County Lieutenant's Mansion——
Mrs. Chen sat at the dining table with a worried expression, while her daughter comforted her:
"Mother, Father must be very busy with official business; he'll be back soon."
“Yunshui County is not what it used to be. If this official position is too difficult, I will persuade your father to resign.”
Madam Chen frowned deeply, her handkerchief crumpled beyond recognition.
"Mother, please be careful with your words. Now, Yunshui County is like a clear sky after the clouds have parted. The people live in peace and prosperity, and the county is strong and harmonious. It's just that moat; under the previous Prefect Wang, it took more than ten years to complete its construction."
Chen Xiuer frowned. Although she was a girl, like father, like daughter!
Without her mother's knowledge, as the only daughter of the Chen family, she was groomed by her father to be his successor.
She was fully aware of her father's situation and the changes in Yunshui County!
Since Princess Jiang took over Yunshui County, the county has undergone rapid changes. Wang Sinian, who had been oppressing the people, has finally received his just deserts.
She used to be confined to the backyard, and to leave the manor, she had to disguise herself as a man...
Princess Jiang's existence undoubtedly gave many young ladies a glimmer of new hope.
It turns out that women can also achieve great things!
"But--"
Madam Chen was still worried upon hearing this. Wang Sinian had already fallen; her husband was upright and incorruptible, not tactful, and even somewhat stubborn. Wouldn't that...?
"lady--"
A thunderous voice rang out, and Madam Chen stopped talking, her face filled with surprise and joy. It was her husband returning home!
Chen Xiuer also got up and went to greet her father as he returned home.
"My lord, why are you back so late today? You frightened your wife."
Madam Chen took the cloak handed to her by her husband, patted off the snow, and then handed it to a maid, indicating that she should hang it by the stove to warm it up.
"The daughter has met her father."
Chen Xiuer bowed gracefully to her father, a gesture that, to anyone who saw it, exuded the air of a well-bred young lady.
Chen Haichao put his arm around his wife's shoulder, subtly diverting her attention while giving his daughter a meaningful look.
Seeing this, Chen Xiuer smiled knowingly; it seemed her father had something to say to her.
No rush, let's appease Mother first, and then the father and daughter can go to the study to talk in detail later...
On the city tower—
Recently, more and more refugees have been flocking in from all directions, most of them with their families.
While settling the refugees, Liu Yunfei was also gathering intelligence.
In Jinling, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Zhao are still locked in a fierce struggle.
The city was completely sealed off, and no one knew what was happening inside. Not even a bird could fly out of Jinling.
From the fiefdom of the King of Zhao, a cavalry force formed an encirclement from the outside in, gradually eroding all the forces, incorporating their troops, and then attacking Jinling.
Although no imperial edict was found here, the Crown Prince is still the rightful heir, and he holds the military seals of the Imperial Guards, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the Forbidden Army.
Fortunately, Anqing Prefecture had few troops, thus avoiding the flames of war.
These refugees all came from other prefectures. When asked about the situation in Anqing Prefecture, most of them said they had not heard of any trouble.
Liu Yunfei was so concerned about Anqing Prefecture for two reasons. First, his father had served as the county magistrate and prefect there for several years. Second, he was worried about his old friends in Wujia Village, Taohua County.
After much deliberation, he was still not entirely at ease, so he secretly sent out a few guards as a backup plan prepared by his father.
But he felt that he didn't need a backup plan since he was in Yunshui County.
Yunshui County was his escape route.
Thinking of my father, it would be a lie to say I wasn't worried. With the political situation in turmoil, my father's official position had no real power, so it shouldn't be particularly conspicuous, right?
"Reporting to the Prefect, a new batch of refugees has arrived, and the tents at the camp are not enough. We need your approval to order the allocation of new supplies."
"Okay, is the list all recorded? Be sure to keep a close eye on things and check for spies."
"Don't worry, sir, your subordinates are very careful."
"That's good. Okay, you've signed it. Go get the new supplies."
"Your subordinate takes his leave."
......
Refugee camps —
"Cough cough cough~"
"Mom, how are you? Lie down quickly~"
"Son, I'm fine. Go check on your father. He has a fever and his whole body is burning up."
"Cough cough~ I'm fine, I'll be fine after a while."
A family of refugees, covered in soot, sat around the campfire.
They were a new batch of refugees who had just arrived in Yunshui County. After registering their information, they were led to a campfire to warm themselves.
The leading officer told them that the new tents were on their way and they would have to wait a while, but they could move into the warm tents before dark.
They couldn't believe it, but in this freezing weather, the fact that someone could say such a thing gave them a glimmer of hope.
Just hang in there, it'll be alright. There's a tent to sleep in, a fire to warm you up, and hot water to drink.
The elderly woman who brought hot water asked warmly:
"Are you new here?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The man nodded, his stomach rumbling uncomfortably.
The old woman heard this, but instead of mocking her, she said gently:
"Your parents look like they've caught a cold; they're coughing like this. They can't just stay up all night. Here's what we'll do: I'll watch over them for a bit. You go to the city gate ahead and line up; you can get free white porridge and some herbal medicine to cure colds."
The man, incredulous, licked his chapped lips and asked:
"Really? I can get it for free?"
After he finished speaking, his eyes reddened, as if he was about to cry.
He originally had a brother, but he was forcibly conscripted while fleeing famine, and when he returned, his brother was gone!
My parents are getting old, and I was worried sick on the way. All our savings were spent on medical treatment and food during the journey...
Even a single penny can stump a strong man!
He had been wandering and suffering all the way. In his despair, when his family of three was preparing to die, they encountered a group of refugees who came to chop wood.
After learning about the family's situation, they all urged him to come to Yunshui County...
In order for his parents to survive and to see his brothers again one day, he carried his parents on his back with great difficulty, switching between them along the way, and finally arrived at Yunshui County!
"Why would I lie to you? Go and join the queue. I'll watch over things here for a while."
The kind old lady smiled and said, "We are all ordinary people, all victims of war, and all unfortunate people who have become refugees."
Helping one person is better than nothing; there's no harm in it.
"Thank you very much, Auntie."
The man thanked him profusely, then asked for directions to the city gate and hurried over on foot.
Food, medicine.
A tear rolled down the man's cheek, but he quickly wiped it away.
......
When the man arrived at the city gate with weary steps, the queue was not very long.
But it was obvious that some people had already received the rice porridge, and it really was a bowl of hot rice porridge!
Someone hurriedly walked past me carrying a bowl of rice porridge, but at a glance, it wasn't the kind where you could see the bottom of the porridge!
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