Chapter 230
For the next few days, Rong Rong stayed in the county government office. Many people sent her invitations, wanting to invite her to their homes, but Rong Rong ignored them all.
That day, Rongrong was drinking tea in the courtyard as usual when a guard hurriedly returned to report.
They said that someone was leading a disturbance in the streets and that it was extremely unsafe outside, so Rongrong was told to stay in the county government office and not go out.
Before long, Rong Rong saw that most of the elite soldiers who were originally stationed at the county government office had left.
Things don't seem simple.
This incident happened very suddenly. Logically speaking, the disaster relief grain from the imperial court had arrived, and Qin Hongyun had already organized people to distribute the grain to the people in an orderly manner. The people had a way to survive, so they shouldn't have caused any more trouble.
But a rumor started circulating that the amount of relief grain was insufficient and that it was first-come, first-served, and that if you arrived late, there might not be any left.
This has caused panic among many people.
Originally, Qin Hongyun had arranged who would receive the food first and who would receive it later, but after the news spread, the people were no longer willing to line up obediently, and instead rushed forward in a swarm.
Some people fought each other to get a spot, while others directly grabbed food.
Some people even organized sizable groups to violently seize grain and vandalize granaries.
Lu Linfeng reacted the fastest and immediately led his troops to guard the granary, but Qin Hongyun and the county magistrate were in trouble. There were too many people causing trouble, and the county government officials simply couldn't handle them.
If Lu Linfeng sends all the soldiers responsible for protecting Rongrong around the county government office, the problem can be solved.
But how could Lu Linfeng allow Rong Rong to be exposed to danger?
In any case, most of the disaster relief grain was in the granary. In Lu Linfeng's view, the life or death of Qin Hongyun and the county magistrate was irrelevant. He would not transfer the soldiers around Rong Rong.
Seeing that no one came to help for a long time, Qin Hongyun and the county magistrate gradually understood what Lu Linfeng meant.
The county magistrate trembled as he looked at the frenzied crowd before him, desperately shielding Qin Hongyun from the onslaught of people scratching and clawing at him.
Despite Qin Hongyun's desperate shouts for quiet, telling everyone that there was enough food and not to fight over it, it was all to no avail.
The people who were once simple and kind, saying that Lord Qin was their best official, now wish they could devour Qin Hongyun alive.
As more and more people crowded forward, almost knocking the county magistrate and Qin Hongyun to the ground, it was easy to imagine that if they really fell to the ground, they would probably be trampled into a pulp by so many people.
The county magistrate was truly terrified, and even Qin Hongyun turned ashen-faced.
They never imagined that the person they were desperately protecting would be the executioner who would ultimately kill them.
Yet they couldn't bring themselves to complain. The people were just trying to survive, and because they were so ignorant and easily swayed, things had turned out this way.
Perhaps this is all their fate!
Qin Hongyun finally shut his mouth. At this moment, he was like a small boat drifting on the sea, about to be swallowed up by the waves.
His face had regained its composure, but there was still resentment in his eyes.
He studied hard for ten years, and he had ideals and ambitions, but in the end he couldn't achieve anything and had to end his life. How could he be willing to accept that?
Just as Qin Hongyun was trying to convince himself to calmly face death, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
"A fairy has descended to earth! A fairy has descended to earth! A fairy has come to save us! We are saved!"
"She really is a fairy! A deity has appeared!"
"May the fairy bestow blessings upon us!"
......
The people who had been eager to rush forward and trample over others suddenly turned around and knelt down in a certain direction behind them.
With their hands clasped together and their lips uttering incantations, they were all praying to the fairy to bestow blessings, end the drought, grant them food, and drive away hunger and disease.
"What happened? Could it really be a divine intervention?" The county magistrate murmured, covering his messy hair and gazing into the distance.
Qin Hongyun looked at the back of the crowd, equally puzzled.
Suddenly, the kneeling people dispersed to the sides, making way for a wide road.
A woman, followed by a group of soldiers, slowly walked towards Qin Hongyun and his group.
The other person's clothes fluttered, as if he were draped in the glow of the sunset. Qin Hongyun recognized him from afar as Lord Rong, who had come to deliver disaster relief grain.
As the other person drew closer, when Qin Hongyun saw their face clearly, his heart suddenly stopped, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to kneel on the ground. Fortunately, he clenched his fists in time, drawing blood from his palms, and managed to stand still.
How could he allow himself to do something so shameful in front of Lord Rong?
However, while Qin Hongyun stood still, none of the people around him, including the county magistrate, knelt down on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, apart from Rong Rong and the people she brought, only Qin Hongyun was still standing in the same spot.
Rong Rong smiled at the person and said, "I'll help you distribute the grain."
Like the sun breaking through the clouds, or the rain clearing after a storm, Qin Hongyun's world was instantly bathed in the light of dawn, and he felt as if he had been reborn.
Things went much more smoothly after that. With Rong Rong around, it seemed no one dared to cause trouble, and soon Lu Linfeng also rushed over.
The chaotic crowd was finally brought under control. When the people learned that there was plenty of food, that everyone would have a share, and that it would last until the end of the year, they all became obedient.
Although they already knew that the fairy they had just knelt before was not a fairy, but an official sent by the court to escort disaster relief grain.
But they still kept referring to Rongrong as a fairy.
In their eyes, it was so wonderful and amazing that the other party was able to deliver the disaster relief grain to them intact, truly providing them with food and saving their lives.
What else could she be but a fairy?
In short, they genuinely believed that Rongrong was a fairy descended from heaven.
Some people even secretly erected a statue of Rong Rong for worship.
They called Rong Rong the Goddess, and every household and every village had a statue of the Goddess.
Rong Rong was unaware of all this, and a few days later, she led her team away from Anchang County.
After she left, Qin Hongyun personally sculpted an extremely tall and enormous stone statue for Rong Rong.
The stone statue bears a seven-tenths resemblance to Rong Rong herself. No one knows that Qin Hongyun is skilled in carving; he used to support his studies by carving stone and wood.
Qin Hongyun placed the stone statue in the temple, which in the future became the most popular temple dedicated to the Goddess.
However, these are all things that happened later. Qin Hongyun was unaware of this, because shortly after Rong Rong left Anchang County, the Empress issued an imperial edict ordering Qin Hongyun to return to the capital to take up his post immediately.
No one could have imagined that the former top scholar, who had been forgotten by everyone, would have his moment of glory again. What was even more unexpected was that in the future, Qin Hongyun would become the most powerful prime minister of Dafeng.
After the Empress's death, he became one of the four regents, supporting the young emperor to sit firmly on the throne until he took over the reins of government.
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