Along the way, they encountered many incidents and lost many people.
By the time they reached this town, they were lost and didn't know where to go.
They heard that even the prefectural city ahead, which was accepting disaster victims, required proof of their status as disaster victims. As they were merely refugees, and even fugitives, they dared not proceed further.
While they hesitated here, they heard that the capital had dispatched Prince Chang.
Haizhou was not far from the Southern Kingdom, and they had naturally heard of Prince Chang.
Although they could not be sure if Mu Changxi could truly help them, they had no other choice.
Song Chaoyu understood their thoughts very well.
When people are at their wits' end, what else can they rely on?
On those memorial petitions, it seemed as if every word was written in blood and tears!
Song Chaoyu looked up at Mu Changxi and asked, "Do you think there is any exaggeration or bias in their memorial petitions?"
Mu Changxi shook his head, "Why don't we go and see for ourselves?"
Song Chaoyu was stunned and immediately understood Mu Changxi's meaning, "So you mean... we shouldn't enter Haizhou as Prince Chang?"
"Yes, we will bypass Haizhou City and go directly to this Ping'an County!"
He tapped the memorial petition fiercely, "We will split into two groups. One group will impersonate me and travel in our large carriage, following slowly behind. We will disguise ourselves as ordinary merchants and pretend to be helping with disaster relief, bypass Haizhou City, and go directly to Ping'an County. Then everything... will have a clear answer!"
Indeed, in this era that favored agriculture and suppressed commerce, the so-called scholar-officials were busy fighting for power and profit, embezzling disaster relief funds.
Instead, along the way, they saw many merchants going against the flow of disaster victims, doing their best to help them.
Song Chaoyu agreed with Mu Changxi's idea, and Mu Changxi called Qiao Feipeng and Xuyuan to discuss it, asking if they were willing to return to Haizhou with him.
Obviously, Xuyuan and Qiao Feipeng had not expected Mu Changxi to make such a decision so quickly, and both were very surprised.
In the end, Qiao Feipeng and Xuyuan made a decision that even Song Chaoyu found most suitable: Xuyuan would take Mu Changxi to Haizhou, while Qiao Feipeng would be responsible for the hundreds of disaster victims they had brought out.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Qiao Feipeng would continue to lead the disaster victims in this town, waiting for news from Xuyuan.
If Xuyuan were to encounter trouble in front of Mu Changxi, Qiao Feipeng would continue to lead the disaster victims forward, seeking another place to settle them.
This was considered a relatively perfect solution, and one that gave everyone room to breathe.
After agreeing, they planned to leave the town as soon as possible.
In fact, Song Chaoyu was still worried about one thing: if Mu Hansu's men found out about Xuyuan, Qiao Feipeng, and these disaster victims, would they be in danger?
But Mu Changxi did not seem to worry about this problem, and although he did not explain it to Song Chaoyu, she could vaguely sense it.
The people Mu Changxi brought this time were likely not as few as she had imagined.
Since someone could guarantee the safety of these disaster victims, Song Chaoyu had another question: how would they explain to Xiang Rui that they were going to Ping'an County in secret?
If Xiang Rui was just someone from the Emperor's court, Song Chaoyu would not have been afraid. It would be good for the Emperor to know the current situation in Haizhou; he could always carefully consider why Haizhou had become like this.
But what if Xiang Rui had contact with Mu Hansu? Or if Mu Hansu could know Xiang Rui's whereabouts through some means, their journey to Ping'an County might become very dangerous.
After discussing with Mu Changxi, Song Chaoyu decided to use a method to test Xiang Rui: the lure method.
After they passed this town, they would reach Yuezhou.
Yuezhou was also Mu Hansu's territory. After the commotion they caused in Pingzhou City, the officials in Yuezhou City were probably "expecting" their arrival.
Therefore, Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi spread the news in front of Xiang Rui that they were not going to Yuezhou City. They would bypass Yuezhou City and head directly to Yizhou City, one stop away.
In this way, if Mu Hansu's men got the news, Yuezhou City would naturally not have any preparations, and the prefect of Yuezhou City might feel that he was safe and sound.
In reality, their group immediately set off from this town and galloped towards Yuezhou City.
They wanted to see if the prefect of Yuezhou City, Lord Han, would be flustered or fully prepared!
---
They set out at midnight, traveling at full speed, and arrived at the city gate of Yuezhou City in the morning light, nearly two days earlier than the originally scheduled arrival time in Yuezhou City.
Compared to Pingzhou City, Yuezhou City looked much more normal.
Even though it was early morning, the city gates of Yuezhou City were not closed. The bustling crowds of people within Yuezhou City seemed very normal.
However, Yuezhou City was clearly closer to Haizhou, yet Song Chaoyu did not see a single disaster victim, which made her feel that something was unusual.
As their convoy entered Yuezhou City, Prefect Han and the City Guard General were already waiting respectfully at the inner city gate.
Seeing the carriage of Prince Chang's mansion, Lord Han and the City Guard General knelt down very respectfully, "Your humble servants Han Li and Yuezhou City Guard General Jiang Dezhu respectfully welcome His Highness Prince Chang. May His Highness live for ten thousand years!"
In terms of etiquette, there was no fault.
Song Chaoyu first opened the carriage curtain and saw the shrewd Prefect of Yuezhou City, Lord Han.
Seeing Song Chaoyu, he also hurried forward to greet her, "Greetings, Your Highness the Princess Consort! Please follow me, my lord? I have already prepared wine and food in my residence and have been waiting for you for a long time!"
When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, like a weasel.
Song Chaoyu instinctively disliked this Lord Han, but she said meaningfully, "Lord Han's news is truly well-informed! We arrived two days earlier than scheduled, and you are still here to welcome us. It is truly not easy."
Lord Han did not understand Song Chaoyu's meaning and replied with a smile, "I have heard about the encounters of Your Highness and Your Highness the Princess Consort in Pingzhou City! Our place is not like Pingzhou City. I thought that since Your Highness did not enter the city, your journey would be faster. Please rest assured, Your Highness and Your Highness the Princess Consort, and reside here with peace of mind."
He seemed clever and accommodating, but he also expressed his dissatisfaction with the prefect of Pingzhou City.
It seemed that... even if they were all Mu Hansu's people, they could not avoid internal strife.