Jiang Qingshu held Linbao in her arms and stayed awake the entire night. The damned Emperor Yan would not stop until he had driven her whole family to death.
But she was no longer the helpless fool she once had been. If pushed to the edge, there was nothing she wouldn’t dare do.
At a quarter past the Hour of the Tiger, the northern city gates opened on schedule.
After a night of violent winds, signboards lay scattered across the streets. Fallen lanterns rolled together with dead leaves and broken branches in the gusts.
For the sake of survival, tenant farmers gradually began entering and leaving through the city gates once more.
Jiang Kun had his eldest son, Jiang Fengyu, take money into the streets to purchase rice, grain, and essential supplies for the journey ahead.
Even if some mysterious “benefactor” continued helping them along the road, they could not shamelessly accept everything without effort.
As long as they could still find a solution themselves, they would avoid owing favors.
Second son Jiang Yifeng went to scout the city gate situation.
Third son Jiang Chengyu found a tofu pudding stall, and after the family packed their belongings, they gathered there to wait.
Jiang Yifeng secretly discovered that nearly a hundred additional guards had appeared atop the northern gate tower. Wanted portraits of the entire Jiang family had also been posted beneath the walls.
And these guards were no ordinary constables—they were elite city defense troops.
Jiang Yifeng hurried back and reported everything to Jiang Kun.
“Are we going to be trapped inside this city?” Sun Yuluo said angrily.
Jiang Kun pondered silently. With women and children in tow, how could they possibly contend against trained elite soldiers?
“Temporarily—”
“Close up shop! Refugees are entering the city!”
The tofu stall owner’s wife suddenly came rushing over, shouting frantically to her husband.
Following the old couple’s alarmed gaze, Jiang Qingshu looked toward the street where they had entered the city the previous night. Sure enough, a group of ragged, dust-covered refugees was pouring in.
There were roughly one or two hundred people.
The southernmost regions of Yan State were suffering from devastating droughts. The land had become barren for thousands of miles.
Recently, refugees fleeing the south had continuously streamed into the city.
The shops along the streets shut their doors as though avoiding a plague.
While hurriedly packing up their stall, the old couple warned the Jiangs:
“You’d best be careful. Some refugees are like starving rats—grabbing whatever they can wherever they go. We’ve seen enough…”
“Father, why don’t the refugees head toward the capital instead of away from it?” Jiang Luoyou asked curiously.
“That dog Emperor Yan cares most about appearances. How could he tolerate these eyesores wandering beneath his nose? They were probably driven out of the capital,” Sun Yuluo cursed.
Looking at the filthy refugees, Jiang Qingshu suddenly had an idea for escaping the city.
She tiptoed close to Jiang Kun’s ear and whispered a plan.
“Father, why don’t we…”
Less than half an hour later, the refugees reached the northern gate.
The guards responsible for defending the city looked utterly disgusted by the filthy, foul-smelling crowd.
But for the generous bounty, they still inspected each person leaving the city.
Fortunately, the Jiang family had prepared beforehand. Everyone had smeared mud mixed with cow dung over their faces.
Just as the guards were about to inspect them, Jiang Qingshu quietly dumped dozens of steamed buns from her sleeve.
“Ah! Steamed buns!” she shouted.
At once, the orderly refugee line collapsed into chaos.
Seeing food, the starving refugees desperately surged forward.
In an instant, over a hundred people rushed the gate, thinking that even if they died, they would at least die full.
The Jiang family seized the opportunity and slipped out amidst the chaos.
Soon, the buns on the ground were completely snatched up, and order slowly returned.
Those who got buns ate greedily, still unsatisfied. Those who failed tightened their belts even further.
The soldiers, knocked sprawling by the stampede, cursed furiously and vented their rage by whipping the refugees behind them.
After deciding to disguise themselves as refugees, Jiang Kun had Jiang Fengyu trade their covered carriage for two horse-drawn flatbed carts.
