Chapter 121 Arrival
When Xu Rong arrived at the foot of the Pingliang city wall, he saw the end point of the disaster victims' trek—a relief shelter on each side.
Two long lines stretched as far as the eye could see outside the makeshift shelter, with new refugees constantly joining in. They craned their necks to look ahead, and when they saw the people at the front carefully squeezing out with half a bowl of thin porridge, they cast envious and longing glances at them, and unconsciously pushed forward.
"Line up! No cutting in line! No causing trouble! Anyone who disobeys the Imperial Envoy's orders, get out of here immediately!"
The soldiers maintaining order nearby immediately shouted.
Amidst the shouts, Xu Rong's carriage headed towards the city gate. Xu Rong took a closer look and noticed that neither of the two pavilions contained men in blue or scarlet robes. Instead, there were only two or three men in green robes, some patrolling and others writing something down. It seemed that not only the "Imperial Envoy" mentioned by the soldiers, but also the local officials were not present.
From an optimistic perspective, as long as the lower-level officials can control the situation, it seems there is still hope for recovery.
The carriage was stopped when it passed through the city gate.
"Where are you from? What do you do? Where's your travel permit?!"
Xiang Shi, the head of the guards who accompanied Xu Rong, jumped off his horse, handed out the prepared travel permit, and said, "I'm from the capital, looking for relatives."
"Looking for relatives at this time of year?" The city gate official rolled his eyes at him, then looked at the carriage and asked, "Whom are you looking for?"
Just as Xiang Shi was about to make up a name, Xu Rong lifted the carriage curtain and slowly said, "Prince Qing."
City gatekeeper: "..."
He shuddered, not even glancing at the road permit, and threw himself back into Xiang Shi's arms, waving his hands repeatedly: "Hurry up and go in, don't block the way here!"
The city gates weren't actually blocked. Disaster victims weren't allowed to enter the city, and as the city gate official said, how many outsiders would choose this time to run to the disaster area?
It could only be due to the power of Prince Qing; the minor officials didn't even dare to verify the truth, and just hurriedly sent them away.
Xu Rong led his men into the city.
Bai Fu, who had come with them, was a little worried and asked, "Grandma, did you just tell that gatekeeper directly—"
“It’s alright. We came here for Prince Qing anyway, and we’ll have to deal with him sooner or later.” Xu Rong said as he lifted the curtain to look outside. “Besides, this place is unpredictable. It’s better to reveal our whereabouts than not. If something happens, it can provide clues for the rescuers.”
As I walked along, the city seemed quite orderly at first glance. However, when I passed several grain stores, I saw crowds of people rushing to buy grain. Before long, someone inside the stores announced, "Sold out for today! Please come back early tomorrow!"
"Sold out again so quickly?! There were only a few people in line!"
"That's right, you unscrupulous merchant! You dare to hoard goods—hoard them for what? I'm going to the government office to report you to the Imperial Envoy!"
"Gentlemen, we can't just eat this grain, nor can we speak carelessly. Go out and ask around in Shaanxi. At this price, our small shop is lucky if we can even sell it. You expect us to be well-fed? Where will our shop get food then?"
Hearing this, some people dispersed dejectedly, while others lingered in front of the shop unwillingly. As the carriage drove by, there were a few loud banging sounds. It turned out that the grain shop, fearing trouble, had simply boarded up the door panels and closed for business.
I visited two or three grain stores, and it was the same for everyone.
Xu Rong felt somewhat heavy-hearted and lowered the curtain.
Guided by the messenger, the driver brought the carriage to the inn where Xiao Liu and his companions had stayed.
"Please come in, sir."
Two innkeepers came out; one helped lead and settle the horse, while the other bowed and greeted Xu Rong. Xu Rong got out of the carriage and followed them into the inn, only to find the lobby empty, without a single guest.
For the inn, this was a rare big business opportunity, but perhaps due to the disaster, the staff seemed listless and unmotivated.
Xu Rong looked around, stopped, and asked the shop assistant, "I heard that the Imperial Envoy has already arrived at the government office, but how come so many people still can't buy grain when he only passes by the grain store?"
