Qin Yining's lips trembled as he gazed at the familiar city gates and streets. The bitterness and sadness in his heart flowed through his entire body like magma.
This was a place plagued by disasters. The people who lived here not only had to suffer from the chaos of war, but they were also constantly tortured by all kinds of natural disasters.
Could it be that the heavens really wanted to exterminate everyone?
Although she didn't live in the capital for too long, she still treated this place as her hometown after she returned to her ancestral home. Although the time she spent in this city was short, it was much richer and more exciting than her previous 14 years. It left a deep impression on her.
Therefore, among the group of people, Qin Yining was the one who didn't want to see the old capital like this.
Pang Xiao patted Qin Yining's shoulder before he turned around and instructed, "Let's enter the city. We'll head to the yamen first."
"Yes."
The originally spacious and flat street now had a deep hole in the ground. Most of the houses on both sides of the street had been reduced to rubble.
The street was filled with an aura of death. The air was mixed with the smell of lime, the smell of burnt corpses, and the stench of corpses that hadn't been disposed of in time.
It was already July. The old capital was located in the south. In this kind of weather, it wouldn't take long for the corpses buried in the rubble to emit an unimaginable stench.
However, in such a terrible environment, the streets were filled with shabby people who had built crude huts to live in. Naturally, there were also some houses that were undamaged and only had cracks in the walls. Overall, they were still in their original state. However, those were the homes of wealthy families.
Generally, such well-preserved courtyards had been built with great care, both in the engineering and in the selection of materials. Most of the ordinary people lived in mud huts. How could they withstand the continuous torment of the earth dragons?
Qin Yining's brows were tightly furrowed as he watched. The streets that were either familiar or unfamiliar were now in ruins.
Pang Xiao knew that she was upset. After all, this was her hometown. He couldn't help but hug her tightly and protect her in his arms.
On the way to the original "Shuntian Prefecture", which was now the "old capital's prefectural yamen", the people who saw them were so hungry that they didn't even have the strength to lift their eyelids to look at them.
They were too hungry.
The supplies in the city were insufficient, and the roads leading to the city were blocked. There was a limited amount of food in the city, and the stores with food in stock were unwilling to open for business. Even if they had money, they couldn't buy food.
However, the relief from the imperial court never came.
They had surrendered to Da Zhou on Dayan. It was hard for them to have a sense of belonging in Da Zhou.
And now, just as they had expected, the Da Zhou Dynasty didn't think of the common people in times of crisis. Just like the former emperor of the Yan dynasty, he never cared about the lives of the people.
So what if the sky was changed? Those who should be abandoned would still be abandoned.
Along the way, Pang Xiao saw those sallow and emaciated refugees, and a few wrinkles appeared between his slender brows.
"Sister Liu, Sister Liu!"
At this moment, there was a weak cry from the side of the road.
Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, only to see a few refugees rushing towards a remote alley in the corner.
In the alley, a shriveled woman was hanging from a thick branch with a belt around her waist. Her tattered skirt and bare feet swayed in the shade, and there were a few scattered bricks and stones under her feet.
Qin Yining exclaimed and covered her mouth.
Then, Pang Xiao covered her eyes with his hand.
Huzi hurriedly ran over to ask, and soon returned dejectedly. He whispered to the refugees who didn't even have the strength to cry.
"That woman was a widow. Last year, her husband died of starvation during the famine. The earth dragon turned over, and her son and mother were buried under the old house. She was the only one who worked as a servant for a rich family in the city. Luckily, she survived. However, the rich family couldn't afford a servant, so they drove her away. That woman didn't have any hope of surviving, and after so many days of starvation, she was in despair …"
Pang Xiao frowned and nodded. "I understand. Let's go. "
The group continued forward, leaving those weak cries in the distance.
However, how could there be no such tragedies in the city?
A part of the wall of the old capital's magistrate's office had also collapsed. It was obvious that it had been repaired later.
The gate of the magistrate's office was tightly locked, so Pang Xiao ordered someone to knock on the door.
The person inside answered weakly. When they found out that the visitor was an imperial envoy, they hurriedly opened the door together.
A few pale-faced men hastily looked behind Pang Xiao and his men. But, they only saw a horse-drawn carriage and horses. They didn't see any provisions.
Disappointment flashed through their eyes, but they still respectfully invited them in and carefully closed the gate.
The local official that Li Qitian arranged to be in the old capital was surnamed Gong, named You, and given the courtesy name Zhongtang. He was forty years old and was a Jinshi during the Beiji Dynasty. He had always been put in an important position by Li Qitian, and was made the magistrate of the old capital. He was in charge of the old capital and several surrounding counties.
Seeing Pang Xiao's group arrive, Gong You hurriedly came out to greet them.
Both parties exchanged pleasantries before entering the front hall.
Gong You went straight to the point and asked, "Did Wang Ye bring any provisions with him this time?"
Pang Xiao smiled bitterly and sighed. He could not directly say that Li Qitian had not allocated any provisions, so he could only say, "This King was worried about the situation, so he came first. The provisions prepared by the Ministry of Revenue should arrive soon. "
Gong You did not suspect him and sighed. "It must have been a difficult journey."
Otherwise, it would not have taken so long.
Pang Xiao understood the meaning behind his words, and his smile became even more bitter. "This King was forced to do something beyond his ability. Previously, Your Majesty appointed the County King of Yan as the disaster relief ambassador, but who knew that the County King of Yan would rebel and escape halfway. Because of this, it took a few days. Your Majesty then appointed This King as the disaster relief ambassador, taking over the County King of Yan's mission. "
"So that's how it is!" Gong You finally understood. "That County King of Yan is too ungrateful. Your Majesty placed him in such an important position and trusted him. He thought that he was familiar with this place, so he arranged for him to come. It was for the sake of the safety of the people. But he actually used the road to escape!"
Seeing Gong You like this, Pang Xiao knew that he was a straightforward, hot-blooded, and righteous person. To work with such a person, one had to be straightforward, and it happened to be the way he liked to work.
"Ah, don't mention him." Pang Xiao sighed and asked, "How is the situation in the city? This King has not seen any relief gruel stalls along the way? "
Gong You smiled bitterly and shook his head. He said gloomily, "Wang Ye, you don't know. The old Dayan capital has been emptied. During the famine last year, sixty percent of the people died. Sixty percent! "
Gong You painfully gestured with the thumb and pinky of his right hand. "The Dayan dynasty's fall was not unjust at all! That stupid and incapable ruler caused the people to lose their homes. To be honest, I was appointed last winter. That winter, the city was a dead city! It was fortunate that there was no large-scale outbreak of the plague.
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