Shocked! The salty concubine was spoiled by the cold prince

Chapter 153 Refugees

After the carriage had been traveling for a few days, there were already groups of refugees on the road.

Gu Jiaorong looked at them, all of whom looked pale and thin, and had not eaten a full meal for many days, and she couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted.

But she also knew that she couldn't give food to anyone at the moment.

Once someone gets food and others don't, that person becomes a target for everyone else once they leave.

Gu Jiaorong closed her eyes and hid back in the carriage.

But even if she didn't see these scenes, the refugees' pleading voices continued to fall into her ears.

"Why don't these corrupt officials open their eyes?!"

Gu Jiaorong said through gritted teeth, an angry expression flashing across her face.

Pei Xu seemed to have gotten used to it. He patted her hand and said calmly, "Human greed and desire are endless. Even if he hadn't opened his eyes to see this scene, he wouldn't have had any mercy, otherwise this scene wouldn't have happened. They embezzled countless disaster relief funds. Even if they were willing to give out even a tenth of it, these refugees wouldn't have to leave their homes. But how can they be willing to give out the silver that fell into their pockets?"

Gu Jiaorong certainly understood that this had been the case throughout the dynasties, with corrupt officials living in disarray while the common people suffered.

But when she saw this scene with her own eyes, she still couldn't accept it calmly.

She thought, she finally understood why there were so many peasant uprisings?!

If the court does not give them a way to survive, they will find a way to survive on their own.

What the people wanted was never the right to rule, but a stable and prosperous life. They also lacked the ability to rule, so this also doomed the peasant uprising to ultimate failure.

"They didn't have to leave their homes, and these children didn't have to die trying to escape."

Gu Jiaorong took a deep breath. Her expression was complicated, and her thoughts were even more complicated.

She knew that she could not do anything, and that she came here only to be a witness to this piece of history.

But if possible, she is willing to use the knowledge she has learned in her life, like Shen Zhaohua, to help these ordinary people so that they can live a stable and happy life.

"Your Majesty, if your mission is successful, I will give you a gift, okay?"

Gu Jiaorong suddenly spoke. Pei Xu didn't know what gift she was going to give him, but he still agreed.

"Of course."

Pei Xu didn't ask, as if he already knew something, so he chose to remain silent at this moment.

"Fuan, hurry up, we need to get into the city before dark."

Pei Xu did not plan to go directly to the destination, but to stay in the surrounding area first.

He thought a lot along the way.

If they went directly to the place where the corruption was most serious, they might not know where to start, not to mention there was also Pei Yunzhao.

It would be better to solve the problem from the edge and gradually move deeper into the hinterland.

"Yes, master."

Fuan responded and told the people below to speed up.

Their carriage hurried on and finally entered the city. It was already evening and they needed to find a place to stay.

But the city was not bustling. People walking on the street seemed to be in a hurry to leave the city, but stopped because of this group of people.

They seemed to still have some "reason" in them, still retaining some curiosity to watch the fun, but they soon left numbly, unlike when they had a full meal and stood together to discuss which wealthy person had come to the city.

Only a woman holding a child suddenly knelt in front of everyone.

"Masters, please save my child. He hasn't eaten for three days."

The woman's lips were chapped and her face was pale, and it was obvious that she had been having a hard time these days.

Fuan lowered his eyes and looked at the woman, and finally drove her away indifferently.

"Go away, don't block my master's way."

He had witnessed countless life and death situations with his master, and he had no sympathy for such a weak woman.

Moreover, when the woman knelt down, all pairs of secret eyes were already on her. Even if he wanted to help now, the woman might not be able to keep a single grain of food, and perhaps his kindness would harm her.

"Master, you are a kind-hearted person. Please, I beg you. As long as you are willing to save my child, I will do anything for you."

But what can she, a woman, do?

Fu'an finally drove her away, but the secret gaze on the woman disappeared.

Fu'an and others were carrying swords and looked like they were not easy to mess with. Therefore, even if the refugees wanted to, they did not dare to stop the car like the woman did.

After Pei Xu and Gu Jiaorong settled down at the inn, Gu Jiaorong ordered Fu'an to bring the woman over.

Fu'an knew that his aunt was always soft-hearted, so he was already cautious when she left.

Soon, the woman appeared at the inn holding the child.

"Our master is kind and will give you a bowl of rice. After you finish eating, you can leave quickly."

Gu Jiaorong did not see her. She was now too heavy and it was not convenient for her to see these people. If the other party had bad intentions, it would be even more risky.

Although Gu Jiaorong is kind-hearted, she will not joke about her own safety.

Fu'an also knew what his aunt was thinking, so he only gave her a bowl of rice. After she finished eating, he asked her about the situation in the city and then let her go.

The disaster in this city is already quite serious, but it is only slightly better in areas with more serious damage, otherwise so many people would not have escaped.

Pei Xu knew without hesitation that the place they were fleeing to was the capital.

If the emperor had not discovered it in time, the capital would probably be filled with refugees.

But the current situation is not necessarily that good.

Even in this marginal city, refugees have fled, let alone places with serious situations.

Even if Pei Yunzhao had already gone to Jinzhou Prefecture, he probably wouldn't care about these victims.

Gu Jiaorong had the same idea as Pei Xu.

Pei Xuqu raised his fingers, tapped on the table, and spoke.

"Tomorrow we will first check whether the shops have grain and how much it costs. Then we will check the government granaries and the government storehouses."

Now they had no worries about food and drink living in this inn. It was obvious that there was food in the city, but that it had been bought up by people who were going to sell it at a high price to make a fortune from the national crisis.

"Catch all those who offer the highest price and interrogate them together tomorrow."

Pei Xu did not intend to waste too much time. He was just a small county. If he delayed too long, Jinzhou Prefecture would be in chaos.

"The magistrate, sitting firmly in the county yamen, must have already known that a distinguished person had arrived in the city, and he's probably trying to guess who it is."

Gu Jiaorong was very dissatisfied with the county magistrate's behavior. No matter whether he was controlled by others or was corrupt and accepted bribes, as the people's father and mother official, he had put the people in dire straits, which was not worthy of the official hat on his head.

Pei Xu had no intention of seeing the magistrate immediately, so he kept him in suspense, making him live in fear, until tomorrow when they had gathered evidence and would go to the county government office together to take care of the magistrate.

"Tell him to hurry up first. There might be someone else sneaking into the inn tonight, so tell everyone to be careful."

Pei Xu spoke calmly and gave the order.

Fuan always follows orders and never argues.