Out of Yuanmen

Shen Hanchi didn't know that so many things happened in the rivers and lakes in an instant, and he was currently busy with the upcoming battle at the border.

The house leak happened to be raining overnight, the Qiang people were eyeing Tianguan over there, and news of drought came from the south.Fortunately, Shen Qiong had the foresight to dig an underground river for Tanlang City early on.

But Tanlang City is not an independent entity after all. When this battle starts, he can't count on the supplies in the south for the time being, and the food and grass that Tanlang City has managed for many years is not enough.Food, salt, and weapons are basically filled by the surrounding towns.

He was suffering from a headache, and his deputy hurriedly lifted the curtain of the military tent and came in, with a serious expression on his face: "Little general, something has happened! Mingyang City was blocked by disaster victims, clamoring for food distribution, but their granary is already empty. The city lord has asked the Shen family army for help!"

Shen Hanchi only thought for a few seconds, and then made a decision: "Send a cavalry to help deter the restless people... City Lord Zhao should understand what I mean. If there are any victims who are willing to join the army, bring them back."

The lieutenant general sighed, and took the order: "This is really a leaky house and it rains all night."

Shen Hanchi smiled, trying to ease his mind: "The Qiang people are also suffering from a drought, and the two sides are the same. It depends on whose life can survive."

However, the hearts of these two people are like mirrors - the disaster situation on the Qiang people's side is far less severe than that on the Central Plains side.According to Shen Hanchi and Yun Shugui's deduction, after the sun is not so harsh and the weather turns slightly cooler, Wolf King Altu will lead the sturdy Beiyuan beheading army to attack the door.

……

Zhu Changyu and his grandfather and grandson from Xiaopo Village evacuated early, but managed to escape to the next village.Unexpectedly, two days later, the water in this village was also dry, so they had to pack their bags and run to the next village.

No matter when and where, there are always those bad embryos rotten into their bones who want to make money from natural disasters and national disasters. When the three people from Xiaopo Village fled to Anjian City, the prices of water and rice had been raised dozens of times. times.Numerous disaster victims begged for food from above, but there was no reply for a long time.

Zhu Changyu and Uncle Zhong hid from the crowd of refugees and secretly counted their money, only to realize that they could only live in the city for half a month.The three of them, old and young, were really like rootless duckweed, panicking in this unaccompanied city of Anjian.

Zhu Changyu inquired around, and heard that there was still enough food and grass in Yangcheng, so he wanted to grit his teeth and rush over there, but he didn't expect that Uncle Zhong fell ill because of running around for days.Xiaoyu was so frightened by her grandfather's sudden illness that she burst into tears, and the three of them could only temporarily settle down in this city.

When Zhu Changyu carried Uncle Zhong on his back to the medical clinic to get medicine, he saw the refugees staggering on the street and heard the voices of children crying and hungry, and felt at a loss for a while.Uncle Zhong has saved for many years, but he has saved less than 30 taels of silver, which is only enough for three people to live for more than half a month during the famine.He remembered that there was a time when the Queen's birthday was held in the palace, and the most expensive gift was an ornament worth a hundred taels of silver.The grand banquet was taken down and replaced with a new one just because the emperor said "tired".

He didn't remember what was on that table. As a lowly child born from a court lady, he sat at the end of the banquet, sitting with a few civil servants who were dawdling.Sitting opposite him was Wen Tiansi's Cun Tianyi, who didn't chat with each other with a philistine smile like the others, but leaned against the Panlong column and poured himself a wine pot.Zhu Changyu stared blankly at the dishes on the table without taking a bite.

Only then did Cun Tianyi raise his eyes to look at him, showing an inscrutable expression: "But this dish doesn't suit the Fifth Prince's appetite?"

Zhu Changyu said: "I was thinking, are these delicacies only available to the royal family?"

Cun Tianyi twirled his beard, smiled and said: "The royal family is noble, it's natural."

Zhu Changyu murmured, "Why?"

Cun Tianyi stirred the bowl with a spoon, and gestured to him: "Fifth prince, this cup of snow lotus stewed snow clams is worth a hundred taels. Guess how many people can be fed by one mouthful?" Zhu Changyu didn't wait for an answer. , Cun Tianyi drank the pot of wine in his hand, and then started to walk erratically as if drunk, and told the Holy One to get drunk and retreat, leaving only the ignorant fifth prince with an unfathomable back.

