Qin Yining naturally knew that the road ahead would be bumpy, but now that this matter was over, she wanted to return home as quickly as possible. Pang Xiao's abilities were indeed outstanding, but Qin Yining was still worried about his safety. He'd suffered a beating, but she didn't know the truth behind it. Qin Yining really didn't know how he was doing right now.
"Mr. Xu is right. We still have a long way to go. "
Qin Yining's group stayed at the harbor for two days. The citizens of Water Swamp Country were already shrouded in a tense atmosphere, and the soldiers and warships stationed at the harbor posed an even greater threat to them. As a result, the purchase of fresh water and food went even more smoothly than expected.
Before leaving, Qin Yining once again led her group to Sakurai's grave.
She lowered her eyes to look at Sakurai's tombstone, then let out a long sigh. "Sakurai, I'm leaving now."
The grass and trees rustled pleasantly, as if Sakurai was smiling in response.
Qin Yining took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Finally, she revealed a relieved smile.
People lived for a lifetime, and the grass and trees had an autumn. The dead were already dead, but the living still had to carry on. She still had many important things to do, because she'd never thought of herself as a woman who needed to be protected. The burden on her shoulders had never been any less than Pang Xiao's.
"Let's go." Qin Yining took one last look at the tombstone, then led her group away. When she returned to the harbor, she immediately gave the order to break camp.
The well-trained guards boarded the ship one after another and weighed the anchor.
Qin Yining stood at the bow of the ship and looked back at the shore.
A thin figure stood on the pier, waving his arms to bid them farewell.
Qin Yining looked at the slender figure and couldn't help but think of Sakurai.
"It's Hiragana." Qin Yining also waved at Hiragana.
Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi stood on either side of Qin Yining and also waved goodbye to Hiragana.
"What do you think will happen to Water Swamp Country in the future?"
Qin Yining shook her head. "Who knows?"
"Actually, based on Hiragana's behavior that day, this old man feels that he's already taken your advice to heart."
"If that's true, then the people of Water Swamp Country are lucky."
By the time Qin Yining's group arrived at Golden Harbor, the court was already in chaos.
Li Qitian had sent many people to search for the treasure, as expected... The Emperor was furious and searched everywhere for Lu Heng's whereabouts. The Lu Family faction in the imperial court was suppressed like never before. Even Concubine Zhuang was demoted to a servant and was casually arranged to spend the rest of her life in a remote corner, not to mention the Bian Family.
Lu Heng deceived the Emperor and embezzled the treasure with the intention of rebelling. How innocent could Lu Heng's in-laws be?
. Pang Xiao watched as Li Qitian focused all of his energy on these matters. The refugees from the south were about to reach the capital, but he didn't ask about them at all.
However, he wasn't trusted right now, and his advice wouldn't be accepted. Even Li Qitian didn't want to see him, so he could only order his subordinates to do their best to help Shopkeeper Zhong, who was in charge of disaster relief.
"Wang Ye, the Lu Clan has been dealt with like this. Your Majesty must hate the Lu Clan to the core. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so merciless as to deal with everyone related to the Lu Clan."
Pang Xiao only smiled at Tang Xiu's words.
When the dynasty was founded, the Lu Clan had been of great help to Li Qitian. Now, because of the treasure, Li Qitian had dealt with the Lu Clan so harshly. The other great clans were bound to be wary. Once people's hearts were scattered, it would be difficult to win them over again. In Pang Xiao's view, Li Qitian's actions were like killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.
But he was also being suspected. No one was willing to pay attention to him. Even if he told his thoughts to Li Qitian, Li Qitian would only guess if he had ulterior motives. He wouldn't put all of his energy on the disaster.
Pang Xiao shook his head and sighed. He changed the topic and asked, "Has there been any news from the people you arranged?"
Tang Xiu said with a smile, "Wang Ye already asked once today. Our people have been avoiding people's eyes and ears and have been waiting near Golden Harbor to receive Wang Fei. When Wang Fei returns, there should be news immediately. "
Pang Xiao said, "I can't leave the capital right now. Otherwise, I would go personally to receive them. Not only will there be ambushes along the way, there is also a high chance of encountering 'heroes'. After all, many refugees are heading to the capital. If people are forced into a corner, in order to survive, they can do anything. "
"Fortunately, Wang Fei has enough people. Wang Ye doesn't need to be too worried. "
How could Pang Xiao not be worried? It was just that there was no better way at the moment.
Before Qin Yining landed at Golden Harbor, he had arranged for the ship with the treasure and the other battleships to land on an uninhabited island. Pang Xiao's people that had been trained as guards of the wang fu had also scattered.
When they arrived at Golden Harbor, they went around the pier that had been destroyed by the fire. When they landed at the temporary pier, Qin Yining only had Xu Weizhi, Xie Yue, and the people that usually followed her.
Everyone was disguised as normal merchants. When they landed, they found that the atmosphere of Golden Harbor was completely different from when they had left.
The people of the city looked worried. The restaurants and teahouses were closed. There were very few people in the market. It was a bleak scene.
Xie Yue's brow furrowed and she said in a low voice, "Wang Fei, the situation doesn't seem right."
Qin Yining pursed his lips and nodded. His expression was grave as he said, "It seems that something big has happened in the court while we were gone. It has affected the lives of the common people."
After walking around the streets for a while, they didn't see many people. Qin Yining said, "Let's go to the guest station first. Today, we'll buy a carriage and prepare food to leave. We can also take the opportunity to inquire about the situation in court."
Qin Yining had a feeling that this matter was related to the fire at Golden Harbor.
But the information that he had inquired about made Qin Yining's heart jump.
"You're saying that the famine has already broken out?"
"Yes." Jing Zhe said worriedly, "Right now, the famine in the south is very serious. Many of the victims have gone to the capital to find a way to survive. Because Golden Harbor is by the sea, there are some seafood to eat. Also, this place isn't the only way to Shangjing, so it only looks slightly different. If it was in the south, I'm afraid that every family would have white silk and there would be people as thin as firewood everywhere. "
Ji Yun frowned and said, "It's no wonder that when I went to discuss the banquet with the innkeeper, the innkeeper looked troubled. Even the rice porridge was more than five times more expensive than usual."
"In any case, we can still eat with some money.
But the refugees in the south can't do anything even if they have money. There's no way to survive at home.
The common people will naturally form groups to find a place to continue living. Your Majesty must be in a terrible fix right now. "Xie Yue said.
Qin Yining shook his head, "My heart aches for the common people."
Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi also sighed emotionally.
Just as everyone was discussing this matter in the inn, a figure suddenly flashed by the back window.
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