"What did you say? Prince Yi is here!" The prefect was so frightened that his face turned ashen and his whole body trembled.
"According to reliable sources, Prince Yi is in Jingjia Prefecture. How did he arrive in our Anshun Prefecture so quickly? My lord, what should we do? Prince Yi will definitely blame us!"
The prefect swallowed hard. "Don't worry, Prince Yi is still waiting for me at the city gate. I'll try to buy you some time. You should quickly calm the people down and have the porridge distributors change the porridge. Let's fool Prince Yi for now, and after he leaves, we'll proceed with our original plan!"
"Okay, okay, okay!" At this moment, no one was in the mood for food. They scrambled to get things done, they had to be quick! Otherwise, everyone would be doomed! The good days would end before they even began!
However, they did not know that Gu Beiyi had already entered the city and brought the people at the city gate into the city as well, instructing them to find the porridge distribution sheds, line up to receive porridge, fill their stomachs, and then find the refugee shelter in Anshun Prefecture.
However, not long after Gu Beiyi entered the city, he came across a soup kitchen and heard the cries of many people. He also saw many people kneeling on the ground begging the people who were distributing soup, saying, "Sir, please have mercy and give us an extra bowl of soup. My child hasn't had any yet. He's only a few months old and is growing. Please give us a chance to live!"
"Sir, we don't ask for enough to eat and drink, just some porridge and steamed buns so we don't starve!"
"Sirs, you are great people, people recognized by the prefect. Please do more good deeds and give us more porridge!"
However, some people scoffed, "Why are you begging these people? They're all birds of a feather, with wolves in sheep's clothing! Look at the porridge they gave us! It's all water! There are barely any grains of rice!"
"Exactly! Is that even porridge? It tastes like mud and swill, and it's so clear you could use it as a mirror!"
“If you really want to survive, then leave Anshun! Don’t expect these people to give us a bite to eat! Maybe if you go somewhere else, you can eat thick porridge and fragrant steamed buns! The children and the elderly won’t suffer because of this!”
The closer they got, the louder the discussion became. Everyone's face was filled with anger and resentment, but they were too weak. They were ordinary people who had been bullied by the government officials. They exuded an aura of despair.
Seeing this, Gu Beiyi's dark eyes narrowed. "Go to the Shadowless Tower and bring out all the evidence of the Anshun Prefect's crimes!" Daring to openly defy the emperor and blatantly embezzle the grain and silver allocated to the people by the court, then he shouldn't blame him for starting with the Anshun Prefect and his officials!
"yes!"
Before long, many people in the city learned that Prince Yi had arrived and entered the city. Hope immediately appeared in their eyes. "We don't know what kind of person Prince Yi is, but he is a prince. He can definitely suppress the prefect and others. He will definitely let us have a full meal and settle us poor and innocent people in a good place!"
As the news spread, more and more people learned about Prince Yi, and everyone flocked to him. Unfortunately, no one recognized Prince Yi, but they could clearly see that he was dressed in black, his handsome face was cold and expressionless, and his dark eyes were as cold as the biting wind!
Everyone was filled with anxiety, but they only had one chance, so they didn't care whether the man in black was Prince Yi or not. They knelt down and shouted, "Prince Yi! We, your humble servants, pay our respects to Prince Yi! Please, Prince Yi, grant us justice!"
"Your Highness, the Prefect is heartless and unjust, refusing to give us porridge. We have been starving for days! The Prefect also won't arrange lodging for us. We have no home, not even a place to stay. Please, Your Highness, make arrangements for us and let us live!"
"Your Highness, I ask for nothing more than a full meal and a peaceful place to sleep! I don't want to cause you any trouble, but I have no other choice. Please, Your Highness, grant me this favor!"
Thump thump thump!!
All the people kowtowed as they spoke, completely disregarding their own health, even though they were wearing thin clothes and their exposed skin was red and purple from the cold, they still kowtowed.
Gu Beiyi was deeply shocked by this scene. It was different from the feeling of officials kneeling before the emperor. They were putting all their hopes on him.
With his hands behind his back, Gu Beiyi observed the bustling scene in the city, yet the prefect hadn't arrived yet. Did he think Gu Beiyi was easy to fool? Very well! Very well!
"Everyone, get up! I will definitely stand up for you! You will definitely have thick porridge and hot steamed buns to eat! You will definitely have a place to live! I came to Anshun Prefecture without saying a word to see the Anshun Prefect and you people! But the Anshun Prefect has disappointed me greatly!"
As soon as Gu Beiyi finished speaking, the people were overjoyed. They wept with joy, knowing that they were saved! Finally, they were saved!
The prefect deliberately dragged his feet when he went to see Gu Beiyi, but little did he know that when he left the prefectural office and headed towards the city gate, he would see a swarm of people also heading towards the city gate.
Thump!
His heart sank, knowing that this time it was probably all over. He hoped his men would be smart and quickly destroy the evidence of their embezzlement, and also quickly cook up the porridge again to send Prince Yi away.
Even though they were afraid, they still had to get close to Gu Beiyi. Gu Beiyi clearly saw the prefect walking towards him from his carriage, trembling as he approached. When the people saw the prefect coming, they immediately started to insult him in front of Gu Beiyi, telling him all the bad things he had done. They spoke very loudly, as if they were afraid that Gu Beiyi wouldn't hear them.
Upon hearing the people's words, the prefect's face darkened, and his legs went weak. This time, he truly stumbled and crawled to Gu Beiyi's side: "Your humble servant greets Prince Yi! Please, Your Highness, do not listen to these people's nonsense. I have always worked diligently for them and for Anshun Prefecture, and have never done anything to wrong them! They are too greedy, but I am also at fault. I failed to discipline them properly and have offended Your Highness's ears! Please, Your Highness, forgive me; I am willing to accept punishment! I only hope that Your Highness will not blame the people, after all, they know nothing and are suffering from the calamities of nature!"
Gu Beiyi sneered: "I'm giving you one chance. Explain the situation in Anshun Prefecture truthfully! Also, explain why you didn't provide the people with lodging, why you didn't even give them porridge, and why you drove them out of Anshun Prefecture to fend for themselves!"
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