Early the next morning, there were groups of victims arrived at the gate of Jing City.

The victims thought they would be saved when they reached the capital. They were too naive. After days of trekking, they finally got to the gate of Jing City, but Jing City shut the door upon their faces.

They sat at the gate, wailing, and blocked the gate. People inside could not get out and people outside could not enter the city, either.

In an instant, people gathered at the gate.

The victims intended to make things serious so that the Emperor would know their situation. However, what awaited them was the soldier's expelling. They were exhausted and starved, and some of them fell ill on the way.

Therefore, they could not even stand up.

At this time, a leader of the victims called Lin Da supported himself to stand up. He pointed at the soldiers, yelling, "Now we are standing on the ground within the jurisdiction of His Majesty, but the officers and soldiers give no hands to us victims and even do everything to dislodge us. Is there any justice?"

"I am the justice here! Get out of Jing City! If you hang on here, don't blame us for being merciless!" The leader of the soldiers threatened. Then he drew his sword and pointed it to Lin Da.

The leader of the soldiers was Lan Ruojing, whose duty was to maintain public order within Jing City.

Lan Ruojing, the younger brother of the Empress, was in charge of public order of the Jing City. He got to know the unrest at the gate and then came over.

Despaired of getting relief, Lin Da turned around to the victims lying on the ground, "Folks, since we are going to knock our heads against the wall and kick the bucket, we will die at the gate. Let people all over the world know that a country like this will come to an end sooner or later."

"What nonsense are you talking, you rioter!" The leader of the soldiers stabbed his sword into Lin Da's belly.

Lin Da lay in a pool of blood before he could scream.

Other victims quivered in fear. Now, instead of entering Jing City, they were branded as rioters. A child luckily survived the trek cried out of scare.

Even passengers waiting aside to go in or out gasped.

At this time, Lan Ruojing, who had just killed Lin Da, pointed at the victims gathering at the gate, "If anyone dares to riot here, what had happened to him will happen to you."

Those victims, hearing his words, supported each other to stand up and edged aside. Cheekbones on their dirty faces protruded, showing that they had been starving for a long time.

They escaped from the chase of local officials and had endured many hardships along their way to Jing City. However, they only got this in return.

Now, they could count on nobody but death.

As the victims got out of the way, Lan Ruojing asked the officials behind him, "Get rid of this rioter's body!"

Out of sympathy, an old woman in the crowd at the gate came to a bony boy. She picked out a pancake from her basket and handed it to the boy.

She was about to sell these newly-made pancakes in the fair when she encountered this scene.

The boy grabbed the pancake as soon as he saw it and wolfed it down.

The old woman hurriedly added, "Slow down, boy. I have more."

Other victims turned their heads to the old woman as they saw her pancakes, "For god's sake, please, give me a pancake, give me one!"

At the victims' begging, the old woman took out all her pancakes, "Take it. Have some food!"

Immediately, the victims drew close to the old woman, and she handed out the pancakes to the victims.

The movement there drew Lan Ruojing's attention. He spoke aloud to people gathering at the gate, "These are rioters. I have shown extreme forbearance for them not to take them into custody. Anybody who has something to do with them deserves the death penalty."

People who were discussing shut their mouths. They didn't want to get in any trouble because of what they've said.

Lan Ruojing meant that anybody who came into contact with those victims would be punished as a rioter.

The old woman was close enough to hear Lan Ruojing's words, so her hand, handing a pancake to the victims, froze in the air. Then she retracted the pancake and strode away from the victims.

She was willing to help them, but if she was branded as a rioter, her family would also be punished.

As to why Lan Ruojing said so, it was intentional.

They had received the letter from Jiandu which told them that there were too many victims for local officials to control. Some victims had left for Jing City.

It was his father, Prime Minister Lan, who was in charge of the fund for building Jiandu's dam.

Although Chushi Lanfu had been the Crown Prince, Prime Minister Lan had to bribe some officials for their supports before he became the Emperor. What was more, to maintain a troop of guards also cost them a large sum of money.

They had to beware of other Princes' forces in case other Princes did cultivate their forces secretly.

The dam was mended after it was destroyed by the flood last year. This year, Chushi Weiming allocated funds for reinforcing the dam in advance to prepare for the flood.

Therefore, Prime Minister Lan embezzled most of the funds to bribe local officials and issued the rest, a small portion of the fund, to Jiandu.

However, the dam was destroyed at the beginning of the rainy season. When it referred to accountability, it didn't matter if the Emperor blame him, but he was afraid that it would undermine Chushi Weiming's position as Crown Prince.

Lan Ruojing had been waiting at the gate since they received the letter, in order to prevent those victims from entering Jing City.

He simply had to delay them till the middle of the rainy season, and then local officials presented memorials to air their grievance that the rain was much heavier than the past that it destroyed the dam - even the Emperor blamed his officials, he wouldn't get to the bottom of this matter.

They didn't expect that the victims crossed mountains and rivers only to reach Jing City.

