0p0 Chapter 199 Not a Kind Kind
Chapter 199 Not a Kind Kind
"Qiuyun Mountain has a steep terrain, with hard rocks everywhere. There are few trees and even fewer wild animals. The people who are fleeing rarely set foot in this area. Therefore, once we evacuate from the secret passage, our safety will be fully guaranteed."
Gu Qinlan couldn't help but once again express her respect for the foresight of the Zheng family ancestors.
After confirming that the secret passage was usable, they did not stay here for long.
It took them more than half an hour to return along the same route.
When they crawled out of the secret passage, their clothes were already soaked with dampness.
Princess Duan had already sent someone to deliver clean clothes, and as soon as she saw them, she eagerly asked them to change.
"Didn't I tell you not to go? But you insisted on going. Look at you, you look so pale. It frightened me."
Princess Duan wiped away her tears with heartache.
Gu Qinlan felt exhausted and not in good health.
The air in the secret passage was extremely foul. It was unbearable to stay in it for a long time. The chest felt heavy and nauseous, and the head hurt.
Princess Duan handed her a porcelain bottle and said, "This is what I asked for from Miss Luofeng. It is said to be a special cure for miasma. You should take it quickly."
She also handed a bottle to Sang Qian and Hong Ye respectively.
After taking the medicine and resting for a while, the three of them felt their chests were much more comfortable and their minds became clearer.
After regaining his strength, Gu Qinlan said to Sang Qian, "We must clear that secret passage. Otherwise, in an emergency, so many of us will be trapped in it and might suffocate to death."
Sang Qian deeply agreed with this. Even a warrior like him felt uncomfortable. How could those weak people, like the old lady, bear it?
"If you trust me, Madam, please leave this task to me."
Gu Qinlan replied: "Of course I can trust you, otherwise why would I let you go down the secret passage. Cleaning up the secret passage is a difficult task. Not only do we have to seize the time, but we also have to prevent the news from leaking out. Can you really..."
"I will definitely live up to my mission."
Sang Qian's tone was firm and powerful.
Gu Qinlan nodded: "Okay, I'll leave it to you. Just ask for the supplies you need."
In the following days, the entire Prince Duan's Mansion was extremely busy.
The maids, servants and domestic servants in the mansion were assigned various tasks.
Some were responsible for digging traps in the mansion, some were responsible for making the hidden weapons needed for the traps, and some were responsible for supplying supplies and keeping an eye on the refugees.
Even the owner of the mansion and the Jiang family members in the guest house actively participated and worked hard together to defend Prince Duan's Mansion.
The situation in the city worsened.
Except for Prince Duan's Mansion, almost all the mansions of powerful families were looted by refugees.
The refugees had accumulated too much resentment in their hearts. After rushing into the mansion, they destroyed it crazily, taking away everything they could and destroying and burning everything they could not.
There was a house far away from Prince Duan's Mansion. The entire house was engulfed by a fire and turned into ashes.
It is said that the women of that family threw themselves into the sea of fire in order to protect their chastity...
Many civilians' homes were not spared from the disaster and were ruthlessly destroyed.
In Jindu, civilians suffered heavy casualties, and many even joined the riots in order to seek a chance of survival.
The entire city fell into chaos and confusion.
In this turbulent time, Prince Duan's Mansion, which had always been steadfast in its post, gradually became a thorn in the eyes of everyone.
They suffered so much, but the Prince Duan's Mansion seemed to be immune to it, which was unbearable for them.
"It is better to endure the suffering together than to enjoy peace alone!" they thought to themselves.
As a result, the refugees and civilians in the city flocked to Prince Duan's palace amid the incitement.
"There is food hidden in Prince Duan's Mansion!"
"I heard that the wife of the prince opened the granary not long ago and provided relief to the people of the whole city."
"We suffered from hunger and cold for months, and no one cared about us. But they only had to starve for two days, and someone took the initiative to bring them food and water!"
"This wife of the Crown Prince clearly looks down on us displaced refugees! If she despises us, then we will destroy her base camp and let her have a taste of hunger!"
"Since she is willing to treat the whole city to delicious food, there must be mountains of food in her house. Let's work together to capture Prince Duan's mansion in one fell swoop, and we will never suffer from hunger again!"
"That's right, let's get it! Everyone, come together!"
Countless refugees, armed with stones and sticks, approached Prince Duan's palace aggressively.
Among the crowd, there were also many citizens who had received favors from Prince Duan’s Mansion.
At first, these people were grateful and remembered the kindness of Prince Duan's Mansion. However, human hearts are unpredictable.
Many people's homes were destroyed by refugees, and their last rations of food and money were looted. In order to survive, they mixed in with the refugees and robbed the wealthy families.
At first, they still had a trace of guilt and only planned to steal some food to prevent themselves and their families from starving to death.
However, the lure of money is hard to resist.
As they blend in with the crowd and easily grab wealth that might have taken years or even decades of hard work to obtain in the past, their consciences gradually disappear.
"The law does not punish everyone. I am mixed in with the refugees. Who can tell me apart?" They comforted themselves in their hearts.
After the looting, they only had to take off their tattered clothes, curse the refugees, or even curse the looters to death, and no one would doubt their identities.
So they continued this practice with peace of mind.
When people around them saw that they were making profits, they followed suit and joined in.
In order to grab more benefits, they even rush to the front.
Of course, there are also some people who do not want to see Prince Duan’s Mansion remain unscathed.
Gu Qinlian and Ji Yinli are people who hold this mentality.
However, Ji Yinli was determined to take the imperial examinations in the future and had expectations for a career in officialdom, so they still had some concerns and worried about being recognized, so they only fanned the flames in secret and did not directly participate in the robbery.
The two men secretly rejoiced as they watched the refugees surrounding Prince Duan's mansion and many people starting to climb over the walls using ladders.
Gu Qinlian raised her lips with a sly smile: "My dear sister, don't you always claim to be smart and able to influence people's hearts? This time, I want to see how you can persuade these refugees to leave!"
These refugees were not good people. Not only did they suffer heavy losses of property in the homes they attacked, but the women also encountered terrible situations.
Many timid and fearful women lost their innocence in this chaos.
Whenever she thought of those ladies from wealthy families and young ladies who lived a life of luxury and comfort, ending up with fields touched by the rude farmers, or even beggars and vagrants, whom they had always looked down upon, Gu Qinlian's heart was filled with uncontrollable ecstasy.
Her heart was filled with the expectation that Gu Qinlan would suffer the same fate. No, she longed for more - it would be best if Gu Qinlan was dragged through the streets by displaced people after being humiliated. In this way, even if Gu Qinlan was thick-skinned and mentally tough, he would be rejected by the Zheng family.
Suddenly, Gu Qinlian didn't want Gu Qinlan to die. Death meant the end of everything. She hoped that Gu Qinlan could linger on, live in endless pain, be despised by everyone, and eventually end up in an unbearable place...