"Princess, why did the tree spirit take us away?" Lu also asked Yu Zimo. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

"You'll find out later. Let's go. Yu Zimo stood up.

Everyone followed Yu Zimo to the courtyard. The suits for the return trip had been prepared, and the guards stood neatly in the courtyard, waiting for the order of the princess Yu Zimo.

As soon as Yu Zimo walked into the courtyard, her Ma Changyue walked in front of her without waiting for the summons. Yu Zimo stretched out his slender hand, gently stroked Changyue's silky mane, and then turned over on the horse. "Let's go. She commanded. It's not loud, but it's clear.

Qing Ran, Qing Yao and others also got on the horse. The guards, in response, heard the sound of horses' hooves on the ground. The team set off in the direction of Fumen.

"Wait. Lu also led his horse and ran quickly to Yu Zimo's horse. "Princess, tens of thousands of people are kneeling outside. Didn't you let the green spirit take us out? She hasn't come back yet. ”

Yu Zimo smiled slightly.

"Lu Ye, why do you talk so much. Do you want to go with us to the capital? Changming said.

"Of course—" Lu also said with wide eyes. "But—"

"Don't. Believe the princess, hurry up and get on the horse. ”

Lu Ye was half suspicious, half excited to get on the horse, and followed the team out.

Out of the central courtyard, came to the gate of the palace. The gates of the palace were open. Outside, the road was quiet and quiet, not to mention people, not even a bird.

"What's going on, what about the people?" Lu muttered as he couldn't believe his eyes. …… How did she do it?

No one paid attention to Lu Ye's surprise, and no one spoke, the procession left the gate and walked along the street in front of the gate until it reached the official road in the suburbs.

The horses' hooves make rhythmic sounds as they trample on the stiff pavement.

The speed of the march is getting faster and faster. The doubts in Lu Ye's heart are also intensifying. The sky is already bright, and the people in front of the palace have disappeared, so why haven't they encountered a single shadow of the people on this road.

Since the beginning of winter, almost every day, refugees will come to Dongjun from outside, with their children and daughters, huddle on the side of the road, and after being discovered by the guards of Dongjun, they will be taken to the eastern suburbs for temporary resettlement.

At this time, the team walked on the official road. The area around the official road is unusually quiet, not to mention the refugees, not even the shadow of a bird. There were only a few trees on either side of the road, sparse, bare, and motionless. Behind the trees is the withered yellow earth.

Although the vegetation has not yet recovered, it is not so lifeless. It's obviously early in the morning, but it's depressing in the afternoon. Lu also felt that something was wrong, and along the way, he looked around. What the hell is it? He bit his lower lip with his teeth. When he let go of his lips, he realized what was making him feel strange. It's the wind.

Now that we have entered the windy season, we have not seen a trace of wind since we set off. The surrounding vegetation is even more still, and it has not moved a bit.

What's going on?...... Don't...... Lu couldn't help but think about entering the leylines with the princess and others. Could it be that they are not walking in the same space anymore? Lu was also vibrated by his own sudden thoughts. But nothing around me has been turned upside down or otherwise changed. If it's like that time, there must be some traces to be found, can the dryads really open the way for them from another dimension?Lu Ye's mind spun rapidly, and the wind blew in his heart.

When Lu Ye pondered, the team had already reached the border of Dongjun, and if they went further, they left Dongjun.

Yu Zimo glanced at Chang Ming, Chang Ming raised his hand, and the whole team stopped.

A cool breeze blew, and the green spirit appeared in front of Yu Zimo's horse. "Princess, I can only send you here. ”

"You're doing a great job. Yu Zimo said to Lu Ling, "You can go back." Take care of my peach tree. ”

The green spirit took the order, spun around, turned into a wisp of breeze, and disappeared again.

The sun was dim, the grass and trees were swaying slightly in the morning breeze, and Lu also felt that everything around him seemed to come alive all at once. He opened his mouth, trying to confirm his suspicion to the princess.

Yu Zimo stopped him with her unpredictable gaze, "You just need to know what you should know." ”

Lu was also unwilling, but he still held back and didn't ask any questions. It's not that his curiosity is not heavy, but he knows that this princess's temper is uncertain, and this has not really left Dongjun, and he doesn't want to anger the princess because of his recklessness, and if he is driven back, the gain outweighs the loss. Let's follow the princess out of here first.

Out of the East County, they seemed to enter another world, dry air, parched land, trees with dry branches, not a trace of life. In the grass lay the carcasses of various animals.

As the procession walked west along the main road, it was punctuated by the sight of displaced people fleeing and uprooting their homes, as well as the corpses of people who had starved to death and stiffened on the side of the road. Everyone was shocked in their hearts, although they knew that the disaster outside was serious, they didn't expect it to be so serious. It was the first time they had seen such a tragic scene, and they couldn't bear to look at it directly, so they couldn't help but speed up their march.

In the evening, they arrived at a small town in Hexi County.

"I went to inform the local officials and came to greet the prince and princess. Lu also said earnestly. The prince and princess passed by, and it was the rule for local officials to receive and prepare accommodation.

"No," Yu Zimo said, "There is no need to receive it, don't alarm anyone, let's go through the town, stay in the suburbs opposite the town, and continue our journey tomorrow morning." ”

"But ......" Lu was also puzzled by the princess's decision, there was a comfortable post house to live in, and living in the suburbs was not the princess's style. From the time they set out in the morning until now, they have been on the road almost all the time, and there is no rest at noon. He also wanted to stay comfortably at night, preferably with a hot shower, to go out of the dust and fatigue of the day. Sleeping in the suburbs, all the ideas are in vain. No, he rarely asked Qingran for advice.

