A Noblewoman's Everyday Life of Fleeing Famine and Farming

Transmigrated into a cannon-fodder character in an ancient-era refugee novel, Qi Yue opened her eyes to find people from both her father's and mother's families forcing her to marry the foolish son of the Marquis of Weiyuan.

Qi Yue obediently nodded, then turned around and tricked her father, brothers, and uncles out of a thousand taels of silver each. After that, she swept all the valuables from the estate into her Gold-Gathering Space and ran!

--

Jiang's father returned from court and nearly fainted at the sight of his empty residence. "Someone, report this! A thief broke in!"

A servant trembled. "Sir, we... are the capital prefecture's office!"

Jiang's father: ...

Jiang's father: What kind of thief is this, to be so brazen?!

*

Only Qi Yue knew that in half a month, an apocalyptic rainstorm would descend. Floodwaters carrying mud and rocks would smash through the imperial city, turning the world into a vast sea.

After the rain stopped, there would be deadly heat, years of drought, and more...

With half a month's head start, Qi Yue stocked up on supplies on a grand scale.

Rice? Ten thousand jin! Soybeans? Ten thousand jin!

Millet, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, potatoes... ten thousand jin of each!

Chickens, ducks, geese, cattle, sheep, and pigs? Five thousand of each!

And fabric, medicine, purified water...

Who else gets it? Stockpiling is so much fun when there's no surveillance system!

When disaster struck, order collapsed, the people were displaced, and nine out of ten citizens of the Dace Empire fled in search of refuge.

Qi Yue, meanwhile, reached a safe zone, planted all kinds of crops, raised cattle and horses, and lived better and better.

When she had more supplies than she could use, she could even round up refugees and put them to work raising livestock, farming, and building bridges and roads, while she sat back and managed it all.

*

Just as Peach Blossom Haven was coming into view, a group of gaunt, ragged refugees leaned on their walking sticks and stopped outside, weeping as they begged for a bite to eat.

When the master of Peach Blossom Haven emerged, every one of them stared in astonishment and shouted with delight: "Isn't that our beloved child, the pearl of the Jiang family?!"

Just as her father, brothers, uncles, and clan elders were standing tall, ready to take over Peach Blossom Haven and coast through the apocalyptic chaos, countless strong guards stepped in front of Qi Yue.

Qi Yue smiled faintly. "Put shackles on them and send them all to the foot of the mountain to build the Great Wall."

*

As the population of Peach Blossom Haven grew, even the little emperor next door took notice. Tens of thousands of troops advanced on Qi Yue's mountain.

The little emperor was full of confidence as he led the expedition himself.

But when he reached the mountain, he saw:

The imperial court: scrawny, sickly horses, battered armor, broken knives and spears.

The female bandit: spirited warhorses, imposing armor, guns, and explosives.

They crossed the border with a single step. Thunder roared, dust billowed, and the imperial troops lost twenty men.

The little emperor was so frightened he nearly fell over. He turned and ran. "How the hell are we supposed to fight this?! The Founding Emperor's handbook never said anything about this!"

Reader's Guide:

1. Fictional historical setting, entirely made up. I'll write whatever comes to mind, so please don't overanalyze it.

2. Ancient-era disasters, stockpiling and fleeing famine, food and farming, territorial development. A down-to-earth tale of everyday life.

3. Blurb screenshot dated August 7, 2023.

Theme: Keep a kind heart and be brave enough to survive!