Chapter 182 Chapter 182 I suddenly realized this wasn't a...
"How did you know I didn't want others to know my whereabouts?" I asked casually.
“I’m guessing,” she said, biting her lower lip. “When you met me, you didn’t want to greet me at all, avoiding acquaintances. Obviously, you didn’t want to deal with people you knew in the past, at least not yet.”
My gaze grew colder. "Don't you want to tell Prince Bernard about my affairs and have him thank you?"
She answered honestly, "To be honest, I don't know what you think of him, nor do I know what your relationship is now. Although he stood up for you and you were close, several years have passed now, and I'm not sure what he thinks. I don't want to cause any trouble."
That's probably the truth. A nobleman like Bernard is capricious and his emotions are unpredictable; unless she had multiple heads, she wouldn't dare to mess with him.
The snowstorm that had raged for half a month finally stopped, and early spring arrived late. The thick snow melted, but the weather remained cold, and I began to adjust to life at the prestigious girls' school. I woke up at five in the morning, finished washing and dressing by five-thirty, ate breakfast before six, led the girls in morning reading at six-fifteen, and watched them finish breakfast before seven. At seven-thirty, I would give them their first lesson, teaching them the language of the Eastern Frontier. Although I wasn't fluent, teaching them to recognize characters and basic grammar wasn't a problem.
After the first lesson, I can rest for a while. At ten o'clock, all the morning classes will end, and I will take them to the courtyard of the palace for activities. They are free to do as they please, while another female teacher and I simply sit in a corner and watch them.
The afternoon classes were relatively relaxed, involving dancing, singing, or learning needlework, and they passed by in the blink of an eye.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I think I'll stay here indefinitely. There are no complicated interpersonal relationships or grueling power struggles; it's very peaceful. I haven't thought about reclaiming the Great City, returning to being Manberia's second wife, or getting entangled with Bernot. My current life suits me perfectly.
But this ease didn't last long. A plague began to spread, killing many. Some elderly people and children, only recently fallen ill, were taken to a closed warehouse and left to fend for themselves. At first, there was no unrest, but as more and more people were left to die, panic gripped the city. People began to protest in the streets, demonstrating against the nobles' cruelty towards the commoners. They carried torches and weapons, roaming the streets and alleys all night. The city's garrison dared not act rashly, fearing fierce resistance and countless deaths, and could only follow closely behind.
At this time, the Eastern Territory was at war with the Southern Territory over several trade disputes, and it was not advisable to easily escalate domestic conflicts.
I'm usually quite busy and haven't paid much attention to the unrest. Anyway, it happened in the capital, which is the most well-equipped military city in the East, so nothing major is likely to happen. But Aya, who was already working as a handyman at the girls' school, would sneak out every few days to inquire.
"Sister, I heard that more and more people are dying from the plague, and the city is getting more and more chaotic. Should we escape?"
"Many nobles have fled. This morning, as soon as the city gates opened, many luxurious carriages drove out. I heard they were the families of nobles."
"Sister, several female students were picked up today, and I heard they're preparing to leave the city."
"Don't panic," I comforted Aya. "If something really happened, our school principal would have run away with the money long ago."
The principal of this school was the same strict-looking woman who interviewed me. She appeared serious and respectable on the outside, but was actually cowardly and greedy on the inside. If she had sensed anything bad, she would have run away long ago.
But I was too optimistic. Before dawn, I was woken up by a commotion. Aya, quick-witted, jumped out of bed, threw on her coat, and ran out as fast as she could.
I had just finished dressing and combing my hair when Aya rushed in again, grabbed me, and tried to pull me outside, saying, "Something terrible has happened! Our school is surrounded by a mob!"
"Impossible?!" I was still a little skeptical.
“It’s true. Last night, the principal heard rumors and fled with his assistant, taking all the school’s money with him. The others only realized what had happened after the principal had fled, and they also tried to escape with the money, but only a few managed to get away. The rest were surrounded by rioters as they tried to escape.” Aya finished speaking quickly in one breath, her forehead covered in sweat.
We took nothing with us and fled to the four side gates, but each gate was surrounded by angry civilians. Many of them had died of cold in the freezing winter; when the snow melted in early spring, a plague broke out, and many more died. They were furious, believing that the higher-ups were negligent and that this was the cause of their deaths.
“The nobles should all die! Burn those who have the plague alive, and lock those who have been in contact with those who have the plague in warehouses to die.”
"Everyone, we need to teach them a lesson and let them know that we are not to be trifled with."
Various fierce roars came from all directions:
"Protest that the pleasures of the nobles are built on the suffering of the common people!"
"Down with the nobles! Down with those who only know how to eat, drink, and be merry all day long!"
