Everyone was waiting for Concubine Rong to express her opinion. Pairs of eyes were staring at the curtain of the carriage, and everyone pricked up their ears...
Concubine Rong was silent for a short while, about four or five seconds, before she spoke, "Lord Yan has worked hard along the way. Without your help, we would not have been able to arrive here safely. I have absolute trust in Lord Yan. Since Lord Yan feels that it is not appropriate to enter Wuting County, I will follow your arrangements. However, there has been no news from His Majesty in the past few days. I, Prince Min, and Princess Anping are all a little worried. After everyone is settled for the time being, I wonder if Lord Yan can go to the county to inquire about His Majesty's news?"
Seeing that Concubine Rong had lowered her attitude in public, Yan Liqiang did not continue to be tough and softened his tone, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. After we settle down, I will personally go to Wuting County to see if there is any news about His Majesty!"
"Hmm!" Concubine Rong responded in the carriage, then looked at the dead eunuch and her tone suddenly became stern, "Jiang Yun, Lord Yan is loyal. Although you have a high status in the palace, Lord Yan has the final say here. You must not be rude to Lord Yan. Be careful with your words in the future. Don't make random suspicions and make people feel disappointed. Apologize to Lord Yan quickly!"
The dead eunuch's expression changed in the blink of an eye, faster than turning the pages of a book. He said with a bitter face and a hoarse voice, "I saw that the Queen, Prince Min, and the princess had a hard time on the road, and I also wanted to share the Queen's worries and let the Queen have a good rest. I have no intention of doubting Lord Yan. If I said something wrong just now, it was also outspoken and had no ill intentions. Lord Yan is magnanimous, please don't mind..." The dead eunuch said, and slapped his face twice like slapping a mosquito, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault..."
Yan Liqiang just glanced at the dead eunuch and said no more. He turned around and came to the front of the team and continued to lead the team forward. They did not enter the county seat of Wuting County, but passed the county seat and walked for another seven or eight miles. Seeing that there were fewer refugees on the road, they stopped and found a mound next to the official road with its back against the green mountains to settle down. They let everyone camp here and rest.
If Yan Liqiang had followed his idea, he would definitely not rest for a moment and would rush directly through Wuting County, going as far as possible in one go, at least leaving Hualan County first, because the closer to the capital, the more chaotic it would be. However, many people in this team were ordinary soldiers, as well as a group of craftsmen and palace maids. They had been running for two days and two nights without a good sleep. They were already exhausted both mentally and physically, and they had to rest, so they had to stop.
As soon as everything was settled here, Yan Liqiang did not stop and directly asked four palace guards to follow him. He rode on rhinoceros horses and turned back to Wuting County to inquire about the news. The reason why he asked the palace guards to follow him was to reassure Concubine Rong and others. If they got any news, Concubine Rong would naturally know it even if Yan Liqiang didn't say it.
…
When Yan Liqiang set foot on the official road and left, the damn eunuch Jiang Gonggong stood under a tree in the northwest of the mound where everyone camped. He squinted his eyes and looked at Yan Liqiang and his guards on the road, raising a cloud of dust, with the sound of hooves like thunder, rushing towards Wuting County. It was not until Yan Liqiang and others turned around the woods more than a mile away and disappeared that the damn eunuch spit on the ground fiercely and cursed in a low voice. "Bah, in the Imperial Capital that day, even Eunuch Liu was polite to me when he saw me. You are a young boy, who do you think you are? You dare to yell at me. Do you really think I am afraid of you? What is the prince's tutor, what is the Qiyun governor, what is the title, it is not the reward of His Majesty. Who are you? You are just like me, just a dog by His Majesty's side. Do you think you are higher than me..."
The eunuch cursed for a few words alone, then returned to the station, found one of his trusted guards, pulled the guard to a hidden place, and took out a small roll of paper and a seal from his sleeve, and handed it to the confidant, "Go to Wuting County in a while, don't let anyone know, remember to enter from another gate, don't run into that Yan, then send this letter to the posthouse in the county, show our seal to the postmaster of the posthouse, and ask the posthouse to send this letter to Xu Taizhong, the governor of Hualan County, by Feixun, do you understand?"
“Eunuch, what are you doing…” The trusted guard took the gift from the eunuch, but still asked hesitantly, “Master Yan told us… not to reveal our whereabouts. If Master Yan finds out about this… I’m afraid… I’m afraid…”
"Even if the sky falls, we are still here to hold it up. What are you afraid of?" The dead eunuch stared at the guard with his triangular eyes, his eyes flashing with cold light, and his tone was full of threats. "It's only been a few days, don't you dare to disobey me..."
"I dare not!" The guard bowed his head quickly.
"We know Xu Taizhong. He is loyal to the court. Once he knows that the queen and Prince Min are here, he will definitely send troops to pick us up. It is better than relying on that Yan now. Now everyone in this team follows the lead of Yan. Yan is so domineering at a young age and not reliable at all. If he has any bad intentions on the way, who can stop him? I think even Elder Liu is probably not his opponent. The sooner Xu Taizhong sends troops, the sooner we will be safe..."
"This... does the queen know?"
