The person who arrived was the wet nurse who served Madam Shen.
Beneath the city walls, refugees were packed in like sardines. The wet nurse glanced down from the ramparts, feeling a wave of dizziness.
With so many people, how could she possibly find that family surnamed Jiang?
As she muttered to herself, a piece of red cloth was suddenly raised within the crowd. The wet nurse looked closely and recognized it as belonging to the Jiang family. She quickly waved at them.
Chen Yuezhi was filled with excitement, "She's seen us!"
Jiang Xiao, however, was a little worried, "Just being seen is no use. In this situation, the guards on the city wall definitely won't let us in."
Jiang Wan said, "Why would we want to go into the city? There's no need at all. If we go in, we'll just have to worry about how to get out."
Jiang Xiao was confused, "If we don't go in, how will we get Xiao Bao out?"
Jiang Wan smiled without answering and blew a whistle into the sky.
The next moment, the little horse flew over.
Jiang Wan said to Jiang Pan, "Dad, lift me up!"
Jiang Pan didn't hesitate. He gripped her under her armpits and with a heave, lifted her over his head, then placed her on his shoulders.
Jiang Pan was tall and sturdy. When Jiang Xiao sat on his shoulders, she was immediately taller than everyone else.
She took out a rolled-up paper from her怀里 and held it up.
The little horse immediately flew over and hooked its claws onto the string tied to the paper roll.
The refugees, seeing the plump little horse, went mad and pushed forward, jumping up, trying to catch it.
The little horse disdainfully flicked its rear, defecated a steaming pile of bird droppings towards the crowd, and then flew up to the city wall, flapping its wings.
Madam Shen's wet nurse was fretting about how to get the Jiang family into the city when she saw the bird fly down towards her, dropping the paper roll at her feet.
She quickly picked it up and opened it. The paper roll turned out to be an envelope, addressed: For Madam Shen's eyes only.
Jiang Wan, sure that the wet nurse had received the letter, raised her red cloth and waved.
The wet nurse waved back and then descended from the city wall.
"Alright, Dad, Mom, let's go wait outside. It stinks here."
With so many refugees crammed together, the stench of excrement, urine, and sweat mixed together, enough to suffocate a person.
The group had to exert considerable effort to push their way out of the crowd. Each of them was dirty and smelly, their clothes squeezed and crumpled like dried preserved vegetables.
Yan Li asked curiously, "What did you write on the paper roll that you sent with the bird?"
Jiang Wan said, "Naturally, it's about Xiao Bao."
Yan Li looked bewildered, "Then why didn't you just have the bird deliver the paper roll last night?"
Wouldn't that have been more convenient?
Jiang Wan waved her hand, "My family has some acquaintance with Madam Shen, but not a deep one. Sending a cloth strip to arrange a meeting first, and then discussing important matters, that's the normal procedure."
Otherwise, if they had immediately said they were there to ask for their child from the Shen family, what if the Shen family was displeased and ignored them?
Although she had many ways to get into the city, bringing such a large group, especially with two outsiders, she had to resort to the most cumbersome method.
Fortunately, Madam Shen was a kind-hearted person, and she sent someone to check the situation after receiving the cloth strip.
Yan Li added, "Then how did you determine that after the Shen family read the letter, they would find a way to let us into the city?"
Jiang Wan smiled mysteriously, saying nothing, but her expression was exceptionally confident.
Yan Li felt that the matter was proceeding too smoothly, making it feel eerie, but he couldn't pinpoint any issues.
On the other side, Madam Shen's wet nurse, holding the envelope, descended from the city wall, got into a carriage, and returned to the Shen mansion, delivering the envelope to Madam Shen.
Madam Shen looked somewhat anxious. While looking at her son, who was now ten months old, she asked, "Is it really the Jiang family?"
The wet nurse replied, "Indeed, Madam. Regarding the young master's illness, does that female doctor truly have a solution?"
Madam Shen didn't know either, but she had no other options at the moment. "As long as there's a sliver of hope, we must try."
Saying that, she opened the envelope and read the letter inside.
After finishing, Madam Shen, in her excitement, clutched the letter and ran towards her husband, Master Shen's study.
"Master, Master, our Qi'er can be saved!"
Master Shen, who was worrying in his study, heard Madam Shen's voice and asked, "What is it?"
Madam Shen placed the letter in her hand on the desk in front of him. "Master, look."
"The female doctor who delivered my baby last year, she's actually a disciple of the renowned Divine Doctor Jin! And what's more coincidental, her grandson is within our estate! Master, our Qi'er can be saved!"
Master Shen was also greatly excited upon hearing this. He picked up the letter and read it at lightning speed.
The handwriting on the letter was a bit immature, but the words were earnest. Jiang Wan first provided her family's information in the letter, and then spoke about Xiao Bao.
When the little horse first came to confirm Xiao Bao's whereabouts, it had already learned that Madam Shen's son was suffering from a rather troublesome illness. Originally, Master and Madam Shen had planned to go to Jiangning Prefecture to find Divine Doctor Jin. Who knew that with the refugees moving south, Huainan Prefecture was surrounded, and they couldn't even get out of the city gates.
Jiang Wan had already written this letter when she decided to bring Jiang Xiao along.
As expected, after revealing Chen Yuezhi's identity, the Shen couple began to find ways to meet the Jiang family.
Master Shen, eager to save his son, employed numerous methods and smoothed over various connections, finally getting the prefect of Huainan to agree to let the Jiang family and their entourage enter the city.
Immediately after clearing the way, Master Shen personally went to the city wall, holding his handwritten letter.
He had never met the Jiang family, but he believed that the Jiang family must be waiting for his reply!
Indeed, as soon as Master Shen ascended the city wall, he saw the very intelligent bird.
Master Shen attempted to hold up the rolled-up letter in his hand and said to the little horse, "Bird, are you waiting for me here? This is for your master, can you help carry it to her?"
The little horse couldn't understand what Master Shen was babbling about, but it was under Jiang Wan's orders to wait for the Shen family here. Seeing Master Shen holding a letter, it immediately flew forward, hooked it with its claws, and snatched the rolled-up letter away.
Master Shen, having lived for over thirty years, had never seen such an intelligent and human-like bird. He was stunned into a daze.
The little horse flew to the outskirts of the refugee crowd and found its master. Jiang Wan smiled upon seeing its claws, "Good news has arrived!"
Taking the letter and opening it, Jiang Wan said, "Let's go, pack up, and prepare to enter the city!"
Jiang Xiao could hardly believe it, "We can really enter the city now?"
Jiang Wan nodded, "Yes, sister, we're about to see Xiao Bao. You must stay calm, don't faint from excitement."
Jiang Xiao clutched her wildly beating heart, too excited to speak.
The group prepared to push into the crowd once more.
Jiang Wan, relying on her divine strength, led the way, clearing a path. She was like a miniature armored vehicle, pushing aside the tightly packed refugees and carving out a path in the dense crowd.
Upon reaching the city gate, Jiang Wan looked up at the city wall and saw that a servant from the Shen family was waving a red cloth on the ramparts, attracting their attention.
Jiang Wan quickly had Jiang Pan lift her up, and she also waved the red cloth.
As the two sides made contact, the soldiers on the city wall began to act.