Chapter 36: An Ideal Perfect World
Gu Yu had traveled the road from Lian Town to the Capital countless times. With a dedicated coachman leading the way this time, there was no danger of getting lost.
However, the scenery along the road was not very pleasant.
The scope of this earthquake was extremely wide. Even after the carriage had traveled a long distance, they could still see the tragic scene left by the earthquake, which made Gu Yu pay even more attention to the problems that might arise in the future.
He suspected that their family would need to keep more grain on hand to cope with potential unexpected situations.
However, besides their home granary, Gu Yu also had a considerable amount of grain in his spatial dimension, which was enough to deal with any unexpected events.
“Brother-in-law, has the situation become this serious now?”
“Didn’t you see it yourself? Yesterday, the father and daughter we met, how skinny and weak they looked… If I hadn’t given them some food, I doubt they would have survived the starvation. But even if I can keep them from starving for the time being, I don’t know what will happen later.”
“Didn’t you also give them a good amount of silver? They should be able to settle nearby. As long as they don’t continue to rush forward, nothing should happen.”
While continuing their journey forward, Gu Qingheng sat beside Gu Yu with a serious expression. As they spoke, he brought up the father and daughter they met yesterday, and a look of sympathy appeared in his eyes.
Having stayed in Lian Town all along, Gu Qingheng truly did not know… how bad the situation outside had become!
No wonder so many refugees poured into Lian Town and couldn’t be driven away… Lian Town’s current state was still quite good.
Compared to the small towns and villages along the way, it was at least like that.
“You’re still thinking too little. Even if they are given silver and food, how long can they last? Besides, if robberies and diseases occur later, the situation will be even worse.”
“Brother-in-law, can’t you look on the bright side?”
“It’s possible to think that way, but reality doesn’t give you that chance.”
While talking to Gu Qingheng, Gu Yu’s face showed helplessness, indicating that it was better not to be too optimistic at this time and to consider the current situation first.
An ideal perfect world would not appear in reality.
Although Gu Yu did not wish for anything bad to happen to that father and daughter, who could say for sure what would happen later!
After hearing Gu Yu’s words, Gu Qingheng’s face showed a sense of loss, and he felt a deep sense of powerlessness about the current situation, leaving him unsure of what to do.
“Brother-in-law, how should we deal with this situation?”
“How to deal with it… it depends on the arrangements of the imperial court and what the Emperor thinks. It doesn’t have much to do with us. You should know that the decision-making power always lies with the higher-ups, and those with little power are not allowed to interfere.”
Hearing his younger brother-in-law’s confused words, Gu Yu didn’t say much more.
However, what he had just said had already made a significant impact on Gu Qingheng, solidifying his determination to become an official.
Moreover, he wanted to become a high-ranking official.
A high-ranking official second only to the Emperor…
If that were the case, he would have some decision-making power when encountering such situations again.
Seeing that Gu Qingheng did not continue to question, Gu Yu did not speak again. Instead, he looked out through the carriage curtain, gazing at the desolate scenery around him, feeling quite emotional.
Before he transmigrated, Gu Yu never imagined he would encounter such things. Now that he had, he felt that the lives of ancient people were not easy.
It was like after a major earthquake, people were starving to death easily… It was truly helpless.
Not to mention that during such times, people with distorted minds were more likely to take advantage of the chaos to do all sorts of bad deeds.
And in such a situation, Gu Yu did not have a foolproof solution.
He could only hope that the Emperor would make a decision soon, allowing the villages damaged by the earthquake to restore order quickly, thus preventing distressing situations.
“Gu Xiaoge, someone is blocking the way ahead, what should we do!”
Just as Gu Yu was thinking about these things, the coachman’s voice suddenly came through, sounding very hesitant and unsure whether to stop.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yu immediately made a decision.
“Don’t stop. No matter what they say, don’t stop. If they try to block the carriage, hit them directly.”
“This… this isn’t good, is it!”
“I decide what’s good or not. Just do as I say.”
Gu Yu was truly impressed by the coachman’s lack of alertness.
When he hired him, the coachman had patted his chest and said he was very familiar with the road to the Capital, making Gu Yu think he was an experienced driver. Now, it seemed he was too green.
When traveling, it’s generally better not to engage with people who try to block the way.
Especially now, with the earthquake, the situation had become more severe. It was best to reduce trouble and not let things become more complicated.
If the people blocking the way had ulterior motives, stopping the carriage would lead to the outcome of being robbed.
However, even if they didn’t, Gu Yu didn’t want strangers to get into the carriage.
Therefore, it was fine to continue driving forward and not pay attention to anything else.
After hearing Gu Yu’s words, the coachman dared not say anything more. When the person in front waved to signal them to stop, he gritted his teeth and drove the horse forward. The people who wanted to block the carriage hurriedly dodged to the side, thus avoiding the fate of being trampled by the horse’s hooves.
However, even without stopping, the carriage could not continue forward.
“Gu Xiaoge, there’s a large tree lying across the road ahead, the carriage can’t get through!”
“Damn it, be careful, there are robbers on this road.”
Upon hearing the coachman’s words, Gu Yu immediately took out two packets of medicinal powder from his spatial dimension. After giving one packet to Gu Qingheng, they quickly took the antidote, both knowing that if they wanted to leave this place, it would probably take more effort.
At least, it wouldn’t be easy.
“Qingheng, you stay here, I’ll go take a look.”
“En, Brother-in-law, you must be careful.”
“I know.”
After giving a few instructions to Gu Qingheng, Gu Yu jumped down from the carriage. He then saw the coachman also nervously getting down from the front. Gu Yu told him to stay by his side and not run around, otherwise, he couldn’t guarantee his safety outright.
Upon hearing Gu Yu’s words, the coachman immediately nodded repeatedly, stating that he would absolutely not leave the carriage even half a step and would stand there honestly.
As Gu Yu and the coachman were talking, several burly men appeared not far away.
They were holding bright sabers and looked fierce, which terrified the coachman. His teeth were chattering non-stop, making Gu Yu speechless and thinking that this coachman had a really timid disposition!
He was already so scared by such a display; if he went to the battlefield with Gu Mengyao, wouldn’t he wet his pants from fright?
