Chapter 628 Begging for Lady Hoshino's help
At least several thousand people were gathered at the gates of Nanyang City.
"Your Honor, please let us in! My son has a high fever and is dying..."
"Please, please open the door! We just want to find a place to see a doctor. We don't want to die from illness instead of drowning..."
"The prefect is too heartless. Don't the lives of us common people matter?"
"..."
Hearing the cries of the crowd, Cheng Wanwan felt a pang of sadness.
After the floods, diseases spread, and the prefect's decision to close the city gates may not have been a bad one.
However, with so many people stuck outside the city gates, they might initially be seeking medical help, but after a day or two, they would be suffering from hunger and cold, and by then, the situation would only become more complicated.
She walked through the crowd to the city gate, but before she could speak, four guards stretched out their spears and blocked her way.
She took out a purse from her waist, took out a token from the purse, and handed it over: "Sui Gongren from Dahe Town, Ping'an County, Huzhou, requests an audience with the Prefect of Nanyang City. Please inform him of this."
Sui Gongren's name is known to almost everyone, especially in the nearby prefectures and states, where everyone knows her great name.
The guard at the gate glanced at her, not daring to slacken his efforts. He took the token and jogged into the city gate. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he quickly ran out, cupped his hands, and respectfully said, "Greetings, Lady Sui. The Prefect invites you."
Cheng Wanwan nodded and led Zhao Ergou and the others into Nanyang City.
The people at the city gate immediately voiced their dissatisfaction.
"Why can she go in, but we can't? Are rich people superior to others?"
"I just heard it clearly. She seems to be from Sui Gongren, Huzhou. Sui Gongren, haven't you heard of her?"
"Nanyang is flooded, what is Sui Gongren doing in Nanyang?"
“Everyone wants to escape, but Sui Gongren came to the flood-stricken area at this time, so he must have come to save lives.”
"Everyone says that Sui Gongren is a bodhisattva who saves people from suffering. Could it be that she really came to save us?"
As Cheng Wanwan walked through the city gate, she heard these comments behind her.
She couldn't help but smile bitterly. She wasn't a saint with the well-being of all people in her heart; she had come here only to save her son.
If Zhao Dashan hadn't been in Nanyang, she wouldn't have bothered to come here overnight; at most, she would have donated some food out of a sense of duty...
But now...
Regardless, let's figure out the current situation in Dashan first.
With a constable leading the way, Cheng Wanwan quickly arrived at the prefect's residence and went straight into the main hall.
The prefect of Nanyang City was surnamed Lü. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, and his face was tired. His clothes were wrinkled, and he had clearly not slept all night.
Prefect Lü rose to greet her: "Lady Sui's arrival in Nanyang City brings great honor to our humble abode..."
“Lord Lü, there’s no need for such empty words,” Cheng Wanwan interrupted him directly. “Lord Lü should know why I’ve come this time, right?”
Prefect Lü gave a wry smile: "The cotton magistrate who came to Nanyang City a month ago to teach cotton planting is the eldest son of Lady Sui. Of course, I know that Lady Sui came for her son. I thought it would take a few days for news of the cotton magistrate's disappearance to reach Huzhou, but I didn't expect that Lady Sui would arrive on the second day after the flood..."
"What did you say?" Cheng Wanwan's expression changed. "My son is missing?"
Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, Prefect Lü told him the whole story: "The day before yesterday afternoon, Lord Shi led a group to a village in the jurisdiction of Qingzhou in Nanyang to check on the growth of cotton seedlings. Because it was far away, they didn't return to the city that day. But unexpectedly, a sudden flood occurred yesterday morning... The swollen river is located within Qingyun County, passing through Huaihua Village, where Lord Shi is located..."
Cheng Wanwan felt a tightness in her chest.
Ever since Zhao Ergou brought back the news, she had a bad feeling, which is why she insisted on coming.
Unexpectedly, something really happened to Dashan.
She took a deep breath and asked, "Is Huaihua Village currently the area most severely affected by the floods?"
