Jiang Wanwan was completely confused. "Little brother, what happened? Why do you look so scared?"
"Madam, you must be from out of town. Please come in first, and I'll tell you more later," the waiter urged Jiang Wanwan to enter the inn.
"Hey, wait a minute, my husband is still over there." Jiang Wanwan turned around and pointed to Qi Zhao behind her.
"Oh, oh, there's a horse? Master, Madam, please come this way, I'll open the back door for you to come in."
The waiter deftly closed the inn's door, and Jiang Wanwan and Qi Zhao led their horses in the direction the waiter had indicated.
"Madam, Master, over here, come quickly." The waiter poked his head out from the side door, urging the two to come over quickly.
Once inside the inn, the waiter visibly relaxed. After helping the two men settle their horses, he said with a smile, "Gentlemen, please follow me."
As Jiang Wanwan walked, she tentatively asked, "Brother, what happened in the city? Why is the street so quiet? And why did you look so nervous just now?"
The waiter instantly turned into a bitter-looking man, his eyes filled with fear as he said, "Esteemed guests, you are unaware that since the locust plague, the magistrate of Anhuai County has been using various methods to levy extortion on the people. Not only have the entrance fees to the city increased dramatically, but taxes on the people and shops have also been increased."
Not only that, the corrupt magistrate was not satisfied. He even colluded with bandits. Every night, the magistrate would order his officers to open the city gates wide so that the bandits could break into the city, plunder the valuables, and split them with him.
These bandits were extremely barbaric and brutal, not only robbing people of their wealth but also kidnapping them. Young and beautiful girls were naturally not spared from their clutches, and even the able-bodied men in the city could not escape the misfortune of being captured.
The people in the city lived in constant fear, and dared not go out on the streets unless absolutely necessary, which is why the streets were as quiet as you see.
That's why I kept urging the two guests to hurry up and enter the inn.
"Why not send this message to the prefectural government?" Jiang Wanwan asked, puzzled.
"Some people tried to send the message to the prefectural capital, but every one of them was captured by the bandits. These bandits killed all the messengers they captured and hung their heads on the city gate for three days and three nights to intimidate us, the common people."
Over time, no one dared to leak the news of the county magistrate's collusion with the bandits anymore. Furthermore, almost no one who left Anhuai County could leave; it was said they were all captured by the bandits and taken to the mountains.
Finally, the waiter looked at Jiang Wanwan and Qi Zhao with concern, "Esteemed guests, I don't know why you've come to Anhuai County, but I advise you to hurry up and find a way to leave, otherwise you'll be unable to leave once you're targeted by bandits."
As they were talking, the three of them arrived at the lobby of the inn.
The inn lobby was only occupied by the waiter, the innkeeper, Jiang Wanwan, and Qi Zhao; there were no outsiders in sight.
The two are now playing the roles of a middle-aged couple, so they only booked one room on the Tiandi ship.
After paying the deposit, Jiang Wanwan instructed the waiter to cook some hot food and dishes and deliver them to their room. Then, she and Qi Zhao went upstairs to their room.
A short while later, the waiter brought them their food.
A bowl of green vegetables, a bowl of tofu, and two bowls of brown rice.
At a time when locusts are raging, it's already a blessing to be able to eat this much food. In the days to come, this food will probably become a luxury.
After thanking the waiter, Jiang Wanwan and Qi Zhao began their meal.
I was eating when suddenly the sound of horses' hooves echoed through the air outside the window—
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