Chapter 125 A Riot Occurs; She Seems to Have Disappeared...
Perhaps because the morning's running exercise had been too physically demanding, Fu Yun slept soundly with a groggy head and sore, numb limbs.
He opened his eyes groggily, and the first thing he saw was Zhilan's captivatingly beautiful eyes. She was looking at him calmly, her eyes filled with gentle warmth.
Fu Yun had just woken up from her sleep, and her mind was still a little dazed, unable to tell what day it was.
His expression was slightly dazed, and he looked somewhat endearing. Zhilan felt a pang of tenderness in her heart: "Haven't you had enough sleep?"
After a moment of silence, she suggested, "Why don't you stay in the carriage and rest? I'll go down and check the situation first, and then we can discuss it together."
Fu Yun shook her head, forcibly clearing the drowsiness from her mind, and immediately replied, "I'm not sleeping anymore, I'll go downstairs with you."
Seeing that his eyes were gradually clearing, Zhilan stopped trying to dissuade him. She gently took his arm and helped him get up from the cushion. After he was seated, she lifted the curtain and the two of them got out of the carriage one after the other.
As soon as Fu Yun's feet touched the flat ground, she habitually looked up and scanned her surroundings. She didn't see a crowd of people, only a few scattered figures moving around.
To avoid causing unnecessary commotion, Zhilan parked the carriage at a location far from the city gate.
Fu Yun's gaze fell to the back of the carriage, where she saw Guard Fang and another unfamiliar woman dismounting from their horses.
Guard Zhang and the doctor went to get the medicine. The unfamiliar woman next to Guard Fang was probably a guard who had been assigned to them.
Zhilan gestured to Fu Jun to head towards the city gate, with guards and protectors standing behind them.
As you get closer to the city gate, you can see groups of people lingering outside the gate.
As Ye Lan said, a large number of refugees had gathered outside the city gate. If it weren't for Wei Ke's diligent duty in guarding the city gate in layers, the refugees would probably have already poured into the city.
Fu Yun vaguely saw that the refugees were moving towards an area below the city wall.
It was packed with people, forming a large circle, with people constantly craning their necks, trying to squeeze into the innermost spot.
Zhilan naturally noticed the commotion over there as well. After observing intently for a moment, she asked the guard Fang who was following behind her, "What's going on over there?"
Guard Fang replied, "Your Majesty, someone is distributing porridge to the refugees."
Zhilan raised her eyebrows slightly, her tone more of a statement than a question: "That great philanthropist who's been the talk of the town for the past two years?"
The guard stepped forward and asked, "Has Master also noticed this person?"
Zhilan said calmly, "The people in the city all praise her highly and respect her greatly. It's hard not to notice her."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yun suddenly had a flash of inspiration and instantly remembered where he had heard the name Yinzhou from.
When I first met Cheng Jincheng, I witnessed a porridge distribution event. Cheng Jincheng told me about the background of the person distributing porridge at the city gate. She said she was born into a poor family, and ten years ago, her elders went to Yinzhou to do business, making a living by selling cloth. In eight years, they developed a small shop into a famous cloth store, enjoying unparalleled success.
Later, the founder of the cloth shop passed away due to illness. Her last wish was to return to her roots, so her daughter returned to Lingzhou City and soon began to do charity work of distributing porridge outside the city.
Of course, she wasn't alone; she also brought along a woman she met on her way back to the city, and the two of them went on a charitable journey together in Lingzhou City.
When he heard Cheng Jincheng's description, he found it strange. People who truly do not seek fame or fortune usually act in a low-key manner and would not make such a big fuss, making it known to everyone, as if they were afraid that others would not know about her righteous act.
It's not that he's a conspiracy theorist, but rather that he firmly believes that philanthropists who genuinely want to do something for the poor won't deliberately exaggerate their background or origins; most will choose to keep their achievements hidden.
Only those who want to enhance their reputation will use charity to promote themselves and then achieve their true goals through the support and respect of the people.
In modern times, this would most likely be considered a fake philanthropist, using fundraising as a pretext for publicity and using charity to gain the fame and prestige they desire.
In other words, the cloth shop owner's daughter returned to Lingzhou City from Yinzhou two years ago, and two years later, a large number of refugees came from Yinzhou.
Is this a coincidence? Or is there something else going on?
Something unusual must be going on. He still felt the same way he did when he first saw it, remaining skeptical. These two must have some unknown purpose, which is why they used the name of charity porridge distribution to cover it up.
Thinking of this, Fu Yun took the initiative to speak: "I heard Cheng Jincheng say before that the two porridge distributors were also from Yinzhou. I think it is necessary to investigate their identities."
Zhilan paused slightly, glanced at Fu Jun, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment before she spoke: "You suspect that there is something wrong with their identities?"
Fu Yun nodded: "I think their behavior is strange. It would be best to verify what happened to her."
Zhilan fell silent, looked up at the circle of people surrounding her, and seemed to be deep in thought.
Guard Fang stepped forward and respectfully said, "Master, what Young Master Su said makes sense. Whether he is truly good or not, it is never a bad thing to find out the truth. If he is truly good, then it will be a blessing for our Nü Kingdom."
After a long silence, Zhilan finally agreed to Fu Yun and Guard Fang's suggestion: "In that case, let's send another person to Yinzhou to inquire about this person's life and experiences, including her companions."
The guard replied, "This humble servant obeys."
She turned to another woman and said, "Xiao Zhou, have you understood what I'm saying?"
The female guard named Xiaozhou replied, "Understood, I will depart immediately."
Guard Fang nodded and whispered, "Remember to conduct the investigation secretly. Do not make a big fuss, lest you alert the enemy."
"yes."
Guard Fang said no more, and the small boat turned and left.
Fu Yun watched her walk towards the carriage, then went to the horses behind the carriage, nimbly mounted the horse, tightened the reins, and quickly rode away.
Just before Fu Yun was about to look away, her gaze swept over the carriage and then to the shaft, then paused, a question lingering in her mind: "Where did the driver go?"
If he remembered correctly, when he and Zhilan got off the carriage, the coachman stayed in the carriage to watch over them.
He quickly scanned the area around the carriage but didn't see the coachman, so it seemed she hadn't gotten off to walk around.
Fu Yun reminded her, "The coachman seems to be missing."
Upon hearing this, Zhilan's expression darkened slightly. She turned around and glanced behind her, a sharp glint in her eyes: "This person is not a groom carefully selected by Ye Lan, but a family member temporarily placed there by the groom."
Just then, the refugees surrounding the city walls suddenly rioted.
"We're starving, please let us in."
"This is the imperial city beneath the feet of the True Dragon Goddess. Why won't they let us in? Does even His Majesty not care about our lives?"
"We are just ordinary people. In the eyes of the imperial court, we are nothing more than a bunch of insignificant ants. Who would care about our lives?"
Fu Yun looked at the circle of people surrounding the original porridge distribution site and realized that the crowd had dispersed and the two women had quietly left.
Could it be that there were too many disaster victims and they didn't have enough rice porridge? Or was their departure related to the sudden disappearance of the stableman?
Seeing this, Zhilan's gaze turned cold. She was about to walk over when Guard Fang's expression changed, and he immediately stopped her, saying, "Master, the area outside the city walls is a mixed bag. You can't go there. Lord Ye will be back soon. Let her handle it!"
Zhilan frowned, her face darkening slightly: "We can't delay any longer. If we don't deal with it in time, a riot is bound to break out."
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