I don't quite understand why we're sitting on a horse again.
I shifted my body slightly.
"Don't move."
A somewhat restrained voice.
My expression changed instantly, and I realized what I had done. "I'm sorry, Fourth Prince..." I must have touched the wound.
"fine."
I felt a little relieved and dared not do anything rash, lest I make another mistake.
Half a day passed just like that.
"Your Highness, Chuzhou is just ahead."
Dugu Jingdian nodded and silently gazed ahead.
On the way to Chuzhou, we saw some people carrying their belongings and fleeing. Some were hurrying along the road, while others were resting by the roadside.
One of the attendants stepped forward and asked, "Where are you planning to go?"
An old man said with a bitter face, "Go, run away wherever you want. We can't stay here anymore."
The procession continued forward.
As a result, we saw more and more people carrying their belongings heading out of the city.
Some even drove horse-drawn carriages.
One of the attendants said, "It's the family of a wealthy local merchant."
Dugu Jing's face was expressionless as he slowly said, "Go ask." He pulled on the reins, stopping the horse at a distance.
I glimpsed a little boy being pulled along by a woman, running very fast. Suddenly, a large crowd surged out, separating the two. The little boy was pushed to the ground, crying and screaming at the top of his lungs. He wailed loudly.
Dugu Jing's eyes suddenly shifted, following the gaze of the person beside him.
His body moved.
Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure flying past.
I turned around and saw that he was indeed gone.
Dugu Jing took the child and brought him to the woman.
"Mother, mother..."
The woman saw the child, and tears streamed down her face. She hugged him tightly.
He said gratefully, "Thank you, young master, thank you, young master..."
I glanced at Dugu Jing from the side. Seeing that he had nothing to say, I turned back around.
The attendant who rushed back changed his expression drastically and said in a panic, "Your...Your Highness..."
“Tell me properly,” Dugu Jing said coldly.
The attendant wiped the sweat from his face.
"Your Highness, a plague has broken out in Chuzhou!"
It was like a thunderclap exploding.
"how so?"
What should we do?
"Are we still going to Chuzhou?"
...
"Shut up!" he roared sternly.
There was no sound.
Everyone turned their attention to the man on horseback, the one who held authority over them.
Dugu Jing glanced at everyone. His expression remained as cold as ever.
"We are not here to desert."
Then he added, "Anyone who's afraid of dying and wants to leave, step forward. I'll let them go!"
A hush fell over the room; people looked at each other.
He pulled on the reins and moved them slightly. "Since that's the case, and no one wants to leave, let's hurry on our way to Chuzhou! Let's go..."
In response, his followers erupted in a rousing roar.
"Let's go to Chuzhou!"
"Let's go to Chuzhou!"
"Brothers, let's go to Chuzhou!"
I watched this scene, deeply moved. I glanced back at the people around me.
A thought suddenly occurred to her: if the Fourth Prince ascended the throne, perhaps he could truly bring a better life to the people. Now that the Liu family had boarded this ship, everything could only proceed along this path.
He slowly dismounted from his horse, following Dugu Jing.
Are you scared?
I paused for a moment, then looked up at him. "Perhaps the Fourth Prince sees me as one of those young women waiting to be married, but..."
"You are not."
I was startled and paused for half a second. I looked up at him in astonishment, wondering why he spoke with such certainty.
Dugu Jing: "Liu Feiyue has never been a woman to be underestimated."
Author's Note:
One new chapter updated...
Chapter 21 Entering Chuzhou
The procession had traveled for some time when it suddenly stopped.
"What's going on?" Dugu Jing asked coldly.
A servant rushed over and said, "Your Highness, the road to the city is blocked."
Dugu Jing's expression changed. He immediately dismounted.
I followed suit and dismounted.
Dugu Jing turned around: "You're going too?"
I nodded: "I'll go with you to take a look."
Following his unhurried pace, I suddenly felt exceptionally at ease.
Suddenly, a violent cry erupted, mixed with heart-wrenching screams.
I caught a glimpse of an elderly woman at the blocked road intersection, wailing and screaming. People around her were still pulling at her. The rest of the people fled expressionlessly, in a chaotic scene.
I immediately went over there.
My hand was grabbed, and I was startled. I turned around and looked at him in surprise.
"I'll go with you."
I nodded.
"Excuse me, what happened here? Why is the road blocked?"
The man beside the weeping old woman said, "A plague has broken out in the city. We had no choice but to flee with our families..."
I pondered for a moment: "Haven't the officials in the city taken any measures? Didn't the imperial court send down..."
"Pah..." the man said sarcastically, "Don't even mention the imperial court. We common people can barely save our lives. Not only have prices in the city skyrocketed, but the government is also going around arresting people from every household to build some kind of temple. It's utterly absurd..."
Dugu Jing's eyes deepened.