At this thought, Yun Xi paled. She quickened her pace in a hurry and almost stumbled while climbing the stairs. Someone beside her grabbed her wrist in time.
"Are you okay?"
Yun Xi was about to express her gratitude when a gentle and mellow voice suddenly came. She quickly looked over and was shocked to find that it was none other than Prince Qi Yu!
"Miss, please slow down! This slave can hardly keep up with you!"
Yu Zhu panted as she caught up, hands on her hips. The moment she saw the prince, her eyes froze. She was about to kneel down immediately, but Qi Yu said:
"No need for excessive formalities when outside."
Then, his clear and bright eyes turned to Yun Xi. There was an uncontrollable look of joy on his face.
"Why are you free to come out today? Do you have something to attend to?"
Since he left the prime minister's mansion last time, he hadn't seen Yun Xi again. However, he couldn't help but think of her from time to time.
But he had no reason to meet her. Unexpectedly, he bumped into her during today's outing.
Seeing her now, she seemed to be shining all over, making it hard for him to look away.
Yun Xi stared blankly at Qi Yu. Then, suddenly, she grabbed his arm and said in a hurry:
"Come with me!"
Without caring about the propriety between men and women, she pulled Qi Yu and rushed upstairs.
Yu Zhu stared at the scene in disbelief. The extremely gloomy face of Qi Rong suddenly flashed through her mind. She shivered involuntarily.
Looking around guiltily, she quickly chased after them.
Qi Yu was a bit surprised by Yun Xi's sudden intimate move. However, he didn't mind at all. On the contrary, looking at the delicate hand that was holding his arm, he kept smiling.
His eyes on Yun Xi became even more gentle.
"This is the place!"
When they reached the top of the drum tower, Yun Xi squeezed through the crowd and found a place by the railing. She pulled Qi Yu to her side.
The view here was broad, and one could clearly see the situation in the distance.
As soon as Yun Xi stood still, her eager eyes swept towards the city gate.
It was noon at the moment. The main city gate, which should have been open, was tightly closed. Not only was the city full of people, but there were also many people gathered outside the city.
Among them were merchant caravans and pedestrians waiting to enter the city. However, the majority of them were ragged and dragging their families along. It was obvious that they were refugees who were fleeing from disasters!
A group of soldiers in iron armor and holding long knives were guarding in front of the city gate, all on high alert.
After interrogating the merchant caravans and ordinary pedestrians, they were allowed to enter through a small gate. As for the refugees, they were either scolded or beaten up.
"Another killing!!"
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted. Everyone's eyes immediately turned to the outside of the city.
They saw a soldier's long knife pierce through a refugee's chest. Then another one. It was because they tried to break through the soldiers' blockade and enter the city.
Looking at the bloody scene in front of her, Yun Xi's fingers trembled. Her back felt cold. She bit her lips tightly until they bled without even noticing.
The thing she had been afraid of had finally happened!
Especially, it happened right in front of her eyes. The deep sense of powerlessness and anger made her realize once again how weak she was!
Qi Yu, the prince, was equally shocked. At this moment, he swept away his previous gentle smile. Angrily, he watched the soldiers blatantly slaughtering the refugees. His fingers were tightly clenched into fists.
When he saw that the soldiers not only killed the people but also hung the refugees' corpses on the city tower as a warning... Qi Yu's face turned cold. He could no longer hold back his anger.
"Stay here and don't move around. I'll come back to pick you up later."
Worried that Yun Xi might be in danger in the large crowd, Qi Yu reminded her. Then he was about to turn around and go downstairs. Unexpectedly, Yun Xi grabbed his sleeve.
"It's no use if you go like this!"
Yun Xi spoke. Her voice was already hoarse.
Qi Yu was stopped when he wanted to save people. Hearing Yun Xi's words, he couldn't help but frown. He thought she was as cold as others, just like people watching beheadings in the vegetable market, only for the fun of it.
Qi Yu's face turned cold.
"I can't just watch people being killed."
Qi Yu was disappointed. He pulled back his sleeve. However, the next moment, Yun Xi grabbed his wrist again and even raised her voice:
"I've already said that it's no use. It will only make things worse!"
Yun Xi's voice attracted the attention of the people around. Qi Yu also stared blankly at her pale face with a pair of red eyes. Her lips were already scarlet because she had bitten them too hard.
"What's wrong with you?"
For some reason, seeing her like this, Qi Yu felt a pain in his heart. He quickly pulled her away from the railing. Then he took out a handkerchief and gently pressed it on her injured lips.
Because he was too anxious, he even forgot to keep the proper distance between them. The action was extremely gentle but also extremely ambiguous.
In the eyes of others, they looked like a perfect couple.
Yun Xi didn't care about the injury on her lips. She pulled his hand away and said sadly:
"The northwest has been blocked by heavy snow for thousands of miles. These refugees have managed to flee to the imperial city. It shows that the situation is already very serious!"
"The court should have received the news long ago and come up with countermeasures. However, for such a big event, there is not a single piece of news in the capital. Even when the refugees have reached the city gate, these soldiers are roughly blocking them. The situation is obviously out of control!"
"Even if you go out now and can save a few refugee lives outside the city, what about later? There will surely be more and more refugees rushing into the capital... What's even more terrifying is that after a snow disaster, there is often a plague. If it's not controlled early, the whole Liuguo will be in a world of misery!"
Yun Xi's words were like a wake-up call. Qi Yu's face suddenly changed. He looked at the refugees outside the city in fear.
He had traveled and studied for several years and had many experiences. He knew that Yun Xi's words were not alarmist. It was a major livelihood issue that needed to be solved urgently!
He had returned to the capital because of the heavy snow blocking the roads. He never thought that this auspicious snow would actually be a natural disaster.
Now that the refugees from thousands of miles away had gradually arrived in the capital, it showed that the local officials were incompetent in disaster relief and even concealed the news. The truth behind the matter was even more terrifying.
"I'll go back to the palace now and report to Father Emperor! Do you want to come with me?"
The situation was urgent and there was no time to waste. However, he was a bit worried about leaving Yun Xi here.
Yun Xi shook her head. Seeing that her goal had been achieved, she said again:
"Before you leave, I hope Your Highness can do one more thing for those refugees."
"Okay! Tell me."
Qi Yu stared at Yun Xi without blinking. His clear eyes were full of tenderness.
"She hopes that you can quickly settle the refugees outside the city. Don't let them into the city, but also ensure their food supply. It would be best if the Imperial Hospital could quickly organize a team to enter the refugee camp to diagnose and treat them and check if there are any signs of an epidemic!"
"Since you understand, hurry up and do it. Don't dawdle!"
Before Yun Xi could speak, a clear voice suddenly came. Qi Rong's tall figure immediately stood between the two of them. He hid Yun Xi behind him, blocking Qi Yu's sight.
"Uncle Qi Rong?"
Looking at the gloomy Qi Rong, Qi Yu couldn't hide his surprise. His eyes involuntarily searched for Yun Xi behind Qi Rong.
"Miss Yun, is what Uncle Qi Rong said what you had in mind?"