Chapter 15: Do Your Best, Leave the Rest to Fate

“Miss An, please wait a moment. May I ask where you got this information?” the mayor called out.

An Xiyan: “…”
Where did she get it from? Of course, it was from her two unreliable parents—no, to be precise, they told Uncle Meng.

But… if she told the mayor that directly, he’d probably become even more suspicious of the news, maybe even press her endlessly for more details.

What if he started asking about her parents’ identities?

What a joke. She only knew that her mother was the daughter of the Duke of An, but as for her mysterious father… she had no idea what his true identity was.

An Xiyan paused briefly, then turned back to look at the mayor.

She spoke seriously, “This information was given to me by the Imperial Advisor himself. You may not believe what I say, but surely you can trust the words of the Imperial Advisor.”

“As for whether you decide to share this with the townspeople—that’s your decision. I’ve done all I can. I have a clear conscience.”

(An Xiyan thought: I might as well use my future husband’s title—it’d be a waste not to.)

The mayor saw An Xiyan’s cold expression and realized she might be upset due to his earlier doubts. His heart skipped a beat.

He quickly explained, “Miss An, please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t believe you—this is just… a very serious matter.”

“Our town may be small and sparsely populated, but we still have over ten thousand residents. They’ve lived here for generations. If we suddenly tell them such news, many of them may not be able to accept it.”

“That’s why I needed to confirm the source of the information,” the mayor said sincerely, looking at her with an apologetic gaze.

An Xiyan gave a slight nod. “I understand what you’re thinking, and there’s no need to apologize. As for the townspeople, just tell them the news came from the Imperial Advisor.”

“Whether they believe it or choose to flee—that will be their own decision. In the end, whether they live or die depends entirely on their own choices. We do what we can, and leave the rest to fate.”

The mayor’s eyes lit up. That’s right—do your best and leave the rest to fate. He would do all he could to persuade the townspeople. As for their final decisions, that was beyond his control.

His power was limited. As long as he fulfilled his duty, he could face himself with a clear conscience.

The mayor cupped his hands toward An Xiyan and said solemnly, “Miss An, your integrity is admirable. I sincerely thank you for bringing us this information.”

“…that we have saved countless innocent people in this town.”

“Your immense kindness is something we will never forget. If we are fortunate enough to escape this disaster, we will surely repay Miss An one day.”

An Xiyan: At this moment, she felt a little light-headed, almost as if she were glowing with a holy light like Saint Mary.

Ugh… unbearable. She got goosebumps all over.

Feigning calm and composure, she said, “Mayor, you’re exaggerating. I’m not worthy of your gratitude, nor do I seek any reward. If you must thank someone, thank the Imperial Advisor. He was the one who told me this news.”

“And also, it’s you who will have to inform the townspeople and do the hard work. If anyone should be thanked by them, it should be you.”

Upon hearing her words, the mayor and his sons looked at An Xiyan with deep admiration.

They thought to themselves—for someone so young to be so righteous and expect nothing in return, such a person must be incredibly rare in this world.

Then, all three of them solemnly bowed to An Xiyan, expressing their heartfelt gratitude.

The mayor straightened up and asked quickly, “Miss An, where are you headed now?”

“To the capital,” An Xiyan replied flatly. “It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave now. Please, take care.”

To her, people like the mayor and his sons were just passersby in her life—there was no need to build deep connections.

The mayor and his sons quickly cupped their hands and said, “Miss An, safe travels and take care of yourself.”

An Xiyan nodded in thanks, then boarded the carriage. Meng Guangping promptly took the reins and drove the carriage back toward their residence.

Once An Xiyan had left, Zhao Mokui immediately asked, “Father, what should we do now?”

The mayor’s brows furrowed deeply. After a moment of contemplation, he instructed, “Moran, go notify the women in the household. Tell them to start packing immediately, and be quick about it. We need to leave the town as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Father. I’ll go inform Mother and the others right away,” Zhao Moran replied, then ran off quickly toward home.

The mayor turned to Zhao Mokui and instructed, “Kui’er, gather all the house servants and guards. Have each of them carry a gong, and go out into the streets.”

“Have them strike the gongs as they go, loudly announcing to the townspeople that the Imperial Advisor has sent word: soldiers from Dongyang Nation will reach our town in less than three days, so everyone must—”

“…everyone must quickly pack up and flee for their lives.”

“If anyone doesn’t care about living, then stay behind and wait to be slaughtered by the enemy. But those who want to survive—hurry up and escape! Don’t carry too much, just take food and valuables, and leave now!”

Zhao Mokui responded loudly, “Yes, Father! I’ll get to it right away.”

“Wait.” The mayor stopped Zhao Mokui, his expression grave. “I’m giving you only three hours. Do your best to spread the word to all the townspeople and then bring the men back immediately.”

Zhao Mokui nodded. He understood what his father meant and knew time was tight. He quickly said, “Understood, Father. I won’t waste a single moment.”

The mayor solemnly patted his son’s shoulder. “Good. Make the most of your time—go quickly and inform the townspeople.”

Zhao Mokui nodded again and stopped delaying. He immediately summoned all the household servants and guards, then divided them into several teams to be dispatched throughout the town.

That way, they could inform the entire town much faster—and save precious time.

The mayor let out a long sigh. Do your best, and leave the rest to fate. This was all he could do. Then he hurriedly instructed the steward to start packing.

Although he was just a small-town mayor, he had accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years. It would be too painful to leave it all behind. At the very least, they had to gather the valuables and bring them along.

More importantly, he was anxious and worried. There were nearly a hundred people in their extended household—both young and old.

In the future, where could so many people go?

And who knew when they’d be able to return to this town again? At the very least, they would have to wait until Qiming Nation’s soldiers drove the invaders out before daring to come back.

Just then, the mayor’s wife rushed into the study, visibly panicked. “Husband, what on earth is going on?”

The mayor glanced at his wife and saw her disheveled appearance—her clothing messy, her usual calm demeanor completely gone. He let out a sigh.

“Didn’t Moran already tell you? Why are you still here asking me? You should be ordering the maids and servants to pack and prepare provisions by now.”

The mayor’s expression grew impatient, and his tone turned slightly irritable. “Time waits for no one. We must escape before the enemy arrives.”