The road ahead, however, would no longer allow for such lighthearted laughter.
As they journeyed further towards Ping’an County, Song Chaoyu increasingly realized that the situation was far more dire than they had imagined.
The plight of the refugees they had seen earlier was already tragic enough, but the ones they encountered next were even more so!
While the number of refugees had noticeably increased after entering Haizhou, it was strange that upon entering Ping’an County, their numbers suddenly plummeted.
In fact, the entire trade route was sparsely populated.
The official road in the distance also hadn't fared much better. Only the constables searching for Xu Yuan from Haizhou City had become more numerous, appearing to outnumber the refugees on the road!
Was one Xu Yuan worth mobilizing so many men?
Sitting in a much smaller carriage than before, Song Chaoyu sneered at Mu Changxi, "If they had directed so many constables towards disaster relief, Haizhou City might not be in this state right now."
Mu Changxi's hands were already clenched into fists at his side, "If they continue like this, even the deepest reserves will be depleted."
Indeed, whether it was Mu Changxi or the Crown Prince, they were always deeply concerned about these matters.
But what about Mu Hansu and his ilk? How could such incompetent officials be entrusted with the vast Great Yue Dynasty?
Song Chaoyu reached out and took Mu Changxi's clenched fist, "Fortunately, we are still here. Things will get better."
In the past, Mu Changxi had always felt that Song Chaoyu was like an innocent child, pure and untroubled by the world's worries.
Now, the Song Chaoyu before Mu Changxi seemed to have descended to the mortal realm.
Yet, it was precisely this transformation that gave Song Chaoyu an indescribable allure for Mu Changxi.
It was as if... a little girl had finally grown up.
While Han Xi from the manor had been part of that girl's childhood, Mu Changxi was now part of the girl's present.
He was fortunate that, over the years, he had never been absent from Song Chaoyu's life.
"Whoa—"
As they were speaking, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Ping Jiang, now disguised as an ordinary servant, lifted the curtain and said to Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi, "Master, Madam, there are constables blocking the road ahead."
Xu Yuan was not much of a concern, but Song Chaoyu sensed a fleeting tension from Qiu Qing and Tiao Hong.
Song Chaoyu alighted from the carriage first and indeed saw five guards blocking their path.
As she helped Mu Changxi down, she felt a twinge of nervousness. After all, everyone knew that Prince Chang had arrived in Haizhou.
Mu Changxi's "lame leg" might be recognized.
However, it turned out that Song Chaoyu had worried unnecessarily.
After she helped Mu Changxi out of the carriage, the five men in official attire merely glanced at Mu Changxi's walking stick and then scoffed, "Oh, everyone else is heading out of Ping’an County, why are you still coming towards it? Dragging a cripple, and still so determined? What are you here in Ping’an County for?"
Crippled?
These people were being rather impolite, weren't they?
Song Chaoyu's eyes grew colder.
But they had already prepared a response for this situation.
Ping Jiang addressed the one speaking among the constables, "My master's aunt lives in Ping’an County, and contact was lost after the disaster. My master was raised by his aunt since childhood, and his current achievements are all thanks to her. Therefore, he must find his aunt. It's fortunate we've encountered you gentlemen! Could you perhaps help us find my master's aunt?"
"Tch—"
The man scoffed, "You want us to help you find someone? With so many refugees, if we had to help everyone, wouldn't we be worked to death?"
As he spoke, he produced a wanted poster for Xu Yuan, pointing to the person in the image, "Look, have you seen this person?"
Ping Jiang naturally shook his head, "I haven't. Since you gentlemen cannot help, we shall proceed. The sooner we enter Ping’an County, the sooner we can find my aunt."
"Hey, wait a moment!"
But the men did not let them leave. Instead, they stepped forward and blocked their carriage, "We need to search your carriage to see if you are harboring a fugitive!"
From beginning to end, their eyes never fell upon Xu Yuan, who was dressed in women's clothing and wearing a veil. Song Chaoyu felt that even if Xu Yuan removed her veil today, these good-for-nothings wouldn't recognize her!
As expected, while they claimed to be searching for a fugitive, they didn't actually look at anyone.
They directly entered the carriage and even began to rummage through the supplies they were carrying.
Fortunately, they had not brought the court's disaster relief funds on this trip; those had been entrusted to Xiao Ruizi's team to deliver directly to Haizhou City.
Otherwise, if these people had seen them, they might have confiscated them regardless of who they were, right?
Not only that, but the leader stepped forward and extended his hand to Ping Jiang.
"What for?"
Ping Jiang was momentarily confused.
The man snorted coldly, "We've been guarding this Ping’an County for quite some time since the disaster. If you don't give us some 'hardship pay,' how can you enter Ping’an County?"
Ping Jiang's eyes immediately darkened.
Seeing that he was about to lose his temper, Mu Changxi coughed lightly, and he managed to restrain himself.
Tiao Hong stepped forward and asked the man, "How much do you want?"
The man surveyed them, seemingly assessing how much wealth this group possessed.
After a moment of consideration, he made an exorbitant demand, "Each person should at least be ten taels of silver, right? There are five of us brothers, and I naturally deserve more. I won't ask for more from you; just give us sixty to seventy taels, and unload all the supplies from your carriage here, and we'll let you pass."
Seventy taels, and unload supplies too?
Even a daydreamer wouldn't suggest such a thing!
Tiao Hong glanced back at Song Chaoyu's cold expression, understood Song Chaoyu's intent, and said to the man, "Officer, we are only here to find someone. And we've encountered countless refugees along the way, so we don't have much money left! Look, can you be more accommodating? Just let us pass, and we will be eternally grateful!"
"No money?!"
To their surprise, the man's expression quickly turned unpleasant, "No money and you still want to enter Ping’an County? That's just wishful thinking! You are currently in Haizhou territory! It's good enough that you're alive, and you don't want to pay? Go, go, go! If you don't want to pay, then get out of here as soon as possible!"