However, for Xuyuan, whether he was wanted or not was truly no longer important.
Facing the oppression of treacherous officials and the suffering of the common people, all Xuyuan could do now was to find a way to survive.
Therefore, upon hearing of Prince Chang's arrival, he and Qiao Feipeng risked their lives to come here to petition Prince Chang.
Even their courage was enough to earn admiration.
But Mu Changxi's gaze was indifferent, leaving Song Chaoyu puzzled, unsure of what this man was thinking.
Song Chaoyu did not dare to ask Mu Changxi directly, thinking that he must have his own ways.
After reviewing both petitions, Mu Changxi did not express much. He merely instructed Xiao Ruizhi, "Go and settle them in the town. All expenses shall be covered by the disaster relief funds for now."
He turned and nodded to Pingjiang. Without a word, Pingjiang seemed to understand and quietly withdrew.
Song Chaoyu also understood Mu Changxi's intention: it was necessary to verify the truth of the matter before making a decision.
Qiao Feipeng and Xuyuan exchanged glances, not in a hurry. However, they also made it clear to Mu Changxi that they would not go with Mu Changxi's men. They needed to choose their own place to stay, and they could not be guarded by soldiers.
In fact, this request was already a bit excessive.
But if what was stated in their petitions was true, Song Chaoyu felt it was only natural.
Mu Changxi did not agree immediately. He only told them that soldiers would not be stationed there, and they could choose their own temporary lodging.
However, their whereabouts must be known to Mu Changxi at all times, ensuring that he could find them whenever he needed to.
Furthermore, the disaster victims were not allowed to wander off. If even one escaped, Mu Changxi would not be able to help Xuyuan and Qiao Feipeng.
After much deliberation, the two agreed to these terms.
Mu Changxi also specifically informed Xiao Ruizhi about their affairs, instructing him to take full responsibility and not delegate the task to anyone else.
At the same time, Mu Changxi used the excuse of wanting to taste the local specialties to send Xiang Rui away.
Only after they had all left did Mu Changxi place the two petitions before Song Chaoyu: "Ayu, what do you think?"
Logically, this was a matter of state, and Song Chaoyu, as a woman, should not comment or interfere.
But when Song Chaoyu read the contents of the petitions, a nameless rage surged within her: "If all of this is true, then we must intervene! These people deserve to die! Even if the situation in Ping'an County is also true, then letting these corrupt officials die would barely appease the public's anger!"
When Mu Changxi met Song Chaoyu in the capital again, he always felt that she was indifferent to everything. It was as if she had grown up overnight, making him feel a distance from her, no longer as close as before.
And now, seeing Song Chaoyu's genuine emotions, Mu Changxi felt a sense of relief: "You finally have some of the demeanor you had when you were at the manor."
Song Chaoyu was stunned for a moment...
As if realizing that for Mu Changxi, they had not been separated for long.
For Song Chaoyu, it was the difference between a past life and this one!
She lowered her head, not wanting Mu Changxi to see the sadness in her eyes.
She pointed to the petitions: "Do you know any of the officials mentioned here?"
Mu Changxi's gaze also gradually turned cold: "I know some of them, and they are indeed not good people, but I didn't expect them to be so brazen."
Song Chaoyu's eyes grew colder: "If what these petitions say is true, then the situation in Haizhou is likely even more terrifying than we imagined!"
The petition submitted by Qiao Feipeng alone listed five counts of collusion between the prefect of Haizhou City and the commanding general.
First, embezzling disaster relief funds for personal gain.
Second, beating disaster victims without reason and closing the city gates to prevent them from entering.
Third, colluding with grain merchants in the city to sell grain at exorbitant prices.
Fourth, under the pretext of "rioting civilians," disregarding human lives and indiscriminately killing innocent people.
Fifth, deceiving the imperial court and repeatedly requesting disaster relief funds from surrounding prefectures.
These crimes were pushing Haizhou to the brink of "destruction"!
But compared to the situation in Ping'an County described by Xuyuan, Haizhou City was actually much better off!
The situation in Ping'an County could only be described as "hell on earth"!
Ping'an County was originally a very prosperous county in Haizhou. Being by the sea, most of the county's residents made a living by fishing and working at the docks.
The flood this time was not caused by a disaster at sea, but by the Liuping River, which flowed into the sea.
Because the residents of Ping'an County were accustomed to living by the water, they were already vigilant and had informed the Haizhou prefectural yamen before the disaster struck.
But the prefectural yamen did not respond, and the people of Ping'an County could only save themselves.
Little did they know that this self-rescue would turn into "self-harm" when the disaster truly occurred!
When the floodwaters came, because Ping'an County had taken precautions, it was actually the least affected area in the entire Haizhou City.
According to this petition, it took a full seven days after the disaster for people from the Haizhou prefectural yamen to find Ping'an County.
However, they were not there to help!
Instead, the so-called captain of the guards claimed to be ordered to confiscate all remaining possessions in Ping'an County to be used for disaster relief!
They plundered Ping'an County wantonly, seizing all the meager remaining grain and money from every household!
Not only that, but they also took the opportunity to defile the young and old women of Ping'an County, with some women being captured and brought to their camp for enjoyment.
Within the three days they were stationed in Ping'an County, over a dozen women, unable to bear the humiliation, committed suicide in Ping'an County.
Xuyuan and others who wanted to stand up for these women were also beaten by the yamen runners.
After Xuyuan passed the imperial examinations, he became a teacher at the academy in Ping'an County. After the yamen runners plundered the academy, they took up residence there.
Most of the teachers in their academy had helped the women, but two of them were beaten to death at the entrance of the academy, and their bodies were hung at the entrance as a warning.
Finally, after Xuyuan and some of the indignant men in the county discussed the matter, they felt that since death was inevitable, they might as well fight for the sake of the elderly, weak, women, and children who were still alive in the county!
Thus, the dozen or so of them united, sneaked into the academy under the cover of darkness, and stabbed those beasts to death with fish spears in the academy.
They understood that by doing so, they had no turning back.
So that night, they joined forces with everyone in the county who wanted to leave, saying they would lead those who wanted to leave to flee the famine and see if they could find a way to survive.