Chapter 356: More and More Refugees
Feng ordered the maid to pack a dozen large boxes for her son. If you didn't know, you would think he was going out for an outing.
"Mother!" Liang Huanyu frowned, but still said patiently, "You don't need any of this. We need to travel light this time. A few clothes will be enough!"
"How can that be!" Mrs. Feng objected firmly, but in the end she couldn't stop her son. She added and subtracted a lot of things until only two large boxes were left.
A box of clothes and a box of daily necessities.
"I have already made an agreement with your aunt. When we arrive in Youzhou, someone will pick you up. If you have any problems, just find your aunt's people and they will help you!" Feng sat down beside her son and gave him repeated instructions out of concern.
Liang Huanyu was almost tired of hearing this and changed the subject directly: "I understand. I will definitely come back safely. I'm still thinking about getting married. I wonder how the marriage with the Wang family is going now?"
Speaking of this, the wrinkles around Feng's eyes, which she couldn't hide to begin with, became even deeper.
Thinking of the stubborn old man in the Wang family, Feng wished her father-in-law could use his power to force the other party to agree.
But the key is that the Wang family is not afraid at all!
Huan Yu is so outstanding. He has been waiting since Wang Tan was born until now. He wants to send them away just because one sentence is not appropriate. No way!
She secretly hated it in her heart, but she forced a smile: "Everything goes well, and when you come back, the marriage can be held smoothly!"
Liang Huanyu raised the corner of his mouth: "Okay!"
As long as they get the support of the Wang family, they can basically get half of the power of the aristocratic families.
And by then his grandfather will surely look upon him with new eyes. All he needs to do is wait for the right opportunity and everything will fall into place!
At this time, Liang Huanyu didn't know that this trip to Youzhou would become the most regrettable thing in his life, no doubt about it!
…
Guancheng.
Zhu Mingqing stood on the city wall, looking at the hundreds of refugees outside the city. From afar, he saw more and more people coming.
She couldn't help but ask herself, "Why didn't they stay in the capital?"
Magistrate Wang next to him had his hands behind his back. He had only been in office for half a year, but he already had a few strands of white hair compared to before, and his previously chubby figure had become visibly thinner.
It can be seen that being a city governor is not that easy.
He sighed quietly, "The cost of living in the capital is high, and before the city was closed, it took in a lot of refugees. Even though these people left their homes, they all have their own sources of information."
The news that Guancheng accepted refugees should have spread among these people.
"Also, I received news an hour ago that a riot broke out in Jizhou, and all the people in a village died. Jizhou is located inland and has no major water sources. The drought is more serious than that in Yuzhou and Youzhou."
"In the coming period, there will be more and more refugees in Guancheng!"
Prefect Wang, who had not been worried at first, was now a little nervous. He could handle a few hundred or a thousand people, and at most he could just take his time. But if a steady stream of people rushed to the city gate, the granary would soon be insufficient!
And Mrs. Zhu must not be able to digest these people.
But Zhu Mingqing was excited. It was good that people came, but he was afraid that they might not be enough.
"Prefect Wang, I'm afraid the Ming family is going to buy land again!"
Now her other identity has become a tacit understanding between the two.
Magistrate Wang was stunned for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Madam Zhu, do you mean you still have energy left?"
Zhu Mingqing nodded slightly: "Although the Ming family is short of people, we can't hire just anyone. I won't take in anyone who is lazy, cunning, or committing crimes!"
Prefect Wang patted his chest and assured, "Of course. No matter who caused the trouble, just inform the authorities. I will tell everyone when I get back that anyone who dares to harm the Ming family will not be tolerated!"
Zhu Mingqing bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Magistrate Wang!"
Magistrate Wang heaved a sigh of relief and said quickly, "It is my great honor to have Madam Zhu here!"
Zhu Mingqing just smiled but said nothing. Now that the wool and skins had been brought back from the grassland, he was worried about the lack of people in the transport team. But after all, they were still unfamiliar people and needed to be trained for a period of time before being assigned to other transport teams.
"When is the right time to let those people down there in?" Magistrate Wang raised his chin slightly and looked at the crowd gathered under the city wall for warmth with a look of pity.
It is already early May, but there is still a hint of coolness in the air as night approaches.
This disaster was so sudden that the imperial court had no time to respond.
When Emperor Jiancheng heard the news, he knew it was just a drought and no disaster like flood had occurred, so he ordered the governors of each prefecture to respond as appropriate.
The people below always act according to the moods of their superiors. With Emperor Jiancheng's attitude, everyone knows that he doesn't take it seriously at all.
Now only the three states of Yuzhou, Jizhou and Youzhou have been affected by the disaster.
Although Yuzhou is close to the sea and is a plain, it has always produced a lot of grain. However, due to last year's flood disaster, the geology was damaged, and the crops of the people have not grown well since the beginning of spring.
Jizhou was the worst hit, and because no one had taken office as the prefect of Jizhou, the people below were fighting with each other. Who had the time to take care of these grassroots people? Even if there were kind-hearted officials who could not bear to see it, without orders from above, they could only secretly help the people, and the help was ultimately limited.
Youzhou was not much better than the other two states, but because it was Prince Huai's fiefdom, the people lived a decent life.
But because of the nearby Guancheng, more and more people from the three states rushed here.
After the two men came down from the city wall, Zhu Mingqing took Magistrate Wang to another piece of land that he had his eyes on.
Located ten miles outside Guancheng City, there is a flat land backed by a mountain. Zhu Mingqing had already bought the surrounding hills and planned to raise animals and plant fruit trees.
This flat land is extremely vast. If she builds the house according to the blueprint, each household will have an area of about 100 square meters, which is enough to support a thousand households.
Prefect Wang raised his eyebrows and thought to himself, how much money does Madam Zhu have, and she wants to build houses for the refugees to live in. She is truly a living Bodhisattva sent by God.
In response to this, Zhu Mingqing smiled and said that if you want the horse to run, you must make sure it is well fed.
Besides, the house is not given to them for free. They can just work off their debts, or it can be given directly to the other party if they work for the Ming family for a certain number of years.
Don’t think that she is the God of Wealth just because she gives away houses. Compared with the benefits brought to her by the people who will live there, it is just a drop in the bucket!
Soon, with Zhu Mingqing's money and Prefect Wang's cooperation, all the refugees were welcomed into the city.
These people huddled together, holding their children tightly in their arms, or leaning against their families, or alone.
Men, women, young and old, with faces covered in dirt, cracked and peeling mouths, skinny bodies and numb expressions, walked the streets.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
