45 exploit
"Only the Crown Prince can save you."
Three days have passed since Xiao Pingchuan entered the palace, and no news has come out of the palace.
That day, Shen Suqin took off her fox fur coat and changed into a smart and practical outfit.
According to the message sent by Ju Tao, 10,000 elite Black Flag troops have set off south, traveling day and night, and will arrive no later than the afternoon of the day after tomorrow.
As for the people Xiao Pingchuan left in the capital, apart from the seven or eight people who stayed behind to guard the General's Mansion, the whereabouts of the rest were unknown, and even Xu Youcai had not yet shown up.
Right now, chaotic voices could be heard from outside the mansion from time to time, making Shen Suqin uneasy.
"Someone come here!" she called out.
"Madam." A guard greeted her with clasped hands.
"Can we find General Xu?"
The guard hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, I can."
The general instructed that whatever the lady needed, he should do his best to meet her needs.
"Then go and find him, and while you're at it, send someone to the Shen residence to have Tuksu bring Mr. and Mrs. Shen to the General's Mansion."
She only feels at ease when she has someone right in front of her and watching over them.
"Yes, madam."
After her guards went to carry out their duties, she summoned Ju Tao.
"Ju Tao, I'm afraid we can't stay in the capital for long. Go and make preparations so we can leave at any time."
Ju Tao nodded. "Are you going to close the Xingyuan Restaurant in the capital?"
Shen Suqin thought for a moment, "Let's withdraw. It's not too late to arrange for people to come back after things have calmed down."
"Okay, I'll make the arrangements right away."
After everyone had left, Shen Suqin went back to her room and took out her curved sword, which Xiao Pingchuan had given her.
She doesn't usually carry any personal weapons, mainly because she doesn't easily resort to violence and doesn't want to get her hands dirty and disrupt her peaceful life.
A short while later, Xu Youcai rushed in, "Madam, you wanted to see me?"
"Hmm, is it still possible to contact the general?"
Xu Youcai was stunned. "You, how did you know?"
“Your general told me before he left,” Shen Suqin said, “that your brother will arrive no later than the morning after tomorrow. In any case, delay him for now and don’t act rashly.”
The Black Flag Army only has 10,000 men in the south. What use would that be against the central army?
It should be noted that the central army guarding the capital had 300,000 troops, of which no fewer than 30,000 were imperial guards stationed within the capital to protect the imperial city.
"It probably won't last long. Marquis Anping has led the Jishi Battalion to surround the Mingde Hall where the Crown Prince and the General are located."
“Hmm?” Shen Suqin paused in wiping her scimitar. “Why did Marquis Anping suddenly… Oh, right, military power.” She stood up abruptly. “This is bad. He’s waiting for the refugees to completely rebel, preferably to storm the capital. He wants to kill the crown prince and seize military power.”
Xu Youcai was obviously aware of this as well, and upon hearing this, he said, "The general instructed that if anything really happens, I should personally take you out of the city and head north to seek protection from the Black Flag Army."
Shen Suqin turned to look at him, "So you stayed behind specifically to protect me?"
"almost."
"What about Xiao Pingchuan?"
"After I have safely escorted you out, I will come back to meet the general."
How many people do you have under your command right now?
"A little over one hundred."
Shen Suqin took a deep breath. "Lend me the power. I'll go help quell the rebellion of the refugees. Marquis Anping won't dare to kill the Crown Prince rashly if he can't get the refugees' support."
"No, I've heard there are thousands of refugees outside the city. What can we do with only a hundred men?"
"Do you have any other ideas?"
Xu Youcai fell silent.
After a long pause, he replied, "The general specifically instructed me to protect you. If anything happens to you..."
"I won't get into any trouble."
She had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, so she didn't take this small battle in the capital seriously.
"I follow you."
"Okay, bring some people with you to Xingyuan Restaurant first."
"yes."
Xu Youcai brought his personal guards and the people he had brought with him, and followed Shen Suqin to Xingyuan Restaurant.
The streets were in complete chaos, filled with refugees who were robbing food vendors, stealing money from passersby, and even assaulting people.
During this time, soldiers from the city patrol and Yingtian Prefecture tried to stop it, but to little avail.
"Move aside," Xu Youcai said, protecting her.
He had thought that Shen Er was too thin and would be out of breath after walking just a few steps, but to his surprise, she kept up with him at a brisk pace and her breathing was perfectly steady.
