The emperor is biased and wants to kill me, but you chickened out when the army is at the city gates

north.

The wind was biting cold, and snow was falling heavily.

On the snow-covered official road, refugees hunched their shoulders, tucked their hands together, and shivered as they made their way forward.

Looking from afar, the long queue stretched for over a hundred miles.

They were dark, one after another, like countless black dots in this white snow world, densely packed and innumerable.

"Teacher, Zixu is gone."

A scholar dressed in thin clothes stared blankly at Qiu Xingzhi.

Qiu Xingzhi's hand, which he had just raised, trembled involuntarily in mid-air. Then, in a hoarse voice, he said, "I understand. Give him a proper burial!"

After saying that, he handed the little bit of dry food he had left to a little refugee girl.

Qiu Xingzhi should have left Shuanglin City with Hu Xu more than half a month ago.

That very night, however, he received a letter from one of his students in Danxia City—a plague was raging, and corpses were everywhere.

With just eight words, Qiu Xingzhi didn't have time to say goodbye to Hu Xu before rushing off to Danxia City.

Then he saw a living hell.

Tens of thousands of people were infected with the plague. Some coughed violently, some had burning fevers, some trembled like leaves and convulsed, but many more were covered in red rashes, their bodies oozing pus and festering, and they died in agony.

Although Qiu Xingzhi was a great Confucian scholar, he did not understand medicine.

Fortunately, he still had prestige among scholars, so he immediately summoned some knowledgeable people and invited the doctor.

But after the first doctor got infected, the subsequent doctors became afraid.

In the end, whenever the topic of treating the plague came up, no matter how much he pleaded, no one dared to offer help.

Left with no other choice, Qiu Xingzhi had to leave Danxia City with these refugees, and then he witnessed a scene that filled him with even greater despair.

The Daqi court dispatched soldiers, ostensibly to prevent the spread of the plague, but with the intention of massacring all the refugees.

That night, too many people died under the cold blades of the Daqi soldiers.

The army then burned the bodies and reported the victory to the imperial court.

Similar scenes played out one after another in several major cities where the plague was spreading, leaving more and more displaced people homeless and forced to flee north.

"Teacher, will the King of Chu really accept these refugees?"

The scholar, his eyes red, asked softly.

He was originally a student at the Imperial Academy, but in order to follow his teacher, he resolutely left that place.

The journey had been fraught with hardship, but seeing the countless refugees, the scholar was bewildered.

Qiu Xingzhi smiled slightly: "Yes, as long as we can reach Beining City, the King of Chu will definitely accept them."

As he said this, Qiu Xingzhi straightened up and looked north, vaguely seeing Qin Xuan's resolute face.

"Your Highness, you should be willing to accept refugees, right?!"

Qiu Xingzhi asked himself this question, but only he knew the bitterness in his mouth.

Three days later, the massive caravan of refugees finally entered the territory of Beining City.

Looking at the empty official road, Qiu Xingzhi felt a pang of disappointment.

Logically, Beining City should have received news of the refugees moving north long ago. If Qin Xuan was truly willing to accept these refugees, he should have already sent soldiers to welcome them.

But right now, the entire official road is deserted, and the cold wind blows, making it exceptionally desolate.

"Did I misjudge him?"

Qiu Xingzhi felt somewhat depressed, but he still gritted his teeth and silently moved forward.

An hour later, the city gates of Beining City were already faintly visible, but Qiu Xingzhi's despair was slowly growing.

Still no one came to meet him. Had the King of Chu forgotten his original intentions?

Qiu Xingzhi was neither a pedantic scholar nor a stubborn old man; he naturally knew what these 200,000 refugees meant.

Let alone the fact that the King of Chu only had this one city, Beining, even a powerful state like the Jurchen would probably not dare to accept 200,000 refugees, let alone a group of refugees infected with the plague.

"Teacher, why haven't we seen the Shence Army mobilized?"

When Qin Xuan left the capital, the 100,000 Shence Army soldiers were so imposing and unforgettable.

But now, when people most want to see them appear, they have disappeared.

Seeing the disappointment in his students' eyes, Qiu Xingzhi felt a pang of sadness, but he forced a smile and said, "It's freezing cold. Perhaps they're just waiting for us to get closer."

"Really? Then we're all saved!"

The scholar was ultimately inexperienced in the ways of the world; he only thought about the good outcome and never considered what it would be like to be turned away.

"Whether to save them or not, you're probably torn too!"

Qiu Xingzhi silently recited this in his heart.

If Beining City ultimately refuses to accept the refugees, reason tells Qiu Xing that this might be the best outcome.

He had known Qin Xuan for many years and knew his great ambitions; he was a man who could bring hope to the people of the world.

But these 200,000 refugees could very well destroy his ideals, ruin his foundation, and lead him to utter ruin.

"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs. I, Qiu Xingzhi, do not blame heaven, nor earth, much less you, King of Chu. But if heaven truly has a spirit, let this corrupt Great Qi awaken soon!"

Qiu Xingzhi looked up at the sky and sighed deeply, his eyes reddening.

Many of the refugees he had cared for came forward to inquire about his well-being, but Qiu Xingzhi only managed a forced smile and said, "Everyone, quicken your pace, we'll be in Beining City soon."

Even though he was uncertain, Qiu Xingzhi just didn't want to personally extinguish the last hope of these refugees at this final moment.

Perhaps they'll feel a little better if they wait until they reach the city gates and despair.

A brief cheer erupted from the crowd of refugees, but it was very faint, because too many people had no strength left.

"Pfft!"

An elderly man suddenly fell to the ground. Qiu Xingzhi rushed forward to help him up, only to find that the old man had already stopped breathing.

He felt a pang of pain in his heart, looked up at Beining City, which was now almost within reach, and remained silent.

The person standing beside him, whether a relative or a friend, didn't shed a single tear. They simply shook their heads at Qiu Xingzhi with a slightly pained and numb expression: "Mr. Qiu, let's go. It's just bad luck for him."

The tears had already dried up when my family was destroyed and my loved ones were killed!

Is it because I have bad luck?

This is the original sin of the Great Qi Dynasty.

Qiu Xingzhi wanted to curse loudly, but he was too exhausted to do so.

He swayed as he straightened up, hoping that when he looked up, he would see a miracle, that he would see Qin Xuan leading the Shence Army on horseback.

However, even though they were only half a mile from the city gate, all they could see was a vast expanse of white snowflakes.

"It seems I've misplaced my trust in you after all!"

Qiu Xingzhi gave a bitter smile, as if all his energy and spirit had been completely drained in that moment.

But just then, a dark figure rushed out from the endless white snowflakes:

"By order of the King of Chu, we are guiding the refugees into the city!"

"No one is allowed to crowd or push. Everyone must line up and move forward in an orderly fashion. Anyone who violates this rule will be executed without mercy!"

Then, the sound of horses' hooves came from ahead, and the familiar and dazzling silver armor stood out brightly in the swirling snow, like the sun.

The young and handsome prince was riding his warhorse slowly towards them.

At that moment, Qiu Xingzhi burst into tears.