Chapter 66: Chapter 60: Run Away"They scattered," Mrs. Wang wiped her tears and said, "We just turned around that mountain when suddenly, many refugees rushed out from both sides. They came up and started looting. If they couldn’t get what they wanted, they’d kill. The ox carrying your grandfather’s coffin got frightened, and the cart overturned into the fields."

    "Your uncle has a ruthless heart; he turned a blind eye. I couldn’t just leave your grandfather, so I had someone try to carry the coffin. But the servants were scared out of their wits. With a call from your uncle, they all ran over to protect the Second Household and fled. Our carriage also overturned while going down the field embankment."

    Mrs. Wang angrily continued, "Qing Gu ran to chase your uncle, blocking his carriage and begging him to save us. Your uncle said something about life and death being up to heaven, then had someone push her aside and ran off. After that, it got chaotic; rebel troops rushed in, and in a blink of an eye, Qing Gu was gone. Third Lady, I won’t allow you to be close to the Second Household anymore. I’ll hold this grudge for a lifetime. If you’re still good to them, then you’re not my daughter."

    Zhao Hanzhang repeatedly nodded in agreement, anxiously looking around.

    Fu Tinghan then called the troops together to search, turning over the corpses and wounded in the area, but they didn’t find anyone.

    Zhao Hanzhang was both relieved and anxious, "Not finding anyone is also good news. Let’s move forward first; she might have been swept along."

    Zhao Ju also said, "Third Lady, there’s another group coming from that side. They seem to be a refugee army again. We should leave quickly."

    The group turned over the ox cart, made some repairs, and hitched the ox to it, then lifted the coffin onto it.

    The whole wheel of the carriage was broken, beyond repair. Zhao Hanzhang helped Mrs. Wang onto a horse and asked Fu Tinghan to take Zhao Erlang on horseback.

    The group set off, trying to avoid the refugee army still heading their way. The common people, seeing this, put aside their grief, wiped their tears, and clung to their loved ones to follow.

    Following Zhao Hanzhang and the group, they still had a chance to survive. If they fell behind, they either had to join the refugee army or be killed.

    Just as the group had started making their way, they saw someone staggering toward them from the opposite direction. Zhao Hanzhang, with her keen eyes, recognized her from afar and was overjoyed, "It’s Qing Gu!"

    Qing Gu also spotted Zhao Hanzhang riding at the front, couldn’t help but laugh and cry, limping towards them.

    Zhao Hanzhang nudged her horse forward to meet her, just as she was about to dismount to reach her, Mrs. Wang had already slid down from the horse and hugged Qing Gu tightly, and they both sobbed together.

    Seeing Mrs. Wang covered in blood, Qing Gu couldn’t help but touch her, "Lady, where are you hurt?"

    Mrs. Wang rolled up her sleeves, revealing bruises on her wrists, "Look, those rough men tried to grab me, it hurt so much."

    Qing Gu felt distressed, "We have ointment in the luggage. After we rest later, I’ll get it for you and apply it. It’ll be better by tomorrow."

    Mrs. Wang, also worried, looked at her, noticing her covered in mud with torn clothes, hurriedly asked, "What happened to you?"

    Qing Gu cried, "The Young Master was unreliable, I went to beg the Mistress, wanting to ask her to come back and save you and Erlang, but their carriages were too fast, and there were rebel troops chasing. I was pushed into a field ditch and sprained my ankle, took a while to get up."

    When she got up, she saw everyone had run far away, not even the rebel troops were left. Worried about Mrs. Wang, she limped back.

    She had mentally prepared herself not to return, but seeing Zhao Hanzhang had saved Mrs. Wang and brought back so many strong people, she was overjoyed. She whispered to Zhao Hanzhang, "Third Lady, if we follow the Young Master, could these troops still be ours?"

    She hinted, "We might as well turn toward Ruyin."

    Zhao Hanzhang gave her an approving glance and whispered, "I’ve been thinking the same."

    But she wasn’t sure about the situation outside now. If there were too many rebel troops, they wouldn’t be able to roam outside carelessly, so they still needed information.

    Zhao Hanzhang pondered how to get information, but also how to sweep these troops to Ru Nan?

    As dusk approached, Zhao Hanzhang and her group caught up with people. She glanced around and pointed to a fairly open area, "Camp here tonight, Uncle Qianli, go ahead and see if you can find our uncle."

    Zhao Ju replied and took two people down the road to look for them.

    It was getting dark, and there were refugees sitting or lying around the fields on either side of the road. Seeing Zhao Hanzhang and others with horses and swords, they got up and moved away.

    Zhao Ju led people far out but didn’t find Zhao Ji. Instead, he brought back Mr. Chen and his daughter. They were accompanied by only one servant. Upon seeing Zhao Hanzhang, Mr. Chen joyfully pulled his daughter forward, repeatedly saluting, "Noble niece, you finally returned. I knew that a noble person like you would be looked after by heaven. You’ve indeed returned safely."

    Zhao Hanzhang slightly raised her eyebrow, returned the salute, and said, "Thank you for your concern, uncle."

    She glanced at the little girl beside him with hesitation, "How did you and your sister fall behind? What about my cousin and aunt? Have you seen my uncle?"

    She looked worried, "I don’t know if they’re still safe."

    "Rest assured, noble niece, they went ahead, safer than us. If they’re quick, they should have caught up with the main forces by now."

    Zhao Hanzhang breathed a sigh of relief, "That’s good, that’s good."

    Mr. Chen, his eyes scanning the healthy troops around her, couldn’t help but feel envious, "To be honest, noble niece, my daughter and I got separated from family, so we fell behind. Now that it’s late, we can only set out again tomorrow. It’s awkward to ask, but I must shamelessly request, would you be willing to let us travel with you tomorrow?"

    Afraid Zhao Hanzhang might refuse, he quickly added, "Rest assured, noble niece, my daughter and I are in good health. We can keep up with your pace."

    "Uncle, how could you say such a thing? Our two families have lived next to each other for years and have been on good terms. How dare I neglect a matter of life and death? Rest assured, I will see that you’re escorted to the main forces."

    Mr. Chen was taken aback and asked, "What, aren’t you going, noble niece?"

    Zhao Hanzhang sighed, turned back to the coffin placed not far away, and said, "Uncle knows that my grandfather left a wish to return to his hometown. Having encountered such misfortune at his advanced age, how could I disregard his wish? Therefore, I plan to escort the coffin home so that my grandfather can rest in peace."

    Having spent a day with her, Mr. Chen already knew she was a very courageous lady. However, he did not expect such bravery and filial piety. After thinking, he still reminded her, "Then be careful and try to avoid Yingchuan. I heard from people that there was a snow disaster in Yingchuan last year, and this spring no rain, so there are refugees everywhere. Many have turned to banditry, joining the refugee army for survival. If you’re going to Ru Nan, then take a detour from above Yingchuan."

    This was news to Zhao Hanzhang, and she quickly asked, "Besides refugee troops, will the Xiongnu come down to chase?" sea??h thё n?vel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Refugee armies could be bypassed; they could abandon wealth to preserve life. But if they encountered a large force of Xiongnu, it would be over.