Don't be tempted, sir

Chapter 36 Arrival

Finally, they came across an official post station in the middle of the night. The prince asked everyone to rest for a while before setting off the next day. The dying white wolf was laid on the hay, and the wolf cub Qizhu was with him.

It was a small black one. Huan'er asked, "Miss, do you want to keep it?"

Qizhu put it on the cushion and said, "No, we'll release them once its mother gets better."

"Oh, then go to sleep, miss."

Green buds sprouted from the willow trees in the inn, sweeping the windowsill with the wind. The morning wind was still a little chilly. As soon as the sky was light, the little wolf got up and searched everywhere. Qizhu opened her hazy eyes and looked at the furry little ball of charcoal.

The prince knocked on the door. "Qizhu! Are you up?"

"Well! Come in!" Qizhu was washing up quickly.

The prince did not open the door "Breakfast is ready, I'll wait for you in the hall!"

"it is good!"

Mrs. Zhao packed some coarse cloth clothes for Qizhu, leaving only a set of official uniforms that were sent when the emperor was delivering the imperial edict. At this moment, Qizhu was dressed simply and no longer as charming as before, but looked a bit like a country girl.

Qizhu was still lively and generous when she came downstairs. She waved to the prince from a distance and said, "Good morning! Lord Yan."

The prince was in a very good mood, as if a spring breeze had blown on his face. Everyone only ate a bowl of plain noodles and took away a large bag of scallion pancakes, because they had to keep on traveling and could not rest.

When they got back to the carriage, the white wolf had woken up but was very weak. Qizhu fed it some broth from the inn, and the innkeeper gave it a wooden cage. Before the white wolf recovered, she untied the belt and locked it in the cage. Qizhu continued on her journey with the little wolf.

Qizhu was used to a lot of bumps today, so she lifted the curtain and asked the prince, "Yan Shang, can you teach me how to ride a horse?"

"Sure! But wait until we get to a wider area!"

"it is good!"

The little wolf was very lively in the carriage. Perhaps because his teeth were itching, he bit the wooden corner of the carriage happily. Then he bit the corner of Huan'er's clothes and pulled it, making the two people laugh.

Noon came with laughter and joy, and everyone continued on their journey with a scallion pancake. The mother wolf had recovered her strength and stood up to pace in the cage. The people who accompanied her threw some meat and bones to her, but she didn't eat and kept crying. The little wolf in the carriage heard it and stopped making noise. She stretched her neck in the carriage and responded instinctively.

Hearing the response, the female wolf relaxed a lot. After eating a few pieces of meat, she let out a long whine. A much larger black wolf rushed out of the woods. The prince drew his sword and the convoy stopped. Everyone rushed to the front and pointed their swords at the black wolf. The black wolf looked at the crowd with fearless coldness in his eyes, and then looked at the white wolf in the cage behind and whine.

The wolf cub struggled in Qizhu's arms. Qizhu carried it down from the carriage. She was frightened by the black wolf at first, but she still walked forward to ask everyone to make way. Qizhu carefully put the wolf cub into the cage through the gap. The white wolf sniffed and licked it. Qizhu took the opportunity to open the cage door. The black wolf cub in the white wolf's mouth jumped to the ground and walked through the crowd to join the black wolf. Then the black and white wolf quickly went into the forest and disappeared.

Qizhu breathed a sigh of relief and apologized to everyone, "Sorry! I have caused trouble for you all. Let's go."

The prince consoled her, "Qizhu, let me teach you how to ride a horse!"

"OK"

The prince helped Qizhu onto the horse and put the stirrups on her. The prince walked in front, pulling the reins and said, "Qizhu, feel your balance on the horse first."

"it is good"

"Qizhu, wolves are loyal animals. It's not your fault that you stay away from the wild."

"Really? But don't wolves live in packs?"

"Yes! But wolves are monogamous. Once the female wolf gets into trouble, the male wolf will live alone for the rest of his life. I guess it followed him all the way."

“I didn’t expect wolves to cherish each other so much.”

"Yes, Qizhuwu will protect you for the rest of your life!"

Qizhu was a little embarrassed, "Oh, I know how to balance, what should I do next?"

