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The Dark North Kingdom was currently in turmoil. Ever since Beitang Yu was captured and Beitang Xuanyang led his troops to fight against the Jin Kingdom, the entire imperial court was divided into two factions. Beitang Yu was still not released, and the open and veiled strife between the two princes' factions had already affected the common people. Especially when the news of the defeat at the border came, Dingdu City instantly became restless.
Ming Xi and the rest of the youths entered the Dark North Kingdom from the border. The checkpoint did not make things difficult for them, and they easily passed with the fake road signs.
Other than Ming Xi, Shang'er, and the others, even Xu Jinbei and Lin Yanbei had come.
"There are so many beggars in the Dark North Kingdom?" Fire Phoenix rode on her horse and looked at the beggars sitting by the roadside. They had met many beggars along the way.
"These are all refugees." Ming Xi said with a heavy expression, "I'll go ask them where they came from."
Ming Xi got off the horse. Some refugees saw their bright clothes and came over to beg for food. Ming Xi took out a bag of dry food and handed it to a three or four-year-old boy. "Where did you guys come from?"
When the other refugees saw that Ming Xi had food, they made a ruckus and came over to snatch it.
The Fire Phoenix swept her palm over and blocked them. "What are you trying to snatch!"
"Don't hurt them," Ming Xi reminded.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt them," Fire Phoenix said.
The refugees realized that these children actually knew martial arts, so they didn't dare to come forward to snatch it. They just stared straight at the child who was eating the dry rations, their eyes revealing a fierce glint like that of a wolf.
"Hurry up and leave, or else you'll be robbed." The child's mother whispered to Ming Xi and the others.
Ming Xi looked at those refugees, "Where did you all come from?"
"We … We came from the Yellow River. Our village was flooded, and many people ran away. The imperial court still wanted to collect taxes from us, so we could only leave …" The mother said in a low voice. They all came from the same place. During the last natural disaster, several villages near the Yellow River were flooded. They had no choice but to escape.
When they came from the Wilderness, the refugees they encountered were not just from a few villages.
"Why does the court still want to increase taxes?" Lin Yanbei curiously asked from the side.
"It's said that there's going to be a war …" An old man coughed and said, "Our Emperor has been captured, and the Crown Prince is leading troops to attack the Jin Kingdom to save the Emperor. He has ordered all the men to go to war, or else they'll have to increase taxes."
Ming Xi and Xu Jinbei looked at each other.
The reason why Beitang Xuanyang started a war with the Jin Kingdom was not to save Beitang Yu, but to make the Jin Kingdom even more unwilling to release Beitang Yu.
"Even though the Emperor has been captured, there is still the Empress. I heard that Empress Wang is someone who sympathizes with the people. Will she let the Crown Prince increase the taxes?" Xu Jinbei asked in a low voice.
The old man sneered and said, "Ever since the Emperor was arrested and the Empress fell ill, the Qian Family is now in control of the court."
Ming Xi turned his gaze to the old man. From his words, he seemed to be very familiar with the situation of the Imperial Court.
He passed the water bottle on his waist to the old man. "Sir, judging from your accent, you don't seem to be from the same place as them."
"Young man, judging from your accent, you don't seem to be from our Dark North Kingdom." The old man bluntly took the water bottle from Ming Xi's hand and gulped down a mouthful of water. He coughed a few times and sighed.
"The few of us are traveling around and just happened to pass by this place." Ming Xi said.
The old man looked at the few of them. They were indeed dressed like scholars. He shook his head and sighed, "This old man advises you not to come to the Dark North Kingdom. Travel anywhere is fine, but don't come here. Now that the Qian Family is covering the sky with one hand, the First Prince's whereabouts are unknown, and even the Empress is ill. When the Crown Prince returns, he will definitely ascend the throne. The Dark North Kingdom … Sigh, it's over."
"Did you come from Ding Du City?" Ming Xi asked in surprise. He even knew the whereabouts of the First Prince, so this old man was definitely not an ordinary citizen.
"This old man used to have an official position. I said a few wrong words and was sentenced to exile. The soldiers who escorted me ran away, so I followed everyone here. However, I can't walk anymore." The old man chuckled, looking as if he had seen through life and death.
Lin Yanbei asked, "Then where do you want to go?"
"Wherever I want to go." The old man drank another mouthful of water and took the dry food Lin Yanbei gave him. "You should leave this place as soon as possible. Go anywhere, but don't go to Ding Du City."
"You said that the First Prince's whereabouts are unknown. How did he go missing?" Ming Xi asked.
The old man chuckled. "The First Prince insisted on going to Jin Country to negotiate to save the Emperor. In the end, he disappeared not long after leaving Ding Du City. The people who came back said that he was bitten to death by wild beasts on the mountain roads."
"Even if he's dead, we have to see his corpse. Did you see the First Prince's corpse?" Xu Jinbei asked.
The old man chuckled. "If you saw it, it wouldn't be a disappearance. Empress Wang fell ill because of this matter. Now, the Qian Family has already eliminated the Wang Family."
Ming Xi looked down at the old man for a while. "Uncle, you are from the Wang Family, right?"
"Nonsense." The old man's face turned angry. He threw the water bottle to Ming Xi. "Let's go, let's continue on our way."
"Don't you want to find your First Prince?" Ming Xi asked the old man's back.
Looking at the old man's back, he realized that the old man looked very tall and burly.
"Young man, do you know where the First Prince is?" The old man turned back and asked with a sneer.
"Other than the Qian Family, where else can your First Prince go?" Ming Xi asked lightly. "Beitang Xuanyang will soon return to Ding Du City. Do you want to see him become the Emperor of the Dark North Kingdom?"
The old man stopped in his tracks but did not turn back.
"The Jin Country has already released Beitang Yu." Ming Xi continued.
"What?" The old man turned back suddenly. "The Emperor is coming back?"
"Yes. A few days ago, Beitang Yu left the capital." Ming Xi said. "If the Wang Family does not help him, the Qian Family will definitely rebel."
The old man frowned. "The Qian Family dares to rebel against the Emperor?"
"There is something you may not know. Qian Danqing personally went to the Jin Country to kill Beitang Yu." Ming Xi said.
"Qian Danqing dares …" The old man's face changed.
Xu Jinbei saw that the old man's expression was not right. "Uncle, who are you?"
"Can you really find our First Prince?" The old man asked hesitantly.
"As long as Beitang Xuanyang is not dead, we will definitely be able to find him." Ming Xi said.
The old man hesitated for a moment. "Who are you?"
"You didn't say who you are." Fire Phoenix said.
"This old man is called Wang Congzhi." The old man said in a low voice.
Wang Congzhi? The Imperial Uncle of the Dark North Kingdom, the youngest son of the Wang Family. He did not look like the old man in front of him.
"The Wang Family's Young Master?" Ming Xi raised his eyebrows. It seemed that he had changed his appearance.
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