Chapter 127 Leaving the City
The sun was blazing, and there were few pedestrians on the streets of Beijing.
Meng Lingge sat inside the carriage, with Qiu Lan and Dong Qing sitting on either side of her. Dong Qing gently fanned Meng Lingge with a fan, while Qiu Lan leaned out of the carriage window to look at the shops on the street.
“Miss, once we leave the capital, we won’t be able to eat the hibiscus cake from the capital for a while. I’ll go buy you two boxes so you can take them with you on the road.”
The carriage happened to pass by several pastry shops. Although there weren't many customers, the shop assistants were still standing in front of the shops, enthusiastically hawking their wares.
The hibiscus cake in the capital was indeed soft and delicious, and it was one of Meng Lingge's favorite desserts.
When the carriage stopped, the shop assistants looked on with anticipation, hoping that the customer would visit their shop.
Seeing that they were covered in sweat, Meng Lingge couldn't bear to see anyone disappointed, so she instructed, "Buy two boxes from each shop, and then go to the bakery over there and buy twenty large pancakes."
Qiu Lan dismounted from the carriage as ordered. There were five snack shops in total. One of them did not have hibiscus cake, so Qiu Lan decided to buy two boxes of mung bean cake. All the shops made a sale, and the shop assistants were very happy.
The pancake vendor was so excited that his whole face was beaming with joy, and he personally delivered the pancake to the carriage.
Qiu Lan returned to her seat carrying ten boxes of pastries and twenty large pancakes, looking at the full carriage with worry.
"It's still a long way to Jiangnan, Miss. You can't do this again next time. Not only is it a waste of money, but we also don't have room in the carriage."
The carriage wasn't small to begin with, but the gifts prepared by the Meng family for the maternal grandmother's family took up almost half the space. With Meng Lingge and two maids sitting there, plus the luggage of the five people, there really wasn't much room left.
Meng Lingge nodded with a smile, "I understand, but this won't happen again."
Since the current emperor took office, the court has been collecting taxes heavier year after year, making life increasingly difficult for ordinary people. Although these street vendors have their own hardships, they are still much better off than the common people.
Her abilities are limited, and she can't help too many people.
She bought so many pastries and flatbreads, ostensibly just to support the vendors' business, but actually she had another purpose.
When the carriage reached the end of the street, Meng Lingge ordered it to stop.
This is the dirtiest and most dilapidated place on the entire street. There are several broken houses that have been abandoned by their owners for many years. Many homeless children and beggars gather here, waiting outside during the day for passersby to give them some food, and then sleeping in the broken houses at night.
Meng Lingge had previously sent guards to bring food to the children every now and then. This was the first time she had come in person.
When the carriage stopped, the children squatting under the eaves looked over curiously, their eyes filled with both anticipation and fear. Clearly, they had encountered both kindness and malice while living here.
It wasn't until Qiulan and Dongqing got off the carriage with snacks and flatbread that the children, lured by the aroma of the food, dared to approach, drooling and pleading, waiting to be fed.
The children ranged in age from teenagers to two or three years old. Two of them were naked, reeked of foul odors, and were all emaciated.
Following Meng Lingge's instructions, Qiu Lan and Dong Qing distributed all but two boxes of hibiscus cakes, along with the remaining eight boxes of pastries and twenty flatbreads. The children wolfed down their food while repeatedly thanking their older sisters.
Qiu Lan said, "It was my young lady who asked us to deliver this. If you want to thank someone, thank my young lady."
A group of children shouted loudly at the carriage, "Thank you for your generosity, Miss! You have a kind heart, and good deeds will surely be rewarded. May you turn misfortune into good fortune and everything go smoothly..."
Meng Lingge felt uneasy listening to this. After Qiu Lan and Dong Qing got into the carriage, she called out, "Let's go."
The carriage moved smoothly towards the city's outskirts.
Meng Lingge looked at the remaining two boxes of hibiscus cakes, but had no appetite at all.
The imperial court had finally ended the war with the Blue Feather Kingdom, but the emperor, fearing the prestige of Prince Anshun, suppressed his brothers and framed loyal officials, forcing Wen Zhiming to rebel.
When Wen Zhiming leads the frontier soldiers back and the emperor responds, who knows how many more people will be displaced and how much suffering will ensue.
Once war begins, it is the ordinary people who suffer the most.
At that point, it's uncertain whether these children will survive...
Meng Lingge felt pity for the people, but she had no intention whatsoever of dissuading Wen Zhiming.
Although she was ignorant of politics, the current emperor was excessively selfish, hypocritical, greedy, and cunning. He had no love for the people, was wary of capable people in the court, and disregarded human lives for the sake of empty fame.
If things continue like this, even if Wen Zhiming doesn't rebel, someone else will. Other neighboring countries are also eyeing the country covetously and could invade at any time.
The situation will be even more difficult to manage by then.
The people are living in even greater misery.
Since there will eventually be such a person, Meng Lingge would rather that person be Wen Zhimo.
Because she believed in Wen Zhiming's character; she believed he would cherish the lives of the people, do his utmost to protect the Golden Moon Kingdom, and try to end the war as soon as possible to reduce taxes.
Meng Lingge's heart rose and fell with the swaying of the carriage. Before she even left the capital, she already began to miss Wen Zhiming.
Two guards, one on horseback and the other driving the carriage.
Shifts change every three or four hours.
They traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently, until nightfall when they had left the capital and arrived at a bustling market.
Chen Luole stopped the carriage and said from outside, "Miss, let's rest here tonight and continue our journey tomorrow morning."
Before he set off, Prime Minister Meng had specifically instructed him that the young lady's maternal grandmother's birthday was still more than a month away, so there was no need to rush and safety should be the priority.
He was told never to take shortcuts through deserted or secluded areas, and never to walk at night.
Meng Lingge and her two maids rarely traveled far, and after sitting in the carriage all day, they were already sore all over. Upon hearing this, they got off the carriage and chose a quiet and clean inn in the market to stay in.
After putting away their luggage and the carriage, the group went downstairs and ordered some home-style dishes at a restaurant next to the inn.
They had been eating dry rations all day, and now that they had found a place to stay, they naturally needed to fill their stomachs and eat some food before they could get a proper rest.
Their every move was being watched by six local thugs.
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