jdhmnovel Chapter 369 Ruins Under the Moon
Chapter 369 Ruins Under the Moon
The night on East Street was illuminated as if it were daytime by a bright moon hanging high in the sky.
The moonlight spilled over the broken walls and ruins, flowing over the charred wooden beams and broken bricks, but it could not dispel the lingering smell of smoke and the despairing silence in the air.
Although the fire that engulfed half the street during the day has been extinguished, the ruins it left behind still resemble a lurking beast, ready to unleash its fangs and devour anything that comes near.
Amidst the ruins, several thin figures were struggling to move.
Most of them were elderly, weak, women and children, their faces still bearing the marks of smoke and fire, their eyes as empty as hollowed-out roof beams.
Some people shakily dug half a charred pottery jar out of the rubble, while others hugged a blackened wooden board and wept bitterly—perhaps it was the last thing their loved ones had left them.
Shi Wanxia stood at the street corner, her moon-white skirt covered in dust, making her face appear even paler.
As she watched the people rummaging through the ruins, her throat felt like it was blocked, and she couldn't utter a sound.
She had been trying to persuade him for a long time, and her voice was a little hoarse, but all she got in response was silent resistance and wary eyes.
"The imperial court? Can the imperial court be trusted?"
A woman holding a child once coldly retorted, "Where were those officials when the fire first started?"
"By the time you pretend to be good people after the fire is out, our homes and families are gone. What's the use of saying all this now!"
These words pierced Shi Wanxia's heart like needles. She understood their despair; years of oppressive policies and the inaction of officials had long since eroded the people's trust in the imperial court.
Even after she revealed her identity as the Minister of Works, and even with Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou standing right beside her, the suspicion in their eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
His Highness the Crown Prince's orders are less effective here than a tattered piece of cloth that can only provide shelter from the wind and rain.
"them……"
Shi Wanxia's voice was a little hoarse as she turned to look at Shen Yanzhou beside her.
The moonlight outlined the prince's handsome yet tense profile. His fingers, gripping the folding fan tightly, turned white from the force, clearly indicating that he was trying his best to control his emotions.
"They are all elderly, weak, women, and children,"
Shi Wanxia said in a low voice, "But these ruins are too dangerous. The fire during the day has already made the roof beams brittle. Just now I saw that the west wall swayed several times in the wind."
Shen Yanzhou followed her gaze and saw that the remaining earthen wall was indeed trembling slightly in the night wind, with broken bricks rolling down from the top of the wall from time to time, making a soft "rustling" sound.
He took a deep breath, his voice as heavy as a stone pressing down on rubble: "We can't wait any longer."
Shi Wanxia met his gaze and saw the same determination in each other's eyes.
Even if it incites public anger, even if it earns us the reputation of "disregarding the lives of ordinary people," we must make them leave.
These people have just escaped from the fire, how can we let them perish in the collapsed ruins?
Shen Yanzhou didn't say much, but simply gave a wink to the Eastern Palace guards behind him.
More than ten guards dressed in black armor immediately stepped forward, moving quickly but as quietly as possible, trying to lead the people in the ruins to a safe area at the street corner.
"Fellow villagers, it's dangerous here, let's go over there first!"
"Auntie, please slow down, let me help you across!"
The initial resistance was not fierce, perhaps because the guards were relatively mild-mannered, or perhaps because the people were exhausted.
Most people left the ruins reluctantly, but their eyes remained numb, like a group of puppets whose souls had been taken away.
When they reached the small courtyard at the end of the street, where only half a door remained, an obstacle appeared.
An elderly couple remained firmly inside the courtyard, refusing to move an inch.
The old woman slumped on the doorstep, her gray hair plastered messily to her face, her sobs hoarse like those of a broken bellows: "My son... my son is still inside... I won't leave, I'll wait for my son to come back..."
The white-haired old man beside her had red eyes and, like a caged beast that had been provoked, he cursed at the guards who came forward.
The words were so offensive and vulgar, full of the crudest and most obscene language from the streets, even involving members of the royal family, that it made people frown.
The guards of the Eastern Palace are all highly trained; when have they ever suffered such humiliation?
A young guard's hand was already on the hilt of his sword, his face flushed red, and his eyes were filled with fury that seemed about to burst forth.
He took a step forward, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, clearly having reached his limit.
"Stop! Don't do anything reckless!"
Shi Wanxia's voice rang out promptly, carrying an unquestionable authority.
She strode forward, grabbed the guard's arm, and gently shook her head at him.
Although the guard was still unwilling, he suppressed his anger and stepped aside.
Shi Wanxia took a deep breath, slowed her pace, walked to the old woman, and squatted down.
She didn't speak immediately, but silently helped the old man tidy his wind-blown hair before reaching out and saying softly, "Grandma, the ground is cold. Let me help you up so we can talk."
The old woman was struggling at first, but when she touched the warmth of Shi Wanxia's palm, she somehow slowly stopped crying and let Shi Wanxia help her up.
Shi Wanxia helped the old man to his feet, then turned her gaze to the old man who was still panting heavily, and said earnestly, "Old man, I know you are suffering."
Her voice was soft, yet like moonlight, it slowly seeped into people's hearts.
"Losing loved ones and the home you've lived in your whole life would be unbearable for anyone."
"But life goes on, doesn't it?"
The old man snorted coldly, turned his face away, and continued to mutter something, but he didn't utter any more of those nasty words.
Seeing this, Shi Wanxia turned to the old woman and continued, "Look, this house is burned like this, the beams are all crooked, and it might collapse at any time."
“If anything were to happen to you or the old man here, your loved ones in the afterlife would not be able to rest in peace.”
She paused, her eyes sincere and firm: "I know you don't trust the imperial court, but please trust me this once."
"My name is Shi Wanxia, and I am the Minister of Works in the current dynasty."
She took off her official badge from her waist and handed it to the two elderly people with both hands. "This is my token. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the palace to meet the Emperor and ask him to allocate funds to build temporary shelters for everyone first, and then slowly rebuild the houses."
"The money for appeasement will be distributed to everyone as soon as possible."
“I assure you,”
Shi Wanxia's gaze slowly swept across the faces of the two elderly people, and she spoke slowly and deliberately.
"As long as I am here, I will not let anyone be displaced."
"But now, I hope you'll come with us to a safe place first, okay?"
The night wind blew across the ruins, stirring up ashes that blinded people.
The old woman looked at Shi Wanxia's young yet solemn face, and then at the official plaque in her hand that was engraved with the words "Minister of Works." Her cloudy eyes slowly welled up with tears.
The old man's shoulders slumped slightly, and his clenched fists loosened at some point.