After refusing marriage, she was pampered by the prince who acted as a shield.

Chapter 530: War Breaks Out

Once he confirmed that the figure was the one he had been longing for, Li Jingyang breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the guard beside him.

"Protect her. If I see anyone lose even a single hair..."

His cold gaze swept over a few of them before he adjusted the direction of his horse and headed straight for the county government office.

On the way, Li Jingyang sighed repeatedly, unable to stop thinking about the figure he had seen.

"What do you think it would take for her to forgive me?"

"That's all a misunderstanding. I'm sure that someone as knowledgeable and reasonable as Madam will trust you."

Would you really believe that?

Why couldn't Lin Rusi listen to his explanations even after he had explained so many times? This made him very uneasy.

His fingers lightly protected his chest, as if he were holding something.

Just as Li Jingyang was about to lower his head to smell the familiar scent, he exerted a little force with his arm and grabbed nothing, which brought him back to his senses.

Before anyone could realize what was happening, they felt a chill sweep over them and straightened their backs, afraid of being grabbed.

Only after entering the yamen and parting ways with Li Jingyang did the group feel a sense of relief, collapsing to the side and sliding down the wall to the ground.

"Do you think that if this continues, will our master fall lovesick first, or will we be scared to death first?"

“If you don’t know how to do this for a day, you’ll only be hanging your head on your waist.”

For any single reason, someone could lose their head.

Just as everyone was filled with worry, another person sighed again.

"It is extremely dangerous to return to Jiangnan this time. If Madam gets involved, none of us will survive."

"Then the brothers should keep a close eye on the lady. If necessary, they can reveal their identities."

After saying this, the leader leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

The group exchanged glances, leaving only one person to go out and search for the others, while the rest of them all closed their eyes and rested, just like the others.

Inside the room, Li Jingyang looked at the county magistrate in front of him and slammed the letter that should have the imperial seal onto the table.

He immediately noticed it and his brows furrowed.

"The situation had just stabilized, and now it's changed again? I wonder if the people still have any grain stored up."

"Such an attack does indeed require a great deal of food, but Father has promised to send people to escort the supplies, so there is no need to worry too much."

Upon hearing this, the magistrate hesitated slightly, but nodded and said he would make arrangements to ensure that the people could have enough to eat.

But just as the two were discussing, there was still constant activity outside.

Just as the two were about to come up with a rough plan, the guards outside rushed in.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Those guarding outside have spotted dust rising in the distance."

"It's just dust. It's windy here and it gets kicked up from time to time. Don't scare me..."

Before the magistrate could finish speaking, he sensed the heavy expressions on the faces of the men and understood what was going on.

The so-called dust wasn't stirred up by the wind, but kicked up by the horses' hooves. The Liang Kingdom was getting very close, and it probably wouldn't be long before they reached the city gate.

"This came too fast; we had no time to prepare."

"Don't worry, I will delay things outside. You should settle the people in the city as soon as possible."

Lin Rusi has secret guards, but there aren't many of them, so they need to be given more time to prepare.

Having thought things through, Li Jingyang turned his gaze to the generals who had arrived.

"Take the soldiers and go outside the city walls to protect them. We absolutely cannot allow anyone to breach them."

"Yes! Your Majesty, I will go and prepare immediately."

Even so, the speed was still not enough. By the time the Liang Kingdom had set up camp outside the city walls, the preparations here were less than half complete, so naturally, they had to send people back inside.

"What's going on? Why is the lord setting up a defensive line outside the city wall?"

"Don't ask too many questions. Just stay at home and don't go out of town."

These few simple words made the commoner realize something, and he turned around and fled back into the house.

Some of the people around were curious, while others secretly crept closer to the gap.

The next moment, they were so frightened by the neat rows of tents outside and the flag that did not belong to their country that they fell to the ground.

"No, this is terrible! The Liang Kingdom is already outside, we're about to be attacked! Run!"

Despite the loud shouts, the people who had been hiding inside did not open the door and remained inside.

"Are you all scared out of your wits? The enemy has already reached the city gates, aren't you going to run? Are you just waiting to be killed?"

Upon hearing the roar, the person inside finally opened the door, but instead of fleeing, they smashed the half-eaten corncob onto his head.

He was deeply aggrieved, not expecting that his well-intentioned reminder would be met with such resistance.

"What are you yelling about? We really need somewhere to hide. Besides, there are so many adults at the door, why can't you trust them?"

The man didn't know how to answer. He could only watch helplessly as they continued to reinforce the city walls and defenses, and then walked back home.

Where there are innocent people, there will also be those who are afraid of death.

As soon as darkness fell, some people packed their bags and tried to escape.

But a flash of light drew their attention, and they all went over to find a group of people sitting there, with one person in the middle.

Li Jingyang noticed this, looked up at the sky, and, confirming that it was almost time, explained the current situation.

"My name is Li Jingyang, and I am the Crown Prince of the current dynasty."

When the people below heard Li Jingyang's name, they were in an uproar and began to express their guesses.

The loud noise made others frown, but no one stopped them.

"His Majesty is aware of this invasion and has specially dispatched me and a million soldiers to protect Jiangnan."

Upon hearing that there were a million soldiers, the tense crowd immediately breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Li Jingyang's next words even more intently.

"Your Highness, thank you for your hard work. I will explain the follow-up. Please rest well below."

"Thank you for your help, Magistrate."

Li Jingyang nodded to him, then began to think more seriously about what was to come.

The magistrate above kept talking, but his attention was on an indistinct figure on another rooftop.

We still need to send them away, otherwise there will definitely be danger.

But given their current state, what should he do to get rid of them?

Li Jingyang's brows furrowed even more deeply, which made the group below begin to feel anxious and fearful.

"Master, everyone below is watching you."

"Let them watch..." Li Jingyang realized that his mood was affecting the crowd below, so he could only wave his hand at them and point to the soldiers who were still busy.

Everyone knew that they were worried about the city's fortifications, and the people raised their hands to show that they could help.

With more people, things get done. The magistrate naturally wouldn't waste this opportunity. He pointed to those who were skilled in carpentry and blacksmithing and had them help make various tools to repair the city walls.