Shen Yuhu looked at these people and clenched his fists.
This group of refugees are all old, weak, women and children, and they don't even have any capable men. They look very pitiful.
After glancing at everyone, Shen Yuyu asked the woman, "Mom, where are your sons? Where have they gone? Why do you let you wander around without caring about you?"
"Oh, it's not that they don't care about us~~" the woman sighed heavily, wiping her tears sadly, "The imperial court recruited all adult men~~'
"I still went to the freezing cold north. Who knows if I can come back alive in such a cold place~~" The old man choked up before finishing his words.
After sheltering from the rain in a cave for a while, the group of refugees headed to Kang'an City.
Not long after the group left, the stream gradually subsided, and Shen Yuehu and Ji Xun got on the carriage and entered the city.
"My clothes are all wet. I told you not to get off the carriage, but you refused to listen." Ji Xun felt distressedly, touching Shen Yuyu's back that was soaked by the water.
"Hey, how can I be so squeamish? It's not very cold." Shen Yuyu raised her pretty face and smiled disapprovingly at Ji Xun, but after saying this, she couldn't help but shudder.
"Come here, husband, I will warm you up." Ji Xun held Shen Yuyu in his arms, and leaning against his broad chest, Shen Yuyu felt that he was no longer so cold.
Soon the carriage arrived at the city gate and found a long queue of refugees entering the city.
"Here? Where do so many refugees come from?" Shen Yuyu was extremely surprised, "There were not so many refugees during the locust plague."
Ji Xun couldn't help but frown.
"These refugees are all women, old people and children. Even if they are drafted, there will always be some laborers left, right? There is no way there will only be old people and children left."
"Besides, even if the garrison invaded their houses and fields, it would not be possible for so many people to become homeless. This matter is probably not as simple as we thought."
"Yeah." Shen Yuyu nodded vigorously, "Do you think it was the conspiracy of the Crown Prince Wei Yuande? Deliberately implementing harsh policies so that the people in the nearby states had no way to go and poured into Lingzhou to find a way to survive?"
"It's possible." Ji Xun pondered, "Anyway, this must not be a normal situation."
After speaking, she squeezed Shen Yuyu's hand worriedly, "Go back home first. Youyou's clothes are soaked. This matter needs to be investigated slowly."
"Okay." Shen Yuyu replied, looking at the refugees lining up to enter the city. Their clothes were wet and they were shivering from the cold. They didn't know what happened to them.
After entering the city, I found that many refugees had poured into the city. They were sitting or lying on the street. Some were hungry and even grabbed food directly, causing the originally orderly city to fall into chaos.
"Oh, the weather changes in spring. It started to rain suddenly when the sun was still bright in the morning. If I had known, I should have asked you to bring umbrellas." Aunt Bai saw that Shen Yuyu and Ji Xun were caught in the rain. Sneezing and feeling extremely distressed.
She hurriedly found clothes for Shen Yuyu. After Shen Yuyu changed her clothes, she took a dry towel into the room and twisted her wet hair.
"I'll do it." Ji Xun changed his clothes and came in, took over the work from Aunt Bai, and wiped Shen Yuyu's wet hair with a towel with a doting look on his face.
"Axun, the poison in your body has almost been cured in the past two days, right?" Shen Yuyu looked at the handsome and heart-wrenching man's face in the mirror, and his pretty face couldn't help but blush.
"Yes." Ji Xun's lips curled up with a hint of charm, and he leaned over and kissed her neck tenderly, "So let's make a date for Shili Hongzhuang to marry you in ten days.'
"Uh~~Listen to Ah Xun."
Before his hair was wrung dry, He Mang came in and reported, "Your Highness, Mr. Sun wishes to see you."
"Invite him in." Ji Xun handed the towel to Shen Yuyu and left the room.
"Your Highness, there is a letter from Yening City saying that a large number of refugees are coming from Tongzhou, Luozhou and other places, and they don't know how to resettle them." Before Sun Deming could sit down, he spoke hurriedly, "Even Kang'an City has a lot of people here today. The subordinate officials inquired about the refugees, and they said that the imperial court had increased the tax by 30%, and they had no way to survive, so they came here.'
Ji Xun pondered for a moment and said, "Even if three levels of taxes are added, we are still not at the point of desperation. It is impossible to leave our hometown and come here. Moreover, it has not been spring plowing yet. Who will be responsible for cultivating their own fields after they leave?"
"Yes, I also think this matter is fishy." Mr. Sun said.
"It's okay, I will investigate clearly." Ji Xundao, "Master Sun just needs to settle the refugees who are pouring into the city, maintain order, and not cause chaos."
"Yes, Your Highness." Sun Deming took the order and left in a hurry.
After Sun Deming left, Ji Xun was about to go into the house when Shen Yuyu came out in patched clothes and changed her appearance. With a black mole as big as a fly on the corner of her mouth, she pretended to be an old woman with a pockmarked face.
"Axun, let's go, let's go investigate." Shen Yue smiled unceremoniously at Ji Xun. Isn't her outfit an authentic refugee outfit?
"This girl can think of any way." Ji Xun pinched Shen Yuyu's pink cheeks lovingly.
"How can you find out the truth without joining their team? Hehe." Shen Yue raised his eyebrows playfully at Ji Xun, dragging Ji Xun's hand into the house, "Come on, come on, I'll make you look good." The 'old man' makeup~~"
Ji Xun shrugged helplessly.
Judging from his appearance, he is indeed an old man and a handsome old man.
After putting on makeup, Shen Yuehu and Ji Xun left the house through the corner door and came to the street.
There were tables set up in an open space on the street, and there were officials responsible for registering the information of the refugees. There was a long queue. Shen Yuhu and Ji Xun hunched their backs and helped each other to get in line.
"When we grow old one day, we will support each other as lovingly as we do today." When queuing up to register, Ji Xun did not forget to whisper in Shen Yue's ear.
"You're such a naughty guy." Shen Yuyu angrily pushed against the broad chest that hugged her from behind.
After registration, Shen Yue and Ji Xun, an 'old couple' with no children, followed other refugees to the east of the city. The foundation of the palace in the east of the city had been sorted out, and other construction had not yet started.
Mr. Sun set up a tent here to accommodate this group of refugees from Tongzhou.
The weather cleared up after the rain, and there was a big sun in the afternoon. It was warm everywhere, but it didn't feel too cold at all.
It was getting dark, and the officials brought pots, pans, rice, food, etc., settled everyone down, and then left.
As soon as the officials left, the refugees started to make a fuss. They built a bonfire outside the tent, cooked rice, chatted, and laughed.
Shen Yuyu even saw that the old woman and man whom he and Ji Xun had rescued changed from their previous miserable appearance and became lively and energetic, as if they were not fleeing for safety but traveling.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.
