Lin Yuxin sat in the carriage waiting for a while before Zhao Yi arrived.

He spoke in a low voice:

“This group of refugees came from Quyan County. There’s already a shortage of food and water there, and the government hasn’t been distributing grain. Some people, unable to endure starvation, have already left their homes. Those who stayed behind still have some food reserves, but they probably won’t last much longer.”

“It looks like we need to speed up. Go find the Regent prince and tell him we should depart quickly!”

Lin Yuxin frowned and then instructed Zhao Yi to go ahead and inform Li Xiaocheng.

Li Xiaocheng had left the carriage early in the morning and was riding at the front to assess the situation.

“Yes!”

After Zhao Yi answered, he hurried off toward Li Xiaocheng.

Soon, the carriage started moving again, and at a faster pace.

Lin Yuxin sat beside Xiao Hao, fanning him to cool him down.

It was unbearably hot, and Xiao Hao was drenched in sweat, his clothes completely soaked.

She had been fanning him the entire journey, but it was of little use.

There was no ice available, and though she knew how to make ice, even water was scarce now—let alone the luxury of making ice.

They could only endure it.

Lin Yuxin had prepared heat-relief medicine in advance and had everyone drink it daily to prevent heatstroke.

She was also suffering from the heat, but she could endure it.

The real concern was the child—it was too harsh for him.

Seeing how miserable Xiao Hao was, she felt a twinge of regret for bringing him along.

“Seeing Xiao Hao suffer like this, it might have been better to leave him in the capital. Now he’s just going through hardship with me.”

She continued fanning him, watching with distress as he grew drowsy from the heat.

After much hesitation, Lin Yuxin finally spoke to Xiao Hao: “Xiao Hao, do you want me to send you back? This weather is too harsh for you.”

“Sister, I don’t want to go back! Since I came out with you, I can endure this.”

Hearing that she wanted to send him back, Xiao Hao suddenly became alert.

He sat up straight, his face serious.

“Alright, I won’t send you back. But if you start feeling unwell, you must tell me.”

Seeing his determination, Lin Yuxin sighed and relented.

She had brought him along, so she was responsible for ensuring his safe return.

“Mm!”

Xiao Hao smiled and nodded.

As long as she didn’t send him back, he was happy.

Since they had increased their travel speed, a journey that would have taken three to four days was completed in just two.

However, this made things even harder for the officials—some suffered from aching bones due to the bumpy ride, while others were on the verge of collapse from the heat.

One official, Liu Hongbo, couldn’t endure it and had already succumbed to heatstroke. He was now lying inside the carriage.

Lin Yuxin noticed that the carriage had stopped but hadn’t entered the city yet.

She looked ahead in confusion. Before long, Li Xiaocheng rode over on his horse.

“What’s going on up ahead? Aren’t we going into the city?” she asked, puzzled.

“The city gate is blocked by disaster victims. They want to enter the city, but the gates remain closed,” Li Xiaocheng explained grimly, his tone laced with frustration.

“How many refugees are there?” Lin Yuxin thought for a moment before asking.

“A lot—probably several hundred!” Li Xiaocheng recalled the sight and responded.

“That many! It seems like refugees from the surrounding villages have all gathered here. Several hundred people is no small number. The governor of Jibei City must have panicked at the sight of so many refugees and gone into hiding.”

Lin Yuxin was shocked by the numbers.

The presence of so many refugees meant that the surrounding areas were facing a severe disaster.

During her journey, she had already seen dried-up rivers, cracked roads, and withered plants.

Combined with the scorching heat, the environment was becoming increasingly uninhabitable.

“Yes. Yuxin, I want to send some people to investigate the surrounding areas,” Li Xiaocheng said.

“Go ahead. I was planning to send Zhao Yi and the others to check anyway. Since you brought it up first, it’s best if you take care of it.”

Lin Yuxin agreed readily. It seemed like they were thinking alike.

“Alright, then I’ll escort you into the city before heading out.”

Li Xiaocheng prepared to lead the way.

“Wait! Go handle your task first. I can deal with things here. If they want to test me, let’s see if they have the guts for it.”

Lin Yuxin stopped him, sneering.

“Then be careful! I’ll leave Wang Yu here with you,” Li Xiaocheng said, slightly reassured by her confidence.

“No need. I have more than enough people. You should go now.”

Lin Yuxin shook her head, declining his offer.

“With the people my grandfather and the emperor assigned to me, isn’t that more than enough to make a statement? Li Xiaocheng is underestimating me! Hmph!”

“Alright, then. Be careful!”

Li Xiaocheng chuckled at her confidence—he wasn’t sure who was going to be the unlucky one in this situation.

With that, he quietly led a team away from the back.

Lin Yuxin, wanting to avoid unnecessary attention, instructed Xiao Hao to stay inside the carriage.

Then she stepped down and walked toward the front.

Zhao Yi followed behind her, carrying a box that contained the imperial sword.

At the city gate, the scene was chaotic.

“Officer, please let us in! We are law-abiding citizens! We have nowhere else to go—just let us in for a drink of water!”

“Yes, officer, please have mercy! My child is dying! Please, please!”

Desperate refugees crowded the city gate, clinging to a shred of hope as they pleaded with the guards for entry.

But no matter how they begged, their pleas fell on deaf ears.

“Scram! Do you think you can just enter whenever you want? No entry without ten taels of silver!”

One officer, growing impatient with their begging, shoved a few kneeling refugees aside and took a step back, speaking with disgust.

“Ten taels?! It was just one tael yesterday! This is daylight robbery!”

A refugee who had planned to pay the entry fee was stunned by the sudden increase.

In this time of scarcity, with water and food already hard to come by, who still had that much silver? This was practically a death sentence.

“Exactly! Who has that much silver left? This is outright extortion!”

“Heavens, they’re forcing us to die! Oh, heavens above, open your eyes! The world is unjust!”

The crowd erupted in wails of despair, creating a scene of chaos.

“Shut up! Anyone who keeps crying, I’ll cut them down!”

The officer, irritated by the noise, drew his sword and pointed it at the refugees, shouting threateningly.

The cries of the refugees immediately quieted, replaced by muffled sobs.

Lin Yuxin arrived just in time to witness this scene. She let out a cold laugh.

“How impressive,” she remarked mockingly.

The officer turned toward the voice and saw a young woman dressed in a light green gown.

She was stunningly beautiful, but her expression was one of amusement, as if she were looking at an idiot.

Behind her stood a group of well-dressed, imposing individuals.

The officer’s heart skipped a beat. Could she be someone important?

Cautiously, he asked, “Miss, who are you?”

“Me? I just came here with my father to visit relatives. Look, this is my father.”

Lin Yuxin replied with a completely serious face, pointing at Gu Qing behind her.

Gu Qing: When did I become a father?!