The next morning, Hongshi took the grain transferred from Kaifeng Prefecture to Kaifeng Prefecture for "disaster relief".
Refusing Guan Bin's suggestion to accompany him, Hongshi thought to himself, "This kind of meritorious deed doesn't need anyone else to do it with me. This time, I, Prince Hongshi, must do a good job so that Father Emperor will value me even more."
However, Guan Bin brought up the matter of the British public, which forced Hongshi to agree to go with him.
Sitting in the sedan chair, Hongshi thought, "When we arrive at Geshan Village, how should I answer if the villagers ask me about it?" He subconsciously turned the thumb ring on his thumb, unable to calm his mind.
Lifting the sedan curtain, he looked out at the scenery. Due to the prolonged drought, almost all the flowers, grass, and trees along the roadside had withered and died. The wind blew, filling the sky with yellow sand. It didn't resemble an ordinary mountain village at all; instead, it looked like a desolate Gobi Desert. Hongshi had his guards summon the leading soldier and asked, "How much longer until we reach Geshan Village?"
Guan Bin dispatched a large number of soldiers to protect him, in order to prevent the villagers of Geshan Village from rioting and injuring Hongshi.
The leading officer replied, "Your Highness, we are only two kilometers away from the village entrance."
Hongshi said, "Alright, you may leave now." After saying that, he lowered the sedan curtain, sat quietly inside the sedan, and closed his eyes to rest.
Before long, Hongshi and his party arrived at Geshan Village, where the village chief and all the villagers knelt at the village entrance to welcome them.
The sedan bearers lowered the sedan chair and lowered the door, while the accompanying guards lifted the curtain to make it easier for Hongshi to get out.
After Hongshi came out, he ordered the soldiers to bring out the grain. He then gave a wink to the people around him, and the guards understood. They shouted loudly, "Villagers of Geshan Village, listen up! This is the Imperial Envoy. When he heard about the situation in Geshan Village, he immediately transferred grain from Kaifeng Prefecture and personally delivered it to you. Why don't you kowtow and thank the Emperor and the court for their great kindness and virtue?"
The people of Geshan Village were so hungry that they were dizzy and had no ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood. When they saw that someone had brought food and heard what the guards said, they kowtowed and thanked him, saying that Hongshi was their great benefactor and that they were willing to serve him like cattle and horses. They just wanted to eat as soon as possible.
Hongshi was secretly delighted: "These poor people are too easy to fool! I only gave them some food, and they are so grateful. It seems that I was overthinking things. Now I should distribute the grain quickly so that I can return to the capital to collect my reward!"
Seeing the villagers eagerly collecting their grain, their eyes gleamed with greed, clearly starving. If it weren't for the soldiers holding them back, they probably would have rushed forward. They brought everything they could find to store grain: pots and pans, flour sacks, broken gongs, and some even just picked up the corners of their clothes to put the grain inside.
When Hongshi saw this, he frowned, turned his head away, and thought these people were disgusting and despicable.
He urged, "Hurry up, hurry up!" It wasn't that he wanted the villagers to eat as soon as possible; he just wanted to get back quickly and not have to see this disgusting sight again.
After receiving their food, people sat down on the ground and ate steamed buns and other cooked food. Anything that needed to be cooked was left aside until they were full and went back. When people are starving to the extreme, they are no different from animals.
When Hongshi saw that the grain had been distributed, he was about to order the troops to return the way they came.
But suddenly, a discordant voice emerged from the crowd.
"May I ask Your Excellency, why did the government keep soldiers guarding the village entrance, preventing villagers from going out to find food and outsiders from entering? What is the meaning of this?"
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