If I send you to join the army and marry a woman, will you conquer the Empress?

The night was as dark as ink, and the cold wind was biting.

The streets of the capital city were no longer bustling with daytime activity; they were desolate and deserted.

Occasionally, a few patrols of Imperial Guards would hurry by, carrying torches, the sound of their armor scraping against each other particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Qin Feng changed into a plain black outfit and wore a bamboo hat that covered most of his face.

Li Xuanba and Yue Shan, also dressed in civilian clothes, followed closely behind him like two loyal guards, one on the left and one on the right.

The three of them did not ride horses, but walked silently, step by step, down the cold street.

The further south you go, the stronger the rotten, sour smell in the air becomes.

That was the taste of hunger and death.

Before they even reached the porridge stall, they could already see ragged, emaciated figures huddled under the eaves and in the corners of walls on both sides of the street.

They were refugees who had fled here.

During the day, they would wander around the city like zombies, begging or searching for anything to fill their stomachs.

At night, one can only find a sheltered corner, shivering, to get through the long, cold night.

Many people freeze to death or starve to death in their sleep.

The next day, a special "corpse-dragging team" would come and drag their bodies, like dead dogs, to the mass graves outside the city, where they would be hastily buried.

Qin Feng's steps grew heavier and heavier.

With each step he took, the murderous intent in his heart grew stronger.

Is this the capital city under his rule?

Is this the peaceful and prosperous world he bought with his blood and life?

It's an absolute irony!

Finally, they arrived at the largest porridge distribution point in the south of the city.

This place used to be a dilapidated temple, but now there are several large pots set up at the temple entrance, with thin porridge so clear that you can see your reflection in it.

Even so, this place remains the most "lively" spot in the entire capital.

Hundreds and thousands of disaster victims surrounded the place, making it impossible to move.

They craned their necks, their hungry eyes fixed on the steaming pots, gurgling sounds coming from their throats.

"Dinner's ready! Line up! No fighting!"

Several constables responsible for distributing porridge waved their water and fire sticks and shouted at the top of their lungs.

But hunger had already driven these people to madness.

As soon as the porridge bucket was brought out, the crowd erupted in excitement.

"Give me a bite! I haven't eaten for three days!"

"Get out of my way! This is mine!"

"Don't push! My child... my child is going to be crushed to death!"

Cries, curses, and screams mingled together, creating a chaotic scene.

People were shoving and jostling each other like madmen, just to grab a bite of that thin porridge that would give them one more day to live.

An elderly person was pushed to the ground and trampled underfoot in an instant, not even having time to utter a scream.

There were mothers holding their babies, desperately protecting their infants, but they themselves were jostled and knocked over, ending up with bloodied heads.

The bailiffs rained down water and fire sticks on the crowd, but they couldn't stop the frenzied scene at all.

Qin Feng stood in the shadows not far away, coldly watching this scene.

His eyes, hidden beneath his straw hat, had long since turned blood red.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, and blood dripped from between his fingers onto the ground, but he was completely unaware of it.

Li Xuanba and Yue Shan were so angry that they trembled all over and their teeth were grinding together.

"General..." Li Xuanba's voice trembled.

Qin Feng said nothing.

He just watched.

Looking at those people who completely abandoned their dignity in order to survive.

Watching this human tragedy orchestrated by hunger.

Just then, a thin figure caught his attention.

It was a young mother holding an infant in her arms.

Her face was as pale as paper, her lips were cracked, and her eyes were unfocused; she was clearly on the verge of death.

She didn't try to grab the porridge; instead, she leaned against the corner of the wall and, with her last bit of strength, untied her already tattered clothes.

She wants to breastfeed her child.

But she herself was starving to death, so where would she get any breast milk?

The baby was crying loudly from hunger, its cries as weak as a kitten's.

The woman was filled with despair, and tears silently streamed down her face from her empty eye sockets.

She looked around, and suddenly her gaze fell on Qin Feng, who was not far away.

Perhaps it was Qin Feng and his two companions, though dressed in casual clothes, whose upright posture and extraordinary demeanor made them stand out from the surrounding disaster victims.

She seemed to see a last glimmer of hope.

She struggled, holding the child, and slowly moved to Qin Feng's side.

With a thud, she knelt down.

"This...this gentleman..."

Her voice was so weak it was almost inaudible.

"Please...please save my child..."

She didn't ask for food for herself; instead, she used all her strength to lift the child in her arms in front of Qin Feng.

"He...he's only three months old..."

"Please..."

Qin Feng looked at her, at the baby in her arms who was so thin he was just skin and bones, and felt as if his heart was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard for him to breathe.

He remained silent and took out a piece of dry food from his pocket.

This is what he takes with him when he goes out.

When the woman saw the dried food, her eyes instantly lit up with an astonishing light.

She took it, her hands trembling.

But she didn't eat it.

With great difficulty, she used her teeth to bite the dry, hard biscuit into small pieces, chewed it thoroughly, and then carefully fed it bit by bit to the baby in her arms.

The baby finally got to eat and stopped crying.

The woman looked at her child, and a satisfied, happy smile appeared on her bloodless face.

She looked up, wanting to say thank you to Qin Feng.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, her body suddenly went limp and she fell backward.

Her eyes were still open, and she still had that happy smile on her face.

But her body was already cold.

She gave her life to provide the child with the last bit of food.

Qin Feng reached out to help her, but only grasped a cold void.

He froze on the spot.

The baby, still suckling at the dry food in her arms, seemed to sense her mother's unusual behavior and started crying again.

The cries sounded so mournful and desperate in the cold night.

Qin Feng slowly bent down and picked up the still-crying baby.

He raised his head and looked in the direction of the most prosperous part of the capital.

There, the lights were on.

That was the residence of the Cui family of Boling in the capital.

Perhaps at this very moment, the head of the Cui family, thousands of miles away, is embracing his beautiful concubine, drinking fine wine, and eating delicacies, mocking him, the newly appointed regent, for how incompetent and ridiculous he is.

Qin Feng held the warm baby in his arms, feeling its faint heartbeat.

He laughed, a laugh that sent chills down your spine.

"The Bolingcui clan..."

He uttered the name softly.

"very good."

"You guys are really nice."