Chapter 354 Entering the City
Little Su Bao covered her chest, tears welling in her eyes.
"Mother, I want to go to the city to find Father..." Little Su Bao looked up at Madam Qian.
Ms. Qian paused, looking into the little dumpling's sad eyes, and felt a pang of heartache.
"Alright, Mother will think of something!" Madam Qian agreed to Xiao Su Bao's request, regardless of whether she was capable or not.
The little dumpling's expression hadn't recovered much; her eyes were still fixed on the city wall with tension.
The yamen runners set up roadblocks, so no one could get close.
"What's going on? Why can't people go in?" someone asked, confused.
The officials were also in a bad mood and didn't want to block the gate.
But what can they do if they're ordered to block the door?
“Our relatives are sick inside, and they’re almost dead. We’ve come here for their funerals…” a woman cried out anxiously.
Suddenly, the noise outside grew even louder. The head constable knew what was going on in the city, and he was already afraid. When he heard what these people were saying, his eyes turned slightly cold.
He snorted coldly and said, "What are you going in for? If you want to go in, fine, but once you're in, you can't come out. And if anyone wants to get out later, that'll be tough!"
His eyes were deep, and there was a hint of coldness in his gaze as he looked at the crowd.
The emperor and empress knew what was going on inside, and both of them were deeply troubled.
The emperor took a deep breath and was about to go in when his hand was grabbed.
All he saw was his own good-for-nothing son holding his hand, a cynical smile on his face.
"Father, you protect Mother and find a place to settle down first. I'll go in and take a look!"
The second prince curled his lips into a smile, and a touch of seriousness appeared on the handsome young man's face.
The emperor paused, looked at his son, pursed his lips, and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Haha, what's there to be uncertain about? You're my father, and I'm your son..." The Second Prince's eyes became more serious, but his face still held a smile.
This world now belongs to their family. Although he is a bit playful, he understands how hard his parents have worked.
Besides, he is a prince of the Great Shang Kingdom, who has been living a life of luxury since childhood, and his parents can no longer easily enter the palace.
But he was different. If he didn't go in, given his parents' personalities, they certainly wouldn't let the people and the plague go unchecked.
The emperor paused slightly, looking at his son, who, though still somewhat mischievous, had suddenly grown much taller.
"You brat, you're still young..."
The emperor wanted to go in by himself, after all, he was old, and the crown prince was sensible, and the children were well-behaved. He had a bad temper, so he wasn't afraid.
The second prince reached out and grabbed his old man.
"You're trying to steal my credit? Let me tell you, that won't do!" After saying that, the Second Prince walked up to the Empress.
He clasped his hands together and respectfully bowed to the Empress.
"Mom, you wait. Your second son will keep an eye on that bastard Tang Bugui for you. He definitely won't let anything happen to him, so he won't keep trying to steal my parents' lives..."
After the second son finished speaking, he turned and ran away. The empress was already suffering from severe abdominal pain, and in that one turn, her son escaped.
The Empress was anxious and wanted to go over, but was stopped by a hand.
"You're not feeling well, please don't go inside!"
Qian's expression was somewhat solemn, but she still did not let go of his hand.
The little baby in her arms struggled and chased after the Second Prince.
Qian's expression changed slightly, and she was about to chase after him. Tang Si had already noticed something was wrong along the way.
He grabbed his mother and then caught up with Xiao Su Bao: "Mom, let me go. You have to take care of the others outside!"
Qian paused, then looked back at the villagers and the children!
She was worried about Xiao Su Bao, but she couldn't abandon the villagers and children outside.
"Don't worry, Mother!" Tang Si said in a low voice. The young boy was very composed and seemed more like an older brother than Tang Qi.
Madam Qian paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, be careful and take good care of your little sister and yourself!"
Fu Manduo and Su Yun exchanged a glance, and the two children rushed out without giving anyone else a chance to react, closely following behind Xiao Su Bao.
Ms. Qian felt helpless and wanted to say something to the children, but she didn't know where to begin.
The Empress and Lady Qian exchanged a glance, and in that instant, they suddenly felt a sense of mutual appreciation.
As the small door opened, some people who were truly in a hurry actually went inside, but most people just watched and waited.
They also sensed that something was wrong today, since they had seen the yamen runners at the gate quite often before.
