Du Yuanyi’s expression turned ugly.

He was already at a disadvantage when he arrived at the refugee camp. If he wanted to seize even a little control of this refugee camp that Pei Qian was ruling over with an iron fist, he had to resort to every conceivable means.

However, it was obvious that this wasn’t an easy task!

Therefore, he had been doing everything he could during this period of time, like an ignorant fool.

Even so, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and persevere!

After all, if they didn’t think of a way to fight for a seat at the table, the Du family would probably suffer at the hands of the Third Prince!

Although they were the Third Prince’s family, his father was right. The royal family’s affairs were always more important than their family’s matters.

The Crown Prince’s whereabouts were unknown, but the King refused to give the decree. It was said that Empress Dowager had hired more than ten imperial physicians because of this matter!

However, the King still didn’t leak any news. Because the King had been sick, he took a leave of absence from the Imperial Court for half a month.

There weren’t many princes in the harem, but other than the Crown Prince, the Third Prince was the most popular. The Du family wasn’t his only backer. There was also the Empress Dowager and the Lu family!

Now, the Third Prince and the Third Princess Consort had a harmonious relationship, but there wasn’t even a live-in servant!

The Third Princess Consort’s surname was Lu.

If the Du family failed this time, the Third Prince would probably lean towards the Lu family even more in the future. To be honest, although his aunt was the Third Prince’s biological mother, in reality…

So what if she was his biological mother?!

This eagerness made him lose his composure when he met Pei Qian this time.

This filled him with regret!

At this moment, Du Yuanyi seemed to have been enlightened and calmed down. The anxiety and urgency on his face instantly vanished.

“I’m sorry. I was too careless.” Du Yuanyi turned around and bowed to Pei Qian. Then, he turned around again and apologized to Lin Suisui and the others before leaving without looking back.

Du Yuanyi’s departure surprised many people present.

Pei Qian didn’t show much surprise. Instead, he walked to Lu Ze’s side happily and looked down at the little fellow, who was clearly on guard against him. He bowed with a smile. “It seems that it’s well-fed. At least, I don’t have to worry too much for the time being.”

After saying that, Pei Qian turned around. The smile on his face was still there, and his tone was filled with joy. However, to Mrs. He and the others, who were on tenterhooks, he said, “Ten whips per person will do, since we still have to travel tomorrow!”

When Mrs. He came back to her senses and heard this, her pupils dilated. Before she could cry out in surprise, her mouth was quickly covered by her sister-in-law.

It was only ten whips now. If her sister-in-law caused trouble again, perhaps…

Perhaps they really wouldn’t have to be whipped anymore. They might get hung instead!

Pei Qian left, and Qian He stayed behind to carry out his instructions faithfully.

All of the passers-by who had yet to run were dragged to the empty space at the side. One by one, they were whipped.

Compared to others, Mrs. He, who had gone for wool and came home shorn, received much harsher treatment.

It was because she caused this matter. Not only did she not fulfill her promise to the others, but instead, they were beaten up because of her!

Those who were beaten naturally didn’t dare to cause trouble for Pei Qian, so the Zhu family became the target of the public’s anger!

Looking at the mess on the ground, Old Madam Lin was furious. She spat at Mrs. He, who couldn’t do anything right, and punished her with kneeling.

The chaos outside didn’t affect the small area covered by the linoleum. Pei Qian hadn’t just come over to punish Mrs. He and the others. He also revealed—they were setting off tomorrow.

Compared to the other teams in the refugee camp, their team could move about most freely.

There were two ox carts.

At this moment, the three families gathered to discuss the arrangements for the journey tomorrow.

What was important was the meat they had hoarded would help them survive the next period of time!

“I heard that there’s a big town not far away.” Mr. Fang knocked on his tobacco pouch and said in a low voice, “If we rest in that town, we can get some more necessities.”

He had previously discussed with his son that he still had some spare money, so they should buy another ox cart.

Although the three women could also sit in Madam Liu’s ox cart as they traveled, with more and more luggage, it wasn’t a long-term solution.

“We definitely need to replenish some food.” Wu Liu glanced at Lu Ze, who was silent, and suggested, “Also, it’s best to get some warm clothes to ward off the cold.”

Otherwise, I’m afraid we won’t be able to bear the cold if we continue north.”

Wu Liu said it vaguely, but Lin Suisui could tell that he wasn’t talking to her and Lu Ze, but to the Fang family.

“We plan to see if we can buy an ox cart when we reach the town.” Mr. Fang nodded. He could tell that Wu Liu was actually trying to persuade them.

“We definitely have to replenish food and cotton clothes as well. The cold wind outside feels like knives on our faces. If it snows, we’ll probably freeze to death.”

The three families chatted for a while and discussed what to pay attention to along the way. Seeing that it was getting late, everyone went back to rest.

After Lin Suisui returned to the ox cart, she couldn’t fall asleep.

She tossed and turned for a long time. In the end, she couldn’t help but tug at the corner of Lu Ze’s shirt. “Are you asleep?!”

“It’s fine. Du Yuanyi is focused on Pei Qian now.” The cold northern wind was blowing outside. Lu Ze turned around and reached out to pat Lin Suisui’s back as he comforted her softly, “To the outside world, Little White belongs to Pei Qian now. Even if Du Yuanyi wants to do anything to us, he has to first suppress Pei Qian’s influence in the refugee camp! If he can’t do it, he’ll only become a joke in the refugee camp!”