Chapter 471 Provoking Trouble
Whenever there is a war, there will be people who choose to flee for fear of being affected by the war.
Wei Qingyan was stationed here to rest that night when he encountered a hundred or so civilians who were fleeing with packages on their backs. Upon learning that the person in the group was the Crown Princess, one of the men with a lame leg suddenly threw a stone in the direction of Wei Qingyan's carriage.
He cursed viciously, "A witch is a disaster for the country. If it weren't for you, a monster, pretending to be a general protecting the country and returning to the capital, you deceived the emperor and got the title of the Crown Princess.
We will not be displaced or flee because of the war. A witch like you should be burned to death."
With the National Protection Army and numerous guards, the stones naturally could not hit Wei Qingyan's carriage.
But because of what he said, many people began to complain in low voices.
It was so difficult to escape, and many people even lost their lives. Everyone felt unfair and, after being instigated by someone, they blamed Wei Qingyan.
Seeing this, the lame man continued to curse, "We ordinary people are so pitiful. We work so hard to make a living by farming. If the harvest is bad, we can't even have a full meal after working all year. But at least we have a roof over our heads.
It is because of you, this witch, that the Wei Dynasty has been in trouble. We are afraid to stay at home and the soldiers have to fight desperately.
You, on the other hand, even when traveling, ride in a magnificent carriage, surrounded by servants, and hide in the back, unconcerned."
"presumptuous."
Ah Chun shouted, "The traitors plotted rebellion because of their wicked ambitions. Beiling and Wudan have been eyeing our Great Wei covetously for years. Now that they have started a war, what does it have to do with the princess?
The Crown Princess has protected the country for many years. Your Majesty is wise and has appointed the Crown Princess as the crown prince because she cares about the people and is always working for the benefit of the people of the world.
"Stop spreading lies and misleading the public. Don't throw dirty water on the princess. If you continue to speak nonsense, you will be punished for insulting the royal family."
The man seemed frightened by Ah Chun's words. After a pause, he suddenly sat on the ground and burst into tears, "I have no other choice.
A family of five died on the road while fleeing, and only the youngest was left with a lame leg.
Where can I escape to now? What will tomorrow be like? I don’t even know if there will be a tomorrow. I am so angry.
They all say that as long as the princess is not crowned as the heir, there will be no war. How can a villager like me understand so much? I just want peace."
He suddenly moved in front of Wei Qingyan's carriage, but was stopped by the guards in time. He then knelt and said, "Your Highness, please be magnanimous and treat it as my nonsense.
But please have mercy on us, the common people, and resign your position as crown prince, so that peace can return to the Wei Kingdom."
"How do you know that if I don't become the Crown Princess, the rebels will cease fighting?"
The carriage opened, Wei Qingyan bent down and got out of the carriage, stood on the shaft, and looked at the man kneeling on the ground.
"Was it the rebels, Beiling, or Wudan who made the promise to you?"
"This... I heard everyone say this. They are unwilling to see the Great Wei fall into your hands, so they started the rebellion."
The man cried, "Didn't your servant just say that His Majesty appointed you as the crown prince because he saw that you cared about us common people?
Then you should consider us, the suffering people. We can't see the rebels, we only see you. Please, Your Highness."
Since the rebels used Wei Qingyan's name to start the rebellion, they naturally spread rumors. Wei Qingyan had heard these rumors along the way.
"Where are you from?"
Wei Qingyan asked the man.
The man didn't seem to expect Wei Qingyan to ask this. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Liangzhou."
Liangzhou is the hometown of Marquis Enhua.
Wei Qingyan asked, "Although fighting broke out in Liang Province, our Wei soldiers were brave and drove Li Daniu and other rebels out of Wei territory in time.
In other words, Liangzhou is still under the jurisdiction of the Great Wei and is guarded by our Great Wei soldiers.
The eldest prince has already led his troops there. I trust the soldiers of the Great Wei, and you should trust them too."
She looked at the people and said, "I know that you are worried that the Wei Dynasty will be defeated, so I left early.
But I promise you all that the soldiers of the Great Wei will fight to the very last moment. Even if only one soldier is left, we will not abandon the people.
Therefore, today I ask those who don’t know where to go to return home with peace of mind, farm the fields, and work.
Those who wish to go back can register with my guard in groups of families. He will give everyone a certificate. When you return to your hometown, you can use this certificate to go to the local government office to collect five taels of silver.
This silver is given by me as a subsidy for your travel expenses back home.
If you have relatives or friends to seek refuge with, or who have a better place to go, take your family and set off tomorrow morning. Do not stay on the road for too long and listen to others' instigation to become their pawns.
Those who are plotting rebellion want the Great Wei and its territory, and they will never agree to a ceasefire just because I no longer serve as the Crown Princess."
"Can I really get five taels of silver when I return to my hometown?"
A woman asked timidly.
After escaping from her hometown, she regretted it. After listening to Wei Qingyan's words, she thought that although her hometown was at war, it was still under the jurisdiction of the Wei Dynasty and had not been lost.
Now Wei Qingyan reimbursed her travel expenses, but her husband had already run away with another woman on the run. She was left alone with her two children, lost and not knowing where to go.
Wei Qingyan nodded seriously, "I never joke."
Then she took out her private seal from her sleeve and stamped it on a piece of white slip.
When they were on the road, Wei Qingyan asked Xing'er to help cut this white strip.
Although on the road, Wei Qingyan always paid attention to the current situation of Wei. When she learned that someone was inciting the people to flee, she began to think of a solution.
The common people have limited knowledge and are easily misled. If they are not stopped in time, once the number of refugees increases, it will become another disaster.
So on the way back to the city, he corresponded with the emperor and told him his thoughts. Although using silver to settle the matter was not the best way, there was indeed no better way at the moment.
She could afford the money.
Therefore, the emperor agreed to Wei Qingyan's plan, and Wei Qingyan prepared the IOU in time.
The reason why they were asked to return to their hometown to cash in the money was to prevent some people from taking the money but still not returning home, wandering around and causing trouble.
She handed the IOU to Ah Chun and said, "Write the IOU for five taels and give it to this sister-in-law."
Achun was very quick and personally delivered the IOU to the woman. He saw that the woman was holding a child in one hand.
After a pause, he took out two pancakes from his arms and handed them to the two children, "The princess went to war at the age of sixteen. She was seriously injured countless times, but she never retreated. It took her two years to finally defeat Wudan.
At Huangshaling, he would rather die in battle than give Beiling the opportunity to occupy an inch of our Great Wei territory or bully a single citizen of our Great Wei.
Today, the Great Wei is more powerful than before, and the princess will not joke with the lives of the people.
You should trust our Majesty, our crown prince, rather than those malicious rebels and enemy countries."
“But who knows if our hometown will still be there when we return…”
“Your hometown is definitely there, but whether you can survive is not certain.”
A female voice sounded from a distance.
Everyone saw a woman dressed in formal attire walking towards them.
Behind her followed a woman holding a little girl in her arms.
The woman in tight clothes held the long sword against the lame man's neck.
He sneered, "You should tell everyone that your leg was not injured on the way to escape, but was broken by me.
You should also tell everyone why I broke your legs. It was because you wanted to sell your wife and daughter to a brothel for gambling, but you spread rumors that your wife and daughter died on the way to escape.
What's even more damning is that, for money, you colluded with the traitors and spread slanderous rumors about the princess."
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