"Let's charge! Charge! This is their school, and it's full of pleasure-seeking nobles."
If it weren't for the city's garrison soldiers who followed closely behind, the entire palace would have been breached by these civilians.
They were fierce and snarling, cursing and hurling insults. When they couldn't get in, they threw stones, firecrackers, dog feces, and other things inside.
The girls and female employees who hadn't managed to escape were trembling with fear, including Aya and me. I've seen my share of big scenes, but this was the first time I'd ever witnessed being surrounded by nearly a thousand rioters. We climbed over the wall to try and get out, but then we saw a dark mass of men yelling and shouting at us. Overwhelmed by fear, we immediately let go and fell.
Large piles of rubble were thrown at us, hitting our foreheads, necks, and arms, causing them to bleed profusely.
If it weren't for two strong female employees quickly dragging us away, we would definitely have been seriously injured.
The mob besieged us for three whole days, but we only had enough food for two days, and for the remaining day we had to draw water from the well to fill our stomachs. We were worried and anxious, thinking we would starve to death, but before we could starve to death, hundreds and thousands of mobs broke through the city's defenses and poured in like a raging tide.
As they tried to break down the main gate with heavy objects, we quickly led the little girls to hide in the basement. The deafening shouts and cries of the mob erupted as they occupied the entire palace.
Heavy footsteps came from above, accompanied by furious roars, making everyone tremble with fear. From the tunnel outside, the sounds of frenzied shouts from men began to echo. The little girls screamed in terror. Suddenly, a little girl with a dirty face ran up to us, screaming defiantly, "You have to save me first! My mother, Iani, has donated a lot of money to the school. Without her, the school can't survive!"
I stared at her in shock, only to learn that Iani's illegitimate daughter was also at this school.
"My father has also donated a lot of money to the school, I should be saved first!" Another little girl rushed out.
"They should save me first! My father is a viscount, and he paid more money!"
"You're all talking nonsense! My grandfather contributed the most money!"
More little girls rushed out, each claiming that their family had paid the most money, and they started fighting, scratching each other's faces, pulling hair, and punching and kicking. The female employees quickly pulled them apart.
As the voices of the men from out of town grew closer, the little girls abruptly stopped playing, their eyes filled with terror. I rushed out, intending to lure the men away. The basement entrance was well-hidden; they wouldn't find it easily.
I quickly attracted the attention of the men, who excitedly and frantically rushed from the other end of the tunnel, vying to grab me.
I know the tunnels very well. They were originally designed for escape, and they're very winding and circuitous. It won't be easy for them to catch me.
After going through countless hardships and exhausting all my strength to escape the tunnel, I never expected that as soon as I popped my head out, I would be caught by a group of rioters guarding the tunnel entrance.
One of the men who grabbed me shouted excitedly, "Got it! Got it! It's here!"
I was bound hand and foot and thrown in front of several tall men. Before I could even see the faces of these leaders, I was tied to a wooden stake that had been temporarily driven into the ground. Underneath the stake was a pile of wood, and a tall, burly man held a torch, leaning slightly forward, about to light it.
I screamed, screamed repeatedly, my voice distorted with terror. The men actually covered their ears and frowned.
"Wait!" The tallest man suddenly spoke up, scrutinizing me closely. "Did you take refuge in the temple during the snowstorm a while ago?"
I nodded hastily, not caring what his purpose was in asking the question, nor did I care.
“It’s her!” another tall man suddenly said. “I recognize her. She has a female companion.”
The ropes binding me loosened instantly, and the tallest leader's voice rang out again, "She is the woman who invited the doctor and delivered medicine back then. She has been kind to the refugees. We can't burn her, so let's just burn the palace instead."
I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. I never expected that my past act of kindness would inadvertently save me.
The other men echoed, and then a deafening shout rang out as the men lit their tinderboxes and rushed into the palace.
My heart, which had just settled, jumped again. I ran up to the tallest leader and pleaded, "There are still many children inside, please let them go."
The leader didn't even glance at me. Another short man pulled me aside and whispered, "You're lucky to be alive. None of the people pulled out of the noble houses these past few days have survived."
I suddenly realized this wasn't an ordinary civilian riot. How could the mighty capital of the Eastern Territory be so utterly helpless? No matter how ruthless the rioters were, could they be as ruthless as the capital's guards? And they didn't outnumber the guards either. This must be a premeditated and organized conspiracy.
I was instantly horrified.
It's impossible that a mob could so brazenly storm the homes of nobles, including this palace, without the machinations of a higher-ranking noble or powerful minister.
But who is the mastermind behind this? Could it be someone trying to overthrow the capital's previously stable rule? But is that even possible?
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