"Lord Zhang, you are the official in charge of Pingnan City. You should think more about us common people!" Seeing that Zhang Shengmin remained silent, someone was afraid that he would agree to Sun Miao'er's proposal, so they hurriedly fanned the flames from the side.
Sun Miao'er's expression suddenly turned cold. She slowly turned around, stared at the person who had spoken, and said in a deep voice, "Are your lives precious, but the lives of refugees not? Do you really want those refugees to starve to death outside the city because of your own selfish interests, so that the area outside Pingnan City is littered with corpses? Would you be satisfied then?"
"alright!"
Zhang Shengmin suddenly opened his eyes and solemnly shouted, "Manager Sun is right. I cannot bear to see the people suffer, and I am also heartbroken by the innocent refugees."
“There are already refugees gathering outside the city. Once the number exceeds three hundred, I will grant special permission to open the city gates and allow those who voluntarily surrender to enter the city.” He paused for a moment, then said, “However, I believe everyone is aware of the current situation of the yamen. At that time, I would like to ask those who have money to contribute money and those who have strength to contribute strength. This would be a good deed.”
Now that the county magistrate has spoken, it seems somewhat futile for those who oppose him to continue to hold their own opinions. However, there are still those who don't want to pay and want to continue to make a fuss about this matter.
"The solution was Manager Sun's idea. Shouldn't Manager Sun set an example? Our businesses are not doing well right now, unlike Manager Sun's two shops, which are thriving. Manager Sun is just talking without understanding the situation!"
Sun Miao'er nodded and said sternly, "Rest assured, Miao'er will definitely set an example. Please rest assured, sir and everyone. If you do not trust me, I can plead for your life in front of everyone right now."
"Tomorrow morning, please have someone from the government accompany me to the outskirts of the city to distribute food and supplies to the refugees, temporarily stabilizing them and preventing a riot."
Her near-perfect response immediately shut those stingy people up.
Everyone present harbored their own ulterior motives and knew the saying, "The taller the tree, the more the wind will blow against it."
Several seasoned business veterans wouldn't dare take on this job, yet Sun Miao'er, a young woman, dared to shoulder it on her own. In their eyes, she was at most a fearless newborn calf, unaware of the immensity of the world.
Sun Miao'er's volunteering was indeed beyond Zhang Shengmin's expectations. He looked at Sun Miao'er with great satisfaction and said, "Good. Shanqiu, tomorrow you will accompany Manager Sun to the outskirts of the city to provide relief to the refugees. Remember to protect Manager Sun."
"yes."
Dan Qiu accepted the order, and the matter was settled. After Zhang Shengmin left the court, all the people who had been summoned to the yamen dispersed.
"Manager Sun, please wait."
Only the two of them remained in the yamen. As soon as Shan Qiu opened his mouth, his strong voice was clearly audible to Sun Miao'er, who was standing at the entrance of the yamen.
Sun Miao'er turned around and smiled politely at him, "Officer Shan, what's wrong?"
When she saw Shan Qiu's face, she suddenly remembered that Shan Qiu had visited the cloth shop after closing time that night, so she continued, "I remember now. I'm so busy that my brain can't keep up. I left the things at the cloth shop with Constable Shan. Constable Shan can go and get them from my aunt."
Shan Qiu once ordered the fabric embroidered with Dongli Xiaoxiao's maiden name, and Sun Miao'er promised to save a piece for him.
"no."
There was a hint of evasion in Shan Qiu's eyes. His face had always shown only determination and decisiveness, which surprised Sun Miao'er.
"If possible, I would like to meet Miss Xiaoxiao."
Shanqiu kept Sun Miao'er around solely for this reason.
After that parting, his thoughts were in complete turmoil, and his heart remained as still as a clear pool for the past twenty years.
He had always believed that a man's heart should only hold the world and righteousness, until he met that girl, or rather, an unparalleled beauty.
Like many men, he was captivated by the beauty of a woman, but he was luckier; the woman favored him just the right amount.
"I'll pass on your message. As for whether Miss Xiaoxiao is willing to see you, that's up to fate."
Men's thoughts are always hard to fathom. She couldn't even figure out her master, let alone what Shanqiu was thinking.
Previously, Dongli Xiaoxiao was deeply in love with him, but he was as dense as a block of wood and didn't understand Dongli Xiaoxiao's predicament. If he had known, would his heart still be as hard as stone?
As dusk settled outside Duhuan Tower, the city was ablaze with lights, its splendor unaffected by the war outside Yingzhou. Inside, the wealthy young men continued their extravagant lifestyle, indulging in a life of luxury and debauchery.
Sun Miao'er went straight to the point. After all, he was an old face and had a close relationship with Hu Tingzhi, so seeing Dongli Xiaoxiao was not difficult.
"Miao'er, I heard about the opening of your new shop, but I haven't had time to congratulate you yet!" Dongli Xiaoxiao was really bored staying in the building all day, and it was rare to have someone to talk to and relieve her boredom. Her joy was evident in her words.
Sun Miao'er waved her hand. Every time she saw Dongli Xiaoxiao, her gaze would be unconsciously drawn to that face, a face that would make both men and women fall in love with it.
Thinking back to what Hu Tingzhi said that day, since Dongli Xiaoxiao and the late emperor's concubine looked seven or eight parts alike, the concubine must have been an extremely beautiful woman.
"I can't accept that," Sun Miao'er joked. "Everyone knows that wherever Dongli Girl goes, crowds surge and people throng. If you really came to my little shop, the number of people just coming to see you would break down the doorstep!"
Dongli Xiaoxiao was amused by her words and laughed along, saying, "I've already had my brother deal with that maid who was bribed by Yunmiao Manor last time. These maids are better at betraying their own people than anyone else!"
"Never mind, I investigated that matter later and found that it was just the servants of Yunmiao Manor who acted on their own. Let's not talk about it anymore." Sun Miao'er's voice suddenly lowered. "I came to deliver a message to you on behalf of Constable Shan."
Dongli Xiaoxiao's smile suddenly froze, and a glimmer of hope slowly rose in her eyes, "What...what does he want to say to me?"
He wants to see you.
After Sun Miao'er finished speaking, Dongli Xiaoxiao quickly got up, opened the door and looked around, then pulled Sun Miao'er a little further into the room. Although she tried her best to control her emotions, Sun Miao'er could still feel her excitement.
"Really?" Dongli smiled and asked repeatedly, unable to believe that her long wait had finally come to an end.
Sun Miao'er nodded solemnly, but for Dongli Xiaoxiao, leaving Duhuan Tower alone was almost impossible. "Tomorrow morning, Constable Shan and I will go outside the city to help the refugees. We will go around through the alley behind Duhuan Tower."
Dongli Xiaoxiao abruptly interrupted her, grasped Sun Miao'er's hand, bit her lip, and said, "Okay, Miao'er."
Sun Miao'er hadn't expected Dongli Xiaoxiao to agree so easily; it seemed she had never truly given up on Shan Qiu.
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