But they had never seen any of these yamen runners before.
The emperor cursed his good-for-nothing second son, but in his heart he was filled with worry.
He took a deep breath, paused, and then said, "Let's leave here first, and not gather here!"
They have thirty-eight children with them; if any of them get infected, it will be a huge problem!
The empress nodded, and the group then went back into the mountains.
Madam Qian was worried about her daughters and sons, as were the Emperor and Empress...
Lin Qiqi and Lin Xiao had recovered somewhat, and the villagers didn't hesitate. They gave the children some of the dry rations they had brought. Although it wasn't much, it helped solve a lot of problems.
The empress frowned, her lower abdomen aching terribly.
The emperor was worried about his son, but when he suddenly noticed the empress frowning, his expression changed.
"Wife, what's wrong?" The emperor rushed forward, his eyes fixed on the empress.
"I..." The Empress was about to say something when her face turned pale and she fainted.
Madam Qian felt nervous, thinking of the little baby looking at the Empress's lower abdomen.
Could it be that something is wrong with the beautiful woman's belly?
The emperor's expression changed drastically. He held his wife tightly, his eyes filled with panic.
"Wife, you absolutely cannot be hurt. I'll take you to see a doctor right now!"
He remembered that Little Su Bao's master had also come out before they did!
Wang Mingtian!
Yes, Wang Mingtian, he's going to find Wang Mingtian.
Just then, the nameless old Taoist sighed and squeezed out, his Taoist robe faded from washing.
He glanced at the Empress and said, "This humble Taoist has some medical knowledge. Why don't I examine you first, Madam?"
The emperor looked at Wuming, paused for a moment, and then nodded.
Wuming reached out and grasped the Empress's wrist, then his eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly.
No wonder Sister Bai poked her over, it turns out...
He paused, then took out a pill from his pocket and quickly put it into the Empress's mouth.
The emperor couldn't stop him in time. Then, Wuming took out a bag of silver needles and started sticking them all over the empress's body!
The Empress's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and the Emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What kind of pills did the Taoist priest use? Do you have any more?" the emperor asked, looking at the nameless old Taoist priest.
"It's all gone, not a single bit left. That was my most treasured possession, and it's all gone!" Wuming said with a bitter face, looking somewhat unhappy.
If it weren't for Sister Bai's insistence on saving the Empress, and if it weren't for Xiao Su Bao's obvious different attitude towards the Empress, he truly wouldn't want to have anything to do with the royal family.
Sister Bai is more capable than me, so there must be a reason why she said that.
The emperor glanced at Wuming, his expression changing slightly, but he had no time to think about it at the moment.
The empress's breathing became steady, and the emperor breathed a sigh of relief.
With thirty-eight children on their side, settling them in quickly was not an easy task. Madam Qian frowned, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards Lan County.
"Grandma Qian, the village chief said we should go back to the village after we finish these things. What do you think we should do...?"
Zhao Sanpao couldn't help but move closer to Qian Shi, his eyes filled with worry.
Their village chief said that something big was happening in Lan County and that they absolutely must not go in.
“This…” Madam Qian paused, unwilling to leave.
Wuming, who was standing to the side, glanced at the dark Lan County and paused. However, there was a faint sign of life amidst the death, and that sign of life was Xiao Su Bao!
The nameless old Taoist priest breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"There's no use for us staying here. Leave the medicine and let's go back!"
The nameless old Taoist looked at Qian Shi and spoke.
"Let's go home, let's go home!" Grandma Bai shouted happily.
Ms. Qian paused, suppressing her worries.
The group then boarded the oxcart they had come in and headed home.
Little Su Bao and the others were unaware of what was happening outside. As soon as the little girl and the Second Prince entered the city, they were stopped.
"What are you people doing..."
He suddenly paused slightly, and the way he looked at Xiao Su Bao changed!
He was Fulin's confidant and had met Xiao Su Bao before.
He looked like he'd seen a ghost, since everyone knew that Xiao Su Bao and the others had been locked up.
"You...you...I...I..." The man was at a loss for words.
"Uncle, where's my dad?" Little Su Bao looked at the person nervously and asked in a trembling voice.
The man took a deep breath to calm himself before saying, "Your father is at the magistrate's house!"
He wanted to say it was in a secret room, but then he thought better of it and didn't say anything.