The dead eunuch's eyes flashed, and he responded casually, "We work for the queen, of course the queen knows!"
Hearing that the queen also knew, the guard said nothing more and immediately obeyed the order, "Yes, I obey your order and will deliver the letter immediately!"
"Well, remember, don't ride a horse, so as not to attract other people's attention. I remember that you are good at Qinggong, so this distance should not be too far!"
"Don't worry, sir..."
…
Yan Liqiang and his men arrived at the west gate of Wuting County in just a short while.
Outside the west gate, there were also a large number of refugees gathering under the city wall. This time, because there were only five of them, Yan Liqiang did not cause any commotion when he returned. When he arrived at the city gate, the soldiers guarding the gate stopped Yan Liqiang and his group. Only after Yan Liqiang took out a badge of the chief steward of the Imperial Mabu Division were they allowed to enter the city.
On his way to the county government office, Yan Liqiang found that the county town was in chaos. There were fights in restaurants, guns in the streets, and people crying that their homes had been robbed and they were going to report to the police. He encountered several such incidents, and such situations made Yan Liqiang frown.
When they arrived at the county government office, they took out the badge of the chief steward of the Imperial Horse and Infantry Division. The county magistrate came out and respectfully welcomed Yan Liqiang and others to the backyard of the county government office, offering them tea...
After a few words, the county magistrate knew nothing. Ever since the beacon smoke rose in Stanley, the county magistrate was also confused and anxious, but he didn't know what to do. He was still waiting for news from his superiors, helpless. For three days, there was no substantive news from the Huizhou Governor's Office and the Hualan County Magistrate's Office. All they heard were empty words about protecting the territory and the people. However, refugees fleeing from the western suburbs of Beijing were pouring in. As for other news about His Majesty the Emperor, he had not heard a single word. He even thought that His Majesty the Emperor was dead and no ministers in the court survived. As for the news in Huizhou, he knew a little. Now that millions of refugees have poured in, Hualan County, Tonghe County, and Yushan County in Huizhou, which border the western suburbs of Beijing, are in chaos, and public security incidents are emerging one after another. Refugees are robbing wealthy families in groups, and many places have been corrupted...
"There are many refugees in and outside Wuting County now. Many people have nothing to eat and are irritable. Why doesn't the county magistrate open the government warehouse to provide relief? If those refugees make trouble, Wuting County will probably be destroyed in an instant, and your life will be in danger!" Seeing that the Wuting County magistrate was an honest man and not a bad person, Yan Liqiang had to kindly remind him, "Just now I entered the city from the west gate. Along the way, I have seen that the public security in the county has deteriorated very seriously and is in danger. The refugees inside and outside the county are gathered together, like a pile of firewood, which can be ignited with just a spark. If you hesitate any longer, it may be too late when the big change comes!"
"Well... there is some food in the official warehouse of the county, but not much..." The fifty-year-old county magistrate looked at Yan Liqiang with embarrassment, and said timidly, "I know what you mean, but... but I can't decide how to use these grains. I received a notice from the county governor's office the day before yesterday. The county governor asked me to keep an eye on these grains as a reserve for the army to rescue the capital. I must not move them. If there is a loss in the official warehouse, it will affect the army's rescue of the capital. I'm afraid my life will be in danger. I think I can wait for two more days. If the governor and the county governor send a large army to arrive, the situation in the county will probably be better, and the refugees won't dare to make trouble..."
Yan Liqiang looked at the county magistrate helplessly. This county magistrate was cautious and submissive. If it were peaceful days, he could live safely and would not make mistakes. But now, the court was over and the whole world was turned upside down. He still had this kind of personality. It was definitely a disaster rather than a blessing.
If the county magistrate was a corrupt official with evil intentions, it would be fine. Yan Liqiang could just chop him with a knife and open the government warehouse. But this guy was an honest man who worked diligently and had no bad ideas in his mind. This made it impossible for Yan Liqiang to find an opportunity to attack him.
"Just now, wasn't the county magistrate wondering why I came to Wuting County? To tell you the truth, I am not the advance guard of His Majesty's southern tour. I just escaped from the Imperial Capital. There are probably not many living people in the Imperial Capital now, and I don't know how many civil and military officials in the court are still alive. The court is finished, and the reinforcements sent by the Governor's Office and the County Magistrate's Office that you are waiting for may never come again. Now that I have come to this, you decide what to do, and I will take my leave..." Yan Liqiang said, and regardless of the county magistrate's sudden change of expression, he bowed, stood up, and took his leave directly.
"Sir... what did you say... the court is finished..." The county magistrate stood up trembling and asked stutteringly.
"The palace has been destroyed, and few ministers in the court are alive. Your Majesty is nowhere to be found now. Isn't this the end of the court?"
"Then now... now..."
"If I were you, the county magistrate, I would open the government warehouse to appease the refugees, then immediately hide my identity and take my family to flee, leave Hualan County, and find a safe place to settle down. Even if you don't leave now, Wuting County will probably be affected by the catastrophe in a few months. Do you want to stay here and wait for death?"
Seeing that the county magistrate was standing there in a daze after hearing what he said, Yan Liqiang said no more and left the office with a few guards...
(End of this chapter)