After refusing marriage, she was pampered by the prince who acted as a shield.

Chapter 508: Poured In

"The study? It seems that's still a taboo place?"

"Not really. Master Fan goes there on weekdays, but I don't know why Fan Zhe suddenly had an attack yesterday."

Then there are only two possibilities.

First, he no longer needed Master Fan; second, someone had already informed him of some things.

Suspicion arose from Lin Rusi's presence, and then, upon discovering that he had secretly placed guards within the mansion, he turned his attention to Master Fan.

Every week is extremely dangerous, and they must protect Master Fan, who cannot leave.

But during this time, Lin Rusi felt that she couldn't move, otherwise Master Fan would die.

What was their attitude before you left?

"All the doctors went in to make diagnoses, but they all looked sorrowful, clutching a few silver ingots."

"Then I'm afraid the Fan family will soon change hands."

This is the last thing they want to see, and they must find a way to stop it.

Lin Rusi frowned, still trying to think of a solution, when she saw the guard suddenly relax his brow.

"What's wrong? Do you have a solution?"

"No, I once saw an unfamiliar handwriting in a book with an address written on it."

What's there to be happy about? Could it possibly be of any help?

Lin Rusi thought for a long time before finally understanding and quickly looked at the person offering comfort.

Do you remember what was written on that place?

"I only glanced at it, but I remembered the general idea. However, the paper on it was slightly dusty, so it will probably be there for a while."

Lin Rusi did not hesitate at all and immediately sent someone over to take a look.

The guards, seeing that their brothers were almost all gone, couldn't help but look at their master with worry.

“I know what you’re worried about. I won’t go far in the coming days, after all, some people have already warned me twice.”

"But even so, that person might attack you at any time, so maybe..."

"What is it? Go find Fan Zhe immediately. Don't let someone else take this important clue first."

Understanding the importance of this, the group exchanged glances, chose the most suitable person, and then walked in different directions.

Lin Rusi looked at the two people standing in front of her, mentally counted the number of guards she had left by her side, and only after making sure that she hadn't used them all did she breathe a sigh of relief and rest her head on the table for a while.

Before long, news came from downstairs that Master Fan was critically ill and bedridden.

"You must keep a close eye on the situation at the Fan residence and make sure nothing happens to Master Fan."

"Don't worry, Madam. Someone is already hiding in the Fan residence and will definitely not let anything happen to him."

That's fine.

Lin Rusi had a good rest yesterday, but now she felt even more tired.

But there was no time to doze off; she could only force herself to go downstairs and observe the people below.

"If possible, prepare some food, and remember to use milk, so that no one will notice anything amiss."

"Yes."

The guard noticed Lin Rusi's barely concealed worry and was about to say something to comfort her when a pair of hands suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Madam, please be careful, there's a threshold ahead."

"I'm feeling a bit uneasy. Go and see if you can rescue Master Fan tonight."

"But doing so would put you at risk of exposure."

That probably wouldn't be much better than letting someone die in the mansion.

Lin Rusi took a few more steps, wanting to leave the inn, but due to dizziness, she had to return to her room to rest.

When she woke up after sleeping for two hours, there was already a commotion outside.

This time, however, the argument wasn't about the Fan family, but about Yangzhou.

"Have you heard? The Liang Kingdom has already attacked Yangzhou."

“I heard that a relative of mine sent me a message a couple of days ago saying that he wanted to come here to take refuge, but he hasn’t come yet.”

"The mountain road must be difficult to travel. People should be able to get here in two days at most."

The man who had just mentioned that relatives were coming to stay with him took a sip of wine and then let out an even heavier sigh.

"Let's hope so. They have a baby who is only two months old. We don't know if he will survive this attack."

Upon hearing that children were involved, the drinkers fell silent and did not even touch the wine in their glasses.

Lin Rusi knew that things would soon change again, so she didn't get too involved and instead had the guards continue preparing various things.

Three more days passed, and instead of receiving a solution from Master Fan, they were met with a number of filthy refugees.

"It seems Yangzhou is about to fall."

"With so many people flocking to Jiangnan, I'm afraid there will be trouble."

Lin Rusi nodded, but didn't miss any of the expressions on the faces of the refugees.

He frowned again when he saw them throwing down silver and snatching food from other people's tables.

“Distribute these to the weaker elderly, women and children.”

Looking at the untouched food on the table, Lin Rusi uttered this sentence to the guards before finding a higher spot to sit down.

The refugees still entering the city gates were no longer laughing; some of the more timid ones had even taken their families and fled into their homes.

The once bustling streets have become desolate, with many places occupied by homeless refugees.

Fortunately, some of them still had relatives, which allowed them to squeeze in and make a living.

However, this situation is fine for a day or two, but it becomes a problem if it continues for longer.

"Shopkeeper, give me a pound of rice."

"The roads outside are blocked now, so there's no way to transport rice into the city. A pound of rice costs ten copper coins. If you can afford it, buy it; if you can't, find a way yourself."

Never expecting the shopkeeper to say that, the man looked at his few remaining companions and tried to turn away, but was pulled back by the neighbor who had come with him.

"Give us the cheapest one."

"Don't try to save money now, or you'll be the one who starves to death later."

The man wanted to argue, but seeing the people behind him staring intently at the rice and flour, he still used all his money to buy some rice and flour.

Even so, many people still couldn't buy it, which caused stores with stock to change prices every day.

In less than a day, the limited amount of grain had already skyrocketed to an exorbitant price, making it unaffordable for ordinary people.

Lin Rusi watched the rapidly changing crowd but did not act immediately. Instead, she stood in a corner and observed everything.

"Madam, shall we distribute the items we purchased earlier?"

"Wait until tomorrow."

The guard was about to ask why when he saw his master raise his hand and point in the direction of the government office.

It was obvious that she wanted to use the stored grain first, so the two of them immediately took their things and followed her inside.

Using her identity, she almost immediately gained the magistrate's cooperation.

“I know you mean well, Madam, but we didn’t say much here. In fact, some of it is even for the soldiers. You can’t let them go hungry while fighting off the enemy, can you?”

"One-fifth is enough to sustain them for three to five days."

She will use other methods to fill in the remaining portions.