Chapter 50
"I don't know that."
Hong Xin and Yuan Qiong walked side by side on the street. In this situation, Hong Xin's tall figure made Yuan Qiong look somewhat petite.
He smiled and said, "Fengyunxu's actions are always unpredictable, making them difficult to track down. There are only two ways to meet the people of Fengyunxu. First, you need to have something they want, and they will come to you on their own. Second, you need someone who has traded with them before to introduce you, but each person only has three introduction slots. Meeting them is not that easy."
Yuan Qiong was not discouraged by these words, but instead raised an eyebrow: "Lord Hong knows the rules so well, how can you say you don't know?"
"Hahaha, you don't need to trick me. I've already said I don't know, and I really don't know."
"Who told Lord Hong about those rules? Could you introduce me to that person?"
Hong Xin sighed; this young lady was indeed difficult to deal with.
"My wife, please don't make things difficult for me. I'd rather smash up the Fengyun Gambling House again than provoke the people of Fengyunxu. I'm also kindly reminding you, my wife, that ordinary people shouldn't get involved with those kinds of organizations, otherwise they'll easily get themselves into trouble."
His words only fueled Yuan Qiong's curiosity. It seemed she had underestimated this so-called Fengyunxu before!
However, adhering to the principle of never letting go of any advantageous situation, Yuan Qiong smiled and looked at Hong Xin: "In that case, I will trouble Lord Hong to lead people to smash up that Fengyun Gambling House again tomorrow."
Hong Xin's expression froze for a moment. He was just giving an example! It's not easy to smash up Fengyun Gambling House! If the gambling house is reported to the prefect, he will also be criticized!
However, he couldn't refuse outright, so he gritted his teeth and agreed: "........Okay."
Let them approve it; the prefect can't really do anything to him. However, Hong Xin once again realized the young woman's cunning and became even less inclined to believe her previous claims.
"I've taken care of the mother and daughter you asked me to save before, and they can be released from prison tomorrow. But have you thought about how to settle them after they're released?"
"..." Now it was Yuan Qiong's turn to fall silent.
Thinking about the two hundred taels of silver notes she had left in her purse, the eldest daughter of the Yuan family experienced for the first time what it meant to be penniless.
She asked, "Are there any places in the provincial capital to resettle refugees?"
"Are you kidding me? Refugees aren't even allowed into the city, okay?"
Yuan Qiong was silent for a moment, then slowed her pace: "How much silver would an ordinary house in this city cost?"
"You want to buy them houses?" Hong Xin scoffed and mocked, "It's useless. They don't have household registration. Even if you buy them houses, they can't live in them. Even if they live in them, they can't go out to work. If the government finds out, they'll be kicked out of the city at best, and beaten to death on the spot at worst."
Forging household registrations was even more impossible, as the exorbitant sum of money was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
"Don't refugees have anywhere to go?"
“Yes! Refugee camps outside the city.” Hong Xin thought for a moment and then said, “Actually, I think if you can’t keep the mother and daughter with you and raise them, then don’t bother with them anymore. Prison is much better than refugee camps.”
Yuan Qiong stopped and looked up at him: "I would like to trouble Lord Hong to take me out of the city. I want to visit the refugee camp."
Hong Xin frowned: "There's no need. That place isn't suitable..."
"What is it unsuitable for?"
"In short, you'd better not go. Go back to the inn."
After saying that, Yuan Qiong remained standing still. She insisted, "No matter what, I want to go and see. Please help me, Lord Hong."
The city gates were heavily guarded, and she was currently without a household registration or travel permit. If it weren't for Hong Xin's help, she would have been arrested again at the city gate.
Please.
Asking for help is a painful experience, but she had no other choice. She wanted to see for herself how refugees lived.
Hong Xin stood there without answering. He was extremely reluctant for her to go to such a filthy place; once you see something, you can't take it out of your mind...
After a brief tug-of-war, Hong Xin finally relented: "Fine, but you have to promise me one thing: no matter what you see, you can't meddle in other people's business, and you can't leave my sight."
"good."
Yuan Qiong sensed something different in Hong Xin's attitude and made sufficient preparations. However, when she actually arrived at the city gate and stood on it, she finally understood what it meant to be two different worlds, separated by a wall from the human world and hell.
To prevent refugees from rioting and attacking the city, every noon, soldiers would deliver hard, dry cornbread to the isolated refugee areas.
The moment the first food was thrown was terrifying. Nothing was more pitiful than a crowd driven by hunger. Their faces were covered in filth as they surged forward, shouting and running. Many collapsed and were trampled underfoot, bleeding profusely and breaking their bones.
The moment they got their hands on food, they attacked each other. One by one, people joined the fight for the dry, hard food, everyone fighting for their lives, running around in chaos, dust and turmoil billowing everywhere outside the refugee camp. It was a tragic battle, with women and children caught in the crossfire. The living were intertwined with the dead, the standing trampled over the fallen, groans, panic, screams, and bloodstains filled the air.
The soldiers stood at a distance, most of them with a gloomy and indifferent attitude.
