Chapter 197 Relief Food Poisoned
After a brief silence, Jiang Ling raised her eyes, a perfectly timed smile on her face, and politely declined:
"Thank you for your kind offer, Young Master Fang. However, my main purpose in coming to the capital this time is to travel and relax, and I really don't want to spoil this trip. There's no rush for cooperation. We can discuss it further after I've finished my sightseeing and returned to Jishui Village."
She didn't reject him outright, leaving room for both of them to think it over, because she needed to consider it further.
Fang Shijie seemed to have anticipated this outcome, and he nodded readily in agreement:
"I apologize for my abruptness and for disturbing your enjoyment. In that case, I will visit you again with Hongxiu after you return home. Hongxiu has also told me that she misses you."
He knew he didn't yet have Jiang Ling's trust, so he would use all his bargaining chips one by one.
Over here, Xiaoran and Xiaoyi have already chosen their favorite fabrics.
Jiang Ling smiled and said, "Since Young Master Fang and Madam Song have something to discuss, we won't disturb them any longer. Please help us wrap up these bolts of cloth, shopkeeper."
There's no other way; if we don't buy fabric, we don't know how much longer we'll have to fight this battle.
Jiang Ling just wanted to end the battle as soon as possible.
"Consider these bolts of cloth a gift from me to Sister Jiang. Sister Jiang, you mustn't refuse!" Madam Song held her hand, a hint of apology flashing in her eyes.
Jiang Ling couldn't refuse any longer; she figured she could just give her something else next time she went to buy more goods.
It can be considered a reciprocal gesture.
Leaving the fabric shop and walking down the bustling street, Cheng Jiaojiao, who had been holding back her words, immediately moved closer to Jiang Ling:
"Sister Jiang, I could tell at first glance that Fang Shijie is no good person! His smile is fake, and his eyes are full of calculation, just like those old foxes who have been in the government for a long time! You must not be fooled by him!"
Jiang Ling looked at Cheng Jiaojiao with some surprise. She didn't expect that this seemingly carefree girl would be so perceptive.
She patted Cheng Jiaojiao's hand and smiled, "Okay, I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Jiaojiao. I will be careful in business matters."
Business people are all sly foxes.
The lambs and such have long been eaten up.
But a fox that is too cunning is also no good; Fang Shijie is that kind of person.
If the cooperation continues in the long term, he will definitely realize that the source of his goods is unclear.
However, if you're struggling alone in the capital, it will be too slow to see results.
She needs to think it over carefully.
————
A disaster relief camp on the outskirts of Beijing.
As soon as Cheng Fang dismounted, he heard a cacophony of noise.
Thousands of people crowded outside the makeshift wooden fence, holding broken bowls and sticks, their hoarse cries and angry curses mingling together.
The dark mass of disaster victims was filled with rage. Their faces were ashen and their clothes were tattered, but their eyes were bloodshot with anger as they surrounded the camp.
At the front of the crowd, several loud-voiced, agitated men were urging the crowd on with all their might:
"Fellow villagers! Look! This is what the government has done! They said they would help us and give us porridge, but what did they do? They want to kill us!"
"The imperial court doesn't treat us like human beings at all! They call it disaster relief, but it's actually poisoning! They want us to die to save on food!"
"My mother drank the porridge last night and is now vomiting and having diarrhea. She's almost dying!"
"My poor child is only two years old! We gave him the food we had saved, and now he still won't wake up!"
"The imperial court, for the sake of a good reputation, is feigning benevolence and righteousness! They're feeding us moldy, poisonous grain! We can't just wait to die! We must demand an explanation!"
Several soldiers stepped forward to maintain order.
Zhao Jingxing stood among them, his brows furrowed and his eyes deep.
"Jingxing, how is it?" Cheng Fang walked up to Zhao Jingxing and asked directly.
Zhao Jingxing didn't say anything, but pulled him towards the tent.
Inside the official tent, a faint smell of medicine filled the air. Several open bags of grain were spread on the ground, some with yellowed grains and some mixed with fine sand. In the corner, there were also several samples containing the vomit of disaster victims.
Zhao Jingxing quickly explained the situation:
"Starting last night, a large number of disaster victims have been experiencing vomiting and diarrhea, especially the elderly, weak, women and children. I sent military doctors to examine them and found that it was not a plague, but rather severe diarrhea caused by eating unclean food. The sick have been isolated and treated, and there is no immediate danger to their lives."
He dared not utter the word "poisoning," because if poison were involved, the nature of the matter would be different.
Fortunately, only a small portion of the grain was poisonous, and it was diluted in the porridge, so the poisoning was mild and there was no danger to life.
Cheng Fang immediately retorted, "What unclean stuff could there be? Haven't we been eating the same grains these past few days? The grain storage is well-ventilated, and the newly arrived grain has been tested! Could someone have deliberately poisoned it? Investigate! There are only a few people in charge of cooking the porridge, managing the grain storage, and unloading the grain. Investigate them one by one! Anyone who dares to tamper with things under my nose has a death wish!"
Only a handful of people are responsible for cooking porridge every day, so the results can be found out quickly.
Zhao Jingxing shook his head, took out an account book from his pocket, opened it, and handed it over:
"We can't investigate. You know how much food the disaster victims consume every day. Although the military has allocated funds and Miss Jiang has donated tens of tons of food, it's just a drop in the bucket, and we're about to run out."
Starting a few days ago, I had my soldiers subtly spread information about the plight of the disaster victims, encouraging wealthy households and ordinary citizens in the city to donate grain voluntarily. This method has been very effective; in the past few days, there has been a significant increase in grain donations from the people. Although each family has only donated a little, together they have filled a large gap.”
Cheng Fang opened the ledger and looked at it. "So, the food the disaster victims have been eating these past few days was all donated by the people?"
Zhao Jingxing nodded: "The grain used to cook porridge these past few days is divided into two parts. One part is the grain delivered by the people on the same day or the day before, and the other part is mixed with the fine grains that Miss Jiang delivered before. It's because the grain sources are too mixed that it's difficult to find out which grains have the problem."
He sighed heavily, his brow furrowed with helplessness.
"Moreover, if we launch a large-scale investigation into the issue of donated grain now, what will the kind-hearted people who donated grain think when the news gets back to the city? Who will dare to donate grain in the future?"
If this news spreads among the people, it will directly affect their enthusiasm for donating grain.
If the military encounters any difficulties in the future, I'm afraid no one will be willing to lend a helping hand.
"So there's no way to investigate further now?" Cheng Fang asked in a heavy tone.
"The most urgent task is to do everything possible to treat the sick disaster victims and stabilize their conditions. At the same time, we must find a way to quell the unrest outside."
“I have already sent people to keep an eye on the ringleaders, but the situation is special now, and we must not arrest them rashly, otherwise it would be like adding fuel to the fire. We can only observe them secretly first and see if we can find any clues as to whether someone is directing them.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com