They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

Xiao Si also received news of a cholera outbreak at the border, with many livestock dying and several water sources drying up. The few remaining wells that were still filling up had to be quickly evacuated to control the situation.

"Oh dear, what should we do? That old lady is still there! What bad luck! How come a sandstorm started as soon as she arrived! And there's no water at all." Xiao Si looked at the wells marked on the map in her residence.

He knew that even if Taiping controlled the border, it would be useless. The people on the border were a mixed bag, and they usually lived in peace because everyone was making money and was relatively wealthy.

"Go to Luo's Inn first and bring our ancestor to our mansion to keep an eye on her. How could she know the dangers of the border? She's not the eldest princess!"

"Yes, General Xiao!"

Meanwhile, Wu Ziyan and the other two in the room hadn't come to a conclusion yet, but fortunately, Fang Yuerong had brought enough money with her on this trip, and she hadn't let anyone know about the water she had stored away, which might save their lives in the future.

Just as they were about to go back to their rooms to rest, a carriage appeared outside the door, and female soldiers in armor stepped out. These ordinary people were still somewhat afraid of these soldiers, and they all hid in the corner, not daring to look.

Wu Ziyan knew that Xiao Si was thinking about the current situation and the harm they had suffered here, so she decided to bring them to her residence.

She turned to the two men and said, "Looks like I'll have to pack my bags and head to General Xiao's mansion!"

Fang Yuerong was the most annoyed. He had already moved twice, and the long, bumpy journey hadn't given him a good night's sleep. And then this happened on his way here. He was truly a pitiful person.

There was no other way; he understood the situation perfectly. Yue'er was perceptive and quickly packed his things and took them downstairs. Han Yuxiu even went to the counter to say hello.

After that, they boarded the carriage and headed to the Xiao residence. Xiao Si was a little impatient when they arrived, after all, he was very dissatisfied with this short woman. If it weren't for her bloodline, he wouldn't have paid any attention to her.

General Xiao seemed quite unconvinced.

"If it weren't for the fact that you're a member of the royal family, I wouldn't care about your life. The border is in chaos, and there might be some riots. You should stay in the manor and not come out, so as not to cause me any trouble."

Han Yuxiu wanted to confront her, but Wu Ziyan stopped him. She knew that it was indeed difficult for people to believe her in her current state, but fortunately, she was a highly intelligent person, and her system would always help her at certain times.

She simply smiled and thanked General Xiao. The rooms prepared for them were quite nice, among the best in the mansion. Huang Yuerong's only thought now was to roll up her bedding and go to sleep.

Because I don't know if I'll even have any sleep in the days to come.

Although Zou Adar appeared incompetent, he was in fact a kind-hearted man who loved his people dearly. Even while indulging in the pleasures of men, he did not forget his duties.

Dulan couldn't dissuade Adar no matter what he did, and he actually wanted to leave the city overnight, heading straight for the area infected with the plague.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! You mustn't go!"

But what good was it for her to just shout from behind? She was chasing after the horse, getting her mouth full of dust, and she only had two attendants with her: a doctor and a highly skilled guard.

That very night, Xiao Si took action, sealing off all the wells within the five dynasties under his jurisdiction. These wells were the lifeblood of half the people, and no mistakes could be tolerated.

It was only then that Wu Ziyan realized that Manluo Town was divided into two parts, one part belonging to the Wu Dynasty and the other part belonging to the Northern Desert.

Meanwhile, the same control methods were used in Dulan, and they were quite in sync. When they woke up, both sides had already formed a feeling of military-style martial law.

She was a little unaccustomed to the open and welcoming town when they first arrived, now that it had suddenly become so serious. Wu Ziyan wanted to go out and take a look, but I had just reached the door...

He was stopped by two soldiers.

"To ensure His Highness's safety, the General said you can stay in the mansion." He spoke without any mercy, like a machine devoid of emotion.

Wu Ziyan nodded, constantly peering outside. Sure enough, the outside was deserted, with no one around, and the place was utterly desolate overnight.

Han Yuxiu and Fang Yuerong were already sitting on a stone bench nearby, having tea and breakfast together in a very friendly manner.

Seeing that Wu Ziyan had also been turned away, they joined in the mockery: "Who would have thought that even His Highness couldn't get out!"

It turned out that they had come out early in the morning, wanting to go outside and check the situation, but they were stopped inside by the two soldiers. They were much more eager than Wu Ziyan.

Wu Ziyan admitted that she was a bit lazy and overslept. Now she was curious about how Fang Yuerong and Han Yuxiu got along so well. Weren't they ignoring each other yesterday?

It turned out that when they left together early in the morning, Han Yuxiu was still hostile towards Fang Yuerong. However, Fang Yuerong earnestly pulled him aside and said, "Brother Yuxiu, don't be so hostile towards me. Compared to women, I prefer money. Even if I have no choice, I still prefer money. I'm different from someone like you who has given me your heart."

Han Yuxiu looked at him with sincerity in his eyes. Perhaps because he was born into a merchant family and was looked down upon by the world, he had already built a thick wall in his heart, which was all accumulated layer by layer with money.

"What you like isn't important; what matters is whether she likes it or not." Han Yuxiu had thought this through clearly. Yesterday, the atmosphere was probably too oppressive, causing him to sulk. This morning, it was unusually quiet, and there was hardly anyone around, so he suddenly understood.

"Good, good, that's the best way to think."

Then the two of them wanted to go out together, but they were stopped, which led to the current situation.

"So, Xiao is thinking of using house arrest?"

"You can't say that. Your status is so noble, even 20 of our heads wouldn't be enough to pay for it." Fang Yuerong was clearly on Xiao Si's side.

They stayed quietly in the mansion for a day, and there was no commotion outside. The people were also very orderly in fetching water, and it seemed that there was no danger. But little did they know that the real danger was yet to come.

As the villagers huddled together carrying water back home, they were still discussing among themselves: "Have you heard? This is exactly the same as the sandstorm from decades ago. Back then, so many people died."

"What nonsense are you talking about? You haven't even seen the sandstorms from back then."

"Oh dear, I was just thinking about the news that many cattle, sheep and horses have died on the border. They've been infected with a disease called 'fever,' which can spread to humans and kill them too!"

Who wouldn't be afraid of death? Humans are made of flesh and blood, and these rumors inevitably make them panic. Coupled with martial law, it feels like these rumors are being confirmed.