In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

After respectfully replying, the head of the Pei family ordered his attendants to hurry up and leave as soon as possible, seemingly without any curiosity about the identities of Zhao Zexuan and the others upstairs.

The soldiers stood guard at the windows, keeping a close eye on several magnificent ships on the water, watching them approach, then move away, until they disappeared from sight.

After everyone left, the generals who had been standing around looked at each other in disbelief and said, "We never expected that the Pei family would also leave the capital. It seems that the capital is completely doomed."

The Pei family, one of the four great families in the capital, is considered to have a deep-rooted heritage. Under normal circumstances, members of the Pei family would not easily leave the capital. However, the fact that the entire Pei family is leaving now indicates that it has reached a point where they have no choice but to leave.

Once the generals realized this situation, they began to speculate. They were not surprised that Zhao Zexuan would choose to let the Pei family leave; what surprised them was that the capital was about to collapse so quickly.

"What should we do now?" Many generals felt a pang of anxiety and voiced their thoughts.

Hearing the generals' murmurs, Zhao Zexuan thought for a moment and then asked Mo Bei, who was standing to the side, "How is the bamboo raft coming along?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Bei respectfully replied, "General, based on the current progress, the bamboo rafts should be fully completed by tonight."

"Based on the current number of soldiers and civilians, the craftsmen worked day and night to make a total of two hundred bamboo rafts, each of which can accommodate ten people, which is just enough to accommodate the current number of people."

Zhao Zexuan nodded upon hearing this, then suddenly thought of something and said, "The original residents of Tongcheng should be included as well. Go and ask them their opinions, see if they are willing to leave with us. If they are not willing, don't force them."

Mo Bei nodded, clearly aware of what had happened a few days ago, and respectfully indicated that he would consult the people's opinions before making a decision.

Since the bamboo rafts were almost finished, there was no need to delay any longer. Zhao Zexuan said to the generals present, "In that case, we will organize everyone to leave on the bamboo rafts at dawn tomorrow. Each of you will be responsible for managing a portion of the bamboo rafts and ensuring the safety of the people on board."

The generals replied, "Yes, sir."

Zhao Zexuan and his group set a departure time, while the Pei family members who were leaving felt a chill down their spines. They touched the cold sweat on their foreheads and muttered to themselves, "It feels unreal that we left so easily."

The Pei family felt a sense of relief because they had been stared at by so many eyes.

The head of the Pei family felt the same way. He was sitting in a chair, looking at the boundless ocean, his thoughts churning. He felt that the group of people he had just met looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place them. He couldn't think of anyone with such strength at this time.

The boundless ocean made one feel downcast. After hearing the murmurs of his descendants beside him, the head of the Pei family said, "No matter who those people are, they are people we cannot afford to offend. If they had made a move just now, our group would definitely not have been a match for them."

Although he was now down on his luck, his inherent arrogance remained, so he couldn't help but retort: ​​"Father, you can't say that. Our servants are not to be trifled with either. Why can't we compare them?"

Upon hearing this, the head of the Pei family glanced at his eldest son, Pei Dalang, who had spoken, and couldn't help but sigh, "If you think you can compare with them, then why did you feel fear and your life was threatened just now?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Dalang wanted to retort, but after seeing his father's sharp gaze, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Seeing his eldest son's performance, the Pei family head couldn't help but sigh and said, "If this were on land, our people might be able to put up a fight, but this is in the water, and we have no chance of winning."

Upon hearing this, all the members of the Pei family turned pale. This vulnerable situation made them uneasy, as if their lives were constantly in someone else's hands.

The head of the Pei family seemed oblivious to the expressions on the faces of his children and grandchildren beside him, and said directly, "You should be thankful that they meant no harm, otherwise today might have been the day of death for the entire Pei family!"

These words shocked all the members of the Pei family. They were still somewhat taken aback, wondering how the world could change so quickly.

Pei Li, the eldest grandson of the Pei family, was also frightened by the scene his grandfather described. However, he quickly calmed himself down and couldn't help but ask, "Grandfather, what should we do next? The capital is in complete chaos and will probably collapse soon. Where should we go now?"

Upon hearing this, Patriarch Pei regained his composure and couldn't help but sigh deeply. He had been able to foresee the crisis in the capital and escape with his sons, but now he couldn't find a safe place to stay.

Looking at his grandson's worried eyes, the head of the Pei family sighed and said, "The great edifice is about to collapse, and the world is in complete chaos. There is no safe place to be found now. Let's head south first. There may be a glimmer of hope if we go south."

Upon hearing this, the Pei family members all sighed, their worries not fading in the slightest. They had never felt so helpless before.

Inside the large ship, the women of the Pei family huddled together for warmth. Some of the more timid women covered their faces and wept softly, terrified. The old lady of the Pei family was also holding a petite woman, gently comforting her.

"Don't be afraid, Jiaojiao. With your father and mother here, they will definitely be able to protect you."

Upon hearing this, the woman hiding in Madam Pei's arms couldn't help but choke out, "Mother, do you think we can survive safely? It's so scary outside. If we escape from the city like this, will the Emperor punish our family when he finds out? Will we be demoted like the Zhao family?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Pei recalled her daughter's invalid marriage agreement and couldn't help but sigh, saying, "No, His Majesty simply doesn't have the energy to deal with these matters right now, and besides, His Majesty is in dire straits himself."

Madam Pei, who was sitting to the side in a dilemma, suddenly heard the name "Zhao family" and couldn't help but glance at her sister-in-law in her mother-in-law's arms. Then, seemingly casually, she said, "Actually, the Zhao family was quite lucky. Being demoted to Lingnan just in time to avoid this disaster. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened to them."

Upon hearing this, Madam Pei paused, recalling the scene outside. Then, remembering something, she asked, "I remember hearing before leaving the capital that the women of the Zhao family had gone missing. Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Pei thought carefully and nodded, saying, "There is indeed such a rumor, but whether it is true or not is still unknown."

Hearing this, Madam Pei sighed, then stroked her daughter's hair in her arms and murmured, "It's good that Jiaojiao hasn't married yet."