Return of the Pearl

At this time, Erkang and the others looked as if they had just crawled out of the dusty chaos with difficulty. Their clothes had long been stained dark yellow by the dust, like an old painting eroded by time.

The messy hair sticking to their foreheads made them look even more disheveled. Their faces were filled with fatigue and frustration, and their dim eyes were like candles about to go out in the dark night, having lost all light of hope.

Erkang's heart was filled with loss and helplessness. He thought to himself, "Father Emperor, we have tried so hard, but still have nothing to show for it. What should we do?"

They walked with heavy and slow steps, and each step felt like stepping on soft cotton, without any strength. The dust on their bodies flew up as they walked, spreading in the air, just like the haze that symbolized their failure, which could not dissipate for a long time and enveloped each of them.

Qianlong clearly saw their exhausted appearance and low morale. With a look of concern on his face, he consoled them earnestly, "It's only been a short day. Tomorrow you must continue your efforts to search. The food will arrive here the day after tomorrow."

If everything goes well, food may be delivered as early as the day after tomorrow, which will alleviate the disaster to a certain extent.

But the most fundamental problem is to find a water source. Otherwise, this will only be a drop in the bucket and will not fundamentally solve the problem. Erkang, and Yan Aiqing, you should go down and have a good night's rest first, so that you can fully recuperate and accumulate full strength. The people of Shandong are still eagerly waiting for you!"

When Yan Xishen and Erkang heard Qianlong's heartfelt words, they felt a powerful force rushing into their bodies like a torrent, and their originally depressed spirits were instantly lifted. They looked at each other with a determined light flashing in their eyes, and then saluted respectfully and slowly turned to leave.

But at this time, Qianlong frowned tightly, with deep worry between his brows. His sad expression seemed like a thick cloud that could not be melted. He knew very well that in this difficult situation, in addition to the terrible natural disasters, there were also heinous man-made disasters, which made him furious.

Shandong was experiencing such a severe drought, and yet someone dared to conceal it and not report it. How could he not be furious? Qianlong was as clear as a mirror. Shandong Governor Ortai didn't even know Yun'er, but he sent someone to secretly kill her.

He knew very well that there must be people in the harem who were colluding with him. At present, he had to deal with the drought properly first, and then punish these evil pests. Fortunately, he had already dispatched troops in Hebei.

If he had waited until Shandong to make these arrangements, it would have been hard to imagine how bad the situation would have been. The more Qianlong thought about it, the more thorny it seemed. If the officials throughout Shandong were problematic, would the troops there also be at risk? He had already transferred troops from Hebei, and their numbers were limited to begin with. If the entire Shandong army had mutinied, their safety would have been truly worrying.

Thinking of this, Qianlong's expression grew increasingly solemn, his eyes revealing a resolute and resolute expression. Without hesitation, he issued an order: "Fulun, take the token and quickly return to the Hebei camp. Dispatch another 30,000 troops and horses. Just in case, set off immediately!"

After receiving the order, Fulun did not delay at all. He flashed and left as fast as lightning, as if he was afraid of wasting even a minute.

Qianlong had concealed none of his plans and deployments from Xiao Yun, and Xiao Yun deeply understood the anxiety and uneasiness surging in Qianlong's heart. She took a firm step forward, her steps steady and powerful, and then tightly grasped Qianlong's hand.

She gazed at Qianlong with deep affection, her eyes filled with endless tenderness and love. In a deep and powerful voice, she spoke slowly, "Hongli, no matter what hardships and obstacles we may encounter in the future, I will always be by your side. You are the almighty emperor, ruling the world, and I am willing to walk hand in hand with you through all the ups and downs, to write our magnificent chapter together and forge our legendary story together."

With his extremely keen insight, Qianlong clearly realized the tension and crisis of the situation in Shandong. He thought to himself that he had originally planned to send someone to escort Xiao Yun back to the capital first.

However, before he could open his mouth, Xiao Yun seemed to have read his mind and spoke before he could. Qianlong reluctantly suppressed the thoughts surging in his heart like a tide and hugged Xiao Yun tightly in his arms, "Yun'er, there will always be a place for you by my side. No matter what happens, as long as I am still alive, I will do my best to protect you."

Xiao Yun hugged Qianlong tightly, his tone as firm as a rock as he spoke in a resounding voice, "Hongli, I'm not afraid of death at all. You know that. I've experienced life and death once before. If we truly can't escape this calamity, then we'll sleep together in life and be buried together in death. If I can't be with you, what joy is there in living, and what's so terrifying about dying?"

At this moment, Qianlong deeply felt the weight of Xiao Yun's deep friendship. He remained silent for a long time, just hugging Xiao Yun quietly, feeling each other's warmth and breath. On this night, they were both extremely quiet, each with thousands of thoughts in their hearts, and gradually fell asleep.

Kunning Palace

The queen was like an ant on a hot pan at this moment, pacing back and forth in the palace anxiously. Her pace was sometimes as rapid as a storm, and sometimes as slow as an old ox pulling a broken cart, as if every step was stepping heavily on her anxious heart.

The hem of her skirt danced as lightly as flowing clouds as her footsteps, making slight rustling sounds from time to time. Her hands were tightly clasped together, the joints slightly whitening from the excessive force, and from time to time she would involuntarily pull the corner of her clothes, causing it to be crumpled into a ball in her hands, and then flattened, constantly changing shape.

Her eyes were filled with worry and anxiety, and she kept looking towards the door without blinking, as if she was expecting some important news, or as if she was afraid that something terrible would happen. The entire palace was shrouded in her nervous and uneasy atmosphere.