As a result, food prices continued to rise until they became uncontrollable.
As a result, the Meng family amassed a fortune, making them arguably the richest family in the capital.
If he didn't have anyone backing him, he would never have survived until now.
Lu Cunshan felt a burning hatred when he heard his name.
How many people have he killed?
Those who profit from national disaster deserve to die!
Zuo Li's expression was the same as that of Magistrate Lu.
He also went with us when we went to Jiangnan County.
Naturally, one will understand the truth.
"Alas, the governor is avoiding me. He told me to figure it out myself, but what can I do? I asked him to submit a memorial to the emperor, but he actually said that it wasn't serious enough for the emperor to know. He deserves to die!"
Lu Cunshan plopped down in the chair.
He slammed his hand on the table.
"My lord, I am willing to venture into the capital to deliver your message!" Suddenly, Zuo Li knelt on the ground, clasping his hands firmly as he spoke.
"It's useless. Haven't you noticed? Ever since we left Jiangnan County, there's been a gaze following us. It must be the governor who sent people to monitor me. You can't get out. Even if you go to the capital, it won't help. Why do you think they have the guts to conceal the disaster? It's been over a year, a whole year! How many people have died!"
Lu Cunshan shook his head.
He sighed deeply.
I feel utterly powerless.
"If the imperial court does not provide disaster relief, there will likely be only two outcomes: either the refugees will rise up, the city will fall, and all of us will perish; or all the refugees will die, the drought will continue, until Jiangnan ceases to exist, until Ye Shaoyun can no longer hide it!"
Lu Cunshan was so angry that he started cursing.
He even addressed the Governor of Jiangnan by his full name.
But this still couldn't ease the hatred in his heart.
The two remained silent for a long time.
"Enough of my cursing. What's the use of cursing? The New Year is almost here, and those people don't even have a place to live. From the old to the young, they're all starving. The New Year? I'm afraid they won't even make it through the New Year. The county government's grain reserves are all gone, not a single grain left. I only have one shi of old rice left in my own residence. Enough. I'll stop being an official here. When the grain runs out, I'll hang myself outside the county government to atone for my sins."
The people in the city have already donated a batch of grain.
Pressing them further will be useless.
Every household tightened their belts and only dared to eat until they were half full.
The last time we donated grain was in the summer. Yan Xia took the lead in donating 300,000 catties of rice. One catty of rice can be cooked into porridge, which weighs at least four catties. If you add more water, it can weigh five or six catties. However, it was gone before winter even arrived.
"You can leave now, I'm tired."
The two remained silent for a long time.
Lu Cunshan waved to Zuo Li, signaling him to leave.
"My lord, my lord——"
The moment Zuo Li opened the door, an officer rushed over and shouted.
"What's wrong? Did the disaster victims riot?" Lu Cunshan was so frightened that he stood up from his chair.
"No, no!" The officer rushed in, breathless and panting heavily as he spoke.
"What is it?" Lu Cunshan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to sit down when he heard the most unforgettable words of his life.
"Manager Yan has come to donate grain!" After a brief pause, the official shouted.
This startled Lu Cunshan so much that he sat down on the ground with a thud.
"What? Donate grain? Where is she? How much is she donating?" Lu Cunshan ignored his sore bottom and stared at his subordinate with longing eyes.
The officer held up two fingers.
"Twenty thousand catties?" Lu Cunshan guessed. Yan Xia had donated three hundred thousand catties before, so he estimated that Yan Xia didn't have much grain left.
The official shook his head.
"Could it be 200,000 jin?" Lu Cunshan got up from the ground, his eyes filled with joy.
If it really is 200,000 jin, then the people outside the city can live for at least another month!
If only he could cook the porridge a little thinner.
"No!" the officer continued to shake his head.
"You son of a bitch, hurry up and tell me, stop beating around the bush!" Zuo Li kicked him.
The officer stuck out his tongue.
He rubbed his backside and said, "Manager Yan donated two million catties of rice! She's already taken her servants and officials to transport the grain!"
"What? Two million catties? Really?" Lu Cunshan was so shocked that his voice cracked.
"Really! Two million catties! Manager Yan said that this grain was all planted by her before and stored in her house at the end of the city for a long time. She originally wanted to wait for the imperial court to provide disaster relief, but it was delayed. She couldn't bear to see the people outside the city starve to death, so she donated two million catties."
The officials were also very excited.
He was originally in charge of distributing porridge at the city gate.
After seeing so many emaciated children and starving elderly people, even the hardest heart should soften.
"Great, great, great, great!!!! Great!!! Hahahaha!! The people are saved, hahahaha!" Lu Cunshan laughed maniacally; no one knew how happy he was.
Heaven has spared them!
So what if they're corrupt officials?
Ye Shaoyun refused to report it himself.
Someone will come to save the people!
Lu Cunshan's tears fell without him even realizing it.
The messenger and Zuo Li were infected.
The three of them had red eyes.
"Your Excellency, I've come to donate grain, but where is everyone else?"
The next second, Yan Xia's voice came from the study.
Lu Cunshan quickly rolled up his sleeves and ran out.
"Thump—"
He actually knelt down right in front of Yan Xia.
"Oh dear, Magistrate Lu, what are you doing?" Yan Xia reacted quickly, stepping aside and helping Lu Cunshan up.
Lu Baozhu and Yu Yaonian took in the entire scene.
“You deserve this kneeling! Two million catties of grain! You saved the lives of fifty thousand people outside the city! Your great act of kindness moves me to tears. On behalf of the people outside the city, I thank you—”
Lu Cunshan spoke while crying.
This caused Yan Xia to shed tears as well.
“I can’t bear to see the people starve to death. Two million catties of meat is more than I could eat until it’s moldy and rotten, but for them, it’s a lifesaver. This morning, Jin Yu and I went to the city gate and saw those babies in swaddling clothes, thinner than kittens. Then I thought of my own Tuanzi and Baozi. How could I bear it? What if it were my Yan family standing outside the city waiting for hope?”
Yan Xia's eyes were filled with pity.
If someone like her, who possesses a system, doesn't go to save the people, who will?
Who can save us?
In a short time.
Outside the study, everyone was sobbing quietly.
"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. The people are starving. Sir, please take some grain to distribute porridge. The New Year is almost here. If you feed the people well and use less water, next year will surely be better!"
Yan Xia helped Lu Cunshan up.
Wipe away your tears and say to him.
"Alright, I'll send someone to distribute the porridge right away!"
afternoon.
The city gates, which had been closed for three days, were reopened.
Many people stood up as if they had gone mad, trying to break in.
They haven't eaten for three days.
They stripped all the bark off the surrounding trees.
This has caused many people to be unable to defecate.
"Everyone, please be quiet and stop making a fuss. I have some news to share: Manager Yan of the Yan Family Pastry Shop in the city has donated rice, and starting today, we will resume distributing porridge every day!"
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