Chapter 41 People from the Imperial Court
The back mountain is vast, and few dare venture there on ordinary days because of the presence of tigers and brown bears. Even encountering a pack of wolves would be a serious matter, so people often venture into the mountains risking their lives, with no guarantee of catching any prey. This year, with Guan Zhiwei clearing the way, the mortality rate has plummeted, so many people are following her into the mountains to try their luck.
Bringing back prey means you won't go hungry. The animal's fur can be used to make clothes for warmth, and any leftover meat can be traded for other things like rice, needles, thread, and cloth. With so many people here, it could easily become a small market.
The fifty men Gao Huan brought had no change of clothes, and their armor was worn out, but they had reward money, so they bought clothes from these refugees.
Those women were very skillful; they could sew, mend, wash, and clean with ease.
They could exchange it for a piece or two of meat, a bowl of porridge, or some cloth or straw sandals. In their spare time, they could do some needlework and exchange it for food.
As long as they survive this winter, when spring arrives and everything comes back to life, they won't starve even if they just eat some weeds.
Once you walk all the way home, plant the seeds on that farmland, and hold on until the autumn harvest, life will still be good.
"Dr. Guan, my family used to run a winery. My hometown is famous for its grapes, and the wine we make is delicious. I'll bring it to you next year when it's ready."
The old man was a little shy and embarrassed to accept the favor without doing so, so he stepped forward to make a promise.
Guan Zhiwei glanced at him, then turned her head away: "No need. It's too cold. It'll be warmer if you squeeze in with your family."
The old man was shivering from the cold, rubbing his hands constantly. His thin clothes, two layers of which were worn together, were no match for a thick coat.
He was a little embarrassed, afraid that people would think he had come to ask for clothes, and kept explaining, "I won't be cold if I move around."
"Just get through this winter."
"Next spring, everything will be easy."
Guan Zhiwei hummed in agreement. "I really want to drink some wine."
The old man said proudly, "My family's wine is famous far and wide; it will definitely make you happy."
A heavy snow fell in the latter half of the night, and more than a dozen people froze to death by daybreak. When they were carried out, Guan Zhiwei glanced at them and saw that the old man who had said he would send her wine yesterday was among them.
This is actually not a big deal; it would only be mentioned briefly in historical records.
Heavy snow fell in the capital, and many people died of cold and hunger.
Guan Zhiwei's heart was no longer stirred. After all, the bones of those who froze to death could still be cremated, and it hadn't come to the point where people were eating each other.
If they stop distributing porridge, cannibalism will not be far off.
It wasn't enough for Madam Feng to cook porridge by herself alone. The soldiers all stepped in, cooking five large pots of meat and rice soup every day. The rice and grain supplies were rapidly dwindling, and the three cartloads of grain sent by the Chen family were almost used up. Fortunately, there was still grain from Gao Huan.
Yan Chunsheng kept adding firewood. The firewood cut last season had been dried and was no longer moist, so a piece of firewood could burn for a long time.
They would distribute "medicine" once a day, a thin bowlful, which couldn't save many lives.
Every day people die in this winter, either from hunger or cold, and are carried out and burned, but Guan Zhiwei's reputation as a miracle doctor remains unchanged and spreads even more widely.
Until the news reached the ears of the imperial court in the capital.
The imperial court is struggling to afford food, yet you're still distributing grain for disaster relief? This is outrageous!
"Make way! Make way! The imperial court has ordered that Guan Zhiwei has been illegally providing disaster relief and is to be imprisoned and interrogated!"
The Imperial Guards rode swiftly on their horses, trampling and surging into the village.
The disaster victims scattered and fled. Those who couldn't escape in time were trampled by horses' hooves. Some died on the spot, while others lay there paralyzed, neither dead nor alive. Cries, shouts, and groans of pain filled the air.
The Imperial Guards cleared a path ahead, and the Commandant of the Capital Region, sitting on a tall horse, had a cold expression that was full of impatience.
He wielded immense power, overseeing the capital and surrounding prefectures, essentially combining the roles of garrison commander, police chief, and inspector. Logically, he shouldn't be here.
But the imperial court wanted to make an example of someone to deter others, so he personally took charge.
He doesn't need to say or do anything; he just needs to ride his horse along the way, and his officials will clear the way.
"Xiao Guan! Someone's here to arrest you!" Gouya originally wanted to run towards Guan Zhiwei, but he turned around halfway and came to Gao Huan's side instead.
He pointed at Gao Huan and shouted, "This Doctor Guan is selling medicine!"
Gao Huan glanced at him, straightened his robes, and stood calmly on the steps: "What's the panic? I have my own way of dealing with this."
"Xiao Guan, Xiao Guan, what are you doing!" Madam Feng held her tightly.
Guan Zhiwei held a knife in her hand, eager to try: "We're about to run out of food, let's slaughter them all, cook the horse meat, this much meat will last us a long time."
The second brother was dejected: "Then we can't stay in this place anymore, even with such a nice house of mine."
Yan Chunsheng had already silently fastened his belt and was holding A Tu's hand tightly, ready to run away at any moment.
Gao Huan looked at this rabble and felt a headache coming on. He was about to give a signal to his subordinate Liu Quanxi to lead his troops in armor to block the way.
The disaster victims had already spontaneously blocked the entrance, standing shoulder to shoulder, leaving no room for the horses to put their feet.
"I'm sick, and I know perfectly well whether I need medicine or not!"
"Dr. Guan is indeed treating illnesses. I personally witnessed him bring a dying person back to life!"
"These are all folk remedies. I'm quite old, and my ancestors were all educated. This is just herbal medicine!"
There were many people, a truly impressive sight.
But it was actually useless. They were unarmed. As long as the cavalry stepped over them and swung their swords, they would be like harvesting ears of wheat, with a whole string of heads falling off.
They disdained to bother with these lowly people.
"Captain, what should we do?"
"Run them over." The Commandant of Sili was as ruthless as an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
Their horses and their knives were ready, gleaming with a cold, sharp light when they were raised.
The cold light stung the eyes of the disaster victims, who trembled with fear and pleaded.
"It really is medicine!"
"Just consider it medicine!"
These people were commoners from Yingzhou. Among these thousands of people, there were even relatives of the fifty soldiers.
With red eyes, clad in armor, carrying swords, and mounted on horseback, they stood menacingly in front of the crowd, protecting their homeland in a foreign land.
The Commandant of the Capital Region, mounted on his horse, squinted and said, "Not only do you provide disaster relief, but you also dare to maintain an army."
“You’re right.” Gao Huan stood on the steps, his voice clear and resonant, not loud, but very penetrating.
"No one is providing disaster relief here; people are only receiving military pay. All the civilians present are soldiers."
Upon hearing this, the Commandant of the Capital Region laughed mockingly, "You're beautiful, and you're beautiful in your mind. Providing disaster relief is a serious crime, but isn't privately raising an army also a crime?"
"This is permitted by the imperial court."
Gao Huan shouted sternly, "The Vice Commander-in-Chief is here! Why aren't you coming over to pay your respects?"
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