076
Xie Zhongxu's eyes revealed admiration, and he suddenly laughed twice: "As expected of Su Tai's granddaughter, you have quite a talent. So you've been paying attention to the political situation in the capital all these years?"
Qin Sang asked with slight curiosity, "Doesn't the Prime Minister send people back with messages all the time?"
"The message was delivered by someone I had," Xie Zhongxu said with a smile. "But I never had anyone force you. These things have to be things you're interested in yourself."
Qin Sang lowered her head and answered softly for the original owner of the body: "How can the hatred of the massacre of my family not be avenged?"
"Alright, I understand. You go back first. Next, I will have someone give you some information about Tan Bi. I will also keep my promise and bring you into the main branch of the family. At that time, you will marry into the Marquis of Weide's mansion as my adopted granddaughter."
Qin Sang couldn't help but ask curiously, "But Tan Bi is an official under the Crown Prince. Even if I'm willing to marry him, he might not be willing to take my place, right?"
"I'll handle this," Xie Zhongxu said calmly, as kind as an elderly neighbor. "You just focus on learning proper etiquette. Also, don't worry about Sui'an."
Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat, but she showed no sign of it on her face as she stood up and respectfully took her leave.
Halfway there, she suddenly remembered something else and turned back: "Prime Minister, Qin Sang has another request..."
***
As she emerged from Minghui Hall, the slender crescent moon that had been visible was now completely obscured by dark clouds. Feeling somewhat depressed, she remained silent.
Lingding, who was traveling with her, noticed her displeasure and asked, "What did the Prime Minister and the young lady say to each other?"
“It’s nothing,” she said calmly. “It’s just about wanting to take me into the Xie family and find me a husband.”
"Didn't the Prime Minister say earlier that the young lady should get used to things a bit more? How come it's settled so quickly?"
"Plans can't keep up with changes, so it's better to be quick." Qin Sang took a breath of fresh floral fragrance. "The faster, the sooner I can get back."
Lingding asked in confusion, "Go back where? Back to the county?"
Qin Sang smiled gently: "Pretty much. Let's go back to sleep."
She walked along, feeling annoyed. All her elaborate plans paled in comparison to a single sentence from Xie Zhongxu. She regretted wasting so much effort planning to seduce this person and that person.
Very well, since Xie Zhongxu is willing to step in, her progress will definitely be faster. Although she guessed that the rebellion back then was orchestrated by the Crown Prince, that wicked and treacherous villain might not necessarily be the Crown Prince.
The struggle for the throne among princes has occurred in every dynasty and is not the root cause of calamities and chaos.
There's always a hand pushing these chaotic situations together; the important thing is to find the person responsible. Also, we'll definitely need to get a look at that crown prince when we get the chance.
Now, although she has some clues, she still feels like she is in a quagmire and can't see the faces in this situation clearly.
***
For the next two weeks, Qin Sang busied herself with arranging her business plans while continuing her etiquette lessons with her nanny. She made a request to Xie Zhongxu, asking him to help Cao Anmu with her removal from the official register. In addition, Qin Baoyun would occasionally share the news and gossip she had collected from the capital with her, keeping her busy all day.
In addition, she received small gifts from Xie Sui'an every morning, sometimes a pot of precious flowers and plants, sometimes a novelty, and without exception, she sent them back untouched.
Those that couldn't be returned were piled up at the gate of the courtyard, and anyone who wanted them could take them.
Xie Sui'an was furious and came to look for him several times, but each time he found no one there. Qin Sang had already sent people to keep an eye on his movements, and knowing that he was coming, they hid away early.
The old nanny could also see the expressions on the faces of the masters in the mansion. No one was willing to offend that young master, so she also helped Qin Sang to appease him.
At these times, Qin Sang would go out for a stroll on the street and meet the new people Qin Baoyun had recruited for her.
Although the investment in Yanyunlou is slow, there has been some progress.
