The happy Lu family did not notice that two people were secretly watching them from a distance. Although they were far away, the wind was blowing in their direction, and the aroma of meat wafted through the air.
The two of them licked their lips simultaneously.
"This family doesn't look like ordinary peasants! They're already fleeing from disaster, yet they still have meat to eat, and it's all white rice—such a big pot of it!"
"Nonsense, if it were an ordinary peasant, would he casually take out thirty taels to exchange for a little girl?"
"Well, let alone peasants, look at how much money Mama Qian earns, but she still feels the pinch every time she spends ten or twenty taels to buy a girl."
...
The two discussed for a while, but couldn't stand it any longer, so they got up and left, then quietly sneaked into the backyard of Fengyun Tower.
In the backyard wing, a brightly dressed middle-aged woman was leisurely fanning herself while waiting for them; she was none other than the Qian Mama the two had mentioned.
"How's the investigation going?"
Mrs. Qian spoke leisurely, seemingly not in a hurry at all.
"That family is indeed extraordinary. Although they fled famine, they seem quite wealthy. The whole family is eating white rice and meat. But logically speaking, if they are that rich, they could easily stay at an inn. They wouldn't be making a hut at the city gate!"
The person who spoke scratched his head in confusion, unable to understand it at all.
"Heh~" Madam Qian laughed even more heartily, "So they were just putting on a brave face. Keep an eye on them and see when they leave the city before coming back to report. Let them know what happens when they go against their mother!"
The situation outside the city is not good now, and the government is paying close attention to the security inside the city. Otherwise, if chaos breaks out both inside and outside the city, it will be difficult to manage.
That's why Madam Qian didn't dare to make a big fuss today, but things will be easier once they leave the city.
"yes."
Madam Qian was truly unwilling to accept what had happened today. In the past, she would buy new little maids for a price of a few taels to more than ten taels. Today's maid was really good-looking, so she reluctantly spent twenty taels of silver. She even thought that she could train her well and earn two hundred taels or even two thousand taels for her in the future.
But then a poor couple rushed out. She didn't think they were rich, so she casually gave them a number to scare them, thinking they couldn't afford it anyway. But she was wrong.
She's going to get that debt back from that family tenfold!
As night deepened, the adult men of the Lu clan took turns keeping watch, while the women and children slept peacefully. They had gotten used to sleeping under the open sky and on the ground all along the way, and now that they were in a relatively safe city, they slept even more soundly.
After confirming that the puppy was sound asleep, He Jiuniang quietly got up and prepared to go out.
At this moment, it was Boss Lu who was on night watch. She whispered, "Brother, please keep an eye on the dogs for me. I need to use the restroom."
"Go ahead, be careful."
Without thinking much, Boss Lu added a piece of firewood to the fire.
He Jiuniang didn't go to relieve herself, but instead went directly behind the two sneaky thieves.
One of them yawned and then complained, "Mom is really cautious. That family is all asleep, and it's uncertain whether they'll even leave the city tomorrow morning. She just sent the two of us here to feed the mosquitoes!"
As he spoke, he slapped himself across the cheek, flattening a fat mosquito on his face and leaving a bloodstain.
"Would it kill you to shut up a bit? Go say that to Aunt Qian if you dare! Humph!"
The other person clearly didn't want to talk to him, turning away and ignoring him.
But this person seemed not to understand, and squeezed through to continue, "You said that Mama Qian said she wanted to teach this family a lesson, could it be that she has her eye on those women in their family? I secretly went over to take a look, and I must say, they are all quite good-looking!"
As he spoke, he even sucked on his saliva, looking incredibly lewd.
The person next to him was about to say something when he suddenly leaned against him and stopped moving.
Thinking he was asleep, I turned around to push him away, but suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness and lost consciousness instantly.
He Jiuniang emerged from the shadows, looked at the two little thieves sleeping like dead pigs on the ground, and curled the corners of her mouth.
She wasn't one to cause trouble, but now that Fengyunlou was bullying her, there was no reason for her to knowingly invite danger upon herself.
More importantly, without Madam Jiang's protection, she wouldn't be able to step forward if something went wrong, so she has to deal with it now.
Finding a secluded spot to change into the night clothes she had taken from her spatial storage, He Jiuniang made her way to Fengyun Tower.
Fengyunlou was originally a brothel, and it only opened at night. Although there were few people on the streets during the day, the area was very lively at night.
Indeed, throughout history, no matter what disasters or hardships we face, it is always the poor who suffer, while the rich remain carefree and at ease.
The alley was brightly lit and bustling with activity. He Jiuniang seized the opportunity and quietly slipped into a side room on the second floor of Fengyun Tower.
"My lord, you haven't come to see Xiang'er for quite some time. Why do you look so worried now that you've finally come?"
The woman's sweet voice drifted over, and He Jiuniang wasn't initially interested, but since the woman seemed to be addressing an official, she decided to listen carefully.
"It's not that I didn't want to come, but I've been too busy with official duties! Fill my cup to the brim, I'm going all out tonight, we won't leave until we're drunk!"
The middle-aged man seemed preoccupied, his voice tinged with weariness. It was unclear what could have driven him to the brothel to drown his sorrows.
"Weren't those refugees not allowed in? Even those who did come in, the magistrate arranged for people to provide porridge and relief, which is quite fair to them. Our city is still peaceful and harmonious, so what does the magistrate have to worry about?"
The girl named Xiang'er was probably the man's old flame, and she didn't shy away from these things, speaking her mind without hesitation.
"What do you know? Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a person who's starving!"
The man sighed again and continued, "Without news from above, I dare not make a decision. Besides, those people have come from afar, who knows what kind of filth they have on them? If they come in, the city will surely be in chaos. But if we don't let them in, the soldiers guarding the city won't be able to hold out for more than a few days."
He knew about the refugees exchanging children to eat, and some had even eaten corpses. They all had some kind of filth on them, and he had been so worried that he almost lost all his hair these days.
Xiang'er was a little scared: "Does Your Excellency mean that those people might force their way in?"
"That's exactly what I'm afraid of!"
"Since you are so wise and powerful, I am not afraid!"
...
Upon hearing the useful information, He Jiuniang frowned slightly. It seemed that the city would soon become unsafe, especially since the Lu family lived in the open space just inside the city gate. If someone broke in, they would definitely be the first to suffer.
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