"Do you know how many people are around the general?" Shen Suqin asked as they walked.
"Less than a thousand, but more than half of them are His Highness's men; our Black Flag Army has less than two hundred."
"Is that enough to face Marquis Anping?"
Xu Youcai shook his head, "It's not enough. The news says that the Jishe Battalion has temporarily transferred two thousand men to the palace."
"Then we need to hurry. When we get to the restaurant, you take some men to the storeroom to move the grain, and we'll head towards the city gate."
"What do you want?"
"Distribute porridge."
When the group arrived at Xingyuan Restaurant, Ju Tao was instructing the manager and waiters to close the restaurant. Upon seeing Shen Suqin arrive with her entourage, she exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Qin, what brings you here?"
Shen Suqin raised her hand, signaling her not to speak yet, and then said to Manager Qian, "Manager, take General Xu to the storeroom to get the grain; I want to distribute porridge."
Manager Qian didn't say a word more, and turned around to personally lead Xu Youcai and the others to the backyard.
"General Xu, please."
Xu Youcai nodded.
After everyone left, Ju Tao leaned closer and whispered to her, "The city is in chaos right now. If we go to distribute porridge at this time, being robbed would be the least of our worries, wouldn't it?"
“The men General Xu brought are all wearing armor and are covered in blood, so the refugees might not dare to move against them,” Shen Suqin said. “Besides, in this awful weather, filling our stomachs is the most important thing. We’ll give porridge to the elderly, women, and children first.”
"I understand."
Before long, a hundred or so people escorted more than ten grain carts and hurriedly walked towards the city gate.
The road was filled with menacing eyes, but when they saw the grain carts being escorted by armored soldiers, they only dared to watch. Some of the bolder ones went forward to attack, but Xu Youcai kicked them all back.
Soon, an iron pot was set up at the city gate, a fire was lit, and porridge began to simmer in the pot.
One after another, elderly people and children in tattered clothes gathered around. Shen Suqin waved to them: "Come and eat, one bowl each, it's free."
No one dared to move, for the officials guarding the stove were all tall and imposing, and looked like they could kill someone at a glance.
Shen Suqin glanced at them, but did not tell them to leave. Instead, she said to the old people and children, "They are the Black Flag Army of the Northern Border. My name is Shen Suqin, and I am the wife of General Xiao of the Northern Border. My husband comes from a poor family. He was moved by your difficult life and asked me to come and find a way to distribute porridge. Please don't be afraid."
As she spoke, she personally ladled out a bowl, went out, and handed it to an old woman.
The old woman opened her cloudy eyes, looked at the bowl of porridge, then at Shen Suqin, and after a long while swallowed and asked, "Can I drink it?"
The porridge was warm and fragrant; she hadn't had it in a long time.
"Drink up, old man." After saying that, she took another bowl from Ju Tao and handed it to a thin child. "You drink too, child."
The child was afraid to accept it.
Shen Suqin squatted down, smiled, and took a sip herself, saying, "See, it's not hot anymore, drink it."
The child's big, dark eyes were fixed on the porridge, while his hands gripped tightly the hem of his mother's clothes.
Shen Suqin patted his head, stood up and said to the child's mother, "Let the child drink, don't let him go hungry."
After saying that, she stuffed the porridge into the woman's hand, turned around and walked back to the stove.
"Those who want congee, come and line up here. We'll give you one at a time, and everyone gets some!"
"The elderly, the weak, women and children should be given priority."
"Those with mobility issues can collect it on their behalf."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd fell silent for a moment, then burst into a commotion as everyone jostled to get to the porridge stand.
"Line up! Line up!" Ju Tao shouted.
"Brother Xu, please help restore order."
Xu Youcai nodded and pointed to two people: "You two, take some men and keep an eye on things."
"Yes, General."
Soon, the team was gradually organized.
Shen Suqin stood beside the steaming iron pot, personally handing out bowls of porridge one by one, saying, "Old man, go and call your son back. This porridge needs to be served all day, there's still time."
"The city patrol's knives are incredibly sharp; they can really cut off people's heads. You can't cause trouble here." Shen Suqin said casually to everyone who came over, "I heard that once you're caught, you'll be beaten to death on the spot. That's considered rebellion, and it will implicate your entire family."
“My general is with the Crown Prince, but he is thinking of you all, which is why he called me here.”
"The Crown Prince? The Crown Prince is kind-hearted and benevolent."
