But Song Chaoyu also decided to cooperate with Mu Changxi.
She reached out and took the arm of Mu Changxi, who was leaning on his cane. "Husband, when shall we depart?"
"Tsk—"
Seeing the two of them like this, Tiao Hong and Qiu Qing hid to the side and giggled.
In Xiang Rui's eyes, many doubts arose, flickering.
Song Chaoyu's cheeks flushed slightly, and she turned to glare at the still-giggling Tiao Hong. "These girls, it seems I've been too polite to them. Now they dare to mock us?"
Tiao Hong then suppressed her smile and whispered to Qiu Qing, "I was worried before that the young lady would be wronged after marrying. Now that I see, I was overthinking it!"
In fact, with them by her side, Song Chaoyu did not feel lonely on the journey.
However, every time she saw the disaster victims on the road, she felt an indescribable discomfort in her heart.
As they traveled to Haizhou, the number of disaster victims increased.
The official roads and trade routes were still fine. Perhaps due to so many people traveling, they had been cleared, and there was nothing to see.
They were taking a trade route this time, but they saw that most of the villages on both sides of the trade route had been washed away by the floodwaters, becoming ruins.
Not to mention the surrounding farmland, which was muddy everywhere and no longer resembled farmland at all.
In some severely affected villages, Song Chaoyu could even faintly see corpses in the fields.
In places where people were still capable of organizing self-rescue, the bodies had already been piled up and buried. In places where they could not organize self-rescue, the bodies were left scattered in neglected areas.
But this way, it was likely to cause the spread of epidemics.
Song Chaoyu feared that the old saying, "A great disaster is followed by a great epidemic," would come true in Haizhou today.
Clearly, Mu Changxi thought the same.
He instructed Pingjiang that if they encountered any places needing help along the way, they should do their best. However, they could not delay their journey, because he knew better than anyone that only by stabilizing the Haizhou prefectural office could the problems encountered by Haizhou be thoroughly resolved.
Song Chaoyu also discovered that after entering Haizhou, the duties of the prefectural office were not as evident as in other places.
Instead, everywhere she passed, she saw wanted posters for Xu Yuan.
The wanted posters stated that Xu Yuan and his group had assaulted and killed officials and harbored rebels, committing unforgivable crimes. For a mere Xu Yuan, they had offered a reward of one hundred taels of silver!
Therefore, after entering Haizhou, their actions became increasingly cautious.
They bypassed Haizhou city and headed from the east towards Ping'an County, which was a small coastal county at the southernmost tip of Haizhou.
Song Chaoyu also noticed that after passing the jurisdiction of Haizhou city, the search for Xu Yuan became more stringent.
Even when they walked on the trade route, they could see officials coming and going, carefully questioning disaster victims who passed by.
If this continued, it was only a matter of time before Xu Yuan was discovered.
Song Chaoyu made a decisive move and stopped the caravan.
Then she called Xu Yuan over and gave him a set of clothes belonging to the taller Qiu Qing. "Shave off all your beard, then put on these clothes. Otherwise, you might be discovered before we even reach Ping'an County."
Unexpectedly, when Xu Yuan saw the clothes, his expression changed drastically, and he quickly waved his hands in refusal. "No, no! As a dignified man who studies the teachings of the sages, how can I wear women's clothing?"
Qiu Qing glared at him impatiently when she saw him like this. "I don't want you, a smelly man, to wear my clothes either!"
This was the first time Song Chaoyu had seen Qiu Qing treat someone with such an attitude!
She smiled and stuffed the clothes into Xu Yuan's arms. "I only have two questions for you. First, do you still want to return to Ping'an County safely and do what you want to do?"
Xu Yuan nodded seriously. "Of course, I do! In Ping'an County, I'm afraid many people are still being held captive by them. I left Ping'an County to save them!"
Song Chaoyu asked him the second question. "Between the lives of so many people in Ping'an County and your face right now, which one is more important?"
Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.
Song Chaoyu also sighed. "The teachings of the sages did not teach you that men cannot wear women's clothing. But the teachings of the sages teach you that secretly harming others brings disaster, and accumulating virtue brings boundless blessings. The teachings of the sages also teach you that a gentleman values others over himself, putting others before himself. The teachings of the sages also say, 'It is what my heart desires, and I would not regret it even if I died nine times.'"
Seeing Xu Yuan's eyes, from initial confusion to shock mixed with clarity, Song Chaoyu continued, "So, do you still think it's so difficult to disguise yourself as a woman and travel with us?"
Mu Changxi, standing beside them, watched Song Chaoyu speak of the ancient sages' words, and for some reason, felt a slight dull ache in his heart.
In the past, when she was on the estate, although Song Chaoyu was merely an illegitimate daughter, she lived freely and happily, never feeling constrained. Why was she now, as if she had experienced a thousand sails, so unfathomable?
At least Mu Changxi was sure that if it were the Song Chaoyu still on the estate, she wouldn't have been able to quote so many ancient sages' words.
"I'll wear it!"
But soon, Xu Yuan's firm voice interrupted Mu Changxi's daze. "I've studied the teachings of the sages for so many years, yet I didn't understand this principle. Thank you, Princess Consort, for helping me know what I should do!"
He had figured it out, and Song Chaoyu nodded. "From now on, you must call me Madam on the road."
"Yes."
Xu Yuan took Qiu Qing's clothes and was about to change in the carriage.
Qiu Qing chased after him, shouting, "Be careful, don't ruin my clothes!"
Song Chaoyu pulled Qiu Qing aside. "Go prepare to help him tie up his hair and shave his beard. If it still doesn't look right, you and Tiao Hong can make him look ugly. Also, hide his Adam's apple, and tell him not to speak on the road. Otherwise, put some red spots on his face and cover it with a veil. If anyone asks, say she has a contagious disease, and people won't want to look at him too closely."
Hearing this, even Qiu Qing clapped her hands. "Madam, your method is indeed brilliant!"
Xiang Rui was also not very old, and hearing such an interesting matter, she was eager to try. "Madam, can I join them?"
Song Chaoyu smiled and nodded. "Go ahead. Don't tease him too much, just make him look presentable. Otherwise, if he looks too strange, it will also attract attention."
The three then happily went down, making Song Chaoyu worry for Xu Yuan.
Indeed, after a moment, Xu Yuan's voice could be heard from inside the carriage. "No, no, no, I'll do it myself!"
Song Chaoyu chuckled outside, which Mu Changxi saw as tenderness.