As the saying goes, provisions must be in place before troops set out. The caravan of Wan Yan and Shen Yuning set off early. As for Chen Wenwei, he was troubled by miscellaneous affairs of the Ministry of Revenue before departure and couldn't set off.
Shen Yuning was secretly glad not to travel with him. After asking Wan Yan to comfort Chen Wenwei, she hastened their departure.
However, Shen Yuning never expected that her popularity among the common people would be so high. As soon as they reached the first town, when the commoners learned of her identity, they spread the news from mouth to mouth. Words of gratitude came one after another.
Many people even asked if, since Lady Shen had been conferred the title of rural lady and was thus like the emperor's daughter, whether it was the emperor's order for her to go out this time to raise provisions.
Shen Yuning patiently explained the current situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which was beset with both internal and external troubles. She also elaborated on the idea that as long as people united as one, they would surely overcome the difficulties.
After the first few days of work, Wan Yan and Shen Yuning checked the account books together. They were both extremely surprised. Just in this one town, they had raised a large amount of property. If they used it to buy military provisions, they could buy two whole carts of grain, which would be enough to feed an army of 100,000 for three days.
Wan Yan clapped his hands and laughed, "It's still Yuning who has strong appeal. When those commoners see you, they feel that you're trustworthy and voluntarily donate money and goods."
But Shen Yuning showed no sign of joy. "We've chosen a good place, but the Great Zhou is not at peace now. I'm afraid we won't be so lucky later."
Wan Yan agreed deeply. "We should do our best and leave the rest to fate. We haven't even made efforts yet. There's no need to hold back now. However, I see that you seem to have something on your mind. It doesn't seem to be just about provisions and supplies."
Shen Yuning smiled. "Mr. Wan, did you just see the merchant ships on the riverbank? Just now when we passed by the riverbank, I heard two middle - aged men discussing the floods in the southwest. It seems that their merchant ships once went to the southwest for disaster relief. Although the civilian disaster - relief organizations may not be as well - regulated as the court, it at least shows that there are many patriotic people among our commoners. If the court could distribute brochures on disaster relief so that the civilians could know more ways of rescue, in case of future disasters, the rescue would be more prompt and timely. Moreover, if such caravans are well - utilized, they will achieve good results in both current disaster relief and post - disaster reconstruction."
Wan Yan looked at the young girl in front of him with a smile and couldn't help giving her a thumbs - up. "Lady Shen, now when I think of my offensive actions in the past, I deeply feel that I was wrong. Now that I'm working with you, I feel it's really a pity that you're not a man."
If she were a man, she would surely become a pillar of the Great Zhou in the future.
Shen Yuning had heard such words since she was very young. At that time, she was more frustrated than unconvinced. But now, she felt no frustration at all.
She looked Wan Yan in the eye. "I don't think it's a pity. Whether male or female, as long as one is alive, one should strive to live well, for oneself, for the country, and for the future. Women have never been inferior to men. I've never thought that I'm any worse than you."
Wan Yan burst into laughter and nodded. "You're right. Women have never been inferior to men. It's only after I met you and the women in Rongchang Embroidery Workshop that I understand that women don't have to stay in the inner chambers. They can completely create a world of their own."
The next day, the caravans of the Wan and Shen families continued their journey, but they were attacked by mountain bandits at Fengshan.
Shen Yuning was a bit shocked. When she went out this time, the two maids she brought were two peasant girls found by Xue Yusong for her. They were both very smart, having been used to going up mountains and down rivers since childhood. One was named Du Juan and the other was named Ying Shan Hong.
Du Juan, who was strong - built, grabbed Shen Yuning's hand and hid her behind the carriage. Frowning, she said, "Lady, these people are coming in a menacing way. How about we abandon the carriage and flee?"
Shen Yuning slightly lifted the carriage curtain. Usually, it was always Wan Yan leading the way and her following behind, and there were escorts and servants from both the Wan and Xue families in the front and back. Wan Yan was accustomed to traveling on business and official roads and had some connections in both the white and black societies. Such mountain bandits should understand as long as they saw the Wan family's flag.
Even if there were some stupid bandits...
Shen Yuning stared intently. The servant of the Wan family who was holding the official document had his head chopped off by a bandit with a single stroke of the knife.
Even stupid bandits should take a look at the official document and know that this caravan was not to be provoked. However, these people didn't even look at it. They were clearly not ordinary bandits.
Ying Shan Hong instinctively let out a soft cry, then quickly covered her mouth tightly. She also closed the carriage curtain firmly, gasping in fear.
Shen Yuning was also in a complete panic. She had seen many poor commoners before, those who starved to death, froze to death, or died of illness. She would feel pity and be afraid of death. But today, she finally understood what real fear was. When the real big knife fell, it killed a living person, a young servant who had chatted and laughed with her just yesterday.
She tried hard to calm herself down and tilted her head slightly. "Something's wrong. This place is not far from the capital and only about two hours away from Qu County. There shouldn't be so many bandits gathering here."
Du Juan and Ying Shan Hong probably didn't understand what the lady meant. They just looked at her blankly.
Shen Yuning's eyes and mind were quick. She lifted the carriage curtain and observed carefully. She saw that the bandits' methods were extremely cruel. They showed no fear when facing the guards of the two families and rushed up to hack and kill. Although their actions seemed chaotic, Shen Yuning had read relevant books and picture albums and had also been taken to the drill ground by the Xue brothers. These people were clearly well - trained.
They were not ordinary bandits. Then, they must be after Wan Yan and her.