"Yes, I am the one who wrote 'Ode to the Eastern Liang Dynasty'. My teacher taught me very well."
"The porridge was bought with money from the General and the Crown Prince. From whom? From Xingyuan Restaurant. That guy over there is the manager of Xingyuan Restaurant."
"It's not expensive, they didn't charge much. The owner of Xingyuan Restaurant is a kind-hearted person; it's half donation and half sale."
......
Two hours later, more and more refugees gathered at the city gate.
The refugees only started causing trouble in the last two days. A group of them broke through the city guards and entered the city to loot food, but by now they have been mostly caught.
The majority of the remaining people blocked the city gate, demanding that the imperial court give them a way out.
Shen Suqin's appearance temporarily appeased the group.
"What do we plan to do after we finish distributing the porridge?" he asked.
"Naturally, it's to go to the palace and demand people."
"You need people? How do you want them?"
The man was imprisoned by His Majesty himself, and Marquis Anping is guarding him, ready to take his life at any moment. How could he possibly get him back?
Shen Suqin raised her chin slightly, "Use their influence to demand it."
Xu Youcai wasn't very bright and couldn't understand what she was saying, but he knew that his wife was capable. "I'll listen to you."
Shen Suqin patted his shoulder and said, "Go find someone named Uncle Chang. He's the village chief of the refugee village and I know him."
"good."
The refugee village was in complete chaos, and by the time they found the person, it was almost evening.
A pillar was erected beside the stove, and lanterns were lit.
Shen Suqin had been preparing porridge all afternoon, and now she was so tired that she could barely lift her hands. She leaned against a pillar and took a short rest with her head down.
A soft light shone down from above, bathing her in a fuzzy, golden glow. Against the backdrop of the dilapidated surroundings, she seemed to be draped in light.
Those who came to collect porridge, those who gathered around, and those who sat down to rest all unconsciously lowered their voices, afraid of disturbing her.
The city guards and patrolmen arrived first.
Shen Suqin did not recognize the leader.
“Madam Xiao,” the visitor said, having likely inquired about the situation before arriving, “our general wishes to invite you in for questioning.”
"Who is your family's general?"
"General Feng Sanhe of the Central Army."
"Tsk," Shen Suqin said with some disdain, "I'm not going. I have a grudge against your General Feng. I'm afraid I won't come back."
"Madam, you misunderstand. You have done a great job in quelling the refugee uprising. The general just wants to ask you about the situation so that he can help you ask His Majesty for credit."
"Help me get credit?" Shen Suqin sneered. "He probably wants to get credit for himself."
"you!"
"Go back and tell Feng Sanhe that I hold grudges and there's no way we can cooperate."
The person left dejectedly.
As midnight approached, the men Xu Youcai had sent out returned to report.
"General, the man you requested has arrived," someone reported.
Xu Youcai nodded, indicating that he understood.
"Bring Uncle Chang over." Shen Suqin said in a hoarse voice, her voice long gone after talking all afternoon.
Xu Youcai brought the people over.
"Uncle Chang, were you involved in this?" Shen Suqin asked directly.
She had previously eaten at Uncle Chang's house with Xiao Pingchuan.
Uncle Chang had studied for a few years, but his family fell into poverty and he could no longer afford to continue his studies, and he even struggled to afford food, which led him to become a vagrant.
It was precisely because he was literate and reasonable that he was elected by the refugees to be the village chief.
Uncle Chang avoided the topic, only saying, "Er Ya was crushed to death by a falling roof beam, and her father sold her to Lai Tou in exchange for half a bowl of millet."
"The person is already dead, why bother buying them?" asked a guard from the Eastern Palace who was temporarily following Xu Youcai and taking orders from him.
Upon hearing this, both Xu Youcai and Uncle Chang looked at him expressionlessly.
Shen Suqin explained, "Have you heard of 'two-legged sheep'? Er Ya's parents couldn't bear to eat their daughter, so they sold her to others to eat."
The person was initially confused, but then their eyes widened slowly. "Eat...eaten?"
Shen Suqin: "Mm."
After saying that, she said to Uncle Chang expressionlessly, "Those who commit treason shall have their entire family executed."
Uncle Chang smiled bitterly, "Let alone exterminating nine generations of relatives, if we don't find a way out, all ten generations will be wiped out by the end of this winter. We...we just want to survive."
Xu Youcai's eyes were red.
Only Shen Suqin remained expressionless. "Right now, the only one who can save you is the Crown Prince."
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