The younger sister-in-law falsely accused the sickly uncle and ran away with the baby

"Oh! It's Ruyue! We're really running low on food at home, and I happened to see these elm trees. I cut the bark off, dried it, and then ground it into powder with some graphite. I added some wild vegetables and made steamed bread!"

"Yes! We have collected a lot of elm bark along the way and dried most of it, but there are so many refugees on this road. Every tree we look at has been stripped of its bark. Only the trees deep in the forest have not been stripped of their bark."

Yu Ruyue looked at these skinny people carrying baskets of tree bark on their backs and walking back home. When they put the baskets down, the children all gathered around them and chattered happily, as if the tree bark was some kind of delicacy.

Yu Ruyue sighed. Life was so hard for the people these days that they couldn't even eat tree bark.

Everyone rested by the water for a day and a night. When the fever of those who had suffered from heatstroke had basically subsided, they drove away in their carriages.

Most people are reluctant to leave this place, after all, they don’t know how long it will take to encounter the next river.

Yu Ruyue has been drinking the medicine prescribed by Shen Yuyan these days and feels much better. She no longer vomits like before.

Moreover, they were extremely lucky. After walking for five days, they actually found a small ditch. Although the water in it was very dirty, the wooden filter barrel was still there, so everyone could drink water again. Just when everyone thought that the rest of the journey would be smooth.

Yu Ruyue suddenly stood on the carriage and stopped all the people.

She frowned and looked at Qin Haowen, "You said there are officers conscripting men ahead?"

"Yes, those officers were all wearing armor, and they would immediately arrest any man they saw and send him into exile."

"Is there any other way?"

"If we plan to bypass Qingtian Prefecture, then this is the only way. But if we go through Qingtian Prefecture, the child will be in danger."

Qin Wanrou, Lin Yihao and others frowned when they heard this.

"What should I do?"

Yu Ruyue looked at the mountain next to her and sighed, "If we can climb over this mountain, there might be a way out, but if we go over the mountain road, our carriage won't be able to pass."

Qin Wanrou looked at the direction of the carriage. Although Old Man Li had run away with his concubines, there was still an old lady in the carriage. Even if they could walk, given the old lady's physical condition, she might not be able to cross the mountain.

Lin Yihao couldn't help sighing. His parents were old, and they might not be able to bear the journey of crossing mountains and rivers.

Yu Ruyue thought about it and told the people behind her about the current situation.

People who don’t have cars are naturally willing to cross the mountain. Even those who have carts want to abandon their cars and go around the top of the mountain. After all, no one wants to risk their family’s lives.

As a result, huge divisions arose within the team.

Just as Yu Ruyue was thinking about what to do, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from afar.

"Oh no! Those officials are coming."

Yu Ruyue looked at the people behind her and said quickly, "The officials are coming. You can choose how to leave!"

After she finished speaking, she distributed all the bows and crossbows that had been collected and asked them to hide them next to the carriages beside them.

Most of the villagers abandoned their carts and ran into the mountains.

"stop!"

"All of you unruly people, stop right there before me. If you don't, don't blame us for shooting arrows at you."

When the people heard that arrows were going to be shot, they ran even faster.

You carried the pot, I held the wooden barrel, and everyone carried bags, big and small, and put everything on their backs, running quickly up the mountain. Even in the process of running, most of the water in the buckets spilled, but they still didn't dare to stop. After all, if they were caught by these officials, they would be regarded as vanguards and sent to their deaths.

Yu Ruyue and the others who were carrying carriages all took another route. Even if they passed by Qingtian Prefecture, the prefect would not be able to snatch the child in broad daylight.

"You troublemakers! Stop!"

"If you take another step forward, I will kill you."

No matter how those people shouted, Yu Ruyue and others did not dare to stop.

But soon, the officers began to shoot arrows in anger!

He looked like he wanted to kill them all.

Qin Haowen stood behind the carriage with Jingyue and Mohuan, wielding a big knife with great force, blocking all the arrows one by one.

The rest of the Yu family also held weapons and looked alert.

The movement on their side also successfully attracted the attention of the officers.

"Brothers! There are a few people over there who know martial arts. Capture them and send them to the army."

"Yes! Those who can afford to ride in a carriage these days are all rich people. We are really rich this time."

"Yes! The smell of rich girls is really good, with delicate skin and tender flesh. I really like them. Even those young masters are very fair-skinned, so it's not impossible to use them as women."

Yu Ruyue listened to the dirty words of these people and felt that in this chaotic world, the officials were more vicious than the bandits.

Seeing the officers getting closer, Yu Ruyue quickly ordered their men to shoot arrows.

Qin Haowen, with the guards of the Li and Lin families, rushed directly into the group of officials and confronted them head-on, thus buying time for Yu Ruyue and others to leave.

For a moment, Yu Ruyue could only hear the sound of weapons clashing.

But there were too many officials on the opposite side, and they were wearing armor and riding fine horses. Soon Qin Haowen and others fell into a disadvantage.

The remaining officers swung their whips, making strange whining sounds, and rushed towards Yu Ruyue quickly. In just a few breaths, they shot and killed the leading horse of the Li family.

The carriage overturned to the ground due to inertia. Fortunately, there was no one inside, only some gold, silver and jewelry.

But when the gold, silver and jewelry were scattered all over the ground, the officer's eyes became even redder.

"Wow! So rich? Looks like a big fish!"

The carriages behind were stuck in traffic and could only stop temporarily. As soon as they stopped, the officials surrounded them.

Qin Haowen and the guards hurried back and protected their master.

Soon, the leading officer came galloping over on horseback. He looked at the people in front of him with a grin that showed his teeth. "My dear brothers, you are really good at fighting. Following these people is really burying your talents. It is better to follow me. As long as you work hard, I will definitely make you successful."

Qin Haowen refused directly, "No need! We are just ordinary people and don't want to become famous."

The man laughed heartily. "Little brother, do you believe this? In these chaotic times, anyone can become a general if they follow the right person. I think with your skills, you can not only become a general, but even a marquis."

"Why are you so stubborn?"