An Xin slammed her hand on the table and stood up, coldly saying, "Things have come to this point, who are you trying to impress with your modesty?! Once the downpour comes, Beijing will be nothing short of a disaster!! At that time, no one will be able to escape; we'll all be left here to die!"
Yan Zhen suddenly covered half of his face, his eyes shimmering as he looked at An Xin and said, "I naturally wouldn't mind living and dying with Xin'er..."
"Shut up!" An Xin was annoyed. She had always been polite to Jing Lan, but at this moment, she couldn't help but get angry and said coldly, "Your Excellency is famous throughout the land and respected by the people. Why are you letting us down at this crucial moment?! Since we can't reach an agreement, let's not waste time here. Let's all go about our own business!"
An Xin turned and left. The more anxious she became, the more the two of them dragged their feet! If this continued, everyone would be doomed!
"If the news doesn't get out, what reason can be used to make the people leave the capital?" Jing Lan asked calmly.
An Xin suddenly stopped and turned to look at him.
Jing Lan slowly raised her eyelashes, a smile playing on her lips, and said, "In my opinion, it would be better to spread the news and distribute silver at the city gates at the same time. That might solve the problem."
Looking at his gentle and refined appearance, An Xin's eyes suddenly brightened. Yes, if she wanted the people to trust her and not panic, she could use her good looks to win them over!
On one side is the world-renowned Yun Zhonglian Jinglan, and on the other side is the infamous Mo Shanghua Yanzhen, but the two have one thing in common—they are beautiful!
Either of these two going out would surely draw huge crowds. If these two were to distribute silver, they could win the hearts of the people and appease their emotions!
An Xin looked at the two of them for a long time before saying, "Good idea."
Yan Zhen suddenly raised her eyelashes and glanced at An Xin, saying, "You call this a good method?"
Jinglan turned the jade ring and said calmly, "Since the Right Prime Minister says so, then please suggest something even better."
Yan Zhen smiled languidly and said, "Once the news gets out, the people will be in chaos. At that time, will their lives be more important or will the money be more important? The Left Prime Minister's method is utterly rotten. It would be better to first distribute silver to attract the people to the city gate, and then evacuate them out of the city."
An Xin narrowed her eyes slightly. Just as Yan Zhen said, the people would be in chaos once they heard the news. Even if they were lured there with silver, what would happen after they received the silver? Even if they went to collect the silver, they wouldn't all go together as a family, would they? Separating those people from their families would definitely cause trouble!
An Xin's eyes suddenly flashed, and she clapped her hands, saying, "Great idea!"
Yan Zhen and Jing Lan both looked at An Xin.
An Xin smiled and said, "Let's do it this way!"
××× ×××
On the east gate, Yan Zhen looked at the sea of people below the wall and felt a headache coming on. He gently waved his folding fan and covered his lips with a smile—this woman's so-called good idea was to make him come here to sell his body!
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency! Your Excellency, Your Excellency!"
Screams rose and fell from below the city wall. Yan Zhen glanced at the sky, her voice calm, but she instantly silenced all the noise.
"Anyone leaving the city today will receive five taels of silver. No one may collect it on behalf of another or fraudulently. Anyone who violates this rule will be executed without mercy!"
Everyone gasped in unison. Five taels each? What were they going to do outside the city? Why were they getting paid to leave the city? Was this a windfall?!
But that's five taels of silver! If you include the whole family, plus any illegitimate or illegal births, it adds up to several dozen taels!
Some people couldn't resist the temptation, and before they knew it, they were taking action. The smarter ones muttered to themselves, "Could this be some kind of trap? We'd rather lose our heads for five taels of silver than do it!"
"For no reason, there are so many people here. Even if the imperial court is tyrannical, it can't just chop off people's heads for fun! I think there's a chance!"
"Why would the imperial court distribute silver for no reason? If we collected less tax on ordinary days, we common people would be better off. This sudden distribution of silver is just too strange!"
...
For a moment, discussions filled the air. An Xin, standing to one side, narrowed her eyes slightly. If no one took the lead in collecting the silver, she was afraid that this deadlock would not be broken. She frowned and scanned the crowd. Unexpectedly, she saw a familiar face - Wang Yihe.
He was squeezed in the crowd, his face ashen.
An Xin thought for a moment and understood. The imperial examination had just ended, and Wang Yihe must have gone to the capital to take the exam. However, judging from the situation, he probably did not pass. But since he was an acquaintance, things would be much easier.
Wang Yihe was filled with worries. He had spent a lot of money on this imperial examination, and even tried to find someone to secretly manipulate it for him. However, he failed to find An Youwei and was instead swindled out of all his money. With no way to get through the back door, he could only rely on his own strength. He considered himself to be dashing and romantic, and full of poetry and books. He thought that passing the imperial examination would be a piece of cake. But when he handed in his exam paper, he found that he was ranked last!
He came in first place in the provincial examination!
The blow to Wang Yihe from first to last place is unimaginable!
"Are you leaving the city?" Suddenly someone stood in front of him, and Wang Yi was startled. He looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Xin'er..."
An Xin didn't really like the word "sister," and frowned, saying, "In a few more hours, you won't be able to leave the city. You can go to the city gate and collect five taels of silver before you can leave!"
Wang Yi exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Xin'er, I... I've been looking for you so hard! I..."
"Enough with the nonsense, are we leaving the city or not?" An Xin interrupted him. She hadn't come to reminisce, and besides, this man hadn't left her with any good memories.
The words Wang Yihe was about to say suddenly caught in his throat. He glanced at the city gate and asked anxiously, "Is there really silver outside the city? Sister Xin'er, is this some kind of scam orchestrated by the imperial court?"
"No!" An Xin looked towards the city gate. On the high city wall, Yan Zhenzhen's gaze was indifferently fixed on her. Perhaps it was An Xin's imagination, after all, he was standing so high up, with a sea of people below, how could he possibly see her!?
"Sister Xin'er..." Wang Yihe had a lot to say, or even wanted to reconcile with An Xin, but the unexpected encounter here made him think that he was just a familiar face at most!
“Staying in the capital won’t do you any good.” An Xin took a breath and glanced at Wang Yihe. “We grew up together, so you should know my personality. I won’t harm you. Let’s go.”
Wang Yihe felt a sudden sense of relief, but still said, "Sister Xin'er, I was wrong in the past..."
An Xin said calmly, "It's all in the past, stop talking nonsense and let's go!"
Wang Yi felt a pang of sorrow, but he was penniless at the moment. It would be best if he could leave the city and receive some silver. With that thought in mind, he turned and walked forward. He could come back to the capital later, but he couldn't bring himself to ask An Xin for travel expenses.
Everyone was hesitant at first, but when they saw Wang Yihe walk out first and then take five taels of silver out of the city gate, their hesitation vanished instantly. With a shout, they all rushed forward.
An Xin looked up at the sky. The clouds that had been drifting had changed slightly. The sky was still as bright as before, but a slight chill had crept in.
Yan Zhen's gaze was fixed on a certain spot in the crowd. Minghe stepped forward and whispered, "My lord, the people of the western city have begun to evacuate. In addition, the people of the Right Prime Minister's residence have been informed in advance by Shen Zhuo, and they have left the capital along the secret passage."
Yan Zhen asked calmly, "Has the Emperor's entourage left the city?"