Chapter 220 Clues
In the capital, in the emperor's palace.
Wen Chengfeng looked at the memorials submitted to the court in the morning and sighed with a headache. The number of refugees was greater than ever before...
"Your Majesty, you have done everything you can. Open the granaries and release the grain. Issue an edict of apology. The situation will gradually improve."
General Manager Jiang Dehai gently handed Wen Chengfeng a cup of tea. In his opinion, Wen Chengfeng was a rare and wise ruler. Emperors possessed the greatest power in the world, and most emperors would not admit or even reflect on their mistakes even if they did.
Despite such an unfounded mistake as a natural disaster, the emperor took the blame for the improper governance of the country on his own head. This is undoubtedly a sign of the king's wisdom and magnanimity!
"You're the smooth talker, the best at talking. Anyway, I don't have the heart to read the memorials anyway, let's go down and see the victims' situation ourselves."
Wen Chengfeng took a sip of tea and curled his lips slightly. It had been a while since the granaries had been opened for grain distribution, and his response had been timely. The sheer number of refugees was suspicious, so he decided to go and see for himself.
The master and the slave were also very agile. After changing into casual clothes, they sneaked out without telling the other people in the palace. The only ones following them were the secret guards who were protecting them secretly.
The capital city seemed as bustling as ever, unaffected by the influx of refugees. This was mainly because the disaster relief center was located not far from the city gates. This was both highly visible and immediately accessible to those entering the city. It also facilitated the counting of refugees.
After passing through the downtown area, you can see from afar the porridge stalls cooking vegetable porridge in large pots.
"The emperor is benevolent and has opened the granaries to release grain! As usual, one bowl per person, no grabbing or crowding!"
The people in charge of the porridge stalls were all runners from the capital's government office. They struck gongs and drums to signal the official start of today's relief efforts.
The vegetable porridge was emitting steaming hot water, and the hungry refugees began to line up in an orderly manner to receive it. Wen Chengfeng calmly observed the refugees' faces, but in his heart he was a little confused. Was there not enough rice in the granary?
These people still looked pale, thin and sickly.
"Emperor, Master Huang, after all, he is a refugee from another place. He has only been in the capital for a short time. He still needs to be recuperated."
Jiang Dehai's brain worked quickly. Having served Wen Chengfeng for a long time, he could guess most of what was going on as soon as the emperor frowned.
Wen Chengfeng pursed his lips slightly. What Jiang Dehai said didn't make sense. He ordered a pot of tea and sat down at a tea stall not far from the city gate.
Everything was going on in an orderly manner, but an old man fell to the ground after receiving the porridge and drinking only a few mouthfuls.
The sound of the porridge bowl falling to the ground caught Wen Chengfeng's attention.
“This porridge can’t…”
The old man curled up on the ground, holding his stomach and pointing at the porridge that had broken into pieces and spilled out, and reminded the other refugees with trembling lips.
Everyone's faces changed drastically. Seeing the old man lying on the ground in the middle, no one dared to act rashly. Instead, they started discussing in low voices.
"What's going on? This is the fourth time this has happened. Is there really something wrong with the rice the court is sending?"
"It's hard to say. Yesterday, a child fell down, and today it's the turn of an elderly person. It doesn't look right. But our court shouldn't be so stingy, right? The emperor is a wise ruler..."
The yamen runners in charge of distributing porridge panicked. They were doing their job honestly and had not added anything to the rice. They were afraid of being held responsible, so they quickly stepped forward and shouted at the old man on the ground.
"Hey, old man, stop playing tricks on me. How come others can eat it and nothing happens, but you can't? If you keep spreading rumors and confusing the people, I'll arrest you and take you to the government office!"
Looking at the old man, a look of scrutiny flashed in Wen Chengfeng's eyes.
In the eyes of ordinary people, disasters were often seen as the result of human error that angered the heavens. However, during the reign of an emperor, a large or prolonged disaster was likely to be seen as a bad omen.
Once the people believe that this is a message from heaven to the world, if there is a radical person, it may lead to uprisings in various places and affect the rule.
In other words, this is the best time to leverage public opinion and sway people's hearts. But seeing the old man's demeanor and the cold sweat on his forehead, which didn't seem fake, Wen Chengfeng gave Jiang Dehai a look and told him to go get the infirmary.
After Jiang Dehai left, Wen Chengfeng planned to step forward to stabilize the situation, but he only took a few steps before his steps came to an abrupt stop.
"Everyone, make way! Our Minister of Revenue has arrived. Saving lives is like putting out a fire. Everyone, make way!"
Sun Youcai, who heard the news, had already rushed over with his men, and even considerately brought someone dressed as a doctor, appearing to be well prepared.
Considering that Sun Youcai was one of the perpetrators of the embezzlement of military pay and rations, Wen Chengfeng quietly retreated back into the crowd. The so-called doctor solemnly squeezed the old man's abdomen. During the repeated pressure, the old man vomited the porridge he had swallowed with a "wow" sound.
"Old man, you have to eat less because of your body. Your stomach can't handle it. After all, you are old and your appetite is limited..."
Sun Youcai pretended to be a good official, personally helped the old man up, and did not forget to cover up the gluten-ridden rice.
In fact, his mind was as clear as a mirror. As early as when he decided to pass off inferior products as good ones, he had already asked the people in the clinic.
Rice with gluten cannot be eaten because it has become moldy. If you only consume a small amount, you will not experience obvious discomfort symptoms in a short period of time if your body is in good condition.
However, if the intake time is long or the amount is large, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea will ensue. Because the refugees at the beginning were mostly young and middle-aged hired workers, there was no need to worry about the problem being exposed.
But man proposes, God disposes, and real refugees have become a stumbling block.
"Thank you, Lord Shangshu, for saving my life..."
The old man cupped his hands with a look of gratitude on his face. Sun Youcai obviously benefited a lot from it. It seemed that both the officials and the people were enjoying themselves.
But Wen Chengyun, who was in the crowd, caught a sound that he didn't want to hear.
"Damn, there's definitely something wrong with this rice. The old and the young are all in trouble, and it's all thanks to the health of those among us. What a crap job! Aren't our lives as beggars worth our lives?"
"It's obvious that there aren't any good people in the government. I'm going to stop performing tomorrow. I'll just stick to my old ways of begging. At least what I beg for is clean and I don't have to worry about anything!"
Wen Chengfeng moved towards the source of the sound calmly, but his heart was filled with turmoil.
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