Gu Qinlian seemed to have already witnessed Gu Qinlan's tragic future, and her body trembled involuntarily with excitement.
Ji Yinli's gaze lingered on Gu Qinlian for a moment, a complex mix of emotions welling up within him. He had learned about his past life from Gu Qinlian. Although his memories of Gu Qinlian were hazy, and he even found her hypocritical and pretentious, and had once looked down on him, the thought that she had been his partner in a past life still filled him with a sense of unacceptability and an inability to tolerate her being violated by those vile individuals.
However, he also felt that Gu Qinlan deserved such treatment, after all, she had looked down on him.
He still remembered the arrogant and disdainful look in Gu Qinlan's eyes when they met by chance at the restaurant. His father had been a third-rank official during his lifetime, and the Ji family had once been a prominent family. He had obtained the honor of becoming a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) at a young age, and was respected and flattered wherever he went.
Gu Qinlan was merely the daughter of a merchant who gained some glory through marriage; what right did she have to look down on him?
Such a woman, feigning nobility yet arrogant and rude, deserves to be trampled into the mud, never to rise again. She will be as lowly as dust, no longer even worthy of looking up at him!
Both men, harboring hopes for Gu Qinlan's tragic fate, met each other with eyes full of malice.
Inside the Prince Duan's mansion, refugees erected ladders and scrambled to climb the high walls.
"ah……"
The first people to successfully climb the wall unfortunately came into contact with the highly poisonous substance applied to it. Their skin was corroded, and the pain caused them to fall from the wall.
The doctor among the refugees examined their injuries, gritted his teeth, and said angrily, "They actually smeared poison on the wall! This method is too vicious!"
"The Prince Duan's mansion truly lives up to its reputation, resorting to such insidious methods!"
How can we get into the Prince's Palace?
"If that doesn't work, then we'll have to break down the wall."
"But the wall was too thick, we didn't have the right tools, and the gate was sealed off, so we could only try to climb over the wall."
Someone suggested, "Put something on the top of the wall! Even the most potent poison won't be able to penetrate the padding."
Soon, all sorts of tattered clothes, bedding, and straw mats were piled up on the wall.
In this way, the defensive function of the wall is completely lost.
One by one, the refugees climbed over the wall and jumped into the palace.
They had assumed that even with the high walls of the Prince's mansion, the worst that could happen was a fall. However, to their surprise, the ground beneath their feet turned out to be a trap.
Upon landing, they plummeted down with the collapsing ground. Before they could even react, sharp spikes pierced their bodies.
The bottom of the pit was quickly stained red with blood, and the stench of blood permeated the surroundings.
The refugees who had just climbed over the wall were horrified by what they saw and turned pale. They dared not risk jumping down and could only try to retreat back outside the wall.
Outside the imposing walls of Prince Duan's mansion, a group of displaced refugees, unaware of the situation inside, were restless and eager to scale the walls, intending to plunder food, money, and even women. Seeing the refugees ahead hesitating, they impatiently pushed forward, rudely shoving those in front of them against the wall.
"The walls of this Prince Duan's mansion are so high that if there are people below us, we won't get hurt when we jump," they thought to themselves. So the second group of refugees who tried to climb over the wall were ruthlessly pushed off.
Then, the third batch, the fourth batch... until the traps at the base of the wall were filled with corpses, and only then were the refugees who jumped down later not harmed by the traps.
However, their relief came too soon. After stepping over the bodies of the victims ahead, they quickly fell into another row of traps…
Standing on the highest floor of the Duan Prince's mansion, Gu Qinlan watched as refugees leaped into the courtyard, only to fall into trap after trap. Her expression was grave and somber. These refugees were not initially bad people; they were even a group of pitiful victims of disaster. But the cruelty of the natural disaster and the indifference of the court had driven them to desperation. She did not want to take their lives, but what crime had she and the people of the Duan Prince's mansion committed? For survival, they had no choice but to stand against the refugees.
She did nothing wrong! Gu Qinlan repeatedly emphasized to herself before turning around and heading to the ancestral hall with Hongye and Sang Qian.
Inside the ancestral hall, Princess Duan, supported by Zheng Huiyi, hurried in. Gu Qinlan asked anxiously, "Mother, why haven't you gone to the secret passage yet?"
Not only were Zheng and her daughter still there, but the three children and the Jiang family members were also present. Sang Qian led several guards to protect them.
The servants had already left, their speed was truly impressive. Gu Qinlan lingered in the mansion for a short while, only briefly encountering Princess Duan and the others.
Princess Duan was pale and trembling, unable to speak. Zheng Huiyi hurriedly explained, "Mother was worried because you hadn't arrived for a long time, and she insisted on not leaving first. Huaiyu and her two siblings felt the same way."
Zheng Huaiyu's face clearly showed fear: "Mother, we are a family. If we have to leave, we should leave together." Zheng Fenghui and Zheng Fengyun nodded repeatedly.
A warm feeling welled up in Gu Qinlan's heart.
Although she felt it wasn't necessary to evacuate together, who wouldn't be happy to be valued so much?
"Then let's set off quickly. The refugees have already poured into the manor. Although it will take them some time to get here, it's always safer to leave as soon as possible."
Gu Qinlan beckoned to Zheng Fengyun. Zheng Fengyun obediently stepped forward.
Gu Qinlan handed Zheng Fengyun to Sang Qian: "Please trouble Protector Sang to carry Fengyun on your back."
The child was too young and had difficulty walking, making it hard for him to keep up with the adults. Although Po Lang and Luo Feng were more skilled in martial arts than Sang Qian, their loyalty was not as strong. When faced with danger, Sang Qian would not hesitate to risk his life to protect him, while Po Lang and Luo Feng might not be able to do so.
Feeling deeply moved by Gu Qinlan's complete trust, Sang Qian solemnly promised, "Madam, please rest assured, I will do my utmost to protect the young master's safety."
As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly took off his coat and tied Zheng Fengyun tightly to his chest.
Gu Qinlan then instructed the Jiang family's cousins: "Tie the children to your side, and you won't have to worry about them falling behind."
Both of Jiang's older cousins are married. Jiang Yue is away, and his wife is taking care of their two children alone. Fortunately, the eldest cousin's child is about the same age as Zheng Fenghui, so there's not much to worry about. The second cousin's child is still very young, so the eldest cousin's wife quickly found a baby carrier and strapped the child to herself. The second cousin's wife and brother did the same.
With everything prepared, Gu Qinlan directed Hongye and Luofeng to take the lead into the winding, dark passage. He followed closely behind, personally supporting his aunt, Madam Liang, as they slowly entered the dimly lit corridor. Zheng Huaiyu and Zheng Fenghui followed closely behind their aunt, while Princess Duan and Zheng Huiyi walked in step by step. Sang Qian held Zheng Fengyun tightly, walking steadily at the back of the procession. The members of the Jiang family filed in, following closely behind, and at the very end of the procession were Polang and several loyal guards.
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