Lan Ruojing barred the victims outside the gate and killed Lin Da to warn them to shrink them back from difficulties.

Leave Jing City!!!

The royal family was busy with the Third Prince's marriage so that he could cover this matter up.

Even the victims were gathering outside the gate, after several days' neglect, they would give up and leave.

Lan Ruojing asked the officers behind, "Get rid of the body. If there's anyone making trouble, you can follow suit."

Then he ordered the petty officers who guarded the gate, "Watch carefully. Keep them out. If they come in and disturb the order inside, I'll call you to account."

He gave this order to Luo Jin, the gatekeeper, and led the soldiers into the city.

"Please rest assured, Young Master Lan. I won't let those rioters in!" Luo Jin replied.

Then he said to his fellows," Did you hear that? Brace up and check everybody in!"

What had happened was witnessed by Yang Zijin's elder brother, Pei Moning.

The competition between martial clubs was approaching. Weizhen Martial Club called the owners of each martial club together to State Bin to make the rules of the competition.

Later, Pei Moning knew Yang Zijin's engagement. As a brother, he didn't want to miss his sister's wedding feast.

So he bid farewell to the owner of Weizhen Martial Club to return hurriedly.

He didn't expect to see the tragedy at the gate. Looking at the victims lying near the gate, as a swordsman, Pei Moning felt aggrieved at them.

Those people were too weak to kill a chicken, so how could they be rioters? The official who had just entered the city was to deliberately compel the victims to death!

He restrained himself from the impulsion of punishing that man and decided to figure out the situation.

He made up his mind and stood in the line that entered the city, eager to meet his sister to ask about the situation.

Yang Zijin was sitting in the room with the card in her hand, looking at it in a trance.

She had thought back and forth but still couldn't understand why those people had interests in this card and why was it so attractive.

She was sinking in her thought while Jiang Wei came in, "Your Highness, a man wants to meet you for something urgent."

"Something urgent? Who he is?" Yang Zijin slightly frowned.

Jiang Wei had met Pei Moning at Madam Yang's home in the countryside. Pei Moning told her his name and Jiang Wei bore it in mind.

She answered, "It's Pei Moning from Jianghu..."

"I see." Yang Zijin put the card away and went to the door before Jiang Wei had finished her words.

Yang Zijin thought, "Why is brother coming? Did anything happen to Jianghu Martial Club?"

"It couldn't be! There won't be anything urgent happen to the martial club. So what's brother coming for?" Yang Zijin quickened her steps.

Pei Moning waited outside the mansion of Duke Mu and looked inside the mansion time and again.

He immediately came over when he saw Yang Zijin went out.

"What happened, brother?" Yang Zijin asked Pei Moning in haste.

Pei Moning gently flipped Yang Zijin's forehead, "I'm alright."

"Alas, you scared me. I thought something bad happened to you. So what are you coming for?" Yang Zijin continued.

Pei Moning looked around, "Let's go to the Blossoming Peach, okay?"

"It's up to you." Yan Zijin and Pei Moning went to the Blossoming Peach, arm in arm.

They were seen by Qiao Shu, who was staying near the mansion of Duke Mu. Qiao Shu didn't give up making trouble for Yang Zijin, so she stayed near the mansion of Duke Mu to watch Yang Zijin, seeking for an opportunity.

She had never thought that Yang Zijin was so close to another man in broad daylight!

Qiao Shu sneered that Yang Zijin was indeed a shameless woman grown up in a dirty place!

She dared to make out with another man under the engagement with Shuo Ling!

However, Qiao Shu thought it was her opportunity. As a man with a fetish about cleanliness, would he still be nice to Yang Zijin if he got to know Yang Zijin's dissoluteness?

So Qiao Shu followed Pei Moning and Yang Zijin to see where they were going.

Watching Yang Zijin and Pei Moning talking and laughing all the way, Qiao Shu was jealous. She couldn't understand why did men like such a slut as Yang Zijin.

The handkerchief in her hands was wrung into a ball.

Watching them entering the Blossoming Peach, Qiao Shu came up with an idea.

She would give her best shot to tell all she had seen to Shuo Ling, as well as her affection for him.

Qiao Shu headed for the Mansion of Marquis Shuo.

Unfortunately, Shuo Ling wasn't in his mansion. The guards didn't keep Qiao Shu outside because Qiao Shu used to come here a lot.

Qiao Shu walked into the room Yang Zijin lived before. Jealousy overwhelmed her again as she entered here: All the things remained the same as they were when Yang Zijin left. The room was clean and neat. Shuo Ling must have made servants clean here very often.

Qiao Shu walked around the room and sneered at those strange and cheap decorations.

Then she sat on the stool, waiting for Shuo Ling's return.

Yang Zijin and Pei Moning came to the backyard of the Blossoming Peach.

Girls in the yard saw Yang Zijin and then gathered together, smiling, "Congratulations, Your Highness!"

"Wish you a harmonious marriage lasting a hundred years! May you have a baby soon!"

Each girl gave Yang Zijin her best wishes.

Yang Zijin was speechless out of shyness.