The entire government office, from top to bottom, was devoid of any integrity. With no one in charge in Lin'an County, turmoil was imminent.
A gaunt man, holding a waist token, walked towards the yamen. As he passed a tea stall, he was ambushed, a sack thrown over his head, and he was knocked unconscious and dumped in a secluded alley.
"Alright, it's your turn to make an appearance."
Nan Shiying cast an encouraging glance at Mu Xiaoxiao. Mu Xiaoxiao nervously fiddled with her clothes. Facing the man before her, she found herself at a loss for words.
This man had manipulated the refugees to force their way into the yamen, exposing the county magistrate's wrongdoings through the most barbaric means. This ignited public outrage and led to the dismissal of the entire yamen in an unconventional manner. He commanded the situation as he pleased, his machinations and methods astounding and impressing Mu Xiaoxiao.
She even harbored a thought that he would be no less impressive standing beside Ji Jinmo.
Xuan Yi, observing Mu Xiaoxiao's gaze towards his mistress, felt a pang of jealousy. How was he supposed to explain to his lord that his love rival wasn't limited to men?
It was utterly preposterous!
Poison Elder lowered his eyes, lost in thought, his occasional glances at Nan Shiying growing more fervent.
...
For commoners to intrude upon the yamen and imprison the county magistrate was a grave offense. Even if the county magistrate and his subordinates deserved their fate, it did not erase the crimes committed by the refugees.
Just as the refugees were consumed by despair, even contemplating fleeing to the mountains and becoming outlaws as a last resort, a young lady claiming to be Princess Jiacheng appeared within the yamen.
The news of Princess Jiacheng's arrival in Lin'an County and her swift action to quell the unrest quickly spread through the streets and alleys. The princess took charge of the yamen and began distributing grain for relief.
Tents were erected on the open grounds where the refugees were temporarily housed. The refugees no longer had to crowd into tents, with ten people sharing one. Even the quilts for warmth were replaced with thicker cotton padding.
"Cough, cough~"
In the refugee camp, coughs were incessant.
Many had fallen ill.
Despite the availability of hot porridge and dry rations, some couldn't survive the winter.
Outside the refugee camp, a patch of open ground was piled high with corpses. People had placed those who hadn't made it in one spot. From a distance, it looked like a mountain of bodies.
Mu Xiaoxiao, who had not ventured deep into the refugee camp before, turned pale and nearly collapsed upon witnessing this scene.
When standing, one might not notice the sheer number.
But the sight of the fallen bodies delivered a powerful emotional blow.
Along with her fear, her hatred for the Lin'an county magistrate intensified.
Nan Shiying, observing the scene, frowned slightly, a surge of anger rising within her.
That Lin'an county magistrate was utterly incompetent.
How could he allow corpses to be piled up here without proper disposal? A mountain of bodies, buzzing with flies – was he inviting his own demise even faster?
"Quick, prepare the ox carts to haul the bodies. Take all these corpses outside the city and burn them thoroughly," Nan Shiying instructed, stepping past Mu Xiaoxiao to address the newly recruited yamen runners.
The yamen runners exchanged glances and then looked towards Mu Xiaoxiao.
Mu Xiaoxiao immediately frowned, "What are you dawdling for? Didn't you hear Fengluan's command? Get moving!"
The yamen runners no longer hesitated, but as they approached the corpses, their faces grew paler. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, they tore strips from their clothes and tied them over their faces.
"Don't take my mother, get away, all of you, get away!"
A little boy rushed out from a tent and threw himself onto a corpse. He waved a wooden stick in his hand, driving away the yamen runners who had come to carry the body.
His small body clung tightly to the corpse, as if oblivious to the stench that assailed his nostrils. The hatred burning in his eyes when he looked at the yamen runners was chilling.
"Huzi!"
A man in his thirties rushed over, grabbed Huzi's arm, and pulled him back.
"Let me go, let me go, Mother, don't take my mother away, don't touch her."
Huzi struggled fiercely, his fingers digging into the man's hand, his teeth biting into his arm. He did everything he could, with all his might, just to return to his mother's side.
He was still too young; he didn't understand death. He just wanted to stay by his mother's side forever.
Even if she could never get up again.
"Don't touch her!"
The cry of despair pierced the heavens. The strength emanating from the boy's small body forced the adult to exert all his might just to restrain him.
"Let him go."
A clear, sharp voice suddenly rang out. The man glanced at the handsome man standing beside Mu Xiaoxiao and instinctively released his grip.
Huzi lunged forward and collapsed onto his mother's corpse, letting out a beast-like cry from his throat.
"Take him too."
"No, sir, no. I'll take him away now. He's just a child, he doesn't understand anything. Please, sir, show mercy, please show mercy."
Upon hearing that the child was to be taken away, the man fell to his knees with a thud. He bowed his head repeatedly, his voice filled with earnest pleas, "Please, sir, show mercy."
"You come along!"
"Sir!"
The man froze, then seemed to resign himself to fate, spitting out a heavy word from between his clenched teeth: "Alright."
Nan Shiying glanced at him and suddenly smiled, "Why are you so ready to face death? Since the child cannot bear to be parted from his mother, let him accompany her on her final journey. You go with him to prevent him from doing anything foolish."
Hearing these words, the man was completely stunned.
He suddenly kowtowed vehemently, his head hitting the ground with dull thuds, "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir."
"Alright, go now!"
Nan Shiying stopped him. Seeing his bruised forehead, she took out a bottle of styptic powder from her embrace and tossed it over.
"To stop the bleeding."
The man held the medicine bottle, finding it impossible to describe the look in his eyes as he gazed at Nan Shiying.
It was a hope that blossomed from despair.
"Thank you, sir."
His voice was choked with emotion as he clutched the bottle tightly and silently walked over to the boy's side.
This scene was witnessed by almost everyone in the refugee camp. Their gazes towards Nan Shiying held a mixture of hope and wariness, but the numbness of succumbing to decay and death, like mud, gradually receded from their eyes.
After all the corpses were removed, the stench finally dissipated from the refugee camp.
Nan Shiying nodded with satisfaction and then addressed the crowd, "Starting tomorrow, I will conduct free medical consultations outside the refugee camp. If anyone is too gravely ill to get up, do not worry. Yamen runners will check each tent shortly and record them individually."
Mu Xiaoxiao was slightly taken aback.
She didn't pay attention to Nan Shiying overstepping her bounds, her mind only filled with a question: He can also practice medicine?
"Alright, does anyone else have any questions?" Nan Shiying asked.
A refugee raised his hand and timidly inquired, "Sir, when will the court be able to control the floods? Can we ever go home?"
The mention of home brought tears to everyone's eyes.
But home, even after repelling the floods and rebuilding Yuzhou, was no longer home without family.