away first, unfortunately, she was the one who knew best the love between him and the young lady.
If she could experience such a passionate love and friendship in her life, she would die without regrets.
Moreover, Liu Shu was well-behaved and never showed any disrespect to himself.
This made Cuizhu like him even more.
Since she couldn't get rid of him anyway, she could only obey his wishes and let him stay to take care of her. The two of them talked about everything, and Cuizhu was obviously not so bored when someone was around to talk to her.
Time also passes faster.
It was at this moment that she gradually understood why when the girl and Lord Song were together, the two of them could chat outside the house for an entire night.
Cuizhu found it unbelievable at that time, thinking that she couldn't even chat so much with her closest family members, let alone a man.
But now Cuizhu realized that it was not just a chat for one night.
Later, Liu Shu talked about Ruan Junlan.
He mentioned that once when he was delivering goods to the medicinal herb garden, he accidentally saw Mrs. Ruan holding a thing that looked like a musket.
He was very curious: "I heard from Lao Si and the others that the musket in Madam Ruan's hand is very powerful. Even the military camp has never had such a good thing. Have you ever seen it?"
Cuizhu was slightly stunned and shook her head subconsciously, but she also said something more.
“I didn’t pay attention to these things.”
Cuizhu was sensible when it came to the private affairs of the young lady and the lady, and gave earnest advice.
"My dear, you don't need to take the rumors others are saying to heart. Even if Madam has that thing, it has nothing to do with us. It's not necessarily a good thing to inquire about it."
Liu Shu was stunned for a moment, then changed his expression and smiled faintly.
"You're right, but big, strong men like us like to tinker with these weapons. I even learned to make them myself on a daily basis."
"If I wasn't the only male in my family at the time, I would have gone to the battlefield to fight the enemy like any other man. Unfortunately, my family was still around, and I couldn't abandon them for my own selfish reasons."
As the saying goes, a good man has ambitions, and Cuizhu can understand his regret at this moment.
Liu Shu took her hand and said sweetly, "I understand what you mean. I'm just curious. If Madam ever wanted to start a weapons business, I would definitely be the first to apply."
Cuizhu smiled and said, "Our wife is indeed good at business. If she really has this idea one day, I will definitely recommend her for you." Liu Shu was very happy. He held her hand tightly with a warm look in his eyes.
In the small space, the two people's eyes were extremely hot, and the emotions that belonged to each other seemed to gradually spread in their chests.
Two days later, Ruan Mian listened to Mei Xi's words and came to the epidemic area to find Cui Zhu.
By then her condition had improved a little, but Cuizhu was afraid that they would worry, so she did not tell them that Liu Shu was here to take care of her.
But he knew in his heart that Ruan Mian was very worried about him, and he was very grateful.
"Miss, I take the same medicine and eat the same food as other patients in the epidemic area every day. Look, my health is gradually getting better, which proves that your medical skills are truly effective in turning things around."
"Besides, I'm here and can help you take care of those patients. If there's anything wrong with their condition, I'll definitely tell you right away!"
"So don't worry, girl. I'm fine."
Ruan Mian saw that her condition was indeed improving, and his heart finally settled down.
She only gave Cuizhu some medicine and told her how to drink it.
"You have to take good care of yourself and never try to be too strong, understand?"
After seeing Cuizhu nod heavily, Ruan Mian left with peace of mind.
But when leaving the epidemic area, they saw Liu Shu sitting by the stove, helping others boil medicine.
It's rare that he is not afraid of risks and is willing to come here to help.
At the same time, Qin Fu, who was a hundred miles away, was looking at a letter from Wu Heng.
He put his hands behind his back and asked the servant to bring Wen Qiang over. As soon as the person entered the house, he asked seriously.
"Qiang'er, you said before that you had a grudge with the Ruan family, but when you went to Wu Heng, you didn't achieve what you wanted, but you were stopped by Ruan Mian?"
"Do you know her?"
Wen Qiang frowned deeply. She really didn't expect that the second daughter of the Ruan family had such great abilities.
With hatred on his face, he said, "Uncle, the second daughter of the Ruan family, Ruan Mian, is a scheming bitch!"
"When she married into the Qi family, she was unfilial to her parents-in-law, childless, and even broke off relations with her in-laws. During her exile, she was probably abused by countless people! Yet, she managed to remain unharmed. It's easy to imagine that she must have..."
Before she could finish, Qin Fu's face changed and he interrupted her dissatisfiedly: "That's not what I want to hear!"
Wen Qiang was stunned, and Qin Fu continued, "Did you find out anything about the musket she held during your trip to Wuheng? And with the recent flood in Wuheng, she actually set up a disaster area in Longchang Mountain, not only providing medical treatment but also growing enough food. Haven't you heard of all this?"
"That Jinsha Village was also built by her when she led many refugees to the mountains during the snowstorm. How come I only found out about such a courageous and extraordinary woman now?"
Qin Fu frowned and his expression became serious.
"No wonder the Fifth Princess came all the way to write to me a few days ago, asking me to take action against him. Is it possible that someone who can make the princess afraid is not an ordinary person?"
After saying that, he looked at Wen Qiang with disgust and sighed.
