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

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.

"Stop talking, everyone's going home, right? If the soldiers hear this, they'll be in big trouble!"

At such a critical juncture, it is most important to avoid undermining morale.

Two more days passed, and the water shortage outside still hadn't improved. Meanwhile, the epidemic on the border had worsened. Cattle, sheep, and horses were dying in droves, and swarms of mosquitoes brought the disease to the town.

Adar, who went to the epidemic area, refused to believe in the superstition and has also developed hysteria. He is now on his way back to this town. He originally wanted to go back to the capital, but the journey to the capital is so far, and he thought that by the time he was sent back, the person might be dead.

Xiangsi returned early that day and slammed the door shut. Since none of them seemed to feel much about the outside environment, they had all been confined to the house for the past two days and hadn't gone anywhere.

Fang Yuerong sighed from the side: "They said they came to open a trade route and do business, but now that everyone's gone, what's the point of opening a trade route?"

"This disaster will eventually pass. This is the main area of ​​care, and we'll still have to leave through here eventually." Wu Ziyan even leisurely ate a handful of sunflower seeds.

Xiao Si was in the room listening to their idle chatter, and she felt annoyed and wanted to lash out, but Wu Ziyan was a princess, so she couldn't lose her temper at all.

"The sun is shining really well today, how about the three of us play cards for a while?"

"I am willing to accompany Your Highness."

"All you ever do is play!"

Hearing her say that, Xiao Si couldn't help but open the door: "Your Highness, if you're here for a vacation, I advise you to go back as soon as possible. My humble residence can't accommodate a few big shots like you!"

"Hehehe, you two listen to this! The general is going to let the three of us out! That's great!"

He deliberately shouted this towards the door. For the past two days, whenever they wanted to go out, they were coldly and ruthlessly rejected and driven back into the yard.

Xiao Si finally realized that Wu Ziyan and the other two wanted to get out and were setting a trap for her here.

Before he could finish speaking, the three of them had already stepped across the threshold of the gate. The two guards did not stop them, after all, it was General Xiao who had personally said that they could leave.

Xiao Si sighed heavily, but what could she do? The water level was getting lower and lower, and soon there would be no water left. If there was no water, the people would definitely cause trouble, and if they did, they would definitely start fighting.

After all that fighting, they'll probably want to check if anything's happening on the other side of the border, which will turn it into a matter between the two countries!

"Miss, my Miss, please come back quickly!" After thinking it over, Xiao Sisi still chased after her.

Wu Ziyan turned around and waved his hand, then ran towards Luo's Inn. When he arrived at the inn, he found it to be quite desolate, with all the tables and chairs overturned, probably caused by the guests.

Fortunately, some of the merchants' guests were planning to stay here for two or three days, but since there was no water, they left early. It wasn't a big deal; at most, we would just refund their room fees.

When Boss Luo saw them return, he still had a smile on his face, but his brows were furrowed: "Did you come back to fetch water?"

"Yes and no. I was just wondering if the waterfall at Hanquan has dried up. It affects the wells here, but does it affect Hanquan itself?"

Even so easily revealing their secrets, thankfully no one was around, Boss Luo breathed a sigh of relief: "My benefactor, that's our family's sacred place, not something outsiders can easily know about."

"Just tell me whether it had dried up back then, and I will never enter the Cold Spring Holy Land again."

She had heard their ancestors talk about this before. When sandstorms struck, those wells did dry up, but their cold spring did not.

Boss Luo answered truthfully, which gave Wu Ziyan a clear answer. The two people following her were still a bit confused, wondering why she had rushed back here so excitedly as soon as she left.

Fang Yuerong initially thought that Wu Ziyan was going to come back for water and then live off her savings, but now it seems that she has another plan.

There weren't many people on the street. Xiao Si saw that they were heading towards Luo's Inn, but she didn't have time to deal with them. She still had to take care of those people first, the panicked folks.

As long as she doesn't reveal their identities, how will those people know they are royalty?

Seeing that Wu Ziyan hadn't said anything after coming out of the Logic Inn, Fang Yuerong became curious.

"Is there some way? Miss Ziyan, as your partner, don't I have the right to know?"

"There is a way, but I'm still missing one thing. Once I get that thing, I'll tell you what happened next."

Wu Ziyan thought that since the sandstorm-induced cold spring from many years ago had not dried up, and there were many hot springs in their area, there must be an underground river.

Those wells must be connected to an underground river, and this sandstorm must have blocked the water source.

She needs a groundwater detector, which certainly didn't exist in ancient times, but the system can give it to her and make it look antique. There are so many rewards that she hasn't redeemed yet, so this time she should be able to redeem some.

As she walked, she kept an eye out for carpenters' and blacksmiths' shops, so she could explain what she could get from one of them. Otherwise, if it appeared out of thin air, they would definitely be frightened.

Of course, she wouldn't do such a good deed for nothing; she wanted to make a fortune from it and open up a crucial link in the business chain.

Thinking of this, she closed her eyes and opened the system interface. Most of the men had already passed 40%, but Fang Yuerong, whom she had had very little contact with, was still at 9%, just 1% away from breaking through the barrier.

Wu Ziyan looked Fang Yuerong up and down. She was definitely not the kind of person who would be troubled by a woman. If he wanted to win her over, he would have to show some strength.

They walked to an empty table, where the owner was nowhere to be found. That was fine, since no one would listen to their plan.

"I have a plan, please listen carefully. The water shortage here is only temporary, but if a sandstorm is severe, the water supply will definitely be blocked, and it will take several months to clear it."

“Why not open a new water source? I know of a device for detecting underground water sources that can avoid most areas based on the past sandstorm routes, thus solving the water shortage problem.”

"Besides, this is also a way to make money. Aren't we going to open up trade routes? We can take this opportunity to seize it in one fell swoop."

"You mean controlling the water source to strangle them?" Fang Yuerong was quick-witted and immediately hit the nail on the head.

Wu Ziyan nodded and continued, "The water level in their wells will gradually drop until they disappear. At that time, we will only need to charge per person."

Merchants will pay customs duties at 5% of their previous monthly profits, while ordinary farmers will only need to pay a fee to enter the city—this will happen after the current water shortage; during times of water shortage, we call it a water fee.

"Dividing people into classes based on their social status—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—is one way to do it, but how will you suppress the riots?"

"That depends on Yu Xiu."