Fortunately, Li Lao Er obtained the Crown Prince's token and went to the dockside military camp to recall two hundred wounded soldiers.
The wounded soldiers drew their sabers; the gleaming blades, under the sun, were almost blinding and sent chills down one's spine.
As a result, the line immediately took shape, and there was no more crowding, noise, or even fighting.
It has to be said that, at any time, might makes right!
The crown prince changed into ordinary clothes and acted as a steward, now mingling among the crowd and moving around.
Sweating profusely, Eunuch Feng quietly followed behind, wanting to go forward and persuade the Crown Prince to rest, but afraid of revealing his master's identity.
Fortunately, Li Lao Er found him and invited the Crown Prince to talk in the makeshift shed.
"Your Highness, today has been too hectic. You should return to the palace. Once everything is arranged tomorrow, you can come back and reassure the people."
The Crown Prince took a half step back, half-hiding behind Li Lao Er, and replied, "Don't worry, Lord, no one knows I left the palace, I'm safe and sound."
"Registering the refugees in this way is the best approach, as it will make it easier to arrange their return to their hometowns. However, providing food and lodging for 10,000 people is no small matter, and the Relief Department's manpower alone may not be enough."
Li Lao Er laughed and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I have already found a helper, and he is absolutely reliable."
Before the crown prince could ask any more questions, a large troop of men was already approaching from afar.
More than two hundred villagers from Suijintan arrived quickly, driving horse-drawn carts and carrying iron pots, earthenware basins, wooden buckets, and the like.
The old village chief was tired from walking, his face flushed. He was the first to come to Li Lao Er, but when he saw the prince behind him, he became even more excited.
Fearing that he would reveal his identity as the Crown Prince, Li Lao Er preemptively greeted him, "Uncle Village Chief, have you brought everyone from the village?"
The village chief waved his hand and laughed, "Don't worry, Uncle, we've left people at home to watch the house. I was worried we wouldn't have enough manpower, so I asked Old Jing and the others for a few dozen more. Old Jing said there's no work to be done at home. If it's not enough, just go back and ask again."
Li Lao Er nodded and instructed, "Then, Uncle Village Chief, thank you for your hard work. Quickly set up the shed, light a fire, boil water, and cook porridge. These people have been hungry for a long time. Let them have a full stomach first, and then everything else can be arranged."
"Alright, Your Excellency, don't worry, leave it to me." The village chief knew it wasn't good to speak to the prince, so he nodded quietly and quickly went to call on the villagers to unload the cart and get to work.
The group quickly unloaded the trucks and selected ten locations to begin setting up tents.
With more people, the work gets done, and it's not a big project.
It's simply a matter of digging holes, burying pillars, nailing purlins, and covering the roof with thick straw mats.
Then they quickly laid out the blue bricks and placed the large iron pot on top.
After unloading the goods, the carriage was already carrying buckets to fetch water.
Once the water was drained, it was poured into the pot with a splash, and firewood was lit, from which wisps of smoke rose up.
The migrants registering not far away practically strained their eyes to see through the makeshift shelter.
They don't believe any promises.
Only this smoking stove offers a glimmer of hope for survival!
It's the most affordable thing in the world!
In less than an hour, before all the refugees had been registered, the corn porridge was ready.
The large pot of golden-yellow porridge was topped with chopped green vegetables, and even sprinkled with scallions and salt.
It wasn't particularly delicious, but its aroma could be smelled from a great distance.
The refugees' stomachs had been growling loudly for a long time, and they had completely revolted.
Seeing this, Li Lao Er instructed the elderly people from the relief office to bang on the copper basins and shout out their pleas.
"This is your first meal, so you can eat without skewers! But if anyone causes trouble, they'll be kicked out immediately, and they'll never get another bite to eat, even if they starve to death!"
The refugees immediately flocked to the soup kitchen and lined up quickly. Even when there was some pushing and shoving, they would mutter a few curses in a low voice and dare not raise their voices.
The vegetable porridge was quickly served.