The prince jumped on the horse, put his arms around Qizhu, and put the reins in Qizhu's hands. "Tighten your legs and pat the horse's belly, hold the reins and swing them, give the order and it will go. Come on, try it, don't be afraid, I'm behind you."

Qizhu learned very quickly. "Gee!" The horse started running, and the wind blew away from both sides. Qizhu liked this feeling very much. Her free heart seemed to be lifted by the speed, and it was floating with the wind beside her ears. What is this feeling! "Ah! So exciting!"

"How can I stop?"

"Tighten the reins slowly!"

"it is good!"

The horse really slowed down following the reins, and the prince said again, "You are just a beginner, so this speed is fine! You can use the whip later when you are familiar with it."

"Great! I really like this feeling."

The prince looked at her eyes and couldn't hide the excitement. "But you still have to pay attention to safety."

"it is good!"

Qizhu rode a horse for the next two days, which was much better than riding in a carriage.

As they got closer to Yongzhou, they could see scattered refugees on the road. Qizhu, who was riding on a horse, felt mixed emotions when she saw them. There was a child sleeping in his mother's arms on the side of the road, his face was dirty and pitiful. Some refugees gave way when they saw the carriage, and saw that there seemed to be food covered with cloth on the carriage. An old man with a crutch stopped the moving convoy and said, "Sir! Excuse me, are you going to Yongzhou?"

An official replied politely, "Yes! We are going to Yongzhou. Go back to Yongzhou, old man! Life will be better!"

When everyone heard this, they knew something even though it was not explained, and they responded happily. Some of the younger and stronger ones shouted loudly, "Go home! Go home! The court has come! The court has come to save us!"

"No! No!"

Seeing this scene, the convoy quickened its pace. When they arrived at Laizhou Prefecture, the Crown Prince and Qizhu changed into official uniforms, rode to the Laizhou barracks to explain the situation, showed the tiger talisman, and mobilized a thousand cavalrymen from Laizhou to follow and pacify the pirates.

They arrived in Yongzhou a day and a half later. Although the prince was mentally prepared, he still felt guilty when he saw the precarious Yongzhou Prefecture and the displaced people after entering the city gate!

The county magistrate of Yongzhou Prefecture came to greet them early at the city gate. Qizhu did not go with them to discuss countermeasures, but took Huan'er and other officers and soldiers to cook porridge in the center of the square to give alms.

Qizhu was a little flustered for the first time, and she felt anxious when she saw the hungry people waiting. The maid Huaner comforted her, "Madam, please go slowly. Don't be in a hurry to scatter the rice, it would be a pity."

Qizhu frowned and said, "Okay! How do I do it? Huan'er, teach me."

"Okay, add water to the pot first, then put the rice in! Stir constantly after it boils to prevent it from sticking to the pot."

"Good good!"

After finishing all these and waiting for the water to boil, Qizhu shouted to comfort everyone, "Don't worry! The elderly, women and children come first, everyone will have a share!"

The people raised their bowls to express their gratitude, "Thank you very much! Thank you very much, lady official."

Qizhu squatted down and asked an old woman standing in front about the current situation in Yongzhou. The old woman's eyes were full of sorrow. "Madam, you don't know that the state government and some of the merchants who stayed behind also took good care of us. From the beginning, they provided porridge once a day to once every two days. Now we haven't had food for three days. Everyone thought that the court would definitely come to support Yongzhou! But after waiting for half a month, the old woman and the old man couldn't walk and stayed behind. The son, daughter-in-law and grandson went out to escape not long ago. I don't know how they are now!" At this point, the old woman wiped her tears sadly.

An old man at the side continued, "Yongzhou was hit by a flood half a month ago. Our Anfu Village is close to the sea! It was the first village to be washed away, with countless casualties. The pirates took the opportunity to enter Yongzhou and committed all kinds of evil! Daniu had half of his hand chopped off to save my daughter! I hate it!"

Qizhu was shocked "Daniu?"

"Madam! Please save Daniu! He hasn't woken up for several days."

"Yongzhou has no hospital for the injured?"

The officers and soldiers who were maintaining order on the side replied, "The county magistrate has been running around to borrow grain to quell the disaster, but it's not in time yet."

At this moment, the porridge was ready. Qizhu comforted him, "Old man, drink the porridge first, and then I will take care of the injured!"

"Good! Good! Thank you, Madam."