freenovelworld Chapter 139 Sudden Misfortune!
Chapter 139 Sudden Misfortune!
"Why not? They are so pitiful, how can we just stand by and watch them die?" The Sixth Prince's face was full of anxiety and sympathy.
Zhao Jihua said, "We traveled in a low-key manner this time and did not bring many guards. There are less than ten people here, which is not enough to withstand the large number of starving refugees."
"We're here to rescue them, so why should we resist them?"
Xia Li was speechless, but seeing that he had already started taking out dry food, he hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, your kindness is commendable, but there are many refugees and we have limited food. If we distribute it rashly now, it will cause a looting frenzy and the situation will be difficult to control."
Zhao Jihua echoed, "Yes, Your Highness, let's go into the city first, find out the specific situation, and then make a plan."
However, the sixth prince was determined and, despite their advice, insisted on taking out the food.
In an instant, the previously quiet group of refugees erupted into chaos, surging forward like a tidal wave and frantically grabbing for food.
grass!!!
Seeing this, Xia Li dodged the frantic refugees while scolding the Sixth Prince: "Use your brain before you speak or act, okay? You've got an egg on your neck, even if you can't think, you should at least be able to see!"
In no time at all, they were pushed off the carriage by the chaotic crowd.
The worse news is that they were scattered by the sudden chaos!
Xia Li anxiously searched for her sister in the crowd.
In the chaos, she saw the equally disheveled Sixth Prince not far away, and gritted her teeth in hatred: if she wasn't afraid of being implicated by someone's death and hindering her sister's path, she would have really wanted to take advantage of the chaos to kill this bastard!
In the end, she quickly reached out and grabbed him, shouting, "Your Highness, follow me, we must break out of here!"
Xia Li walked along, searching for Zhao Jihua.
Unexpectedly, the refugees had lost their minds and, upon seeing the jewelry on Xia Li's body, all reached out to snatch it.
Xia Li was shocked. In this critical moment, she didn't care about anything else and made a decisive decision to throw away all her jewelry and outer clothes.
Without the lure of money, the refugees' attention was slightly diverted. Taking advantage of this, Xia Li grabbed the Sixth Prince and used all her strength to desperately squeeze out.
After a difficult struggle, the two finally managed to break free from the group of refugees.
They dared not stop, and ran wildly until they reached the foot of a remote mountain, where they finally stopped, panting heavily.
"Xia Li, thanks to you, otherwise I would probably..." The Sixth Prince looked grateful and guilty.
"Your Highness is too kind. As long as you are safe and sound, that is all that matters," Xia Li said, panting heavily.
"You... It's a pity I don't have a coat, otherwise I would have let you wear it." The Sixth Prince looked her up and down, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "Since I saw you dressed so disheveled, I... I swear, I will take responsibility for you!"
"The situation was urgent, and we had no choice but to resort to this measure. Your Highness need not worry about it."
Just don't cause any more trouble for me!
"..."
The sixth prince was only being polite and testing the waters, and upon hearing this, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The two rested for a while and calmed down.
Just then, Xia Li suddenly heard a strange sound coming from not far away.
She glanced warily at the Sixth Prince and found that he was also looking at her.
The two instantly understood and cautiously walked towards the direction of the sound.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be several raggedly dressed people talking in hushed tones.
"This natural disaster in Lingnan has really caused us a lot of trouble," said a bearded man.
“Who says otherwise? I heard this isn’t a natural disaster at all, but a man-made one!” another thin man chimed in.
Xia Li and the Sixth Prince were both startled upon hearing this. They exchanged a glance and continued listening.
"I heard that the Third Prince deliberately created this disaster in order to amass wealth."
"Shh, keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you, this could cost you your head."
The sixth prince could no longer contain himself and rushed out.
Xia Li had no choice but to follow him out.
When those people saw them, they panicked and tried to run away.
"Halt!" the Sixth Prince shouted. "Say what you just said again!"
The men were so frightened that they trembled and knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.
"Please spare us, sir! We only heard it from others."
"Tell me the truth, no matter who told you!" Xia Li said sternly.
Under their persistent questioning, the group had no choice but to tell them everything they knew.
It turned out that the third prince, in order to enrich himself, secretly sent people to sabotage the water conservancy facilities in Lingnan, causing floods and disasters to the people.
Then, taking advantage of the situation, he used the pretext of disaster relief to plunder the people's wealth.
Upon hearing this, the Sixth Prince trembled with rage. "This Third Brother is so heartless and ruthless! He disregards the lives of ordinary people for the sake of money!"
Xia Li calmly said, "Your Highness, this matter is of utmost importance. We must gather evidence as soon as possible and report it to the Emperor."
The Sixth Prince nodded. "Xia Li, you're right. We can't let Third Brother's conspiracy succeed."
So the two decided to search for clues in the mountains in order to expose the Third Prince's crimes.
They walked along the mountain path, carefully observing everything around them.
Suddenly, Xia Li discovered a stone engraved with strange symbols.
She felt there was something strange about the stone, so she showed it to the Sixth Prince.
The sixth prince examined it carefully and also felt that the stone was unusual.
"Perhaps this is a mark left by the Third Prince's men."
Xia Li analyzed.
Just as they were preparing to continue their investigation, they heard footsteps.
Xia Li and the Sixth Prince quickly hid in the bushes nearby.
A group of people dressed in black walked over, looking hurried, as if they were searching for something.
"Could it be someone from the Third Prince's faction?" the Sixth Prince whispered.
Xia Li gestured for him to remain silent and continue observing.
The group of men in black searched the area but found nothing, so they left.
Xia Li and the Sixth Prince emerged from the bushes, their conviction growing stronger as they confirmed the conspiracy behind the natural disaster.
"Your Highness, we must leave here immediately and reunite with Sister Zhao and the others to discuss countermeasures," Xia Li said.
The sixth prince agreed, "Alright, let's go."
The two walked back along the same path they had come from, proceeding cautiously as if afraid of encountering any more danger.
However, they did not go far before they encountered danger again.
The group of men in black had returned at some point, and there were even more of them now.
The Sixth Prince held Xia Li tightly behind him and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Xia Li became even more nervous. She didn't know if the sixth prince would suddenly do something crazy again.
The men in black gradually surrounded them, and one of them sneered, "Sixth Prince, and this young lady, you're not getting away today."