The man did not understand what she was muttering, his movements slowing slightly, but he did not stop.
"Whoever steals water dies!"
"Ah!" Luo Wanwan was so frightened by the scene before her that she screamed and closed her eyes, not daring to look.
Just as the little boy was about to be thrown to the ground after escaping his grasp, Little Six tightly embraced him, saving him.
Lin Yanxi was shocked at first. She could not gather any talismanic power in her hands and had no time to react to anything else.
Fortunately, the little boy was unharmed, only his eyes were red and he was scared.
Why could she not gather talismanic power? She calmed herself down and tried again, but it still didn't work.
She looked at her palm, her heart sinking, and she was somewhat lost in thought.
Seeing her stunned, Luo Wanwan thought she was frightened and quickly took out her purse, stepping in front of Lin Yanxi to shield her, saying, "How much silver? I'll pay them for him."
The man glanced at the purse in her hand and became even more enraged, "A cup of water is a life. How much money do you say can buy a life! Villagers, what do you say!"
Luo Wanwan was timid, not even daring to look directly at the man before her. The hand holding the purse trembled slightly. The man fiercely snatched it and opened it to look.
Lin Yanxi finally reacted and hurriedly stopped her, "Wanwan, no."
She was still a step too late. The man opened the purse to reveal assorted pieces of silver and a small gold leaf.
Lin Yanxi gave Little Six a look, signaling him to lead Luo Wanwan away to the side.
These displaced disaster victims, starving and poorly clothed, for whom silver was undoubtedly a hope for survival.
For this path to survival, these people might do anything.
Little Six slowly moved towards the side with Wanwan, trying not to attract their attention.
The man took out the gold leaf and shone it in the sunlight. The gold exuded an alluring luster.
The refugees, who had seemed listless, their eyes lit up upon seeing the gold leaf in the purse, their gaze fixed on the purse, revealing greedy faces.
The man clasped the gold leaf in his hand, scattering the remaining碎银子 (suì yín zi - small pieces of silver) on the ground.
The refugees pounced on the ground like madmen, scrambling for the silver.
Little Six protected the two of them as they retreated. Someone shouted, "That woman has money, stop them!"
Luo Wanwan immediately felt someone pulling at her sleeve, "Help! Ah!"
"Don't pull me, help, help."
Fortunately, Lin Yanxi had the dagger given to her by Shen Muzhou. It was still in its scabbard, and she could barely fend off the refugees, protecting Luo Wanwan as they retreated a few steps.
Wanwan sobbed softly behind her, and the two of them looked very disheveled.
The refugee camp immediately became chaotic, with some fighting over the scattered silver and others trying to block their path.
Just as they were helpless, a small troop of soldiers entered the refugee camp to maintain order. The scene was quickly stabilized, and a path was cleared in the middle.
"Princess Chaoyang arrives—"
Luo Jingxin, dressed in a white dress that seemed untouched by dust, wore no extravagant or ornate hairpins or jewelry as usual. Her ink-black, waterfall-like hair was casually tied into a bun, and strands cascaded from the top of her head, swaying gently with her white dress.
She was sacred and gentle, as if her arrival was to alleviate the suffering of the world.
Upon seeing her, the refugees knelt to the ground in unison and fell silent.
She generously walked up to Lin Yanxi and paused slightly when she saw Luo Wanwan, saying gently, "Did we frighten you?"
Luo Wanwan lowered her head and whispered, "Elder... Elder Sister."
Following Luo Jingxin were two distinguished-looking men, Shen Muzhou and Shen Yu.
Shen Yu saw Luo Wanwan and asked, "Why are you here?"
Luo Wanwan stammered, unable to speak, overwhelmed with shame.
Lin Yanxi stated directly, "I brought her."
Luo Jingxin asked, "What happened here?"
Little Six glanced at Shen Muzhou, who gestured for Little Six to explain the situation.
After hearing Little Six recount the cause and course of events, Luo Jingxin said softly, "Everyone, please rise. The times are difficult, and hearts are restless. It is all understandable. It is no one's fault, nor is it the fault of the 'thief.' It is Heaven's indifference that has driven people to desperation."
"However, you are fighting tooth and nail for scattered silver today, but it cannot change the status quo. Where can you go with the money? Back home? In the face of this drought, home is only one place, and that is Nanmin."
"Nanmin has never abandoned anyone, provided we do not lose our bottom line. Only by persevering together can we overcome this tribulation."
The restless hearts of the people were somewhat appeased, but there were also many dissenting voices.
"How long do we have to persevere? I can barely hold on!"
"Yes, this refugee camp has nothing, it's impossible to survive."
Lin Yanxi then noticed that she had previously suggested mobilizing merchants to donate, and the top three donors would be allowed to erect a flag on their tents.
In front of these tents, there was only one flag, belonging to the merchant family, the Wang clan.
Faced with the questions from the people, Luo Jingxin, who had been speaking eloquently, suddenly fell silent. What else could she do?
These merchants were unwilling to invest. Only the Wang clan was persuaded by Shen Yu's persistent efforts.
The Wang clan had some prestige among merchants in previous years, but in recent years, it had declined significantly. With the disaster and the uncertainty of what lay ahead, who would dare to donate money?
