Chapter 10 Riots among Refugees
When Zhou Yunshu and Wu Gui returned to the inn, Fang Huiwen had almost finished counting their luggage.
Fang Huiwen did not count the things in Ji Mingzhu's carriage. Without her permission, the Zhou family would not touch Ji Mingzhu's things. This was their common understanding.
According to Fang Huiwen's inventory, they had enough medicinal materials, and the existing food plus the food Zhou Yunshu had just bought was enough for them to eat for most of half a month.
After Zhou Yunshu handed the things she bought to Fang Huiwen, she went to Ji Mingzhu's room. Chuwu was still guarding the door.
Zhou Yunshu knocked on the door and it was Nanny Wang who opened it.
"How's Grandmother?"
"The master has just woken up. You've arrived at the perfect time."
Nanny Wang made room at the door and motioned Zhou Yunshu to go in.
When she arrived at the room, Zhou Yunshu saw her grandmother leaning on the bed, looking much better than in the morning.
"Grandma, how do you feel now?" Zhou Yunshu sat down beside the bed and asked with concern.
"Nothing." Ji Mingzhu lifted the quilt. "Since you are back, let them pack their things. We will leave Hengyang today."
"Grandmother?" Zhou Yunshu looked at Ji Mingzhu in confusion.
Didn't you say you were going to take a day off? Why are you leaving so suddenly?
"You saw yesterday's Northwest Express, but that express is no longer an express."
"The Tubo conquered one-third of Yizhou a month ago. The plague has been breaking out in Xizhou for over half a month."
When Ji Mingzhu heard the word plague, her heart was hanging in the air and never settled down.
She was afraid that the northwestern refugees heading south would be blocked by the imperial court north of the capital, and that the refugees would be unable to enter the capital and would have to take a detour south. She was even more afraid that there would be people infected with the plague among the northwestern refugees, as the disease spread too quickly and too widely. Therefore, even though she was still feeling a little uncomfortable, she did not want to stop.
Zhou Yunshu frowned after hearing this. She remembered that there were indeed refugees from the northwest heading south, but they were surrounded and killed by people sent by the emperor before they got close to the capital.
Yes, regardless of whether the refugees heading south were infected with the plague, in order to prevent the capital from falling, all refugees heading towards the capital were killed and cremated.
In fact, it is not just the northwest that has refugees moving south, there are also refugees displaced by war in the north; victims of drought in Luzhou and Qingzhou are also coming to the capital.
And when Zhou Yunshu and her companions head south this time, they might just run into the Luzhou refugees heading north.
As far as Zhou Yunshu could remember, there was no outbreak of plague anywhere else except the two northwestern states.
But she was also afraid of accidents, and Ji Mingzhu was feeling uneasy at the moment, so she nodded and said, "Then I'll make arrangements now."
When Li Jialan, Wu Yue and others heard Zhou Yunshu say that they were leaving now, although they did not understand Ji Mingzhu's arrangement, they had long been accustomed to listening to Ji Mingzhu and Zhou Yunshu.
In order to make the two patients Ji Mingzhu and Wu Yue feel a little better, the carriage was covered with thick mats to reduce their bumps as much as possible.
It only took an hour from packing up to leaving.
The officers and soldiers following the Zhou family were very puzzled by their actions. They thought they could have a good rest for a night, but ended up having to continue running around behind them.
After Zhou Yunshu and her group left Hengyang, they were on the road all day except for resting at night for two days.
Ji Mingzhu has recovered completely thanks to Nanny Wang's personal care. Only Wu Yue is tired, but her condition has not worsened.
Day 3.
They traveled from morning to noon. During the break, Ji Mingzhu called Zhou Yunshu to her side and asked Nanny Wang to check her pulse to see if she was safe.
Zhou Yunshu breathed a sigh of relief after knowing that the baby in her belly was safe.
They have been traveling these days. Although there is nothing wrong with Zhou Yunshu's body, they are still worried that something might happen to the baby in her belly.
After resting for an hour at noon, Chuqi drove the carriage and led the way.
Behind them was Zhou Yunshu and her group's car, driven by Chunque; behind them was Dongge with Wu Gui and Wu Yue; and the last one was Chuwu driving a mule cart loaded with luggage and supplies.
As the sun was about to set, Chuqi was driving a carriage at a three-way intersection when he encountered a large group of refugees.
Chuqi did not slow down the carriage, and Chunque did not slow down either.
Before they set off, they were told to follow the car in front closely.
Especially when encountering a situation like the current one, if you can't keep up with the car in front of you, you are likely to get lost.
Zhou Yunshu lifted the curtain of the carriage. When she saw the carriage slowly intersecting with the oncoming refugees, she suppressed the uneasiness in her heart and placed a folding military knife in the space in her palm.
Something is wrong, something is really wrong.
On the one hand, this abnormality came from the refugees on the opposite side; on the other hand, it came from Chuqi who was driving the car in front and slowly accelerating.
They had not encountered any refugees along the way, but today, under the leadership of Chuqi, they faced this group of refugees head-on in just one day.
"Mom, sister-in-law, please take the child and sit down."
Li Jialan and Fang Huiwen were infected by Zhou Yunshu's nervous mood, and each of them huddled tightly in the carriage, holding their two children.
"spring……"
Zhou Yunshu had just said a word when screams, roars and the sound of weapons clashing suddenly rang out outside.
"Girl, hold on tight!" Chunque pulled the reins tight and shouted from the shaft.
There was no way. Chuqi in front of her was speeding up, so she had to speed up as well to avoid being left behind by Chuqi.
The sounds of the refugees rioting outside seemed to be right next to her ears. When the carriage Zhou Yunshu and her companions were in was hit hard from outside, Zhou Yunshu listened to the mule's roar. As the carriage swayed, she held on to the window tightly with one hand and covered her stomach with the other.
"Bang!"
The mule cart shook, and the sound of swords clashing came from the shaft.
Zhou Yunshu raised her eyes and saw a long knife piercing through the thick curtain and cutting it in half. Then a strange face covered in blood appeared in front of Zhou Yunshu and the others.
When Zhou Yunshu saw that face, she grabbed the car window and kicked it out. Then Chunque finished off the attack and the sound of a corpse falling to the ground came.
Chunque kicked down the refugee who was trying to climb onto the cart shaft, controlled the mule, raised the whip and ran wildly.
Yuan Ruo's crying sounded in her ears. Zhou Yunshu turned around and saw Yuan Li and Yuan Yi hiding in their mother's arms with pale faces, Yuan Ruo crying in Li Jialan's arms, and Xixi smiling at her.
Zhou Yunshu looked at her daughter's fearless appearance and felt that she looked very much like her father Ji Sheng.
Zhou Yunshu was not clear about the situation outside, but the sounds of fighting and roaring among the refugees gradually disappeared from her ears as the mule cart galloped.
Chunque was afraid of being caught up, so he drove the mule cart at full speed for an hour before slowing down.
It was already dark at this time. Apart from the sound of their mule cart's wheels pressing on the ground, Zhou Yunshu did not hear any other sounds of vehicles or horse hooves.
They were separated because of the riot, which might have been man-made.
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