Having spent years frequenting taverns and teahouses, Cao Anmu possessed considerable business acumen. She met the owner of Yanyun Tower and successfully persuaded him. However, they were still bogged down in some details. For instance, the owner looked down on Qin Sang for being a small, unknown business owner.
Qin Sang had no choice but to have Cao Anmu mention the name of the Prime Minister's residence, without specifying which one, just to give a hint.
Sure enough, the other party immediately relented when they heard that it was a member of the Prime Minister's family.
On this day, Qin Sang disguised herself again and came out of Yanyun Tower. After meeting Cao Anmu, she leaned against the window facing the street to drink tea and rest.
But then they overheard several passing diners chatting about the large number of displaced people stuck outside the city.
"Where has another disaster struck?" she asked casually, then remembered that Xie Wu had complained to her not long ago about the widespread disasters in the Kingdom of Nanwu.
It seems the disaster was not handled properly.
Refugees flocked to Kyoto.
“Go and find out,” she instructed Lingding, “where the refugees came from and how many there are.”
Lingding responded and left, returning shortly afterward. He replied, "It is said that several hundred refugees have gathered outside the city, all from Yuzhou. Yuzhou suffered from drought last year, and there has been no water since the beginning of this year, so they cannot survive and have no choice but to migrate with their families to the capital for help."
Qin Sang frowned: "So many have come?"
Did the officials just let them swagger to the gates of Kyoto? Did they not want their official hats anymore?
Qin Sang paused for a moment, then said, "Let's go, let's go out of the city and take a look."
The two immediately summoned a carriage and headed out of the city.
***
As soon as they arrived at the city gate, they saw that it was bustling with activity. Many people who had just entered the city were still watching the excitement, and the people inside the city were also gathered together, discussing the matter.
Qin Sang got off the carriage and saw a large number of ragged refugees pulling oxen and pushing carts gathered outside the city gate. The city gate guards were lined up with guns, blocking the people outside the city.
However, some of the refugees were shouting loudly, clamoring to enter the city, so the refugees and the city guards were locked in a standoff, and a riot was imminent.
No wonder there were so many people watching the spectacle.
Qin Sang stood in the crowd for a while, but did not go over. She just listened quietly for a few moments.
"There was a severe drought in Yuzhou last year. The imperial court allocated a lot of grain, but it still wasn't enough to feed everyone, and many people died."
"Didn't we see relief food trucks leaving Kyoto last month? How come there are still so many refugees? There must be several hundred, right?"
"Not only that, I heard there are still more coming along the way, at least tens of thousands!"
"So much! Where did all the disaster relief grain go?"
"Hmph, disaster relief grain? It'll definitely feed the corrupt officials first. How many grains of rice will actually reach the common people?"
"That makes sense. So, which official is in charge of distributing the disaster relief grain in Yuzhou?"
"Grain has always been handled by the Ministry of Revenue or the Department of Finance. These two departments are constantly fighting, each trying to skim some profits! In the end, it's the common people who suffer!"
"That's right. Two years ago, Lianzhou was hit by a huge flood, and many people died. The disaster relief grain was distributed to us. In the end, everyone starved to death, and several cities were deserted. In the end, people had to be transferred from Yuezhou."
Qin Sang couldn't help but sigh, "Tsk tsk, these vermin are utterly immoral and insatiably greedy. They should all be dragged out and beheaded, and reincarnated as animals in their next life!"
Those nearby, seeing that the speaker was a beautiful young woman, were both surprised and flustered, and hurriedly advised, "Oh dear, young lady, you can't just say things like that! Be careful that if the officials hear you, they'll drag you to jail!"
At this moment, a commotion arose outside the city gate, and a woman cried out loudly, "Please, let me in! My child is dying! My child is dying! Please let me in to find a doctor! Please!"
Hearing the noise, everyone gathered around and stood behind the armed soldiers. They saw that all the disaster victims were dressed in rags, their faces were charred and emaciated, and they were covered in dust and dirt, a truly pitiful sight.