The refugees, holding their bowls, would start slurping after only a few steps, grimacing from the heat but refusing to stop...
The Crown Prince couldn't help but sigh as he watched, and whispered to Li Lao Er, "Everyone says that Tianwu is now in a peaceful and prosperous era, with a rich and powerful nation, but the reality is so fragile."
"It's just a year of drought, and the people are in such dire straits. And those state officials, they receive high salaries and are good at singing praises, but when it comes to actually doing something for the people, they all become cowards."
These words were hardly polite; the Crown Prince was clearly furious.
If it were in front of the emperor and his court officials, Li Lao Er would certainly not respond.
But considering that the Crown Prince grew up in Suijintan, he was practically family.
He said, “Your Highness, there’s no need to be discouraged. It’s not easy to support all the people of Tianwu with half of Jiangnan, especially with the annual northern expeditions, which consume a lot of military provisions. So, although Tianwu looks prosperous, it’s actually quite empty inside.”
"Once the northern expedition ends and the lost territories are recovered, grain will be planted in both the south and north of the Yangtze River, and the region will be able to recover in just one year."
"As for those irresponsible officials, His Majesty is benevolent and unwilling to be harsh. Your Highness can observe them slowly, and one day you can deal with them according to your own wishes."
The crown prince was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded solemnly.
Finally, he remembered something and said, "By the way, Lord, you don't need to worry about Jiaren. Although Fengshan was attacked by the Maitreya Sect, Jiaren responded in time and suffered no losses."
"Moreover, the Maitreya Sect is heading straight for the new capital and has no time to attend to Fengshan. Soon, Father will also order troops to be dispatched from the southwestern border to wipe out the Maitreya Sect, and the matter will be resolved quickly."
Li Lao Er naturally knew that his son was alright, after all, the messenger who delivered the memorial to Xindu had also visited the Earl's mansion.
But we should still accept the Crown Prince's words.
He was about to express his gratitude when Zheng He arrived, revealing that a new batch of grain had been delivered...
Jiayin and her grandmother came out of the palace to "cry at the funeral" and learned that their second uncle had taken on such a big task, and that Mr. Wen would also be leaving the capital early the next morning.
Grandma Li was startled and asked, "Why are you leaving the capital at this time? Isn't the Maitreya Sect causing a lot of trouble? Isn't it dangerous?"
Mr. Wen quickly replied, "Don't worry, Auntie. The Maitreya Cult has just begun to bewitch the people and doesn't have many followers yet. It's not a big deal. Besides, the prefecture I'm going to is near Fengshan, so I can go and see Jiaren."
“His first time as an official was as the father and mother of the people in this region, and it was a year of famine. He must be feeling uncertain. I’m going to give him some encouragement.”
With someone backing her grandson up, Grandma Li was naturally happy.
But she still said, "Jinrou isn't home. Have you brought enough clothes and supplies? Also, don't be short-handed on the road. What if some bandits try to stop you? Go find Dayong again and ask a few veterans to go with you."
Jiayin also said, "I'll go and prepare some commonly used medicines for the master. As for the guards, Uncle Dayong's side isn't familiar with the people we can send. It would be better to select a few from the second village."
"Sir, please don't refuse. When you're traveling, safety is the most important thing. Your nun and child are still waiting for you in Quanzhou to reunite with them!"
Mr. Wen could no longer refuse and could only nod.
Soon, Grandma Li and Jiayin had prepared another bag of clothes and supplies, and ten veterans from the second village also arrived before the city gates closed.
Li Lao Er stayed outside the city and lived in a thatched hut so that he could deal with any issues at any time.
As luck would have it, he saw Mr. Wen off early the next morning.
At Shili Pavilion, all the imperial censors were heading south, and their relatives and friends came to see them off, making the place extremely crowded.
Now the Maitreya sect is causing trouble outside, and there are refugees everywhere, which is common knowledge in Xindu.
Leaving Beijing at this time would be tantamount to suicide.
Today's update is here!
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