The shop assistant forced himself to speak and replied, "Sir, it's only because the imperial envoy has arrived that the grain shop can sell a few bushels of grain each day. Otherwise, those unscrupulous merchants hoard it all and refuse to sell a single grain."
"What about the government? Haven't they opened the Ever-Normal Granaries?"
The waiter hesitated and said, "I don't think I've seen it, but maybe it's open—there have been soup kitchens outside the city gates ever since the imperial envoys arrived."
Xu Rong shook his head.
It's different. The food source for the soup kitchens was probably disaster relief grain that came with the imperial envoy. However, the most important significance of the local government opening the granaries was not to directly distribute grain, but to release a large amount of inventory to impact the market. The grain shops could not keep the high-priced grain, so they were naturally forced to lower the price.
The granaries are still stockpiled, and most ordinary people can't buy them. This is not the effect that should have been achieved after the opening of the Ever-Normal Granaries.
The man wasn't a government official, so he couldn't explain things clearly. Xu Rong didn't argue with him. After settling their luggage in the guest room, she took Bai Fu and the guards out for a walk on the street.
My initial impression can be summed up in one word: hot.
The sun was blazing overhead, and the heat was intense beneath our feet. We had some shade inside the carriage before, but now a veil offered no protection whatsoever. After walking only half a street, the heat was so intense that we were dizzy.
The inn was well-located, only a quarter-hour walk from the government office. The government office was heavily guarded, so Xu Rong didn't go any closer, but just looked at it from the opposite side for a while.
The area around the government office is usually very prosperous, and Pingliang is no exception. Xu Rong walked over to a street called Yaqian Street, where she was standing in front of a clinic.
The clinic was doing much better business than the inn. People were more prone to illness during times of disaster, and the pharmacists were always busy.
The young apprentice, hunched over on a small stool by the door pounding medicine, was also exhausted and couldn't help but complain, "When will this hell of a day end?"
An elderly man sitting not far from him was waiting for his appointment. The old man coughed twice, turned his head and said, "Soon, soon, the Imperial Envoy has arrived."
"What's the use? They've set up two soup kitchens outside the city, and they haven't distributed any food for seven or eight days," the young shop assistant retorted quickly.
“That’s right, why haven’t they released the grain yet? My rice jar is almost empty. If we can’t buy grain soon, we’ll have to go to the soup kitchen to drink porridge.” Another patient’s family member turned around and chimed in.
"Yesterday, I went with the village elder to request an audience with the county magistrate—"
The old man's words immediately drew the attention of everyone in the clinic. He then covered his mouth and coughed twice. The young shop assistant, impatient, urged, "Please speak quickly, sir!"
The old man then said, "The magistrate said it will be soon."
The staff at the clinic were all deflated: "It's the same as saying nothing at all!"
"Where is the Prefect? What did the Prefect say?"
The old man shook his head: "I didn't see the Prefectural Governor."
"Don't even mention the Prefect. I sit here at the gate every day, and I haven't seen the Prefect come out at all lately." The shop assistant curled his lip. "The Imperial Envoys are busy traveling around every day."
Xu Rong listened intently.
With the situation having reached this point, the prefect of Pingliang has actually disappeared without a trace?
She listened for a while longer, and the people in the clinic echoed the young man's complaints, but there was no other useful information.
"Grandma, should we go into the government office?" Xiang Shi asked eagerly.
Xu Rong shook her head. Lin Xin might not be inside. Besides, he was ostensibly there to provide disaster relief, but secretly he also needed to investigate Prince Qing. Both were important official duties. She, on the other hand, was here for personal matters. The time was not right, and it was not appropriate for her to meet with him.
"Let's go back first."
Back at the inn, Xu Rong sorted out his thoughts and ordered, "Xiang Shi, go and find out the movements of the Pingliang prefect."
Xiang Shi was stunned for a moment: "Grandma, regardless of what's happening at the Prince's Mansion, should we investigate him first?"
Xu Rong nodded. She had a strong feeling that this was very important. At a time like this, if the prefect of Pingliang still had any thought of making amends and keeping his official position, he should have actively stepped forward to appease the people. The fact that he had been missing for so long was really unusual and—not good.
