Although he seems to be doing nothing, I didn't expect that he is so meticulous. Officials have to be changed from time to time. Even if so many positions are filled, it will take countless time. He has always put in a lot of thought.
His hand landed on a spot on the map and he explained to her, "This area I'm pointing to is under the jurisdiction of my brother, the Prime Minister. Although it's vast and rich in resources, it's also prone to disasters. Heavy rains occur year-round here, and countless dams have been built to prevent floods."
Su Lijin lowered her eyes when she heard the voice, but saw that in addition to the names of officials, the location of the dam was also marked with a red pen. Looking at the continuous red marks, she realized the seriousness of the matter and frowned.
Xiao Shengxing, holding a red brush, circled the man's name on the parchment scroll and sighed, "The riots were caused by a dam failure that resulted in the flooding of civilians. I'm guessing the Prime Minister's brother either didn't report it to avoid being implicated, or the Prime Minister is shielding him."
The scene of the people living in dire straits and starving people everywhere seemed to appear before his eyes through just a few words. Even Hei Qi, the most aloof of the three, couldn't bear to think about it, and Su Lijin's eyes were full of disgust.
"To shield him is to be an unkind official, allowing his brother to harm the people. Not to shield him is to bully others by taking advantage of his power. In any case, he should step down as soon as possible and give justice to the innocent people." After saying this, he clenched his fists, as if he was going to teach the prime minister a lesson.
The originally dull atmosphere was broken by this action. Xiao Shengxing chuckled and looked at the person in front of him. He was wearing black clothes and actually made these actions, which were beyond his expectations every time.
He shook his head when he heard that, and thought of the guy who was still safe and sound in the capital, he sighed: "It's not as easy as you say to get this old fox out of power. If I can do it with just a few words, that would be great."
Although it was half joking and half serious, it was undoubtedly the truth.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze. Su Lijin half-supported her head, as if thinking about something. She saw Xiao Shengxing put away the sheepskin scroll and then changed his clothes.
Just as Su Lijin was about to ask where they were going, she saw him turn around with a serious expression.
Xiao Shengxing looked out the window. It had only been two hours since he finished his meal, but there were already a few more unfamiliar beggars on the street. Things were far worse than he had imagined.
After pondering for a moment, he made a decision: "Pack up, tomorrow we're going to the town with the most rioters."
At dawn the next day, the waiter helped the men bring the horses.
They hurried off into the distance. The waiter looked at them thoughtfully as they left, muttering, "That's Qinghe Town."
This time the journey was not as long as the last time. It only took three hours to reach the destination. I looked at the three words engraved on the stone tablet next to me.
Qinghe Town.
Su Lijin had heard that this place was beautiful with green mountains and clear waters and that there were many wealthy businessmen, but the scene before him shattered his fantasy.
The street before him was filled with refugees in tattered clothes and with sunken cheeks. Some of them were even fighting over steamed buns stained with sewage, their heads broken and bleeding. Every household, without exception, had their doors and windows tightly closed.
"Behave yourself and stop beating me! If you make trouble again, I'll put you in jail."
Several yamen runners armed with knives were patrolling the streets. The so-called prison was actually just a few simple cages. When they saw someone fighting, they hurried forward.
Seeing the flash of the knife, those people naturally did not dare to continue to act rashly and ran away quickly.
There were even more refugees with their eyes closed, and no one knew whether they were dead or alive. This was the Qinghe Town that the three people saw. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was hell on earth.
After the knife-wielding yamen runners left, the refugees who had been behaving themselves peacefully became agitated again, but this time their target was not the steamed buns. They walked towards the alley with gleams in their eyes.
Soon, a child's voice was heard coming from there, crying.
"Don't take my bread! Don't take my bread!"
When Su Lijin reached the alley entrance, she saw the poor child pinned to the ground, holding half a piece of bread in her arms and refusing to let go. Several skinny men were snatching the little girl's food.
She looked at this scene and couldn't help but rush forward.
Su Lijin, who was skilled in martial arts, was no match for a few ordinary people who were hungry and cold. She knocked them down in no time.
She lifted the child up from the ground and angrily questioned them, "Don't you feel ashamed of bullying a child?"
But what he got in return was a sneer.
Several people were so hungry that they didn't care about their reputation at all. They picked up wooden sticks on the ground, pointed the sharp end at Su Lijin, and said in a high-sounding manner: "What's it to you? Who doesn't need food now? Instead of letting this useless girl get away with it, it's better to let us live."
Seeing that the woman in black had no intention of retreating, she still protected the child behind her and refused to give in.
Their patience was worn away by hunger, and they cursed with ferocious faces: "Get out of here now, don't meddle in other people's business, hand over the things you have to offer, don't think we'll be lenient just because you're a woman!"
One of them couldn't hold back and threw the stick in his hand.
Snap——
Su Lijin raised her hand to catch it, and even broke it in front of several people. She had always looked down on these people, and she sneered at them, "I don't deserve it. After all, they can do this to little girls, so how can a woman like me have such a chance?"
Only then did they remember that the woman in black had single-handedly defeated them all, but...
The strongest one gripped the stick in his hand, whispered a few words to the brothers around him, and then rushed towards her together: "Then don't blame us brothers for being rude!"
mean.
Su Lijin cursed in her heart and was about to take action, but a black figure rushed outside to settle the matter. Xiao Shengxing appeared in front of them with a smile, followed by the elusive Hei Qi. Some of the people on the ground were scared and did not continue to get up.
But perhaps the noise was too loud, attracting other people. The situation was not very good for Xiao Shengxing and others. Su Lijin frowned and clenched her fists, ready for a desperate battle. Suddenly, a familiar voice came to her ears.
Xiao Shengxing said with a smile: "There will be free porridge here tomorrow, but there will definitely not be troublemakers like you."
The refugees who were ready to move paused when they heard the word "free porridge", and then broke into a chattering sound, some of which were skeptical, but mixed with cheers.
I still have some hope for this, being alive is more important than anything else.
When the few people who had just grabbed the cakes heard that, they stumbled to their feet and soon ran away.
After watching those people run away, Su Lijin squatted down and looked at the dirty little girl in front of her, her eyes full of heartache for her.
She took out a handkerchief and wiped the little girl's face: "Are you okay? We drove those people away."
A good child became like this because of the famine. The more Su Lijin looked at him, the more distressed she felt.
The extravagance in the capital city and the starving people on the streets here formed a sharp contrast.
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