It was merely a perfunctory donation offered out of respect for Shen Yu.
Luo Jingxin's expression was somewhat stiff, clearly lacking confidence, "We... we will resolve it gradually. You must believe in Nanmin."
"By the time you resolve it, we'll starve to death!"
"Yes, stop fobbing us off with these pretty words!"
In such circumstances, the people had become very sensitive and fragile, and immediately saw through Luo Jingxin's evasiveness.
Complaints erupted again from the crowd, and their emotions grew more agitated. The soldiers were on the verge of losing control.
Shen Muzhou walked to Lin Yanxi's side and said, "I'll take you away first."
Lin Yanxi did not leave with him, standing there fixedly, and said softly, "Three days."
"What?" he asked.
Her voice grew louder, "Three days! Give me three days."
The surrounding people quieted down, their gazes falling upon her.
"Give me three days, and I promise to improve the refugee camp until we overcome the disaster. Then you can rebuild your homes."
Lin Yanxi's eyes were bright and clear, giving a sincere and fervent impression. She appeared much younger than Luo Jingxin, a delicate young girl with no aggressive aura, making people feel comfortable.
Somehow, she inspired trust.
The people said nothing, but Luo Jingxin spoke up first, "Yanxi, now is not the time for you to show off. Do you know that the national treasury can no longer afford to support this place? Even among the reputable merchants, very few are willing to help, despite being old friends with my father."
As soon as she said this, the refugee camp erupted.
"What? Is His Majesty no longer willing to care for us?"
"Arranging us outside the city was a conspiracy."
The people's emotions became more agitated, and they began to organize to enter the city, no longer willing to stay outside.
Luo Jingxin looked at this scene, her brows relaxing slightly, suppressing a hint of smugness.
Seeing the conflict between the people and the soldiers escalating, and even Shen Muzhou struggling to control the situation, Lin Yanxi stood on a small stone and shouted, "Listen to me."
Her voice was too soft, drowned out by the surrounding arguments.
Shen Muzhou directly grabbed the man who had taken the gold leaf and said coldly, "Make them all quiet down."
The man tried to struggle, but Shen Muzhou applied more force. The man gritted his teeth in pain and shouted loudly, "Quiet, everyone! Stop arguing, be quiet!"
He was tall and strong, and his words carried more weight among the refugees than those of the government officials.
Nanmin temporarily quieted down, and all eyes turned back to the young girl standing on the stone.
Lin Yanxi looked at Shen Muzhou, and he gave her a slight nod.
Her gaze firmed, and she said, "It will only take three days. If the refugee camp is not improved in three days, it will not be too late for you to enter the city."
Shen Muzhou's gaze swept lightly over everyone and said, "The woman standing before you is the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor's mansion, and she is engaged to me. The refugee camp was her idea. With the promise of the Grand Tutor's mansion and this king, what else do you have to worry about?"
The people's gazes towards Lin Yanxi changed, softening somewhat, no longer filled with the previous hostility.
"I... I believe this sister," the little boy who had been rescued earlier said.
"Alright, three days it is. We believe you too."
The people echoed, their tone much milder.
Luo Jingxin stood at the back, watching this scene, her smile gone. However, the entire refugee camp's attention was on Lin Yanxi. Except for Shen Yu, no one noticed her changing emotions.
She silently left the refugee camp. Shen Yu followed her. After walking a distance, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Xin... Princess Chaoyang, are you angry?"
Luo Jingxin stopped and looked at him with an angry expression.
Shen Yu smiled and said, "Oh, don't be angry. In my eyes, you, Princess Chaoyang, are the only kind and beautiful fairy sister who has descended to save us mortals."
Luo Jingxin was amused by his words but her expression turned somber again as she looked at Lin Yanxi, who was being surrounded by people in the camp.
"Stop with your sweet talk."
She walked a few steps forward, Shen Yu following unhurriedly behind her. After walking a few steps, she stopped and frowned, saying, "Don't follow me anymore."
Shen Yu brushed away the strands of hair falling beside her cheeks. As soon as he touched the edge of her hair, Luo Jingxin dodged away.
He said, "Don't you remember, when you were angry as a child, I would follow you like this to coax you, and you would always tell me to stop following you?"
Luo Jingxin glared at him and said, "I don't remember."
Shen Yu shrugged indifferently, "It's fine if I remember."
"Alright, it's good that Lin Yanxi is handling things here at the refugee camp. You have more leisure time. Be happy."
Luo Jingxin looked at the refugee camp in the distance, her eyes turning somewhat sinister. She asked, "Do you really want me to be happy?"
Shen Yu said, "Of course."
She smiled, "Then help me get an introduction to the second master of the Wang family."
Shen Yu, seeing her mood improve, also felt inexplicably better. He said proudly, "This is simple. The eldest son of the Wang family is a close friend of mine."
Luo Jingxin let out a silent snort. Who didn't know that the eldest son of the Wang family was a notorious rake in the capital?
This time, she was determined to make Lin Yanxi fail this task and see how she would handle it. It would be best if she dragged the entire Grand Tutor's mansion down with her, so that she could never steal her thunder again.