But at this moment, in Anjian City, Zhu Changyu, who voluntarily became a commoner, rushed to the clinic anxiously, while vaguely grasping what Cun Tianyi wanted to say to him at that time.Huo Shu Shuo Shu, Wushi is my millet—the biggest Shuo Shu is beside him, sitting on the chair carved with dragons and pearls.

After Zhu Changyu rushed to the medical center, he found that there were people lying there, and the doctors and waiters inside covered their mouths and noses with white cloths, keeping their feet off the ground.Zhu Changyu was wondering why so many people were sick, and as soon as he asked a question, the doctor cast a complicated look at him.

He heard the doctor's hoarse voice a little trembling: "I'm afraid...there is a epidemic."

In one day, Anjian City was turned upside down again.The disaster victims had just poured in, and began to rush out again, crying and shouting.The plague is not a joke, everyone doesn't want to be trapped in this city waiting to die, and the Lord An Jian dare not let anyone escape.Zhu Changyu hugged Xiaoyu and huddled in a corner of the hospital. The two snuggled up to keep warm, staring blankly at the troops patrolling the city and the fleeing victims.

Xiaoyu's voice was full of tears: "Brother, grandpa is... is it a epidemic?"

Zhu Changyu's heart was also in a mess, but he couldn't express his bad guesses, so he could only rub Xiaoyu's head: "No, how can it be such a coincidence, the epidemic is caused by floods, it must be the doctor who saw it." Wrong. Even if it's a seasonal epidemic, we just entered the city, so we won't get sick so soon. I bought wormwood and smoked this area, don't worry."

Xiaoyu seemed to be persuaded by his few words, and nodded numbly.Zhu Changyu deceived Xiaoyu, but he couldn't deceive himself, and waited anxiously for the doctor's conclusion.After a long time, until Xiaoyu had already fallen asleep in Zhu Changyu's arms, the masked apprentice from the medical hall came over and shook his head at Zhu Changyu: "Young master, the epidemic has indeed broken out. Is your old man The epidemic can still be confirmed, but...now the city is no longer safe."

Zhu Changyu glanced at Xiaoyu in his arms, and asked in a low voice, "Is there any way to get out of the city now? I want to take the old man and run with my sister."

The clerk was terrified, and said dejectedly: "You might as well ask the Buddha to show his spirit, I am also afraid. The epidemic is such a big deal that no one in the city will survive. Before the epidemic is cured, even if the city lord burns the city They won't let anyone out either. Last time Lian Xiaoxiang's hair was flooded and there was an epidemic, guess what happened?"

Zhu Changyu shook his head stiffly.

The man said: "The epidemic has been brought under control, but the higher-ups were afraid of contagion, so they ordered the beheading and burning of all infected people. Even Xiaoxiang is still dead. Now the doctors in the city are planning to run away. Who wants to stay with a group of people who have the disease! It's a pity that the city lord is holding back, and I, an apprentice, may find a chance to escape."

After he finished speaking, he sighed and walked away.

Zhu Changyu hugged Xiaoyu tightly, his heart gradually became cold.He sat in the corner stiffly straightening his back, like a frozen ice sculpture.

He remembered the incident with Lian Xiaoxiang.A civil official who was brave enough to die said that the epidemic had been brought under control and there was no need to kill all 270 people in Xiao Township. hope of living.Zhu Changtai also knelt down and praised his father for being wise and wise, for avoiding a disaster for the people in other places.

This court is so dirty.The top is resplendent and magnificent, but the inside is rotten. The person sitting on the dragon chair can even abandon his own children without hesitation, let alone the life and death of the people below.

Zhu Changyu's mother's status is low, and he has been living cautiously as a bastard born of a court lady climbing a bed.Seeing the palace servants being dragged to death, and seeing his mother being hanged, he knew what life meant when he was young.After staying in Xiaopo Village for so long, he also understood more and more.

But those people in the palace didn't know that, in their view, it was just the number 270.The people of Lianxiao Township, the villagers of Xiaopo Village... people all over the world, in their eyes, are no different from livestock, and they are things that can be wiped out with a piece of paper, a pen, and a seal.They were turned into ashes, and the instigator could still say "Father Emperor is wise".

Ridiculous, really ridiculous.

In the small city of Anjian, for the first time in his life, the troubled prince sitting among the victims had such an idea——

"If I were king".