The second prince frowned slightly, a hint of seriousness in his eyes, because he had already noticed a large number of people gathering there, wanting to leave.
They didn't look very well.
"Why won't we go out? What are we going to eat if we don't go out?" someone shouted.
The officials looked extremely grim; they wanted to leave too, but now...
The second prince's face was gloomy. He had seen several people in the crowd who were stirring up emotions for no reason.
These people...
Damn it!
The second prince stood in front of Xiao Su Bao, and said solemnly, "Don't go over there, I'll go check!"
Xiao Su Bao paused, about to speak, when suddenly a familiar voice reached her ears.
A young man was carrying a gong. He was thin, but his every move exuded an air of nobility, making him stand out from the crowd.
The second prince paused. He wasn't familiar with Zhao Ziyun, but he knew a little about Zhao Ziqian.
The two looked so alike, especially their demeanor. Zhao Ziyun seemed more composed, while Zhao Ziqian was somewhat pedantic.
"Everyone..." Zhao Ziyun looked at the crowd, not yet seeing Xiao Su Bao and the others, his voice was very loud.
In an instant, the voices of the people were silenced.
He was dressed in white, yet he exuded an imposing aura. When those people saw Zhao Ziyun's appearance, they couldn't help but back away and dared not approach.
Zhao Ziyun's face was solemn: "Everyone, you must all know the situation in Lan County right now! Lives are at stake. If you don't leave, we have medicine and we will treat you, but anyone who dares to leave..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a group of men rushed over, each carrying a large knife. These men were all strong and muscular, and they were all specially selected by Zhao Ziyun.
Ordinary people were naturally terrified by his menacing appearance, but it was a different story for those who were causing trouble!
Their eyes darted around, and they immediately shouted, "You're threatening us! What if you besiege the city and burn us all to death? Who knows if you officials are heartless and don't value the lives of ordinary people!"
Zhao Ziyun narrowed his eyes and instantly searched for the speaker in the crowd.
That person was clever and hid quickly; there were many people around, so it was hard to find them in a short time.
Sure enough, as soon as he said that, the people who had been quiet instantly became restless.
Their faces turned grim, after all, there were many instances in the past where entire villages or even entire counties were burned down when dealing with epidemics!
Everyone was filled with anxiety, their eyes slowly revealing a will to survive!
"Ha, little brat, you're dressed in white, neither an official nor a soldier, what right do you have to say those things? What use are your words if we get killed in the end?" someone else said.
The second prince picked up Xiao Su Bao, a hint of coldness in his eyes.
"Come on, your second uncle will take you to beat up the bad guys!" The second prince didn't dare leave Xiao Su Bao alone, so he picked her up and punched a man standing in front of them.
He was the one who stood in the middle and said those words, and then he ran out again!
"Ah...who hit me!" The man turned his head instantly and saw Xiao Su Bao's well-behaved and cute little face.
Before he could react, Xiao Su Bao raised her fist and punched him.
The man covered his eyes; he was completely horrified!
"You're asking for it!" He was actually surprised that a sliver of kindness had just crossed his mind; he couldn't kidnap such a young girl!
But now, all he wants is to control Xiao Su Bao and watch her beg for mercy.
Little Su Bao pursed her lips and raised her hand again!
The man's eyes swelled up instantly, and his accomplices' expressions changed slightly, but when they saw that it was just a boy holding a little girl, they were no longer afraid.
They were planning to cause trouble anyway, so...
A group of people quickly surrounded Xiao Su Bao and the Second Prince.
The officers and soldiers here also realized that something was wrong, especially since some of them knew Xiao Su Bao, and they immediately became uneasy!
Fu Manduo also came in, but because everyone's attention was on Xiao Subao, they didn't see her and Su Yun.
Su Yun held Fu Man's hand. Both of their fathers were in the city, and the two girls were worried, so they followed along.
"Little sister Su Bao, I'm here to protect you!" Su Yun and Fu Manduo ran over together.
Zhao Ziyun, who was standing outside the crowd, twitched his ears slightly, thinking he had misheard.
Is it Xiao Su Bao?
He was thinking about it, but he couldn't see the little dumpling.
"Get out of my way!" Zhao Ziyun's eyes were filled with intense killing intent, and the people blocking his way instantly made way for him.
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