White flakes came down from the sky and joined the wide array of snow below. It was a peaceful winter for the nobles and a scary season for the poor.
As the general's wangfei, Li Amm's winter was naturally good. She was making a snow man in her courtyard.
"Young Mi- Lady! It's too cold here! We can play cards inside!" Xiao Min was holding a coat that was made of an expensive wool.
Li Amm stood up. Xiao Min put the coat around her. Li Amm felt heavy as three layers of coat was already wrapped in her body.
"Xiao Min..let's go out." Li Amm said after a while. It's already been six months since she was married and was trapped here in the Ren Residence. Unlike her maiden house before, she knew every dog holes in the De residence.
Ren household was also big. But because of Ping Bi who was following her around under a servant's face, it took her six months to memorized all escape route here. Ever since she was married, she haven't done her usual habit of sneaking out. She was bored to death.
And for some reason, the Emperor did not summon her in the palace either. But Li Amm still sent her letter to the empress once in two weeks.
Her mother and her father had visited here in the Ren residence only once. It was after the rumor circulated that Ren Shou was going to divorce her. Her parents and her grandparents really made a huge mess that day. They demanded to Ren Shou to give her back if she was going to be mistreated. Li Amm took a lot of effort to convince them to go home with a satisfied heart. Ren Shou was the most pitiful person that day. He was beaten up by four elders, one middle-age man, and a woman. But he still smile as he see them off.
Thinking of Ren Shou, he was quite busy these days as the Emperor gave him a lot of tasks that were all dangerous. The recent one was he was going to the south border and take back the two cities that the southern kingdoms had taken from the Ren Empire.
When Li Amm heard of the details she could not help but suspect this recent task. The Emperor send Ren Shou this winter with only 2,000 men. The Emperor excused that the northern border and the capital needed more men in case the citizens rebelled. There was a history in the Ren Empire where more than half the outskirts cities gathered and chose to be bandits in winter. They attacked multiple cities. Some were even courageous to plaunder the cities around the capital.
When winter comes, it always accompanied by famine and chaos.
Li Amm who had been sneaking in the past sixteen years had learn of this. That's why she was thrilled to go out in this dangerous season.
Xiao Min opened her mouth in shock. How could she forgot her Young Miss' habit of sneaking out? In the past six months, she hadn't sneak even once. Xiao Min thought her Young Miss finally grown up and as a married lady , her young miss chose to be a good wangfei inside the residence. But she was mistaken!
"Young Miss, we can't! Master Ren Shou is not here! What if you suddenly get kidnapped by a bandit?! Master is not here to save you!" Xiao Min strongly rejected the idea.
"Common, when did I face trouble when I sneak out before?" Li Amm started to walk to her courtyard. She was confident to go out this time because they have Ping Bi. That man would surely not take away them from out of his sight.
"Young Miss, may I remind you that the last time you sneak out you got married off?" Xiao Min was behind her, trying to catch up.
Li Amm halted and looked at her with a pain expression. Being reminded of that time, she remembered her unlucky day as she slipped and fell on the mud. Yeah, she had face trouble once too. But she came home with a good catch. She found herself a huband.
So she answered back confidently.
"And thanks to that, I became the Lady of this house. " Li Amm then went to her room. She ordered to prepare plain clothes and some money.
Xiao Min did what she instructed but she still did not give up on knocking some sense into Li Amm.
"Young Miss, we couldn't say we will be lucky this time."
However, those pleas went for nothing.
****
In one of the snowy alley way, there were two people who were covered in plain clothing walking side by side. This alley way was deserted. The roof of the houses had all collapsed. No one was inside those dilapidated houses. The road was empty and there's no single person around.
Li Amm furrowed her brow at this. The city she was in were not far from the capital. In Ren Empire, the nearest the city to the capital, the more flourishing they were. That's why Li Amm was confused on how the houses here bacame was worse than before.
She went to the plaza. All the inns were closed except for a big old inn.
Li Amm went to that inn with Xiao Min in tow.
An old man welcomed her.
"Good day. Are you looking for two rooms or one room?"
"Just one. Do you also prepare meals?" Li Amm acted like a traveller.
The old man nodded.
"We do. Though, we don't have fresh meat here. We only served bread and tea."
"That's alright." Li Amm nodded and paid one gold coin to the old man.
The old man was stunned to see gold coin.
"Lady, it only cost fifty copper coins for you two. I don't have a change for that."
Li Amm smiled and just gave it to the old man.
"It's fine. Please accept it. " The old man was a bit dazed as he accepted her offer. This could help him rebuild the inn so it won't fall on the storm or through many winters. So he accepted it with gratitude.
"But may I ask why your inn is so deserted? In truth, I am so curios as I don't see any people in the plaza. The houses look like they were abandoned for almost a week. Did the people migrated somewhere?" Li Amm asked the old man.
The old man nodded.
"Yes, we have heard of the news that there were a plague next to the city of ours. So the people here pack up and left the city." The old man had actually wanted to keep this matter silent to keep this guest around. But since this lady was so generous to even give him a gold coin, the Old man decided to tell her the truth. Even it means he might lose guests here.
Li Amm was stunned to hear this. She nodded for the old man to continue.
"It was said that this sickness was incurable and contagious. People are afraid to get the disease especially during winter." The old man said as he took one glance from Li Amm. Seeing that she was quiet and had no intention to leave, he began to prepare their tea and bread.