Eavesdropping on Fu Bao's inner thoughts, emptying the stored grain and fleeing the famine

"Boss, why is there nobody here? Is it really a deserted village?"

The man who spoke was only in his early twenties, while the man he called "boss" looked to be over thirty.

The older man did not respond; he looked around, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

The man raised his hand and waved it gently, and all the "refugees" behind him scattered.

The "refugees" worked in pairs, skillfully entering the house to search.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, everyone had gathered again in the open space in the village.

"Any discoveries?" The leader looked everyone in front of him up and down.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, a large amount of stored grain and supplies have been found in the house to the east," a raggedly dressed man said, bowing respectfully.

The man in the lead nodded, then asked, "Where are the others?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the fire in the kitchen is still burning, so the villagers should still be nearby."

"My lord, we've discovered that all the furniture in the house is strange. It doesn't seem to belong to our Great Sheng."

After the "refugees" shared their findings, the man in the lead walked straight towards the house on the east side.

The room on the east side was specially set aside by the Lian family to store food and supplies. Inside, besides rice, flour, and cooking oil, there was also the tent that had been tied to the cart earlier.

The man in the lead walked up to the folded tent, touched the material of the tent, and slightly curled his lips into a smile.

“It’s them!” the man said. “The Emperor’s ship sent back a message earlier saying that even his family members brought many strange things they had never seen before on the way.”

These things must belong to them! Keep searching! Find the Lian family, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!

Xiao Liu was indeed clever; he guessed correctly that these refugee-like people were assassins sent by the Second Prince, Li Yuanyi, to kill the Lian family.

At the foot of Kunshan, Li Yuanyi's attack failed, which only fueled his desire for revenge.

Li Yuanyi had tried to win over Lian Jinghuai more than once. However, the stubborn old man kept insisting on his loyalty to the court and His Majesty.

Li Yuanyi had long disliked the Lian family, and now Lian Jinghuai had received a secret decree, attempting to find his unwanted older brother!

How could such a troublesome person live? But Li Yuanyi really didn't expect that even though he had sent out the most ruthless assassins, the Emperor's Number One, the Lian family still managed to escape!

This was an outcome Li Yuanyi had not anticipated, since the Lian family had fled with their entire household in tow.

If it were just the Lian family father and son, it would be one thing, but they managed to escape unscathed while taking the elderly, women, and children with them.

Such strength made Li Yuanyi wary. If the Lian family could be used by him, that would be fine, but if not, then the Lian family would be his enemies.

So, they must die!

The man in the lead entered Lian Rongrong's room. Compared to the simplicity outside, the cleanliness inside gave it a surprisingly spacious feel.

The man looked around with great curiosity, his gaze finally settling on the bell beside the bed.

The man walked to the bedside, reached out and gently flicked the bell. Before he could lower his hand, someone outside called out:

"Sir, the bell inside the house has rung."

These words immediately jolted the man awake. He strode outside and shouted to the crowd:

"Check if every room has a bell."

The man waited with a stern expression, and soon the men who had been sent to check each room returned to report.

"I see. It seems they were using bells to send messages. But there's only one road through this village, so these people must still be in the village."

"Separate teams and search for any secret rooms or hidden passages."

Assassins' keenness is honed over years of experience, but Lian Rongrong is a woman who doesn't play by the rules.

The group of assassins searched for a long time but couldn't find the entrance to the secret passage.

As time went on, the assassin leader's expression grew increasingly grim. To avoid any unforeseen complications, the leader finally ordered the village burned down.

"I refuse to believe they can survive the fire and the toxic smoke."

The raging fire engulfed the Lian family's carefully repaired house. Thick smoke seeped into every nook and cranny.

The people hiding in the secret passage quickly realized that the people above had set a fire. The smoke grew thicker and thicker, and everyone couldn't help but cough.

"This can't go on. The air here is suffocating. If this continues, we'll probably choke to death from the smoke sooner or later!"

Lian Rongrong covered Fu Bao's nose with her hand, then her gaze fell on Lian Xiuyan.

"Where's the ring? Hand it over!" Lian Rongrong spread out her palm. In this life-or-death situation, she no longer cared whether others would notice anything amiss.

Seeing Lian Rongrong's aggressive demeanor, Lian Xiuyan looked completely innocent.

"What ring do I have? Are you crazy?" Lian Xiuyan glared at Lian Rongrong.

But how could Lian Rongrong let her off so easily? Lian Rongrong grabbed Lian Xiuyan and shouted:

"Who else could it be but you? Your sudden change in temperament lately is just to make me lower my guard so that I can make my move, isn't it?"

You drugged me yesterday and stole my ring! Hand it back now, or we're all dead.

Lian Xiuyan was furious at being held like this by Lian Rongrong. She shook off Lian Rongrong's hand and shouted:

"You think it's me just because you say so? I've been with your grandmother since last night, I didn't have time to steal your ring."

Stop spreading these alarmist rumors! How can we all die together? Besides, even if we did die, I've never seen your amber ring!

"An amber ring?" Lian Rongrong took two steps forward, closing in on Lian Xiuyan. "When did I say I lost an amber ring?"

Lian Xiuyan realized she had spoken out of turn and unconsciously glanced at Wen Hui. Wen Hui, fearing exposure, quickly coughed twice and offered words of comfort:

"What time is it? Why are you still making a scene? Let's hurry and escape to the back of the mountain. Aren't there horses behind the village?"

Xiao Liu said those people came on foot, so if we run away on horseback, they won't catch up.

Third sister, whatever conflicts you have with your aunt, let's talk about them after we're out of danger!

Wenhui put on a kind face, and even her mother, who had always favored her, immediately advised her daughter:

"Rongrong, let's get through this danger first. If she really took the ring, as long as she's still alive, we'll definitely get it back!"

The smoke grew thicker, and the situation allowed no room for hesitation. Lian Rongrong forcefully pushed Lian Xiuyan aside and gave the order to the crowd:

"Head towards the exit at the back mountain!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately rushed along the secret passage towards the exit.

The group was not far from the exit. Before long, Chen Si, who was walking at the front, saw the exit.

"Miss, please wait a moment. I'll go check if it's safe outside."

Chen Si walked to the exit with his back bent, and first put his ear to the cover at the exit.

There was no sound outside, but Chen Si still dared not be careless. He gently moved the stone at the exit.

Sunlight streamed in through the cracks. Chen Si stopped what he was doing and listened intently again.

After confirming that there was no one outside, Chen Si boldly moved the stone completely.

Chen Si emerged from the secret passage and looked around. The exit of the passage was outside the village, and the assassins hadn't yet considered this location.

"Everyone, come out quickly!" Chen Si said in a low voice to the people inside while keeping an eye on the commotion in the village.