Qingran agreed with Yu Zimo's decision. However, he was a little worried about Yu Zimo's body. After a long day's journey, she should be very tired and need a good rest. So there was some hesitation.

Of course, Yu Zimo knew Qing Ran's thoughts, so she said to Qing Ran: "Don't worry, in the suburbs, my rest will not be worse than the post house." What she said was true, and when she was in Xin, she often stayed in the suburbs for hunting. King Xin was worried about her and prepared a carriage and horse for her to rest in the suburbs. After she came to Shangguo, she also carried this set of carriages and horses.

Yu Zimo's words were equivalent to giving Qingran a reassurance, Qingran no longer hesitated, and let the team follow Yu Zimo's words to walk through the town and rest in the suburbs.

Except for Lu Ye, who had a bitter face, the others did not hesitate and expressed absolute obedience to Zi Mo's order.

As he walked through the town, Lu also thought to himself how he would let the local officials inform the local officials that the prince and princess were here if they came across patrolling soldiers, so that he would not have to live in the suburbs tonight.

Strangely, in a huge town, they didn't even encounter a single soldier along the way.

There was a willow forest not far from the town, and Yu Zimo decided to rest in the forest.

This time to return to the business capital, the most important thing is the speed. There are not many people brought by Qing Ran and Yu Zimo, except for Qing Yao, they are usually the most capable guards. In order to move lightly, they don't carry much with them. Except for one car, which was loaded with Yu Zimo's daily necessities, everyone else rode horses and carried their luggage with them.

After choosing a place to rest, Qingran and Qingyao took care of Yu Zimo. Chang Ming is in charge of vigilance. After everything was arranged, Changming walked to a dirt slope not far away and sat down, took out dry food, and ate while observing the surrounding movements. Lu also took his own dry food and approached Changming. While eating, I chatted with Changming.

"Don't you think it's strange that we passed through that town just now, and we didn't touch anyone, and there were no lights in the house, just like an empty town?"

"I don't think so. Changming chewed on the dry food and replied casually.

"How come?" Lu also looked at Changming's tense face, as serious as usual. Changming's flat attitude made him feel strange.

"There is no food in a disaster year, except for death and fleeing, how can the people have the strength to come out and be seen by you. ”

Lu was also stunned, "But the soldiers always have to come out on patrol." ”

"Soldiers are human beings. ”

"This is the time when it is most likely to cause trouble, what should I do if someone robs?" Lu Ye then asked.

"Robberies should also be robbed where there is food and things to rob. In a town like this, there is no surplus food for a long time. It would be good if they themselves did not become bandits. ”

"How do you know?"

"The prince has sent me to investigate in various places. This is now the case in the vast majority of towns in the Shang Kingdom. ”

"Qingran?" Lu also blinked, he didn't expect that this prince had been paying attention to the news outside Dongjun, "Isn't there a grain store and relief grain in the government?" he then asked.

"I don't know where Tun has gone for a long time. Changming said coldly.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you say?" Changming said, swallowing the food in his mouth. How could someone as shrewd as Lu not know the reason.

Lu also frowned - big family. No matter the good years or the calamities, it is these people who suffer. Expecting the people of the government to protect the people? It would be good if they did not serve as the guards and thugs of the powerful families. He put down the dry food in his hand and lost his appetite.

"Isn't Qingran going to take care of it? He's a prince. "After leaving Dongjun, Qingran has been on the road with Princess Yu Zimo, ignoring what happened to the people along the way, since he already knows the situation outside, it is impossible to be indifferent?

"Do you think we can manage it? Even if we can manage it, it will only treat the symptoms but not the root cause. Changming said.

Indeed, like the situation here, Shang Guo is everywhere, and it is impossible for Qing Ran to take care of it all, but it is still necessary to fundamentally relieve Shang Guo's predicament, "When did your words become reasonable?" Lu Ye looked at Chang Ming, who was sitting upright, with a scrutinizing gaze.

Changming's eyes were still looking at the princess's residence, observing the situation around her. He quickly finished the dry food in his hand, stood up, and said to Lu Ye, "Don't think about finding an official to arrange our accommodation. Listen to the princess. Our duty is to keep the princess safe. …… At night, as usual, there are two shifts, you take someone to be responsible for the first half of the night, and I take someone to be responsible for the second half of the night. Changming had already seen Lu Ye's careful thoughts, reminded him, and walked away.

Lu Ye sat alone on the dirt slope, looking into the distance, his expression had an unfamiliar solemnity.

The night in the woods was frighteningly cold and quiet. There was no wind, no insects, just the sound of sparks bursting as the campfire burned.

……

The night was deep and thick, covering everything on the land of Shangguo, so that people didn't need to see the shocking scenes for the time being.

Before dawn, the team set off.

At noon three days later, Yu Zimo and the others arrived outside the capital of the Shang Kingdom. The king of Shang had sent people to wait at the city gate. Wait for the team to get closer. A tall man dressed in a military general's costume stepped forward and asked to see Prince Qingran. Qing Ran recognized him as the chief of the Shang King's close guards.

The man first saluted Qingran, and then said to Qingran that after the king asked Prince Qingran to come back, he would immediately enter the palace to see him. The princess and the others can go back to the palace to rest first. The king will summon him later.

Qingran nodded indifferently. He glanced back at Yu Zimo to reassure her, and then followed the person who came to pick him up into the palace.

"What do you mean?" Lu Ye watched the changes in front of him in the team and whispered to Chang Ming.

Chang Ming's eyes were gloomy and he didn't answer.

"Capital, I'm here. ”