Chapter 489 A Family of纨绔 (Wán kù, a spoiled and dissolute family) Causes the Death of the Entire Court (42)
Learn from past mistakes.
Those who tried to reason with others and those who relied on brute force were dragged aside and forbidden from ever entering the city again.
The disgruntled men behind them all quieted down and voluntarily moved to another fenced passage at the first diversion checkpoint.
Within an hour, all the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, women and children were able to enter the city smoothly.
Upon entering the city, the first thing to do was to collect a light shirt, a packet of medicine to reduce fever and clear heat, and a bowl of white porridge.
Because the first group of people to enter the city were mostly women and children, they were particularly easy to manage.
They were quiet and docile, and rarely fought or rioted because of hunger, so they were settled in no time.
The rest were men who went into the city.
The people behind were making a racket, urging those in front to hurry up, afraid that if they went in too late, all the rice and noodles would be gone and they wouldn't get anything to eat.
At this moment, Magistrate Jin, who had witnessed this scene, sighed and frowned.
"Although everyone has entered safely, the food will eventually run out, and we don't know when the imperial court's disaster relief grain will arrive."
Jin Shu chimed in from the side.
"The Jin family's grain reserves are only enough to last for one month. Can the struggle for the throne end in just one month?"
"I hope so."
Jin Shu smiled.
“Father, even if the internal strife ends, in their eyes, the more important thing is to eliminate political enemies. In short, these things take precedence over the common people.”
Instead of thinking about disaster relief, we should find ways to survive ourselves.
"These fields simply can't grow any crops anymore, what other options are there?"
"Who says it can't be grown?"
Jin Shu's rice seeds, planted a month ago, have yielded their second bumper harvest.
This time, she used all the grain as rice seeds again, and the amount of rice seeds was enough to plant all the land in He'an County.
As expected of a divine seed left behind by the God of Millet, it has a short growth cycle, a high yield, and is extremely drought-resistant and disaster-resistant. Its roots extend several meters underground, searching for the last remaining bit of moisture.
There are so many seeds now that Jin Shu can't possibly plant them all by herself.
Fortunately, she had hired a skilled farmer in advance to harvest all the grain in the fields first, and then distribute the harvest to all the land in He'an County for a second planting.
At first, no one believed that Jin Shu could succeed in growing rice in dry land; they all thought she was just fooling around.
When they finally saw the golden rice fields, everyone was so shocked they were speechless.
As long as it can be planted, it will survive.
Not long after, news of the final outcome of the struggle for the throne arrived in the capital.
Zhang Shixu's expression was solemn; without him saying a word, everyone knew what the outcome would be.
"When Crown Prince Li Yong ascended the throne, the Third Prince was killed, and I was also dismissed from my post. His Majesty ordered me to go to the capital to be punished."
Otherwise, they would be exiled.
Arrest warrants will be plastered all over the streets and alleys.
The former governor has become a wanted criminal; no wonder Zhang Shixu looks so defeated.
Of course, Magistrate Jin wasn't much better off.
He and Zhang Shixu were in the same boat, sharing life and death. Now that the Third Prince has fallen, he, like Zhang Shixu, will be stripped of his official post and sent to the capital to be punished.
The two looked at each other in silence, pondering for a whole night.
Magistrate Jin said, "Forget it, I'll just go to the capital on my own initiative. I can't let my wife, children, and elderly parents be implicated because of me."
Zhang Shixu: "I will go with you."
So the next day, when the two of them were packing up to go to the capital, they found that Jin Shu and Jin Shou'an were already waiting at the door.
Jin Shu: "Dad, Uncle Zhang, where are you two going?"
While Magistrate Jin was still thinking about how to tell Jin Shu about this, Zhang Shixu smiled.
"There are matters at court, and His Majesty has summoned your father and me to the capital to report."
"Reporting back is a pretense; arresting you is the real purpose, isn't it?"
Magistrate Jin knew he couldn't hide the truth any longer, and could only sigh.
"Your father had anticipated this outcome, so he left you a way out. Today, you and your mother will leave through the back gate and never come back."
Magistrate Jin spoke with such resolve that he was practically severing his father-daughter relationship with Jin Shu in order to ensure their safety.
Jin Shouan suppressed a laugh, looked at Jin Shu, and said helplessly.
"Sister, just tell Uncle Zhang and the others the truth, or they'll really be going to their deaths."
What do you mean by that?
After receiving a look from Jin Shu, Jin Shouan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sigh, I've wanted to tell you guys for a long time, but my sister kept telling me not to, worried that things might change."
Now you can talk about it.
You don't need to go to the capital to report back; that's just going to your deaths. Li Yong won't let you off the hook.
"You can stay in He'an County with peace of mind. Our terrain is high, and the city walls have just been reinforced. As long as you don't leave, even if the Heavenly King himself came, he couldn't touch a hair on your head."
Magistrate Jin looked at Jin Shou'an. If he weren't feeling so heavy-hearted, he would have loved to give his son a good slap.
At a time like this, you're still spouting nonsense!
"Father, don't worry, no one in this city dares to touch you."
“The emperor’s troops are right outside. As soon as the emperor gives the order, they will rush back into the city. How long can you hide? You will be implicated in the end.”
"Who said those soldiers outside belong to the Li family? They belong to the Jin family! They eat the food of the Jin family and receive the salary from the Jin family!"
Even if the emperor came, so what? Let him try and see who can beat whom!
"You scoundrel!! I think you've gone completely mad with your dreams! How could you utter such blasphemous words!"
Jin Shouan sighed and frowned, his eyes filled with a mixture of pity and anger at his father's lack of ambition.
"Who says everyone in the world has to listen to the Li family? Whoever has the bigger fist gets to speak!"
No matter what, I won't let either of you go today!
Uncle Zhang, you said that going there would only lead to certain death anyway, so why don't you give it a shot?
Zhang Shixu was much calmer than Magistrate Jin.
He looked at Jin Shu, walked directly up to her, and asked with his eyes lowered.
"Ah Shu, tell me, where did that group of soldiers come from?"
Jin Shu raised her eyes and said calmly.
"My brother and I accidentally discovered the treasury hidden deep within the former Liang Dynasty's imperial palace in the mountains. It contained countless amounts of silver. After we discovered it, we secretly used that money to support our private army."
We now have no fewer than 50,000 soldiers under our command.
In these chaotic times, 50,000 elite troops are enough to overthrow the Li family's empire.
Every word Jin Shu uttered was utterly rebellious and defied the heavens.
But for some reason, what she said actually made some sense.
"How long have you been preparing for this?"
"It won't be long. In any case, we'll still need Uncle Zhang's help in the future. If we want to restore order to the world, let's try a different approach."
Zhang Shixu looked at the young girl in front of him, remained silent for a long time, then slightly smiled and reached out to rub the hair on her head.
"You little rascal, you've always had your own ideas since you were little. Well then, I'll listen to you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com