Others are fleeing famine, but I am a salted fish

Of course, it wasn’t just the chickens and ducks that suffered huge damage because of Maomao, but also four mules (plus the Lin family’s mule), four donkeys, a cow, a horse, and two pigs that had not been slaughtered in time. All of them were frightened and wilted, looking listless after Maomao passed through like a tornado.

I had originally hoped to keep a few chickens and ducks to lay eggs, but now it seems that I can no longer rely on them.

Except for Lin Xiaoyue's mule, all the other animals had diarrhea and were exhausted.

Doctors Qiao and Li were forced to treat the livestock and adjusted the dosage of the antidiarrhea medicine. They didn't know if it was suitable for the condition, but they just let the animals take it first, hoping that they could still be saved.

Each family looked at the livestock they had just received. The joy and excitement of the previous night had long gone, and they were heartbroken beyond words.

But their opponent is a giant tiger. They cannot afford to provoke him or scold him. Most importantly, they don’t dare to do so for fear of being swallowed by the tiger... How sad.

After calming their animals for a while, everyone had to continue working.

Three days sounds like a long time, but compared to the things that needed to be done, no one dared to spend any more time in the barn. After a few hasty words to comfort the animals, everyone went back to work.

Later, because they were so busy that they were exhausted, no one paid much attention to the livestock except for the half a minute break for lunch at noon and the time left for each family to pack their bags after dinner in the evening.

However, by the time they set out, except for the chickens and ducks that were all dead, the rest of the livestock all survived safely, and they had also gotten used to Maomao coming over from time to time to walk around like an inspector and make his presence known.

Eating three meals a day, morning, noon and night, will make you feel numb even if you are not used to it.

The animals: They have finally discovered that this big insect is probably seriously ill. It always likes to hang around in front of them, not to eat them, but just to give the animals a feeling of "showing off".

Maomao: I still have to check before eating to make sure my food is still within the shelf life.

Everyone: ... Third girl, come and take care of the big tiger in your house.

Miao and Lin Lao: Terrified.jpg

Lin family sisters: applaud happily.jpg

Lin Xiaoyue: ...

Finally, the day to leave the mountain stronghold arrived. Early in the morning, a group of people led a long column of nineteen animals, carrying sufficient food, water, and processed meat that would not spoil even after two months, as well as all kinds of equipment. They happily left this valley where evil had been buried for a long time.

In theory, the current situation is chaotic, and they should keep a low profile and make money quietly. However, their strength does not allow them to keep a low profile.

Who can be so low-key and have everything they need like them? If they walk out of the mountains like this, even with Maomao protecting them, they will be faced with those ragged, skinny, and starving refugees. I'm afraid they will treat them as living targets and rush to rob them. In the end, I'm afraid they won't even be left with a bone.

They were not worrying about nothing. There were now patches of withered yellow grass in the mountains. As they walked along, they saw clusters of tall and short shrubs, as well as the scorched yellow and cracked land under the shrubs. They were very glad that they had decided to follow Lin Xiaoyue into the mountains.

Although many tragedies that they did not want to happen also occurred during this period, for the living, the days of having enough food and drink are much better than the many people who are suffering from hunger and thirst on the road of escape and being tortured by epidemics.

……

What they don’t know is that the situation outside is more difficult than they imagined.

Many places could not withstand the invasion of the drought. No matter whether it was the common people who stayed in the villages and would rather die than leave their homeland, or the refugees who walked hard on the road step by step, their faces were as green as if they were poisoned, they tightened their trousers, their bodies were shaky, they lived like zombies, without any emotions, they just buried their heads and followed the team step by step towards the distance where they could not see the end.

-----------------

At the same time, the imperial envoy sent by the emperor to monitor officials in various places and supervise the treatment of the epidemic mysteriously disappeared.

The missing place is at the junction of three states. No one knows where the imperial envoy and his entourage disappeared, whether they were attacked by refugees, or kidnapped by some officials, local gentry, gangsters, or bandits. Even whether the imperial envoy is dead or alive is still unknown.

The provincial governors repeatedly submitted petitions to the court to clear themselves of any involvement, but when an imperial envoy was said to be missing, was it the fault of one person? Was it the fault of an entire team? To put it bluntly, it was a matter of the emperor's reputation.

The emperor was so angry that his face looked extremely ugly. He severely reprimanded the relevant personnel at the morning court and ordered that if the imperial envoy was still not found within a month, or if there were casualties, all relevant personnel in the court would be thoroughly investigated. Officials from all over the three states would bear joint responsibility and those who should be demoted would be demoted or demoted, and no one would be spared.

The eyes of the court officials below flickered slightly. They did not expect that the imperial envoy Jian was in the emperor's favor, and his disappearance would make him furious. Some of them were terrified, and they wished they could shrink into a small group like quails and hide in a corner where the emperor could not see them and become invisible. Others had their official robes shaking constantly, and their faces were frighteningly pale. They just held on to their breath and did not dare to faint, for fear that if they fainted, they would be guilty of the serious crime of executing and exiling their entire family.

It's not that the emperor values ​​the imperial envoy so much, but a corruption case that shocked the whole country occurred during the reign of the previous emperor. Many officials secretly formed cliques for personal gain and relied on mutual protection to snatch money from the hands of the people. There were thousands of officials of all ranks involved in this case, and the amount of corruption was huge. The previous emperor was so angry that he cursed loudly in the court. He not only ordered the recovery of the stolen money, but also confiscated the property of those who should be confiscated and detained those who should be detained.

Afterwards, all the officials involved in the case were liquidated one by one, and the court was replaced by a wave of fresh blood.

But just over a decade later, officials in the court have repeated the same mistakes. Although the current emperor admits that his governance methods are not as iron-blooded and courageous as those of his predecessor, if the tiger does not show its power, these court officials will really think that the emperor is a clay man.

After this incident, the emperor had murderous intentions in his heart. Some people have really been sitting in the position under him for too long, so long that they think they can cover the sky with one hand. If they are not punished, they may become more ambitious and even want to sit on the dragon throne under him.

"Go and check what forces in the court are involved in this matter?"

The emperor sat in front of the dragon desk, reviewing memorials without raising his head. There was no one else in the imperial study except the emperor and the chief eunuch, but a cold and solemn "yes" was heard from the dark corner.

The changing situation in the imperial city caused people in various prefectures and cities to be in a state of panic. They mobilized all their resources and manpower to launch a full-scale search and rescue operation.