Xu Rong then instructed the messenger to check if he could contact Xiao Liu first. If not, he should not force it and should return before noon.
Xiang Shi and that kid went out separately.
Xu Rong led the remaining people to rest in the inn. With noon approaching, the boy she had sent to Xiao Liu's side was nowhere to be seen. Xiang Shi rushed into the inn with lightning speed: "Grandma, that dog of a prefect has disappeared!"
Xu Rong suddenly looked up: "Missing?"
There is a big difference between not showing up and being clearly missing.
Xiang Shi nodded: "The prefectural government office is in chaos. Many people who can't buy grain are gathering there, demanding that the prefect come out and open the granaries to distribute the grain. The crowd is growing larger and larger. The county magistrate has received the news and rushed there, but there is still no movement from the prefectural government office. The crowd is in a frenzy, and some people are cursing the corrupt official for not coming out, wondering if he has run away. The county magistrate actually has no answer—"
"This is abandoned land, how dare he!" Xu Rong couldn't sit still any longer and stood up, pacing back and forth.
One of the most important duties of a local official is to guard the territory. Dereliction of duty is a serious crime. The prefect of Pingliang also has a history of concealing disasters. With both crimes combined, it's not just a matter of his official hat; he might even lose his head.
"Let's go take a look."
She walked out, and Bai Fu hurriedly followed after her with her veil.
Xu Rong put it on and asked for details as they walked: "The magistrate went? Didn't the people ask him to distribute grain?"
The Ever-Normal Granary was a benevolent policy of the imperial court, and it was set up not only in prefectures but also at the county level. The situation in Pingliang Prefecture, where the prefecture and county were located in the same area, was somewhat special, but according to the law, at least this Ever-Normal Granary in Pingliang County was directly under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate.
Xiang Shi replied, "I also heard people shouting, but there were too many people at the scene. The magistrate was almost pressed against the door panel by the crowd. Some people even told him to get out of the way if he couldn't make a decision. I saw that he didn't have time to reply, so I did, but no one listened."
Xu Rong nodded.
The people just want grain; if they can't produce any, then all your talk is in vain.
In the time it took to say a few words, they arrived at the government office. Sure enough, it was packed with people. This time, they couldn't even get past the pharmacy and could only watch from afar.
The local people are known for their fierce and courageous nature. In just a short while, the situation has become even more serious than when the news was reported. Some people have already raised their arms and shouted, "Fellow villagers, let's rush in, drag out the corrupt official, and make him distribute the grain!"
"Walk!"
"Charge in!"
Public resentment is like boiling water, already bubbling, just waiting for a drop of oil to splash in—
"The Imperial Envoy has arrived!"
The resounding drums and gongs cleared the way, and the crowd fell silent for a moment.
Turning around at the sound, I saw a young official in a blue robe walking briskly in a sedan chair at the other end of the street, following a simple procession. His appearance was no better than that of the Pingliang magistrate who was surrounded by the people. His face was covered in sweat, and there were gray marks on his forehead and cheeks. His black boots had turned gray, and his blue robe was splattered with mud. The only thing that looked decent was his straight shoulders and back as he walked.
The sedan chair stopped some distance from the crowd. The curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man in a scarlet robe stepped out. Apart from the color of his official robe and his age, he looked much like an official in a blue robe. He was generally slovenly, and the weariness between his brows was even more pronounced.
—Since their arrival, these two imperial envoys have been traveling around every day, inspecting and reassuring the people, which is common knowledge among the locals.
The atmosphere was tense and deadlocked, yet a hint of hesitation emerged.
Xu Rong, who was standing on the outermost edge of the crowd, naturally and calmly led Bai Fu and Xiang Shi back a little, saying, "The Imperial Envoy has arrived, everyone please make way."
...
With someone taking the lead, the hesitation finally turned into a wavering, and the people parted to both sides, leaving a path in the middle leading to the government office.
Zhou Qianxian walked with a steady gait.
Lin Xin stood frozen in shock.
Xu Rong lifted a corner of her veil and winked at him.
Lin Xin closed his eyes briefly before catching up with Zhou Qianxian. As he passed by her, he whispered two words: "Hurry up."
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