His injuries had already recovered eighty percent, so he could walk on his own.
One cart carried blankets and food hidden beneath hay. The other carried the children.
This made them appear more like genuine refugees and less conspicuous.
The family kept their heads down and silently followed the refugee procession. The children behaved well and sat quietly.
Only after the city walls disappeared from view did they relax slightly.
About half a mile ahead was a fork in the road. Jiang Kun signaled his children over with his eyes, intending to split from the refugees there.
“You folks look unfamiliar. Not from Jin’an, are you?”
A skinny, dark-skinned old man suddenly approached Jiang Kun.
After briefly studying the older man, Jiang Kun replied:
“We’re from Qishan. We came to Qianzhou seeking relatives, but unfortunately something happened to them, so now we’re returning home.”
“Nowhere is peaceful anymore,” the old man sighed. “It’s hard enough just staying alive. Living well is even harder.”
“You’re right. Are you all from Jin’an?” Jiang Kun asked.
Jin’an lay in the southeast and had repeatedly become a battlefield because of its location.
The old man’s cloudy eyes filled with despair.
“The people of Jin’an suffer greatly. There’s been war for years. The fields are ruined. We survived on wild vegetables and tree bark. Then the heavens gave us no mercy—two years without rain. Even the weeds dried up. If we had any other choice, who would want to beg for survival?”
Jiang Kun sympathized deeply.
“Did you ever go to the capital?”
The old man let out a bitter laugh.
“That’s beneath the Son of Heaven’s feet. Beggars like us would only be despised there.”
Jiang Qingshu looked at the homeless refugees. They resembled walking skeletons weathered by suffering. Whether old or young, their eyes were utterly lifeless.
As they approached the fork in the road, Jiang Kun signaled the family to split off.
Suddenly, a woman in the crowd collapsed.
The surrounding refugees treated it as an ordinary occurrence and ignored her.
Just as Jiang Qingshu felt surprised, a frail little boy about Linbao’s age rushed through the crowd.
“Mother! Don’t die!”
Throwing himself onto the motionless woman, he shook her while crying hysterically.
Tang Shuangshuang and Jiang Fengyu hurried over.
Tang Shuangshuang checked the woman’s pulse.
“She’s too weak. If she continues starving like this, she’ll die at any moment.”
Hearing this, Jiang Qingshu quietly turned, preparing to fetch water, when Jiang Luoyou approached.
“Big Brother, Father said to give this to her.”
Following Jiang Kun’s instructions, Jiang Luoyou brought over a flatbread and half a bag of water.
Originally, Jiang Kun had not intended to interfere. But after seeing the child, he could not help thinking of his own grandchildren.
Still, for safety’s sake, and for the sake of his family, he only dared offer a tiny amount of food and water.
There were over a hundred refugees here. Human nature under desperate circumstances was terrifying.
If anyone revealed too many supplies, it could trigger disaster.
Jiang Qingshu understood this. Jiang Kun understood it even more clearly.
Tang Shuangshuang helped the woman sit up and fed her several mouthfuls of water. Finally, the woman opened her eyes.
“We don’t have much food ourselves. Take this and save your life.”
The woman stared at the flatbread as though seeing hope itself. She grabbed it and devoured it hungrily.
Just when Jiang Qingshu thought she would swallow it whole, the woman tore off half and handed it to her son.
Mother and son huddled together while eating nervously, constantly glancing around.
Jiang Qingshu looked up and saw many starving refugees gathering nearby with glowing eyes. Had the bread not already been eaten, a desperate food fight would surely have broken out.
“Thank you… thank you, benefactors…”
After regaining a little strength, the woman pulled her son down to kowtow before Tang Shuangshuang and Jiang Fengyu.
Just as the couple urged them to rise, a thunder of galloping hooves sounded behind them.
Everyone turned to see a squad of city soldiers charging toward them through swirling dust.
Why were they here? Had their identities been exposed?
The Jiang family instinctively tensed up…