Chapter 314: Showing Morality—At Least They Left Underwear

A light breeze swept across the field, causing the half-meter-high wild grass to bend in the wind.

As the grass swayed, it revealed three men—each wearing nothing but a pair of underpants.

Their breathing was steady, but their bare upper bodies were covered in red, swollen mosquito bites.

Before long, one of the men, a middle-aged man, suddenly opened his eyes. Staring up at the star-filled sky, his expression first showed confusion—then quickly shifted to terror.

He sat up abruptly and, upon seeing his two nephews lying nearby in the same state as himself, finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Wake up! Wake up!” Royal Prince Ye shook them both roughly.

The Third and Fifth Princes opened their eyes at the push, their reactions mirroring Royal Prince Ye’s—first confusion, then horror…

They both sat up almost simultaneously, glancing around before taking stock of their own situation.

The Fifth Prince let out a bitter laugh. “A tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs. We really did run into bandits… But at least they spared our lives and only took our clothes.”

“When did they drug us?” The Third Prince frowned deeply, unable to make sense of it.

The Fifth Prince scratched at his swollen bites and said, “It doesn’t matter when it happened. What’s more important is finding some clothes to cover ourselves first.”

Just then, as Royal Prince Ye moved to push himself up from the ground, his hand brushed against something.

Picking it up, he found a folded piece of rough paper and a bundle of tattered cloth.

Instinctively, he unfolded the paper, scanned it briefly, then let out a bitter chuckle. “Damn it, those bastards even left us a letter!”

Hearing this, the two princes immediately leaned in, using the moonlight to read the note together.

[To the three of you,]
Honestly, this is the first time I’ve ever seen people actually stopping horse bandits on the road.

Did you really think that just because this is an official road, we wouldn’t dare make a move?

Use your heads a little. Great Wu is in chaos right now. Aside from the roads near the capital, the so-called ‘official roads’ aren’t much different from wilderness trails.

Judging by your attire, you must be rich young masters or some noble lord.

Speaking of which, your clothes are made of some damn fine material—clearly expensive. But seriously, how do you not carry any gold or silver on you? We searched you, and there was nothing! So, we had no choice but to strip you clean.

But don’t say we’re completely heartless—we at least left you your underpants.

Oh, and those rags beside you? Make do with them.

Don’t complain that they’re dirty—you’re from noble families, after all. Gotta keep up some dignity, right?

The letter ended there, leaving the three of them fuming with anger!

Petty little horse bandits, and yet they had the audacity to leave behind a mocking note after robbing them! The Third Prince clenched his fists and growled, “Once I return to the capital, I’ll send soldiers to scour this place a hundred times over and wipe out every last one of them!”

“These horse bandits clearly don’t stay in one place. By the time you return, they’ll be long gone,” the Fifth Prince said as he grabbed a dirt-stained, tattered yellow robe and slipped it on. He then picked up a pair of mud-covered outer pants and pulled them over his legs.

Seeing how readily he donned the filthy clothes, Royal Prince Ye and the Third Prince followed suit.

After all, dirty and ragged as they were, they were still far better than walking around half-naked…

Once dressed in their new “refugee attire,” the three of them stood together. From behind, they looked just like displaced wanderers.

But from the front, it was a different story—their faces, necks, and even their hair were still too clean. Though there was some dust, they lacked the rough, darkened skin and unkempt, matted hair that characterized most real refugees.

“Grrr~”

Their stomachs growled in unison. Looking at one another, they spoke at the same time:

“Let’s find something to eat.”

An hour later…

After splitting up to search for water and food, they regrouped in the grassy field.

Staring at each other, they could read the same four words in one another’s eyes—

“Came back empty-handed.”

…

Atop the towering stone walls built from bluestone bricks, a massive plaque hung, with the two characters “Bu County” inscribed in clerical script.

Standing before the city gate, three raggedly dressed “refugees” craned their necks upward, staring at the plaque with eyes gleaming in excitement.

The Third Prince swallowed hard, licked his chapped lips, and grinned. “We finally made it!”

“We did, we really did!” Royal Prince Ye couldn’t help but clap his two nephews on the shoulders, laughing heartily. “Come on, let’s go in and get some proper rest! Once we return to the capital, we’ll settle this score properly!”

Not far from them, two guards stood at the city gate—one tall, one short. The trio’s conversation was loud enough that the guards heard every word crystal clear.

The tall guard pointed at them and sighed helplessly. “Look at this… The world’s in such a sorry state. Another three have gone mad.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” The short guard let out a deep sigh before adding, “When do you think things will ever get better?”

The tall guard scoffed. “Better? We haven’t even seen the worst of it yet… Just wait. The day we end up like them, that’s when you can start hoping for better days.”

“What do you mean?” The short guard looked at him in disbelief. “You think even we, working as city guards, could end up like that?”

“We’re getting paid, aren’t we? If we end up starving like those people, wouldn’t that mean the imperial court is on the verge of—”

“Shhh!”

The tall guard quickly raised a hand to silence him, cutting off what could have been a dangerously treasonous remark.

The short guard immediately realized he had almost misspoken. He forced a nervous laugh, patted his own mouth, and shifted his gaze toward the three “mad refugees” now approaching them.

The Third Prince adjusted his tattered clothing, shifting the hole in the front of his shirt to the side before clasping his hands behind his back. Taking on the bearing of a superior, he addressed the short guard.

“Go. Inform your county magistrate that he is to come and receive us.”

The short guard’s lips twitched as he struggled to maintain a straight face. Out of pity for the supposed “refugees,” he barely suppressed a smirk and said, “Sirs, Magistrate Lei is currently at the marketplace distributing relief grain. He’s likely already started—if you hurry over now, you might still make it in time.”

The Third Prince’s brows furrowed tightly. He snapped, “Did you not understand me? I ordered you to summon the county magistrate to receive us!”

The sheer seriousness in his tone was too much for the short guard to handle. He burst out laughing with a “pfft”, quickly covering his mouth as his shoulders shook uncontrollably. Frantically, he waved at the tall guard for help—he simply couldn’t hold it in anymore…