Famine and exile: I brought the Spirit Spring to save the entire Marquis's mansion.

Sang Ning underestimated the fighting power of these people.

Or, one could say, that the incomparability between the two eras has been ignored.

Even modern beggars don't live as hard a life as ordinary people in this era.

She struggled to squeeze through the crowd.

"Ning'er! Are you alright?"

The family asked anxiously.

Li Yuzhi pulled her aside.

Sang Ning saw that Huo Jingya had already come out.

With her hair disheveled and a long face, she said, "Fourth Sister-in-law, I didn't get anything! These people are terrifying, they almost trampled me to death!"

Did you manage to get one?

"I got it!"

Luckily, she cut in line to the front, and an officer shoved something into her hand before shoving her aside and pushing her away.

Sang Ning stretched out her hand to see what good things everyone was scrambling for.

When I opened my hand, I was completely stunned.

A lump of shit?

Still warm.

It's sticky and adheres to my palm.

I didn't even know what shape it was, but it's collapsed now.

Sang Ning's expression visibly cracked.

The Huo family was also stunned.

Suddenly, the poop in my palm disappeared.

It turned out that a skinny old man grabbed it, ran a few steps, and then ate it in a few bites.

Everyone: "..."

"I'm sorry, I've been starving for two days and I really can't take it anymore. You guys look a bit chubby... Do you still want to eat? I'll go and get you some more."

The old man's voice was weak and his steps were unsteady, yet he was still surprisingly polite, and they were about to try and take it from him again.

"No, no, thanks."

Sang Ning quickly waved his hand.

"Then, thank you very much."

The old man didn't pay much attention to the women in their prison uniforms, as if he were used to it.

Right.

Many of the people here are exiled or are descendants of prisoners. Countless people come every year, so it's not unusual.

"What on earth is this thing?"

Sang Ning frowned as she looked at the black, sticky stuff on her hands.

"You can see buckwheat hulls in the color," Du Shan said.

No way?

She only knew that buckwheat hulls could be used to make pillows, but how could she eat such a hard hull?

Sang Ning simply tried it.

It was bitter, astringent, and cut into my throat.

Sure enough, there were buckwheat hulls.

It was just crushed, so it's not in such big pieces anymore.

In addition, elm bark was also mixed in.

Elm bark is not simply eaten from the hard outer layer of the tree.

Instead, the old skin is removed, and the tender skin is cooked, ground into powder, and has a slightly sweet taste.

Finally, a small amount of cornmeal and a wild vegetable called lamb's quarters were added.

It seems the steaming time wasn't long enough, so it's still a bit sticky and doesn't hold its shape.

Even this was snapped up.

This is even worse than the black cornbread they ate on the road!

Is Liangzhou really that poor?

You should know that although this place is harsh, it is one of the border defense reserve cities, and the imperial court attaches great importance to it!

You little brat with the spatial abilities! Get out here right now! I want to reincarnate!

Sang Ning glared at Huo Chang'an, who was sitting on the ground, with hostility.

“Ning’er…” He looked like an innocent child, his eyes full of naivety.

"Huo Chang'an! Do you know about space?"

His thick eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"I have never heard Mr. Storyteller mention it."

Sanning: "..."

Then her hand was taken and gently wiped with the wet clothes until her hand was clean.

The boy's face was tilted slightly upwards, his delicate features appearing picturesque in the afterglow of the setting sun.

“What is that?” he asked.

Sang Ning abruptly pulled her hand back, "It's nothing!"

Damn it, why did he look so delicious to her just now?

Where does the phrase "beauty is food for the eyes" come from?

The whole family pretended not to see it and looked around at the dilapidated little town.

Are you the family members of Marquis Boyang?

Two officials came to inquire.

“Yes, that’s us,” the old lady replied as she stepped forward.

Du Shan and Tian Kaiwu also rushed forward.

"We are the officials in charge of escorting them. Shall we go to the yamen (government office) now to hand them over?"

The two officers looked everyone over and nodded. "Let's go. We received the news a while ago. You're a bit late. The Huo family from Pingyang arrived ten days ago."

"What did you say? The Huo family of Pingyang!" The old lady's voice suddenly rose.

"The Huo Baohong family?"

“Yes.” The two officers showed no expression.

The old lady's body went limp, and she almost fell over.

The family quickly helped her up.

Everyone felt heavy-hearted.

"Didn't you say we wouldn't get involved? How... how..."

Huo Baohong is Huo Zhennan's younger brother.

One was granted a title in the capital, while the other was engaged in business in Pingyang.

However, the two brothers had a rather distant relationship, and apart from sending gifts to each other during holidays, they didn't interact much.

But this heinous crime of confiscating property and exterminating the entire clan did implicate them.

Judging by the timeline, they were exiled around the same time as the women in the capital.

My second brother and sister-in-law are proud and arrogant; the whole family is on the road...

The old lady dared not think about it anymore.

"Mother, let's go to the yamen first."

"Yes, Mother, let's settle down first."

Since we're already in the same place, thinking about other things is pointless.

They went to the yamen, but the magistrate was not there. The registrar, who held multiple positions, recorded the Huo family's household registration and assigned them to the Liangzhou area.

Yun Shuixian's household registration was destroyed on the spot, and she ceased to exist in the world.

Then a constable would take them to their place of residence.

Du Shan and Tian Kaiwu successfully handed over their duties, thus relieving themselves of a burden.

There were four of them when they came, but only two of them left when they left.

The road ahead is difficult and the future is uncertain, which is truly worrying.

Along the way, we encountered danger and faced numerous crises, and we've become somewhat more indifferent to some things.

After discussing it, the two of them concluded that they had plundered more than two hundred taels of silver from the Huo family on this trip.

We've shared hardships together on the road, so I'll return a little something.

They called out to Sang Ning.

"Fourth Madam, please take this money. You may need it in the future. My brother and I are leaving now."

Fifty taels of silver, how generous!

Sang Ning had doubts in her heart, but she quickly put it away.

"Thank you very much. I'll treat you to a meal next time you escort prisoners here."

It's just polite talk.

"No, no, no, I won't be coming for now!"

Du Shan and Tian Kaiwu were terrified.

It's a miracle we made it this far safely. As for next time... forget it! They won't be vying for this job for the next few years.

"Fourth Madam, it's like this, you're clever, could you give us brothers some advice on how to safely return to the capital?" Du Shan finally revealed his purpose.

Sang Ning was relieved.

So that's what it means.

"That's easy! Go change your clothes. Did you see the old man who stole my food? His clothes are pretty good."

The safest option is to starve yourself thin, eat tree bark all the way back, and pretend to be a half-dead refugee.

"Once you get to the capital, you can still cry to the higher-ups; even if you haven't done anything meritorious, you've still put in the effort."

good idea!

Du Shan and Tian Kaiwu immediately beamed with joy.

"Thank you, Fourth Madam."

The two of them went to get dressed.

At the corner of the yamen, two thin, dark-skinned men in worn-out official robes watched the whole scene with furrowed brows.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could see them giving me money and laughing.

"I never imagined that the family of a mighty war god would be like this..."

"Forget about that family in Pingyang, this is her own daughter-in-law. How do you choose in-laws?"

"All of you have no backbone!"

"Hmph! You make the arrangements, I'm going to go check the spring!"

One of the men finished speaking angrily and stormed off.

Lately, the spring that had never dried up in hundreds of years has stopped producing water, which is bothering him!

The lives of all the people in the city cannot be delayed!