During this time, Madam Yao had suffered too much fright and was on the verge of collapse. It was not until she was rescued by Li Guang and brought to Hanyu Pass that her mood calmed down a bit.
Li Guang comforted Lady Yao, telling her to stay at Hanyu Pass for the time being, and to send her home once the barbarian soldiers were driven away and the capital was recaptured.
Madam Yao nodded. Now that she was safe, she began to worry about Lord Yao.
Li Guang told her that Lord Yao was with the Emperor and that they were heading to Narcissus Village. Once they arrived at Narcissus Village, it would be like arriving home, so she shouldn't worry.
Madam Yao hoped to drive the barbarian soldiers away as soon as possible so she could go home.
The next day, Li Guang bid farewell to his mother, Consort Yao, and together with Yue Heng, led an expedition to Tongyu Pass, preparing to join forces with the Fourth Prince to retake the capital.
It has been more than twenty days since the emperor fled the capital with his ministers. During this time, they have been hiding and secretly making their way to Narcissus Village.
They mingled among the refugees and managed to hold on at first, but after a few days, they couldn't take it anymore.
The emperor and his ministers, accustomed to a life of luxury, found it very difficult to adapt to their sudden exile.
The emperor and several ministers dragged their weary steps every day, longing to ride in a carriage, but there were too many refugees on this road, and there were simply no carriages available.
If you actually get on the carriage, it's not a good thing, as it's easy for the enemy soldiers to spot you.
With no other option, they had to move forward on foot, much like ordinary refugees.
After traveling for several days, they realized something was wrong. Sullivan had led a large army to catch up with them, intending to intercept the emperor and his entourage on their way to Narcissus Village.
Many soldiers have appeared on the road now. If they spot any suspicious persons, they will immediately approach and question them.
If they were encountered by the checkpoint personnel, they would definitely be questioned. If they were truly being watched, the emperor and his ministers would be finished.
It seems that mingling with refugees is not safe either; we need to think of a safer approach.
The safest way right now is to split up, which will make us separated, but that's okay. Once we get to Narcissus Village, everything will be easier.
So they paired up, which made them much smaller targets and also allowed them to look out for each other.
The emperor and his ministers were all very clever; they disguised themselves as fortune tellers, scissors, and knife sharpeners.
Since the emperor and his ministers were all quite old, they were surprisingly adept at these tasks, and the inspectors didn't even glance at them, hurrying past them.
Since Lord Yao had been to Narcissus Village, the Emperor was placed in the same group as him, which would make the Emperor feel more at ease.
They all carried silver, so they had no problem with food and drink.
Of course, when you're out and about, you shouldn't flaunt your wealth, lest someone set their sights on you.
Lord Yao looked quite old, so he disguised himself as a fortune teller and was led by the emperor with a stick, following the refugees towards the direction of Narcissus Village.
For several days, all was well, and the emperor and his ministers adapted to this nomadic life.
On this day, the emperor and Lord Yao were traveling as usual when they were stopped by someone while passing through a small village.
"Please wait, sir."
Lord Yao was disguised as a fortune teller. Fortune tellers are usually blind, so Lord Yao naturally had to pretend to be blind as well. When the Emperor stopped, he had no choice but to stop as well.
The emperor sized up the visitors. A maid stood before them, clearly indicating that they had come to have their fortunes told.
"What is it you need?" the Emperor asked, his voice very gentle, as was his usual style.
"My lady wants to hire a fortune teller. I've been searching all morning and have finally found you. Please come with me and tell my lady's fortune."
The emperor and Lord Yao had no idea how to tell fortunes, but with so many people watching, how could they admit they didn't know how?
Besides, these days it's not easy to get a job, so there's no reason to refuse. The Emperor had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:
"Then you lead the way, we're going to have the old lady's fortune told."
The Emperor knew that fortune tellers in the common people basically just guessed at other people's psychology and then made up some seemingly plausible things to fool them. He believed that Lord Yao had this ability and could get away with it.
Lord Yao had no choice but to be led by the Emperor to a nearby village.
The village was small, with only about ten households. One of them had a large courtyard, indicating that the family was quite well-off. The maid led the two of them directly into the courtyard.
"Madam, the fortune teller has arrived."
"Quickly take the gentleman to the inner room." An old woman's voice came from inside.
The emperor and Lord Yao were led into a room where an old woman sat on a prayer mat, burning incense and chanting Buddhist prayers.
Upon seeing the fortune teller enter, they led them to sit down on chairs nearby.
"Go and bring some tea over, so that the two gentlemen can have some water," the old lady instructed the maid.
"Yes, Madam." The maid immediately went to prepare tea.
The old lady was a devout Buddhist and kind-hearted person. Seeing the Emperor and Lord Yao in such a state, she knew they were refugees and felt some sympathy for them.
"Are you two gentlemen just passing through?" the old woman asked.
"Please don't mention it, Madam. In these chaotic times, if a family can make a living, who would want to flee?" the Emperor said.
"Yes, life is really hard for ordinary people. In the past, what ordinary people feared most was famine. Now that life has just gotten a little better, we have encountered war."
"This place is now teeming with barbarian soldiers; I wonder if the Great Northern Dynasty can hold out."
The old woman's words caused the emperor a pang of heartache; he now dreaded hearing such things.
He sighed and said:
"Didn't the old lady say she wanted her fortune told? Let's begin."
The emperor did not want to stay here for too long; he wanted to hurry to Narcissus Village.
"Okay, thank you, sir. I'd like to have my daughter's fortune told."
At this moment, Lord Yao began to feign concern and asked, "Madam, please tell me your daughter's birth date and time."
The old lady immediately gave her daughter's birth date and time. After calculating, Lord Yao determined that the old lady's daughter was almost forty years old.
Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry, and this old woman is no exception. Her daughter is already so grown up, yet she is still concerned about her.
Seeing Lord Yao calculating with his fingers, the old lady spoke up:
"My daughter married into Panzhou more than 20 years ago. Although they are not rich or powerful, they can make a living."
It is said that the invaders of Panzhou were troops from the Jin Dynasty. After arriving in Panzhou, they began to burn, kill, and loot. It is said that some villages and towns there are no longer inhabited. They were either killed or fled.
Those Jin soldiers were utterly inhuman; they spared neither women nor children, killing indiscriminately and burning down houses in their wake. The entire Panzhou region had long since become a living hell.
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