"Human strength is limitless in order to survive."
Hong Xin pointed to a corner of the refugee camp where a man had managed to grab some food, but at the cost of a leg covered in blood. He forced himself to reach a secluded corner and handed a filthy, unrecognizable cornbread to a woman who was breastfeeding her baby. In reality, the woman was already emaciated and had very little milk.
"What you see is just the tip of the iceberg in the refugee camp. There is no law, no morality, no justice, no light here. To survive, you have to pay a heavy price."
Yuan Qiong's gaze shifted from the corner to the rows of rudimentary tents made of tattered cloth. Each small bundle seemed like a grave, burying humanity's most humble desire: to survive.
The woman's words from the prison cell echoed in my ears like a curse: "If there's a next life, I definitely don't want to be human again. Being human is too hard..."
In that instant, she suddenly felt an urge to cry.
When she was still in the Chaoyang Palace, upon learning of the severe drought in Shandong and Jiangbei, her first thought was how to reduce disaster relief funds. She needed that money for war, for suppressing rebels, and for maneuvering with other powers. At that time, she thought, what did it matter if a few civilians died? Once she held absolute power, would she fear a lack of people?
But when she actually saw the disaster victims in this state, she could no longer remain indifferent as before. Human hearts are made of flesh and blood; no one is truly heartless.
"If that mother and daughter are released from prison tomorrow, the most likely outcome is that they will still be sent back here. If you don't have the ability to change things here, you shouldn't waste your good intentions." Hong Xin's words were somewhat cold. As a lucky person who had climbed up from the very bottom, he had seen this kind of scene far too often.
Yuan Qiong closed her eyes and refused to speak. She could have changed the situation; if she hadn't allowed her grandfather to embezzle disaster relief funds, this scene wouldn't have occurred. Therefore, the misery of these people was inextricably linked to her!
"Let's go." She calmed herself down and opened her eyes. "I'm not going to look anymore."
That was enough; she didn't want to see any more. She kept telling herself that those people were worthless commoners, and she didn't need to care about their lives. But the redness in her eyes wouldn't fade.
"Haha, I warned you not to come. This is not a place for women to see." Hong Xin greeted the guards on the city wall and then considerately escorted her down the city wall.
"The current inaction of the imperial court has led to the rise of treacherous officials and the suffering of the people. Two years ago, there was unrest in the provincial capital of Jiangbei, but the court was too busy with internal strife to send troops to help. The prefect had no choice but to seek help from Fengyunxu. He used a self-inflicted injury to sow discord among the rebels and thus secured two years of peace. Now, Shandong and Jiangbei are suffering from severe drought again, and the court refuses to provide disaster relief. It is only a matter of time before the officials force the people to rebel."
Hong Xin's nonchalant attitude didn't seem like she was talking about serious matters at all, but the implication in her words made Yuan Qiong uneasy.
“Young lady, look at the bustling city, it seems lively and bustling, but it’s all an illusion. The Great Yan Dynasty is already in turmoil, just waiting for someone to rise up, raise their arms, and take over.”
“What you said is treason, and it is punishable by the extermination of your entire family.”
"Exterminate my entire clan? Who? You, little lady?" He chuckled nonchalantly, his roguish eyes gleaming with arrogance: "In this Jiangbei City, no one can touch me! Not the county magistrate, not the prefect, not the county governor, not even the imperial court... I'm not afraid!"
"Such arrogance!" Yuan Qiong squinted at him. "So confident?"
"I dare not speak for other places, but I dare to say this in the Jiangbei region!"
What's this guy's background?
Before Yuan Qiong could ask any more questions, she looked up and saw a tall and handsome man standing in the middle of the street ahead. He was dressed in a clean and neat coarse cloth shirt, and stood there with a smile on his lips. His deep eyes seemed to hold thousands of stars, so dazzling that one could not take their eyes off him at first glance.
Yuan Qiong, whose emotions had just calmed down, suddenly had tears welling up in her eyes again. The indescribable feeling of grievance was like that of a lost child who had suddenly seen his parents, and the bitterness welled up uncontrollably.
Lin Qiang approached step by step, his smile gradually widening. Ah, his little girl was upset, the kind who needed kisses, hugs, and being lifted high to cheer her up.
Should we kiss first? Or hug first? This is such a difficult question!
"Who are you?"
Hong Xin suddenly stepped in front of Yuan Qiong; her manly intuition told her that this man was no good. Before Lin Qiang could even make a move, Yuan Qiong pulled Hong Xin away.
She glared at Lin Qiang with hatred, her glassy eyes reflecting only his image. She raised her hand to attack, but Lin Qiang grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. He chuckled and vanished in a flash.
"???"
Hong Xin reacted a beat too slow, and when she chased after them again, she couldn't find them. Annoyed, she kicked over a roadside stall with a loud bang, and the items on the stall rolled all over the ground. The stall owner was so frightened that he huddled up and didn't dare to say a word.
Didn't that young lady say her husband was a merchant?! What kind of merchant would have such high martial arts skills?! Do they think he's a fool?!
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:
Damn it, one bottle!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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