Exile? A mad, wicked woman empties the national treasury to escape famine.

The soldiers who led them in to find a place to rest yesterday are still guarding the city gate today. Unlike yesterday, however, the soldiers' faces clearly show a hint of anxiety.

He didn't even speak to Ji Yunshu and her group, but directly opened the city gate and told them to leave quickly.

The city is in chaos right now, and they don't even know if their prefect is alive or dead. It's better to avoid trouble.

Ling Yun hadn't expected that leaving the city would be so smooth.

Ji Yunshu drove the carriage slowly past the soldiers.

Speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I'm afraid your prefect can't be saved. Even if he is, he'll probably be a cripple. The magistrate of Dongyang County will definitely be replaced in the future."

At a time like this, the imperial court certainly doesn't like troublemakers. If you act according to the former magistrate's advice and the court finds out that you've blocked the disaster victims from entering the city, do you think the court will vent its anger on you?

"You're just a lowly soldier. I advise you to think things through more carefully. Giving others a way out is giving yourself a way out. Don't go too far."

Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible to everyone except the two of them, and the soldiers became more and more alarmed the more they listened.

I feel cold all over.

Watching Ji Yunshu and her group leave, the officers and soldiers felt a headache coming on.

That man is right. Magistrate Bao is already in trouble, so he can't be the one to stick his neck out at this critical juncture.

If something goes wrong, we can just say it was on Judge Bao's orders!

Anyway, there's no way to prove it now that the dead are dead!

As soon as Ji Yunshu and her group stepped out of the city gate, the disaster victims who had been surrounding them swarmed forward and surrounded them.

Ling Yun and his group had already prepared for defense, drawing their swords and standing in front of the formation.

Many of the disaster victims had been injured by the soldiers guarding the city gate, and now that they saw the soldiers draw their knives, they were all quite frightened.

But they were so hungry that the aroma of food emanating from Ji Yunshu's carriage made their mouths water.

If we keep waiting like this, we'll starve to death sooner or later. We might as well take a gamble and maybe we can get something to exchange for a chance to survive.

"Brothers, if we wait any longer, we'll all die. They have food in their truck. Should we fight them? If we can grab some food, we can hold out a little longer! Otherwise, we'll just have to watch them leave and miss this chance to get food!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and the others echoed in unison.

"Exactly, I agree. If we keep starving like this, people will die!"

"Yes, that's right, I agree! There are so many of us, and they don't have many. Besides, they've already left the city gates, the soldiers inside won't care if they live or die. Let's go and loot them, every little bit helps, it's better than starving to death!"

The villagers' voices grew louder and louder, and Ling Yun's heart sank to the bottom. He hadn't expected that these disaster victims would be so fearless as to rush over.

Turning to look at the city gate not far behind them, they saw that it had been closed since they left, with no sign of opening again.

It seems that the soldiers behind them don't care whether they live or die.

He shouted, "Listen up, everyone! If they dare to charge at us, kill them without mercy!"

He didn't want it to be like this either. He felt sorry for these disaster victims, but if they really insisted on forcibly taking their things, he had no other choice but to resort to this tactic.

Saving lives is the priority.

As soon as Ling Yun finished speaking, the other officers also drew their knives, their faces grim and no longer as relaxed as before.

But the disaster victims seemed not to understand Ling Yun's words, and continued to slowly surround the crowd, the atmosphere tense and ready to explode.

Everyone was extremely nervous.

Ji Yunshu's heart was in her throat. They had the most supplies, although they were mostly daily necessities. But if they really fought with these disaster victims, they would inevitably get hurt. They had to find a way to avoid this conflict.

Just as the disaster victims were getting closer and closer to them, Ji Yunshu suddenly jumped down from the carriage, her tone relaxed, "Huh, what's going on?"

"Under the emperor's nose, one cannot act recklessly. I know you are acting out of necessity, only wanting to fill your stomachs, not really intending to rob. In that case, the food problem is easily solved."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Now that you have some money, you can go to Dongyang County to buy food."

Disaster victims.......

"You've got a nice way to put it, woman. Silver? Where would we get silver? If we had silver on us, would we be stopped outside the city?"

"Exactly! You make it sound so easy. Even with the money, we can't get into Dongyang County! Lord Bao has said he won't let any of us in!"

This is the most despairing thing!

They don't give us a single chance!

These orders were like a chokehold, suffocating them.

The disaster victims were filled with righteous indignation, and many of them wept quietly. Sometimes, it wasn't that they wanted to be bad people, but that the world simply didn't give them a way to survive.

If they don't find ways and use any means to get food, they will be the ones who die.

Ji Yunshu nodded, her nose tingling slightly. "Don't worry, Lord Bao of Dongyang County is in trouble today. He's barely able to take care of himself, and it's hard to say whether he'll survive. If you want to go into the city, today is the best opportunity."

"The soldiers in the city can see everything you're doing. If they see you looting all our supplies and causing chaos, they'll avoid you like the plague, so why would they let you into the city?"

"So, you must stay calm. As long as you don't panic, I guarantee you'll be able to enter the city today."

Her tone was quite confident, and everyone around her couldn't help but look at her.

Ji Yunshu...

Uh?

Isn't she being a little too high-profile?

Damn it, whatever, I'll just follow my heart first.

Anyway, these people have no way of knowing what she actually did.

The others remained silent, but the disaster victim who had initially led the attempt to loot supplies spoke up:

"Young lady, are you telling the truth or not? Can you really let us into the city? My name is Li Ergou. If you're telling the truth, I'll apologize on behalf of everyone for what we just did."

As long as you can get into the city, you have a chance to survive.

Ji Yunshu glanced at him. Li, Li Ergou?

This name is a bit hasty.

When he spoke, all the disaster victims' eyes were on him; no one else spoke.

It seems that these disaster victims usually listen to Li Ergou more often.

She nodded slightly and slowly walked a few steps closer to Li Ergou.

He spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Li Ergou, right? Of course I'm telling the truth. Just go into the city. The officials shouldn't make you pay too much for the entry fee. If you don't have any money on you, just wait here for a while. Before long, silver will fall from the sky."

"Tell them to prepare themselves, and each of them should pick up some. There won't be too much, but it will be enough for you to live on for a while. Once the disaster is over, you can each find your own way to make a living."