Chapter 83: Refugee Rebellion
North of the city? Shen Shuwei's heart sank. There was no temple there, only a few dilapidated Taoist temples.
Not only is it uninhabitable and dirty for a long time, but there are also many children and elderly people among these refugees. It is now late autumn. How can they survive if they stay there for a few nights?
"If Miss Shen has finished asking questions, I will let them continue with their work." Thinking of Zhao Yun's unusual attitude towards Shen Shuwei last time in the Prince's Mansion, Xiao Chengming was rarely gentle.
"Wait!" Chen Shuwei held out his hand to stop the soldiers from attacking. Facing their impatient expressions, he asked Xiao Chengming expressionlessly, "If these people get sick, how will the prince take care of them? Will he hire a doctor for them?"
Xiao Chengming's expression faded a bit, and he sat on the imperial sedan chair and looked down at Shen Shuwei, "This is not something Miss Shen should consider. This palace has its own plan to deal with it."
“Someone, please ask Miss Shen to leave.”
Shen Shuwei was driven aside by several officers and soldiers. He took in Xiao Chengming's reaction and clenched his fingers quietly.
In his previous life, Xiao Chengming did the same thing: he drove the refugees to several dilapidated temples, locked up those who were sick and had a fever, and burned them all together, under the pretext of preventing the spread of the plague and affecting the people of Luojing.
For those in power, hundreds of lowly refugees are not as important as the safety of a noble in Luojing.
However, what Xiao Chengming did not expect was that the refugees were eventually forced into a corner, and secretly killed the guards at night, seized their weapons, and rebelled.
Perhaps they were forced into a desperate situation, so they disregarded their own lives and bravely charged into the city. The soldiers defending the city were chopped into meat paste before they could even react.
That night, flames erupted in Luojing, and Shen Shuwei listened to the cries of killing all night long. The next day, Xiao Chengming was severely reprimanded by the emperor, and his position as crown prince was nearly taken away.
Shen Shuwei didn't care at all whether the prince's position was stable or not. She just couldn't bear to see so many innocent lives die in vain.
Chen Shuwei closed her eyes slightly, stopped Xiao Chengming's sedan chair again, and bowed. "I have asked Divine Doctor Yun to prepare a decoction for these people. It can eliminate the epidemic and will not affect the nobles in the inner city. Please, Your Highness, give them some time."
"I can guarantee that the plague will be eradicated within two weeks."
Xiao Chengming was a conceited person, and now he was blocked by a woman one after another, especially for those lowly refugees. The smile on his face disappeared, and his tone was a little cold.
“I know Miss Shen has a kind heart, but a woman’s kindness will only do harm.”
"Some of these people have already contracted the plague. If we allow them to infect the people in the city and affect the health of our father, can Miss Shen bear the responsibility?"
If it weren't for the need to show off his achievements in front of his father, Xiao Chengming would not have been willing to come outside the city and mingle with this group of dirty refugees. Who knew if he would be infected with the plague?
Chen Shuwei's eyes swept over the refugees who were pale, thin and looked frightened one by one. Many of them were familiar faces.
She withdrew her gaze, bowed her head, and said, "Your Majesty is supported by the people and cares deeply about them. Now that the people of Daliang are in trouble, Your Majesty must be deeply troubled and would never leave his people alone."
Chen Shuwei raised her eyes and met Xiao Chengming's eyes, which were slightly angry. "Your Highness is the crown prince appointed by His Majesty. You must share the same thoughts with His Majesty and cannot bear to see these people suffer. Am I right?"
As soon as Shen Shuwei finished speaking, some of the refugees who were facing the officers and soldiers with their swords drawn suddenly knelt down and shouted "Long live the soldiers".
Chen Shuwei glanced over and found that it was the tall man who was scolded by Doctor Yun when he was burning the fire that day.
After he shouted like this, many people came to their senses and quickly followed his example, kneeling on the ground and shouting "Long live the king".
Xiao Chengming's face turned pale, and he gripped the imperial sedan chair tightly. "Take her away!"
How could a woman violate the prince's majesty?
Seeing Shen Shuwei being detained by the soldiers, the refugees suddenly became agitated, and some took the lead in shouting: "Miss Shen has done nothing wrong, why did the prince arrest her!"
"We were homeless outside the city, with no food to eat and no place to sleep, and yet you, the prince, didn't show up. Now you're trying to drive us to some dilapidated temple with just a few words. Who knows if you want to kill us?"
"Many people in my hometown were burned to death by officials because they contracted the plague. I just escaped. Who knows if the prince wants to do the same!"
Originally, people were just expressing their dissatisfaction, but when they heard that the prince might burn them to death, they became emotional and resisted even more violently.
"The prince has killed someone! The prince has killed someone!"
"It's better to rebel than to be burned to death by the prince!"
Seeing the refugees rushing uncontrollably towards the officers and soldiers and beating them, Xiao Chengming was terrified and shouted repeatedly, "What are you all just standing there for? Take these rioters down! Execute them right here!"
Chen Shuwei was handcuffed to the side with his arms tied behind his back, looking at the refugees who were leading the riot. They were all tall and strong, and their faces looked much better than those of the refugees around them.
These people are not refugees, a thought flashed through Shen Shuwei's mind.
She quickly recalled the refugee rebellion in her previous life. How could the refugees, who were starved by the prince to the point of being skin and bones and barely breathing, have the strength to fight their way into the inner city?
Someone was the one who started the trouble, and the purpose was probably to target the prince.
Seeing Xiao Chengming panicking and ordering the soldiers to kill a group of refugees, Shen Shuwei quickly struggled.
Idiot, he didn't even know that someone was plotting against him.
"What a lively scene! What is the prince doing?" A luxurious and low-key carriage stopped, and Princess Rongyang came out with the support of her husband Ji Wenchuan. She looked at Xiao Chengming on the imperial sedan chair with a dignified look.
When Xiao Chengming saw Princess Rongyang, his expression changed slightly. He didn't dare to continue to argue while sitting on the imperial sedan chair. He stood up and greeted the princess, "My nephew greets my aunt."
"Aunt, these refugees refused to obey orders to move north of the city and even threatened to kill me. I had no choice but to capture a few of the leaders to appease them."
"North of the city? Is that where people live?" The eldest princess raised her eyebrows and shouted sternly, "If you treat them well, will they rebel?"
Xiao Chengming opened his mouth to defend himself, but was silenced by the eldest princess's cold gaze.
"I know exactly what you're planning. I've already gone to the palace to resign from my brother, the Emperor, on your behalf. These refugees will be under my care from now on."
After saying that, the princess glanced towards Shen Shuwei who was standing in the corner. Seeing that she shook her head at her, she knew that the situation was not too bad and she breathed a sigh of relief.
The prince was such a fool. The people she sent to the north of the city to investigate came back and told her that the prince had prepared kerosene and ropes there, but not food and bedding. This meant that he was going to kill all the people.
How could the crown prince of Daliang be someone as vicious as him who disregards life and death?
Xiao Chengming stared at the princess in astonishment. What had she said? He'd finally landed such a lucrative position. After dealing with these refugees, he could boast before his father, the emperor, and even receive a large sum of disaster relief funds. And now, it was all ruined like this?!
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