Prefect Lü nodded: "After the flood subsided yesterday afternoon, I sent people to Huaihua Village to do our best to rescue people. Sui Gongren has been through a lot, so go and rest for a while. Let's wait for news."
“I slept on the boat all night and don’t need to rest anymore,” Cheng Wanwan said calmly. “Please arrange seven or eight people and two small boats, Lord Lü. I need to go to Huaihua Village.”
"Arranging personnel isn't a problem, but..." Prefect Lü sighed, "All the boats in Nanyang City have been bought up by merchants at high prices, and even some dilapidated small boats have been looted by the common people. The yamen runners who went to Huaihua Village to rescue people had to hastily make bamboo rafts..."
Because the bamboo rafts were completely useless, a day and a night passed without anyone being rescued.
Cheng Wanwan understood. If there were boats, those people who had narrowly escaped death and were now sick wouldn't be blocking the gates of Nanyang City.
"It's best not to go, Lady Sui. Qing'an County is flooded. The water is above the rooftops, and farmland and houses have been destroyed. Going there would be suicide," Prefect Lü advised. "I will send more people to Huaihua Village in Qing'an County to search for the whereabouts of the Cotton Supervisor. Lady Sui, just wait for news in Nanyang City."
“Nanyang doesn’t even have a decent ship. Sending more people won’t help.” Cheng Wanwan said calmly. “There are a lot of refugees outside the city. Lord Lü, you should think about how to settle these people. Please give me eight people. I must go there no matter what.”
She remained resolute and unyielding, leaving Prefect Lü with no choice but to send his advisor to make arrangements.
He figured that it would take him more than half an hour to walk out of Nanyang City to reach the vast floodwaters, where it would be impossible to move without a boat, so Sui Gongren naturally gave up.
Cheng Wanwan, along with Zhao Ergou, Cheng Jia, Cheng Ding, and the eight constables arranged by the prefect, walked towards the city gate of Nanyang.
The door opened, and she stepped outside.
As soon as he took a step, the people who were blocking the city gate suddenly knelt down in unison.
"Greetings, Lady Sui!"
"Please, Lady Sui, save me!"
"Honoka, please save us..."
They were all survivors who had escaped the flood. Most of them had been submerged in the floodwaters and were sick to varying degrees. Some were coughing and sniffling, and some children were nestled in their mothers' arms, sobbing softly.
Their homes have been destroyed, and now all they want is a place of refuge and someone to treat their illnesses, but they can't get what they ask for.
They could only grasp at this one straw.
Cheng Wanwan had mixed feelings.
Perhaps her reputation has been so high that people see hope in her.
She couldn't bear to shatter these people's hopes.
She browsed the system's shop, bought some fever reducers, put them in several antique-style porcelain bottles, and handed them to the person at the front: "These are fever reducers that I had a doctor make before. Just take one pill. Share them with everyone to alleviate the symptoms for now. We'll figure out what to do next later..."
The most crucial thing now is to get treatment, and the medicine she brought out was undoubtedly a godsend. Everyone present kowtowed and thanked her.
Cheng Wanwan couldn't bear to watch such a scene any longer. She took a few steps, turned her head and whispered, "Ergou, go back to Hekou County with the Cao family's ship and transport a ship full of grain to Nanyang, along with some medicinal herbs."
These people trust her so much, so she should do as much as she can.
Zhao Ergou pursed his lips: "Let Cheng Yi handle it. I need to go with Mother to find my elder brother."
“Cheng Yi is a reckless man. He doesn’t know how to manage resources. How could he possibly gather so much grain in such a short time?” Cheng Wanwan placed her hand on his shoulder. “After you go back, first manage the grain, and then report the situation in Nanyang City to the prefect of Huzhou to see if the prefect can provide assistance… This matter is very important, and only you can do it.”
Zhao Ergou was silent for a while before finally saying, "I will listen to Mother, but Mother must also listen to me. Please be careful!"
He walked toward the dock, looking back every few steps, his heart filled with immense unease.
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