Chapter 291

Because someone was trying to trap her, Yueqian didn’t jump into the pit as everyone expected. She was the first to express her hope for the royal physicians, allowing others to see this hope and call for help comprehensively.

Having successfully thrown the bomb back, she immediately walked out of the tent, watching to see how the soldiers and those observing would react. The current tent only provides shade from the sun, and the sides have not been pulled down, so everyone can see and hear the villagers’ calls for help.

She saw many soldiers running to follow up on the situation. If a riot broke out, those responsible for this area would be held accountable. It wouldn’t be the fault of Official Mu or his furen. The villagers weren’t complaining about food and shelter; they were demanding the medical care that the authorities had initially promised would be the royal physicians’ responsibility.

Yueqian sat calmly in a corner, waiting to see what would happen next. If it were her in the past, they might have pinned the blame on her. But fortunately, with Xihao being born at the right time, she could claim she had just given birth and needed to take care of her own child.

Even now, she was tending to Xihao, who was looking around with curiosity. Therefore, who would dare to blame a new mother for not treating the sick?!

After a short while, a royal physician arrived, followed by 4-5 assistants, much faster than expected.

"Furen Mu," the royal physician greeted Yueqian first upon arriving, acknowledging her as the coordinator of this group of refugees.

Yueqian didn’t show any superiority or reprimand. She stood up, still cradling her baby in her arms to keep him calm and content. Although Xihao rarely fussed without reason, as a mother, she still wanted her child to be as happy as possible.

"Royal Physician, please help these people quickly," Yueqian expressed her concern through her facial expression. Just by looking at her, it was clear how much she cared for the refugees.

Some of the refugees appreciated Yueqian’s kindness, while others did not. Seeing that Furen Mu truly was a good person who even waited until the royal physicians arrived and urging them to treat the people quickly. A woman like this, if she weren’t a good person, what else could she be called? If it were someone else, they would have hurried back to the manor and not worried about the rest.

Many villagers had been original refugees before. Every year, they traveled to this refugee area and waited until the floodwaters in the valley receded before returning. Especially the older ones, who had come here many times, they had seen many charitable distributions but never anyone who cared this much.

Yueqian knew her task was done, but she couldn’t act indifferent. Otherwise, her reputation as the first ranked lady would be tarnished. She had gained this status by making significant contributions to the Bai Region. Therefore, after achieving the position, she still had to be the same person who cared for the people. Otherwise, it would seem like she had only put on a show before gaining her status and then reverted to her true nature afterward.

Yueqian wouldn’t let anything go wrong. Besides, it was good for her son to witness many things happening. Even though he was young and might not comprehend much at his age, for some reason... Yueqian felt that her Xihao was a clever child. Sometimes it made her think he was already ten years old.

Thinking back to her own childhood, the divine doctor probably felt the same way about her. She had shown all her knowledge at a very young age. Fortunately, she was easily accepted by the other party; otherwise, her plans might not have succeeded up to this point.

Perhaps... her little son might share some similarities?

She stood watching the royal physicians helping the sick. The royal physicians were indeed the sole hope, and the villagers crowded around them, creating chaos that the physicians found difficult to manage.

Yueqian didn’t concern herself with anyone’s difficulties. As soon as she saw the royal physicians, she turned around and headed back to her manor immediately. Her duty was to distribute food, and she had successfully done so for the first meal. She still had to prepare for the next two meals.

"Yang Ji, for lunch, let’s keep it simple as usual. But since they might be quite hungry from just having rice porridge and congee for breakfast, let’s make a bit more for lunch."

"Prepare corn soup with eggs and vegetables. For lunch, we won’t use rice; instead, we’ll use the flour to make short noodles," Yueqian explained her ideas. Yang Ji nodded in understanding. The soldiers helped roll the flour into noodles using Furen Mu’s milling equipment, which wasn’t a difficult grain mill but something that made everyone’s work smooth and quick.

Furen Mu’s idea greatly relieved Yang Ji. Initially, she was worried about using sweet potato flour for cooking because it wasn’t very versatile and could be quite tough. If they distributed it like that, it could cause problems later. Distributing cheap and unappetizing food could easily lead to complaints.

However, Furen Mu didn’t have them make those hard flour sheets. Instead, she made powdered flour to be used for other things later. Like this time, she used the flour to make small noodles, mixing it with eggs. This made it even more expensive than rice.

