Chen Qingwan lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the seemingly endless line of disaster victims outside, her brows furrowed.
The grain on the carriage was originally expected to be enough to last until Qingzhou City.
But now it seems that they might not even be able to complete half the journey.
"Hang in there a little longer, we'll be fine once we reach Qingzhou City."
Chen Qingwan sighed and tried to remain calm as she spoke.
As an empress, no matter how flustered she was inside...
On the surface, one must not show the slightest fear.
But reality was far crueler than she had imagined.
As the team ventured deeper into the area, the number of disaster victims increased, and the roads became increasingly congested.
The once spacious official road is now completely blocked by a dense crowd of people.
Suddenly, a commotion arose ahead.
A group of disaster victims knelt in the middle of the road, blocking the way.
They were dressed in rags and looked emaciated.
Like a demon crawling out of hell, its eyes gleamed with despair.
"Kind-hearted benefactor, please give us a meal! We haven't had a proper meal in days!"
"Please, give me some food!"
A woman holding a dying child in her arms.
He staggered to Chen Qingwan's carriage.
"Please give the child some water! She's about to die! Please, beg you, sir!"
The child was so thin that he was just skin and bones.
His face was ashen, his breathing weak, and he looked like he was about to die.
Chen Qingwan's heart softened, and she was about to order someone to bring water.
Suddenly, they saw another large group of disaster victims surging in from afar, completely blocking the roads in front and behind them.
These people, like sharks smelling blood, surged towards this side madly.
She hesitated.
If we give alms now, the remaining food on the cart will not be enough to go around.
At that time, they too will find themselves in trouble.
Upon seeing this, the surrounding guards quickly drew their swords and ordered the disaster victims to leave.
"Get out of the way! Don't block my way!"
"If you don't leave now, don't blame us for being impolite!"
The guards' shouts did not deter the disaster victims; instead, they fueled their anger.
"Why won't you give us food? You corrupt officials!"
"We're starving to death, and you're enjoying yourselves here!"
Just then, a disaster victim suddenly shouted:
"I just saw them give food, water, and meat to those people outside the city!"
These words were like a fuse that ignited a powder keg.
A look of madness appeared in the eyes of all the disaster victims.
They stopped pleading and began shoving the guards frantically.
They tried to rush to the carriage and seize the grain.
"They have food! Grab it!"
"Charge! Seize the food!"
The refugees surged in like a tide, and the guards, outnumbered, were quickly scattered.
In the crowd, some people began to curse, and some began to cry out.
Someone even overturned a horse-drawn carriage.
The dry food and canned goods in the carriage were all scattered on the ground.
In that instant, all the disaster victims erupted in cheers.
"Food! There's food! We have something to eat!"
"Mine, all of them are mine..."
The crowd surged forward, scrambling for the food on the ground like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.
Chen Qingwan watched all of this with a sense of helplessness.
She knew she had underestimated the severity of the disaster.
She originally thought she could help these disaster victims.
But now it seems that she herself is in dire straits.
The guards fought desperately to protect Chen Qingwan.
But their numbers were small and they were no match for the frenzied crowd.
Chen Qingwan and Qiao'er were trapped in the carriage.
Hearing the deafening shouts outside, his face turned ashen.
"Your Majesty, what should we do?"
Qiao'er gripped Chen Qingwan's hand tightly, her voice trembling as she asked.
Chen Qingwan gritted her teeth and forced herself to calm down.
She knew that panicking now would only make things worse.
She had to find a way to get out of this predicament.
Just then, a dark figure suddenly descended from the sky and landed on the roof of the carriage.
"You audacious scoundrels! How dare you besiege an official appointed by the imperial court!"
The burly figure, wielding a long knife, swept his menacing gaze across the surrounding refugees.
The disaster victims were taken aback by this sudden turn of events.
They all stopped what they were doing and stared in horror at the dark figure on the roof of the carriage.
Chen Qingwan lifted the carriage curtain and looked up.
The man had a cold and stern face, and sharp eyes, like a demon from hell.
"Who are you?" Chen Qingwan asked.
The dark figure looked down at him, a wicked smile playing on his lips, his tone flippant:
"I am a protector of the Asura Cult, known as 'Blood Shadow Mad Blade'."
He paused, seemingly enjoying Chen Qingwan's surprised gaze, before continuing:
“Our leader noticed you a couple of days ago. He was amazed by your beauty. He couldn’t forget you after just one glance.”
"That's why we specially sent our servants to welcome you to be our leader's wife."
Before he finished speaking, people appeared from behind the crowd and from the rooftops of houses on both sides.
A large group of men in black emerged, all wielding sharp blades and with ferocious expressions.
Like hungry wolves pouncing on a flock of sheep, they brandished swords and charged at the unarmed disaster victims.
"Kill these scoundrels and save our Lady of the Cult!"
Blood Shadow Mad Blade gave the order.
Swords flashed and shadows danced in the crowd, accompanied by screams and wails.
Looking at the bloody scene before her, Chen Qingwan felt a surge of anger rising from the bottom of her heart.
She, the ruler of a nation, was actually targeted by a cult leader.
She was even forced to become the cult leader's wife.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
