She picked up the young prime minister while fleeing famine

"Brother Dahe, what exactly do you mean by this?" Yao Daniu was completely confused, but also looked scared.

How did it suddenly become that registering a household there would result in being conscripted into the military?

When Yao Daniu asked this question without understanding, the two men, with grave expressions, briefly told him the news they had heard from the county magistrate.

Then the three of them fell silent.

"Not all of them, but about five or six out of ten."

"If you don't believe me, we'll have to wait until dark to leave the city anyway, so you can ask around."

"Don't worry, Brother Dahe. If Yao Li Village wants to stay and settle down, I will definitely help them." In the end, Lian Chengmo broke the deadlock and said sincerely.

Thus, Lian Chengmo became the one guarding the items, while Yao Dahe and Yao Daniu went to the county town to inquire about information.

Apart from the chaotic scene at the north gate guarded by many soldiers, the rest of Qingyang County was alright. The two of them had no valuables on them, so they weren't afraid of being robbed even if they squeezed into a corner.

Lian Chengmo didn't stay obediently in his room. Instead, he locked the door, went to the inn's lobby, ordered some food, and found a corner to sit in.

The inn is frequented by many people. Even in this year's economic climate, there are always some wealthy and powerful people who manage to enter the city safely and stay at the inn.

Sure enough, within an hour, Lian Chengmo learned that the King of Cheng was not currently staying in either Vietnam Prefecture or Huayang Prefecture, but in Yuncheng, the Lian family's residence.

Furthermore, one-third of King Cheng's army was stationed in Yuncheng to protect King Cheng's safety.

Lian Chengmo scoffed. Those old fogies in the Liancheng family are still so afraid of death. It must have been their idea to keep Prince Cheng in Yunzhou, right?

In addition, Lian Chengmo also learned some other news, which were basically spread by King Cheng to win people's hearts, such as reducing commercial taxes and opening special imperial examinations.

It was all just a ploy to lure people in and then slaughter them. However, King Cheng had only recently rebelled and was not as ruthless as he would later become, so many people still believed him.

After all, the other party was a member of the royal family. Although he was an unfavored vassal king, he still had his own territory, a garrison, and had even taken over two prefectures during the chaos.

Merchants are driven by profit, and many people are still willing to place their bets on them, not to mention those scholars who are full of ambition but have nowhere to vent their talents.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, Yao Dahe and Yao Daniu returned one after the other. Upon seeing them return, Lian Chengmo immediately invited them over to sit down.

They ordered the waiter to bring some more food, and this time asked the two of them about the information they had gathered.

“I’ve heard that in some villages where people had settled earlier, most of the able-bodied young men had been taken away to join the army.”

“Some families that could only register as military households had all the men in the family taken away, except for the children.” Yao Dahe’s expression was not good.

What the young master said is probably true, about 50-60% of the time, and judging from the situation, it's likely even more.

With the world in chaos, if King Cheng wants that position, he will definitely have to keep conscripting soldiers and waging war. Even if they manage to escape the first day of the month, they will not be able to escape the fifteenth.

"What I've heard is similar to what Brother Dahe said. A kind-hearted old lady even told us not to settle here, but to go further south," Yao Daniu added.

What he didn't say was that the old woman was a military household registered in Qingyang County, and all three of her sons had been conscripted into the army. She had come to the county town today to buy grain.

The north gate of Qingyang County was heavily guarded, and disaster victims had to pay money to pass through. However, the south gate was different; local residents could enter the city to buy grain simply by showing their household registration.

With food so expensive, ordinary people could only afford to buy a little bit even if they tightened their belts.

After the two finished speaking, the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Seeing the two of them like this, Lian Chengmo knew that they were disappointed. After considering it for a moment, he simply told them to eat quickly and didn't say anything more.

The two had been fleeing famine for almost half a year, constantly on the road, and had never eaten a meal in a county town. They immediately disregarded everything else and began to cherish the meal.

Although Lian Chengmo didn't order any fancy dishes, there were enough to fill them up. After the two finished eating, the three of them went back to their room.

After packing up their belongings, it was almost dark, so the three of them hurriedly carried their things to meet up with the constable from before.

The constable wasn't alone; he was accompanied by the squad leader who collected money and checked household registrations during the day.

Following the two men along the way, Lian Chengmo finally understood why they dared to take this trip.

It turned out that Qingyang County was not an impenetrable fortress. The group arrived at a section of the city wall and found a small dog hole, big enough for one person to crawl through.

However, the dog hole was obviously blocked at this moment. Unless it was opened from the inside, even if people outside found the dog hole, they wouldn't be able to crawl in.

"Ahem, our magistrate is honest and upright, and the city wall is in such a state because it has been in disrepair for many years."

"Young Master won't mind, will he?" The squad leader asked dryly, seeing Lian Chengmo's expression.

They did this to make some money. Although many people went south to visit Vietnam Prefecture or the more prosperous Huayang Prefecture after entering the city, there were also people like Lian Chengmo.

Since there were too many people to pass through the county town, and those who had to go into the town to buy grain, this dog hole came in handy.

It's not good to make someone crawl through a dog hole, even if it's unavoidable, so the squad leader didn't tell the constable beforehand. Now, the die is cast and the die is cast.

"It's alright, thank you both for your trouble." Lian Chengmo withdrew his surprised expression, but his heart was actually calm.

Then the two observers worked together to move the large rock blocking the dog hole, and the group crawled out through the hole.

During this time, one person pulled the grain sacks in front, while another person had to push them from behind to move them. When the people came out, the sacks containing the grain and cloth were covered with dust and straw.

Although it was already dark, Lian Chengmo could still clearly see where they were.

It was probably at the foot of the mountain to the east of the city gate. Because it was far from the city gate, there was not a single person in sight.

Using the light, the two officers led a few men north for a while until they reached a small path. The squad leader then clasped his hands in a fist salute and said...

"Young master, you should head that way. It will take about ten miles to get back to the main road."

"We have official duties to attend to, so we won't see you off any further."

"Thank you both for your help this time. If we have the chance to meet again in the future, I will treat you to a drink." Lian Chengmo also cupped his hands slightly and slipped another silver coin to them, weighing about an ounce.

The squad leader accepted the gift with a smile, thanked him, and added a few more words.

"Don't worry, young master. There are few people and not much food here, so those disaster victims won't come this way."

"However, there are wild beasts roaming in this mountain, so you should hurry on your way and reunite with your families."

After saying their goodbyes, the two officials returned the way they came, while Lian Chengmo and his two companions, carrying large and small bags, quickly headed towards the main road.

However, Yao Daniu had some complaints halfway through, feeling that the young master shouldn't have given that one or two taels of silver, since they had already come out.

They felt that the two officials were far too greedy.