"Qiang'er, I don't expect you to do anything for me by going to Wu Heng. It's just that you can't get justice for your own personal grudges. You... need to take a long-term view and be on par with Ruan Mian."
"As a woman, she can do so many amazing things on her own, while you only care about the interests of your mother-in-law." Seeing Wen Qiang's face gradually turning pale, Qin Fu waved his hand again.
"Forget it. You grew up under your father's protection, and I don't expect you to be of any use. For your father's sake, I will spare your life. Just stay in my house and live your life in peace. Don't worry about anything else."
Without waiting for Wen Qiang to speak, Qin Fu decisively drove her out and called another confidant over.
"Find a time to go to Wuheng and tell Liu Shu that a disaster relief envoy will be coming to Wuheng. It's imperative that Liu Shu establish a good relationship with the envoy and be ready to take orders at any time. The envoy was personally dispatched by the princess."
The subordinate was slightly startled and asked in confusion, "Sir, why did the princess go to so much trouble to find someone to deal with that Ruan family lady? She's just a woman. If you want to deal with her, wouldn't it be better to just take her life?"
Qin Fu snorted: "What do you know?"
"If she could be killed personally like this, why would the Fifth Princess have to go to such great lengths? This woman must be hiding some unspeakable secret, like that musket."
"And the princess said we should torture her and leave her alive! Doesn't this clearly show she and the princess have a grudge? We just have to do as she's told. There's probably more behind the scenes than we know."
The subordinate nodded repeatedly, and without asking any more questions, he went down to do his work.
-
Wu Heng.
The inspection of the disaster-stricken area was completely completed. After confirming that there were no survivors in the village, Ruan Mian personally went there with a team of officials and lit a fire.
The village, which was already in ruins, was gradually engulfed in a sea of fire.
Looking at the raging fire, the bystanders sighed.
"We in Wuheng have suffered so much, not to mention the villagers living here. Even we feel bad watching this place being destroyed." Ruan Mian moved the corners of his lips and said, "If the old doesn't go, the new won't come. We are also trying to eliminate the root of the problem and prevent future troubles."
There is nothing valuable in the village, so it would be better to burn it down rather than let it become a breeding ground for germs.
These days, everyone has worked hard, whether it is the officials in the government office or the soldiers in General Huo's camp.
But it is thanks to Lord Lin that we are all so united in resisting the disaster.
Ruan Mian has seen many corrupt officials, but it is rare to find an official as sincere and caring as Lord Lin.
So whether for her own sake or to help Lord Lin, she had to protect Wu Heng.
Their wheat plantations were gone, and the shops in the city were reduced to ruins.
Others thought she must be heartbroken, but Ruan Mian stood in front of the fire, thinking about how to regroup.
If it’s gone, just plant it again.
Just as she was distracted, a police officer immediately ran up to her and said, "Madam Ruan, we just saw someone outside the village!"
"people?"
Ruan Mian was slightly stunned. All the spiritual beasts that were released yesterday had returned, and there were no survivors. How could there still be victims?
Ruan Mian was very surprised and quickly asked someone to take her over to have a look.
However, when she arrived at the outskirts of the village, she did see a ragged man standing in front of her.
She asked the people around her to wait nearby while she walked over.
Just as she was about to say hello, the disaster victim glanced over. At that moment, Ruan Mian's feet were suddenly nailed to the ground. She looked over in disbelief, her heart in her chest seeming to beat violently at that moment.
She thought she was hallucinating, so she rubbed her eyes hard and looked again.
The person in front of me had a faint smile on his face, as if he had seen someone for a thousand years.
"Ahuai..."
Ruan Mian murmured, his palms clenched tightly.
In the face of great joy, she tried her best to suppress the emotions that surged in her heart. Thinking of his current situation, she must not let anyone see him.
So Ruan Mian pretended to be calm, turned around, walked to the officers and sent them away first.
"I'll take the disaster victim back. Go burn down the houses in the southeast corner first."
Those people didn't think much about it and did as she said.
After the people left, Ruan Mian couldn't help but quicken his pace and almost ran to the man.
Even though he was in disguise at this time and other people couldn't even recognize him as Xie Huaian, Ruan Mian still recognized him at a glance.
Because on his chest, he wore the jade that he had taken from her sword.
He cherished it and kept it close to his heart.
"Ahuai...is it really you?"
The corners of her lips moved slightly, and amidst her joy, she also felt a rare sense of helplessness.
She had never thought that Xie Huaian would return to Wu Heng so soon.
When tears welled up in her eyes, Xie Huaian gently held her hand, also suppressing the excitement in his heart.
Ruan Mian wanted to throw herself into his arms, but Xie Huaian was a little embarrassed: "Dirty."
But she didn't care about that and hugged him tightly.
Before this, Ruan Mian always felt that she had enough self-control, and it was understandable that she cooperated with A Huai to fake his death and let him return to Beijing secretly. Even if she missed him, she would not think about him day and night.
But she still overestimated her own determination.
She often thought of Xie Huaian and the days when he was by her side. Of course, because she had a lot of things to do in her daily life, she couldn't spare enough energy to immerse herself in his thoughts.