But why? They were just merchants, and what they were doing was good for the whole Great Zhou. Who would hate them so much as to take such cruel actions?
Shen Yuning couldn't figure it out. The only person she had ever made enemies with was Xue Yujiao. But to her, Xue Yujiao was like a barking dog that showed its teeth and rushed up to take a bite but couldn't hurt her at all.
Could it be the Qiao family? In this world, apart from the Qiao family, there was probably no one else who didn't like the Wan family and her, Shen Yuning. Moreover, the Qiao family had the ability to find such a group of bandits, ambush them on the road, and catch them off guard.
Shen Yuning secretly affirmed her guess, although she really couldn't understand the reason for the Qiao family's actions. But at this moment, she was more panicked because from a corner of the lifted carriage curtain, she could see that the bandits seemed to have gone crazy with killing. They had broken through the escorts and were rushing towards their caravan.
Before she could think further, Wan Yan had already got out of the carriage. Holding two big knives in his hands, he was protected by several guards behind him and quickly walked towards Shen Yuning's carriage.
Shen Yuning didn't hesitate either. She took Du Juan and Ying Shan Hong, jumped out of the carriage, and followed Wan Yan to run.
Wan Yan's expression was solemn. He handed one of the big knives to Shen Yuning. Looking at the girl's slender body, he was a bit doubtful and also a bit regretful. He thought he shouldn't have brought such a weak girl like Shen Yuning and involved her in this difficult situation.
In an instant, Shen Yuning had tied her hair tightly behind her head. She held the knife firmly and ran towards the village at the foot of the mountain with the guards.
Wan Yan was middle - aged. Although he looked gentle on the outside, he actually had some martial arts skills and was even better than the guards around him. Several times when the bandits rushed up, it was Wan Yan who blocked them for Shen Yuning.
Stumbling along, before they could reach the foot of the mountain, they saw about twenty - odd people gathering densely at a place near the village at the foot of the mountain. They were all holding weapons and rushing towards them.
Shen Yuning was so panicked that she broke into a sweat. Her hand holding the knife couldn't help trembling. "They've come prepared."
Wan Yan pointed to the narrow mountain path. "We can only run up the mountain."
Shen Yuning looked back at the mountain bandits. It was obvious that they were not here for money today. When they saw Wan Yan and Shen Yuning running away, they didn't even care about the caravan. They clearly came here to take their lives.
Wan Yan and Shen Yuning looked at each other, and they both saw the bad situation in each other's eyes. After a moment of consideration, he whispered, "Yuning, you change clothes with your maids and escape separately."
Du Juan thought he was going to abandon the master and showed an angry expression. But Ying Shan Hong directly took off her outer clothes, grabbed Shen Yuning's outer clothes, and exchanged them with her. Then she pulled Du Juan and ran into the dense forest.
Although Shen Yuning had suffered a lot over the years, thanks to Shen Fugui and Xuan Zhi's care, she had never run on a mountain path before. Even on a flat road, at the very least, she would take a ox - cart. After running for a while today, Shen Yuning was completely out of strength and leaned against a tree, unable to move at all.
Wan Yan stopped. He took out a small gadget from his bosom, put it on his eye, and looked down the mountain through the gaps in the forest. The more he looked, the more solemn his face became.
"Yuning, we have to keep running."
Shen Yuning was covered in sweat on her forehead and body. There were no proper roads in the mountains, and it was extremely rugged. She felt a sharp pain in her feet. She was afraid that there were already many cuts on them.
She propped the big knife on the ground and almost climbed up the mountain on all fours. But at such a snail - like speed, how could she outrun them?
Wan Yan hid behind a tree and was still using the small gadget to watch the situation down the mountain. There were nearly a hundred mountain bandits in sight. These people were like a big net, trying to catch them all.
He widened his eyes, cursed in a low voice, then turned back to help Shen Yuning up and whispered, "Those people are after you."
Shen Yuning was a bit dazed. After her?
"Now they're mainly chasing the maid who's pretending to be you. But with the abilities of your two maids, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold on for long. Yuning, you can't rest. We have to run."
Relying on his support, Shen Yuning continued to run forward. She was in a state of uneasiness, unable to figure out who on earth she had offended to be chased to the point of extinction.
At the same time, a sense of despair welled up in her heart. In this desolate mountain, they were outnumbered and weak. Where could they find a way out?
She looked up at the deep forest like a tiger's mouth and remembered what her grandfather had taught her when she was a child.
"Yuning, you must remember that as long as a person is alive, there's hope."
Yes, as long as one was alive, there was hope. Run! Even if she died in the end, at least she had tried her best to live.
Everything was fine now. The only thing that saddened her was Xuan Zhi.
If Xuan Zhi were here, it would be good.
Shen Yuning broke free from Wan Yan's hand and ran forward with all her might. The voices of the bandits behind her were already heard. They seemed to be right behind her, yet also seemed to be still far away.
But misfortunes never come singly. Somehow, Shen Yuning got separated from Wan Yan. She was alone and continued to run. In front of her was an insurmountable forest, and behind her were the ferocious bandits.
In a daze, Shen Yuning seemed to see a young boy standing beside a tree in the distance. Leaning against the tree, with childishness and fierceness on his face and a straw in his mouth, although he looked nonchalant, he was smiling obediently at her.
But as she ran, the childish boy grew up and became a gentle - looking man wearing a mask.
The man was saying, "You've made a mistake. I'm not Xuan Zhi."
Xuan Zhi...