Accidentally dressed as an empress

Two days later, Yunxiu and his group rode their horses along a deserted path. The ground beneath their feet was as dry and cracked as a turtle's back, and dust flew under their footsteps.

The trees on the roadside have long lost their former vitality, and the bare branches sway weakly in the wind. It seems that the mountains in the distance are also shrouded in withered yellow, without a trace of green.

There was a commotion in the front of the forest. Su Da came back on his horse and said, "Master, there is a group of refugees ahead. They are coming from the direction of Yunyin City."

Yunxiu pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go and take a look from a distance."

Yunxiu and Suda rode their horses to a high ground. She gently pulled the reins to stop the horse.

Yunxiu sat quietly on the horse, gazing into the distance. The scene before her made her heart sink suddenly.

Before my eyes lay a barren expanse, devoid of life. The fields were dry and cracked, and the village in the distance was reduced to rubble. The curling smoke from the cooking stoves had long since vanished, replaced by a dead silence.

On both sides of the road, withered trees were leaning here and there. A large group of people fleeing famine were walking on the road. They were all ragged, and their worn clothes were swaying in the wind. Some of them had been torn into strips of cloth, but they were still worn.

Their hair was tangled like a clump of dead grass, covered in dust and dirt.

Their faces were extremely haggard, with sunken cheeks and eyes sunken deep in their sockets, their eyes full of fatigue, despair, and emptiness.

Their lips were dry and bloodless, as if they had not had a drop of water for a long time.

The children snuggled up to the adults, their little faces filled with fear and anxiety.

There was still a hint of confusion in their eyes, and they didn't understand why life had suddenly become so difficult.

The old people are even weaker. They are hunched over and walk with a stagger. Their faces are covered with wrinkles and deep grooves.

There is no vitality or energy in the eyes of these people.

Yunxiu was on horseback, looking at these people fleeing famine, and a complex emotion surged in her heart.

When the people fleeing famine saw people riding horses in the distance, their first reaction was to run, as if these people riding tall horses were a flood or a beast.

There was unspeakable fear on people's faces. They turned around in panic and ran in all directions desperately.

An old woman was the slowest runner in the crowd. Her stooped frame made running seem particularly strenuous, and she stumbled and panted. Before she had run far, she stumbled and fell to the ground.

The old woman's face was full of pain. She tried to struggle to stand up, but her weak body had no strength to move.

Yunxiu rode her horse quickly over, Su Da followed beside her. Yunxiu dismounted and walked forward. The old woman struggled to crawl on the ground to get away from her.

Yunxiu squatted down and approached the old woman, but heard the old woman covering her head and shouting in a trembling voice: "Don't kill me!"

The old woman's body was trembling, as if she was recalling something terrible. She closed her eyes tightly, not daring to look at the people in front of her. She held her head tightly with both hands, as if this could protect herself.

Yunxiu helped the old woman up. Her face was covered in wrinkles, like dry bark, its skin dark with an unhealthy sallow hue. Her hair was gray and messy, with a few strands fluttering helplessly in the wind.

Her eyes were cloudy and lifeless, but now filled with fear. She was wearing tattered clothes, which were covered with patches and the original color could no longer be seen.

Yunxiu asked softly, "Grandma, where did you flee from? What happened? Did someone kill people indiscriminately?"

The old woman trembled and didn't say a word.

"We were sent to Yunyin City by the imperial court. We won't kill you, please rest assured." Yunxiu comforted the old woman.

Yunxiu quickly took out half a pancake and stuffed it into the old woman's arms under the cover of her clothes.

The old woman held the warm pancake in her arms in amazement. She raised her cloudy eyes and replied in a hoarse voice, "Girl, you are a good person. You should not go to Yunyin City."

"This Cloud Hidden City is suffering from famine. The harvest has failed, the governor has fled again, and the new governor appointed by the court has not yet arrived. A group of bandits have gathered in the city. They rely on their knives to kill many people and occupy the Cloud Hidden City. We really can't survive, so we had to flee the city overnight and find a way to survive outside. Staying in the city is just waiting to die."

After hearing this, Yunxiu frowned, her heart filled with worry. She looked at the old woman's weathered face and the people around her who were also suffering, and she felt very uncomfortable.

"Mother-in-law, have you decided where you want to go?" Yunxiu asked with concern.

The old woman shook her head helplessly. "How do we know where to go? Let's just take it one step at a time. Maybe we can find a place to stay along the way."

"When I reach the next city, maybe the governor there will take us in." The old woman limped away.

Seeing that Yunxiu and the others posed no threat, the refugees came out again. Yunxiu quickly rode back to the high ground and ordered the hundred or so guards to stand in a row.

Yunxiu said loudly: "Draw your swords!" Upon hearing this, the guards drew their swords one after another.

The group of hungry people were drooling as they looked at their fat and strong horses, but they did not dare to move forward when they saw the swords on the guards.

After waiting for this wave of refugees to leave, Yunxiu and others continued riding their horses. They saw many ragged people scattered sparsely in the vast wilderness.

They were bent over, digging wild vegetables in the soil with an expression of concentration. Their faces were pale and thin, their hands were skinny, and their movements were extremely urgent.

Their hands kept turning in the soil, not missing any place where wild vegetables might be hidden.

As time goes by, more and more people join the team of digging wild vegetables. The grassland is now full of holes and almost bald.

The soil had been turned upside down, revealing a yellow-brown earth devoid of any green life. Where once wild vegetables grew, only pits remained.

Some people were quick-eyed and quick-handed. As soon as they found a small piece of wild vegetables, they rushed over to dig it up. Those who were slower watched their hope being taken away by others, and immediately began to loudly criticize those who took action first.

"I saw it first, how could you steal it!" shouted a haggard woman, her voice trembling slightly with excitement.

The person being accused was not willing to give in and retorted, "Whoever digs it up first owns it. Your name isn't written on this wild vegetable." Both sides refused to give in and became increasingly emotional.

Some people even started pushing and shoving, and their already weak bodies swayed in the pushing and shoving, and they could fall down at any time.

In this chaotic situation, a green figure suddenly appeared and shouted loudly: "Stop arguing!" Her voice was crisp and powerful, instantly quieting the quarreling people.

Zhou Jing looked at everyone, her eyes full of pity: "We are all in this difficult time, why fight with each other for a few wild vegetables? We should unite and find more wild vegetables together." People looked at each other, the anger on their faces gradually subsided, replaced by shame and helplessness.

An old man sighed and said, "Doctor Zhou is right, but we were so hungry that we couldn't hold back."

Zhou Jing nodded: "It's no use fighting like this. We can go to a farther place to find food together."

She raised her chin slightly and said firmly, "Everyone follow me, let's go find food together."

"We have to thank Dr. Zhou for leading us in digging wild vegetables. That's why we discovered so many more edible wild vegetables. It's always a good idea to follow Dr. Zhou!"

Zhou Jing straightened her back and led everyone to the dried-up river. The once surging river was now reduced to a dry riverbed, with stones and soil bleached by the scorching sun.

Zhou Jing glanced around and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, search carefully by the river."

The crowd dispersed, some squatted beside the rocks by the river, carefully turning over the heavy stones, not leaving any one behind.

Others knelt in the mud by the river, digging hard at the roots with crude sticks in their hands.

Finally, they found some grass roots and plant tubers that could satisfy their hunger.

Some people also found some small insects under the stones. Although it was a little hard to accept, they could eat these small insects due to hunger.