The woman, whose hair was wrapped in a blue headscarf, was dark-skinned and thin, with deeply sunken cheeks. She held a skeletal child in her arms, who appeared to be about four or five years old.
The child's eyes were closed, his whole body was trembling, his teeth were chattering, and his little mouth was opening and closing, but he could no longer speak.
Seeing this, everyone felt sorry for the woman and child and tried to persuade the soldiers guarding the city: "Sir, please let the woman and child in. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. We can't just watch them die here!"
The soldiers defending the city formed an impenetrable wall with their bodies and guns, separating those inside and outside the city. They stood there like clay sculptures, unmoved.
Some of the refugees outside weakly pleaded, "Yes, let the children in. They've finally made it to Kyoto. It would be such a waste if they died here."
Finally, one of the commanders couldn't bear it any longer and sent someone to ask his superiors for instructions.
But Qin Sang saw that the child was barely breathing, so she quickly squeezed through the crowd, rolling up her sleeves as she instructed Lingding, "Go find a doctor! Bring some painkillers." She then said to the soldiers, "Please let me out for a moment; I know a little about medicine."
Seeing that she was well-dressed and spoke with a firm voice, the soldiers guarding the city assumed she must be a young lady from a wealthy family. Fearing that she might get into trouble and be implicated, they said, "Miss, things are very chaotic outside. We don't even know what disease they have. Be careful not to hurt yourself. You should go back quickly."
Seeing that the child's face was turning blue, Qin Sang knew it was too late and shouted, "Get out of the way!"
These officers and soldiers were just low-ranking officials in this vast capital city, but they knew that there were important people everywhere here, people they couldn't afford to offend. Finally, they dared not stop her any longer and hesitantly opened a path for her.
Qin Sang squeezed through the crowd and went straight to the woman. She reached out to check the child's breath and then took his pulse in his thin arm, her brow furrowing. It was noon, and the sun was shining brightly. She had the woman take the child to a shady tea stall by the pipe, bought a bowl of tea, moistened a handkerchief with water, and gently wiped the child's lips and face. The clean handkerchief turned black.
Immediately, she took out silver needles from her purse—the very same set that Dr. Tang had given her, which she had brought from Li County. Unfolding them, she used the tea stall owner's light to guide her through the acupoints, her lips pressed together.
The child was also skin and bones, but he looked better than his mother, so she must have been the one who got the most food on the way.
The emaciated mother stared anxiously at Qin Sang's hand, her teeth chattering with nervousness.
Before long, the child's trembling finally subsided as the needles were inserted one by one. He opened his eyes slightly, moved his lips, and although his voice was weak, it was clear that he was calling for his mother.
Overjoyed, the woman wept and, holding her child, was about to kneel before Qin Sang. Qin Sang lifted her arm and said, "Don't move yet."
The crowd cheered and murmured, praising Qin Sang as a miracle doctor. Qin Sang wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and asked the crowd to move aside, giving the child enough space.
Just then, the sound of several rapid hoofbeats came from the city gate, getting closer and closer until it was almost upon the tea stall.
"Make way! Commander Tan is here!" The speaker's voice was loud and arrogant.
The crowd parted to both sides, and the horses slowly approached with a clattering hooves. The horses exhaled heavy breaths of hot air, and Qin Sang looked up and saw the people approaching from above the horses' heads.
Commander Tan, Tan Bi?
As expected of a young general who became the commander of the Palace Guard at such a young age, his face was as stern as the chilling aura spreading in winter, and the crowd around him fell silent.
He reined in his horse in front of the tea stall, his face expressionless and calm. He was quite handsome, a pretty boy with sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes…
Qin Sang's first thought was, "It was worth it."
However, the other party's gaze only swept lightly across Qin Sang's face before turning to the woman and child, and said coldly, "Take these people in. The rest of you are not allowed to enter the city for the time being."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