The eggs came from the 50 hens they had bought. Furen Mu’s idea was as clever as always. Knowing they needed a lot of ingredients, instead of just buying eggs in bulk, she bought chickens, ensuring a daily supply of about 50 eggs. They could also buy more from outside as needed.

Although 50 eggs weren’t enough for nearly 400 people, it was still a significant expense for others. Some poor families found it hard to get even one egg. So, having so many eggs in the refugee camp was quite special.

No matter how much someone might want to criticize, they could no longer say that Yueqian was stingy or lacking in dedication and sacrifice for the poor. Let’s see what the enemy’s next move will be!

The servants in the Mu manor were now filled with joy, knowing they were safe from danger and had a chance to earn a good reputation. The people who worked were no longer under pressure and were also happy with their tasks.

The Mu manor had a number of female servants, but the soldiers were the main force. Over 300 soldiers were helping with the refugees, which was a significant number. Another 200 were assisting in the kitchen. They were no longer just patrolling or guarding the land. As members of the Mu household, they were fulfilling their roles wholeheartedly.

Over time, the soldiers under the Wang’s command had truly become part of the Mu family. They received salaries, food, and good living conditions from Official Mu and Furen. If they still weren’t loyal, they would be considered useless.

Though many still held the Wang in high regard, serving the Mu family was important as well. The Mu family was friendly with the Wang and didn’t position themselves as enemies, so there was no need to choose sides.

Of course, this sentiment remained in the hearts of many, and Yueqian was aware of it. She never expected all 500 soldiers to be loyal only to her. As new recruits joined, there were inevitably spies from other families or those who weren’t sincere towards the Mu family. But these were just appearances.

In truth, the real strength of the Mu family’s forces didn’t reside in the Mu manor at all!

For Mu Heng and Yueqian, even if all 500 soldiers didn’t protect the Mu family later on, they had no reason to worry. Although the training of the Mu family’s soldiers wasn’t yet fully complete, the specially selected and trained new recruits were more trustworthy.

Anyway, back to the current situation, with the soldiers’ help, Mu manor had ample supplies. It could be said that the food was ready to feed people for months without worry.

Everyone was confident that no problems would arise, except for unexpected situations like now...

"Furen Mu, there’s trouble. There’s trouble." A servant responsible for the garden suddenly rushed in. Yueqian was surprised by her demeanor and asked seriously,

"What happened? Please explain in detail."

"M-Miss, I don’t have much information. Just now, I and others went to the market to buy flower and tree seeds to decorate the manor. We heard screams, and it seemed like something happened in the palace. People were shouting “Fire. Fire.”" The servant’s voice was filled with fear.

Yueqian narrowed her eyes, not understanding what was happening. However, the answer came soon with the report from a soldier who had just arrived at the manor.

"Furen Mu, there’s a major incident at the palace right now. It’s reported that many concubines are trapped, and even Noble Consort Wei is injured. The royal physicians who came to assist the refugees had to rush back," reported the soldier responsible for looking after the refugees. So, when something related to the refugees happened, they had to report to her.

Yueqian almost laughed at the grand performance of the other party. The beauty shook her head slightly, thinking that this incident seemed orchestrated just for her. Whether it was putting the villagers’ lives at risk or endangering their own lives in such a situation.

Alright, the other party invested quite a lot to pressure her into treating the villagers herself. But who could force her to do something she didn’t want to do?

"I will go to the palace with Xihao. Make the preparations." If the royal physicians could enter the palace while still treating people, why couldn’t she rush to the palace out of concern for others?!

"Furen, what about treating the people...?" The soldier who delivered the news was slightly confused. If the royal physicians returned to the palace and Furen Mu, who had medical knowledge, also rushed to the palace, what would happen next? What would become of the villagers’ lives?

".............." Yueqian didn’t respond. She just gave the soldier a small smile. The beautiful woman walked past the sturdy man and went to change clothes, not paying any attention to his confused demeanor.

However, as she entered the dressing room, she whispered something to Yang Ji, who nodded in agreement. After all, wasn’t controlling the opinions of the refugees up to them? Who could be closer to the refugees than those who provided their food?!

At the refugee camp, the distressed villagers talked about the fire in the palace and the many injured people. This issue was so significant that it made them forget their own injuries."Everyone, lunch is here. Line up like this morning," called a servant from the Mu manor. The villagers now knew the distribution process and understood that there was enough food for everyone. So, there was no need to rush like in the morning and risk being whipped. Instead, they lined up politely.