Divine Doctor: Daughter of the First Wife ( Yang Shi Liu) 515

438

The Thing She Wanted to See Least Has Happened

When the county princess’ manor’s gates were opened, someone outside fell, and Feng Yu Heng caught them. She saw that it was a completely soaked Bai Fu Rong that had fallen into her arms. Her body was ice-cold, and her teeth were chattering.

“Fu Rong!” Feng Yu Heng called to her and helped her up. She then looked behind her and found that the carriage that she had been sitting in was ruined by the rain. The driver stood in the rain and looked to be on the verge of no longer being able to endure. “Quickly bring the driver in. Bring him into the manor to rest.” She gave the order to the gatekeeper then turned to tell Wang Chuan: “It seems that I will not be able to go to the Wen Xuan Palace. Go find Huang Quan. You two go together. Get a clear idea of the situation in Xiao Zhou.”

Wang Chuan nodded. Seeing that Huang Quan had brought the carriage around, she quickly rushed out into the rain.

Feng Yu Heng brought Bai Fu Rong into her own courtyard. Before servants could come and change her clothes, she grabbed Feng Yu Heng and urgently said: “A-Heng, it’s so scary. It’s so scary outside!” She said this while trembling. Only then did Feng Yu Heng notice that Bai Fu Rong was not trembling from the cold. It was because she was afraid.

“What did you see?” She asked Bai Fu Rong: “Where did you come from? The manor? Your carriage is very sturdy. If it was just traveling through the capital, it would not become like that. Fu Rong, did you go out of the capital?”

Bai Fu Rong nodded, “Yes, I left the city. Father went out to look at an old piece of jade before the heavy rain started. He sent a letter today saying that he would return to the capital, thus I brought a hidden guard and left the city to receive him. But, A-Heng, do you know what I saw?” The more she said, the more horrified she felt. By the end, she shrank into the chair, her face was a very pale white.

Feng Yu Heng thought quickly and seemed to have thought of something. Her expression then sank, “It seems… that the thing I was hoping would not happen ended up happening.” She quietly muttered these words then looked at Bai Fu Rong, asking her: “Outside of the city, are there a large number of dead people?”

Bai Fu Rong nodded and took a deep breath, urgently saying: “A large number of people have died. Each pool of water is filled with dead people. Those people have become deformed from being soaked in those puddles. Some of the heads of the corpses have become bigger than basins from the water. Some of them no longer look human. Father said that the weather would get hot once more. After the natural disaster, there would be an epidemic. He wanted me to come and have you think of an idea.” Bai Fu Rong looked at Feng Yu Heng, some expectation in her eyes.

Feng Yu Heng had no true grasp of the situation. She did not think that the situation outside the city would be so bad. She asked Bai Fu Rong: “Why are there so many people?”

Bai Fu Rong told her: “They’re all refugees fleeing toward the city. Some died along the way, and some died outside the gates because they could not enter the capital.”

She heard something important: “They could not enter the city?”

Bai Fu Rong nodded: “That’s right. The refugees only view the capital as a pillar of moral support. They just thought that the capital would not become drowned by water; however, they did not think of how they did not have any relatives to ask for help. For the people that could point out where their relatives lived, people would immediately be sent to investigate. Once they had been found, they would be allowed in. But those that do not have relatives were definitely not allowed in. In truth…” She paused for a moment then said: “Father said that in truth, many of the people died of hunger.”