Now that he came back unexpectedly, Ruan Mian was really happy.
After Xie Huaian felt her real body temperature, he hugged her tightly.
It was unknown how long it had been before the two reluctantly let go.
Only then did Ruan Mian look at his face carefully.
He had disguised himself and was dressed in rags, looking no different from ordinary disaster victims.
This is how you can avoid the eyes and ears of others.
"Why did you come back so soon? Is everything all right in Kyoto? Are your affairs..."
Xie Huaian shook his head and told the truth.
"The situation in Kyoto has improved, but my work is not yet completed. I came here because I really can't let it go."
"I couldn't sleep the day I heard about the flood in Wuheng, so I rushed here at full speed."
The situation was more serious than he had imagined, especially when he saw the fire that burned down the house from afar and the empty city of Wu Heng that had been washed away by the water. His heart suddenly jumped.
But reason told him that Mianmian was not the kind of person who would compromise so much. She lived in a place as high as Longchang Mountain, so she would definitely be fine.
So he pretended to be a disaster victim and went along the way. He found out that they had set up a disaster relief center on Longchang Mountain and that the area was isolated due to the epidemic.
Although there were many victims, everything was in order and everyone had food to eat.
After seeing these situations, Xie Huaian finally felt relieved.
That's why I followed them all the way here.
The woman in front of him was more determined and powerful than he had imagined. Xie Huaian really couldn't express his current mood in words.
"Mianmian, I'm relieved to see that you're okay. But I can't stay here for long. I still have things waiting for me to do in Kyoto."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Mian immediately asked, "Have those rebels of King Huai taken any action? Have you made any progress on the list of candidates for buying official positions that I gave you?"
"There has been progress. His Majesty has already dispatched his trusted aides. All those listed as colluding with Wen Yuan have been apprehended. Combined with the evidence I obtained while lurking in Wu Heng, we've also uncovered quite a few disloyal individuals within the Xuanjia Army."
"only……"
Ruan Mian saw his seriousness and said, "But we still haven't found any evidence of Prince Huai's rebellion, right?"
In the original book, King Huai used the people below him to buy horses and recruit soldiers for him to form his own army. He also secretly implanted his own power in the court with the princess's party, and colluded with many officials and businessmen among the people to commit murder and robbery.
After years of hollowing out the foundation of the imperial court, they rebelled and attacked Huanglong.
Since I was on the road of exile, I have been giving them a lot of trouble, and the development of things has gradually deviated from the plans of King Huai and others in the original book.
So the result at this time should be considered good.
Xie Huai patted her shoulders and said soothingly, "Don't worry about the Kyoto situation. I have my own arrangements behind the scenes. Your Majesty trusts me. It's only a matter of time before we find out that King Huai is collecting money and recruiting soldiers. On the contrary, I am not very confident about you."
He remembered what His Majesty had said to him that day, that the Ruan family would never be able to return to Beijing in this lifetime, which meant that Ruan Qingsong's previous grievances could never be washed away.
If she knew about this, Mianmian would definitely be sad.
But Xie Huaian had already made up his mind that once the traitors were found and meritorious service was achieved, he would find a way to clear the Ruan family's name no matter what.
Ruan Mian smiled faintly: "What do I have to worry about? I'm far away in Wu Heng, no one can do anything to me. Doesn't Ah Huai still believe in me?"
Her clear eyes appeared vividly in front of him again, and Xie Huaian was filled with emotion.
But there are some things I still have to remind you of: "I trust you, but after the Wuheng flood incident, your reputation will definitely spread."
"I'm worried that someone might target you because of this, especially the Fifth Princess."
When they parted in Xingjiazhou, the Fifth Princess knew about their marriage. After going through so much, she must have realized that Ruan Mian's ability was extraordinary.
In addition, Xie Shiyao is Ruan Mian's ex-husband, and there is also the relationship between herself and Mian Mian. How could the Fifth Princess let her go easily?
So he came up with an idea: "Mianmian, you already have a small business in Guancheng. Why don't you take advantage of the flood in Wuheng and ask General Huo to help your family leave Wuheng and settle in Guancheng."
"I'll arrange for someone to settle you in Guancheng. That way, outsiders..."
"Ahuai."
Ruan Mian interrupted him: "You mean to let me take my family to live in Guancheng? If we leave, what will happen to Jinsha Village and Wu Heng?"
She smiled slightly, held his hand tightly, and confirmed her thoughts.
"Wuheng is a place of treasures. If I leave, I won't be able to realize my ambitions and lead so many people out of poverty. And my family doesn't want to leave either."
"I understand your concerns, but no matter who comes to target me, I will not let them go. I have confidence in myself, and I ask you to have confidence in me too."
Ruan Mian also understood that his concern was probably not groundless.
Just as he said, after the Wuheng flood incident, many people would definitely know her name, and coupled with her relationship with Xie Huaian, she would definitely be targeted by some people.
But, so what?
The goodwill points in her space, which were used to exchange for valuable treasures, were just insufficient. More villains were subdued, just as she wished! She looked at Ah Huai and asked him nervously, "So...are you leaving today?"
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