The sun rises early in the summer, and it was already bright when the city gate opened. The two groups said goodbye outside the city gate.
The three little ones chose to set off on the same day as Hua Zhi.
Hua Zhi was dressed in a neat outfit, with her hair tied up in a bun on top of her head, looking very neat. She glanced at the three people one by one, and didn't say much more than to give them instructions. She just said, "Watch more, listen more, think more, and safety is the most important thing."
Yang Sui'an readily agreed, "Don't worry, elder sister, I will take good care of them."
Hua Zhi couldn't remember when Sui An started calling her "elder sister". He used to call her "cousin", but this way they were closer, as if she had another younger brother.
"Don't feel too stressed. There must be a teacher among three people. You need to discuss and consult each other before doing anything. There is one more thing I want you to promise me." Hua Zhi looked at the three of them. "No matter how big the disagreement is on the way, you must not go separately in anger. The number of people who go out must come back together. If I know that any of you fail to do this, don't even think about going out again!"
The three of them looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
"I believe you are all men who keep your word. I hope you can all return with a full load." Hua Zhi smiled, swallowed all her worries, and got on the horse. "Let's say goodbye now."
"Take care, elder sister."
"Take care, Sister Hua."
Watching his elder sister disappear into thin air, Hua Bolin said in a hoarse voice, "This is the first time I've seen my elder sister ride a horse. She rides better than I do."
"Once we went north, once we went south, I don't know how many miles we have traveled in total. It's better to be alright than not." Xiaoliu got on the horse, "Let's go too."
Hua Bailin once again looked in the direction where his elder sister left, his eyes determined. He would not always be so useless. He could make the same progress that Xiaoliu could!
&&&
Hua Zhi and his party traveled light, and the weather was good, so it wouldn't be difficult for them to spend the night outside. In addition, Hua Zhi's riding skills had indeed improved a lot, so when she felt tired, she let Yan Xi lead the way, so they went much faster than last time.
A fire was crackling in front of a half-collapsed house. Hua Zhi was stirring the boiling soup in the pot, and the delicious aroma filled the air.
"You can drink now." Hua Zhi motioned for everyone to come over with their bowls. In order to eat better, she made sufficient preparations before coming out. Not only did she ask everyone to bring their own bowl, she also dried some vegetables early, and brought some mushroom powder and salt. When she took a break, she would cook a pot, and it would not be so irritating to the throat to eat with dry food.
In addition, Hua Zhi also prepared some dried meat for Yan Xi and his four subordinates. She and the guard did not have this treatment because they were still in mourning.
The others who had made soup consciously moved away. Hua Zhi and Gu Yanxi also stood up and sat farther away. They couldn't sit by the fire in this kind of weather.
Drinking the soup cooked by Ah Zhi, Gu Yanxi felt that it was more delicious than what she had eaten in the palace. "I knew about the severe drought in Bingzhou when I was in the capital. I saw it with my own eyes and realized how serious it was."
After entering Bingzhou, the fields we saw were basically cracked, and the crops were withering and falling to the ground. The better ones were also thin and weak. Normally, they would have been pulled out to avoid robbing the good seedlings of their nutrients, but now they were being carefully cared for, as this was their last hope for food this season.
Hua Zhi was also in a bad mood. When she passed a place today, she saw some people sitting on the ridges of a field crying.
She came from a world where even though there were many flaws, they did not threaten survival. She had never truly experienced what it was like to be hungry. She could not empathize with their despair, but she also knew that this year many families would have to sell their children in order to survive.
"Azhi, is there any way to deal with this situation..."
Hua Zhi interrupted him with a smile, "Yan Xi, do you think I'm a god?"
Gu Yanxi was stubborn and believed that his Ah Zhi had a solution. "You can even think of a solution to the possible dam breach in Xiangyang, so maybe you can think of a solution to the situation here, too?"
"It's different. If the Xiangyang dike burst, then we have to find a way to prevent it from bursting. But if it doesn't rain, I can't make it rain. What does the Imperial Observatory say?"
"When we came out, they said there would be no rain for ten days, but now it seems that there won't be any rain for a month." Gu Yanxi poured half of the soup in his bowl into Azhi's bowl. "I don't mean to embarrass you, but I just wanted to ask you about something. Maybe you can have some different opinions. Sorry."
"What are you saying sorry to me? Actually, we can push it the other way around."
"Reverse push?"
Hua Zhi blinked. "Haoyue only said that the dam in Xiangyang would burst in August, but she didn't say what immeasurable consequences the drought in Bingzhou would cause. If Bingzhou is really suffering from drought and starving people everywhere, wouldn't it give her more leverage if she said it out?"
"..." Gu Yanxi looked at Hua Zhi and smiled. So, what he thought was not wrong. If he had any questions, he would ask Hua Zhi and he would definitely gain something unexpected.
Hua Zhi's hair stood on end at his laughter. She wiped the corners of her mouth, but didn't get any leaves on it. "What are you laughing at?"
"Laugh at my good fortune."
Hua Zhiduo was smart and immediately understood the unfinished meaning in his words. She glanced at him and lowered her head to drink the soup.
Gu Yanxi's smile deepened, "You really believe in Haoyue's prophecy."
"In my opinion, the so-called prophecy is nothing more than knowing something that is about to happen for some reason. No matter what the reason is, it is obvious that Haoyue wants to use it to achieve a certain purpose. Rather than saying that I believe in Haoyue's prophecy, it is better to say that I believe that people will not get up early without benefits. Haoyue is also a human being."
Gu Yanxi nodded slightly, "Before setting off, I received a message from Chen Qing, confirming that Haoyue's target is the leader of the Qisu Division."
Hua Zhi frowned slightly, feeling that she was being coveted by others. She suppressed the feeling and started to think again.
The leader of the Seven Stars Division has been passed down from generation to generation. If Haoyue's goal is what this identity represents, then it is possible that she wants to use this opportunity to accomplish something. If her goal is the person behind the mask of the leader of the Seven Stars Division...
Hua Zhi felt that this routine was somewhat familiar.
"Did she mention Xiaoliu?"
"No." Gu Yanxi expressed his feelings, "She seems to be very optimistic about me, more than she is about several other princes. Chen Qing said that he tried to ask about the princes, but Haoyue was very disdainful and said bluntly that it would not work."
Both of them were smart people, and they immediately thought of the same thing. They looked down on the prince, but took the initiative to contact the leader of the Seven Stars Division. Does that mean that the leader of the Seven Stars Division will achieve more than the prince in the future? And to be able to surpass the prince...
There is only one position in this world that is higher than the prince!
Hua Zhi felt a suffocation in her heart, and this suffocation made her heart suddenly hurt like a needle.
She didn't believe that Haoyue could really plan everything out. Firstly, she was a variable, and this variable brought out the variable Xiaoliu. This was the first reason. Secondly, Haoyue herself was a variable. In order to give Yan Xi a gift, she lured out the well-hidden Yuan Shifang, and then other things triggered by Yuan Shifang... She didn't know if Haoyue could handle it.