Upon hearing that there was food to eat, the people jumped up from the ground and rushed to the nearest shop.
When they arrived at the shop, they found a sign at the entrance that read: "Giving porridge is not for fame, but to save lives and help others through this difficult time. The porridge may be meager, but we ask that those who receive it be grateful. If anyone is dissatisfied, please leave the porridge for those who have the will to live."
This was the second measure Gu Qinlan took.
Human nature is treacherous, and greedy people are everywhere. She didn't want to be morally blackmailed by those people, who would say her porridge was too thin and wouldn't be enough to fill her stomach.
She did good deeds without expecting anything in return, and naturally knew to do what she could. So she made it clear beforehand to avoid those people complaining after receiving the porridge.
She wasn't willing to be the one to take the fall.
Therefore, she had already decreed that if anyone was dissatisfied with the porridge, their appearance should be noted, and they would not be given any more porridge at the next meal.
Before dawn, several shops were already busy cooking multigrain porridge. The porridge was cooked to be extremely thin, with water making up the majority of each bowl and multigrain making up only a small portion.
Although it may not be enough to fill one's stomach, it can save lives in times of crisis.
Many people who received the porridge were overwhelmed with emotion. They knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude, saying, "Thank you for the Crown Princess's kindness, and thank you for the Prince Duan's benevolence."
These people are impoverished individuals who have gone without food for several days.
They originally thought that they would all starve to death this time, but unexpectedly, the Prince Duan's mansion extended a helping hand and opened up a glimmer of hope for them.
Although the porridge was hardly filling, it was enough to sustain their lives.
However, some greedy people, after receiving the porridge, were very picky. After taking a couple of sips, they felt that the taste was too monotonous and rough, so they secretly poured the porridge away.
These people, who clearly still had food stored at home, couldn't resist coming to take advantage of the free porridge they heard about.
But as soon as they poured out the porridge, they were discovered by others.
Why did you throw away this porridge? Do you know that this bowl of porridge could save a life?
"Let's go register at the soup kitchen!"
Those people who were truly in dire need of help clung tightly to the people pouring porridge and led them to the porridge distribution platform.
There, someone is specifically responsible for recording names.
This is the third measure implemented by Gu Qinlan.
Everyone who comes to collect porridge must bring their household registration certificate, and the entire family must be present. The porridge is distributed based on the household registration certificate and the number of people in the family. This effectively prevents anyone from taking more than their share, leaving others without any porridge.
When the first batch of porridge was distributed, the head of household's name was recorded and marked on the household register to ensure that each person could only receive porridge at the designated collection point. Each collection point was marked uniquely.
When you come back a second time, you only need to show your household registration and report the number of people in your household. The registrar will check the information and then you can collect your porridge for the day.
Those who throw away the porridge will have their names marked in red, and will lose their eligibility to receive porridge from then on.
Those who were pouring the porridge panicked instantly.
Although they found the porridge hard to swallow, who could guarantee that their food reserves would last until the end of the hardship?
What should they do if their food supplies run out and the refugee crisis continues?
Why didn't you explain these rules sooner?
Instead, those people started blaming the person who distributed the porridge.
Those responsible for distributing the porridge were all shop assistants. They had already received instructions from Gu Qinlan, so there was no need to be polite with such people; they directly retorted:
"The reason we didn't make it clear is to expose greedy people like you! You even steal life-saving food; do you have any shame at all!"
"Everyone, come and see this, remember these people's faces, and stay away from them in the future. Otherwise, once their food runs out, they'll definitely try to take advantage of everyone else!"
The workers loudly reminded the people receiving porridge.
The people found this very reasonable, so they kept a close eye on the people pouring the porridge until they could no longer bear the pressure, pulled up their clothes to cover their heads and faces, and fled in panic.
The men couldn't help but burst into laughter when they saw the figures fleeing in such a disheveled state.
The people in line were also infected by their laughter and started laughing along.
In an instant, the dark clouds that had been hanging over our heads seemed to dissipate considerably.
Although the future remains uncertain, at least for now, their lives are safe.
All of this is thanks to the Crown Princess's grace.
Some people who lived near the Prince Duan's Mansion brought their whole families to the gate of the mansion, where the whole family knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude.
The main gate of the Prince Duan's residence remained tightly shut. After noticing the subtle commotion outside, the gatekeeper hurriedly opened a side window to investigate. When he discovered a large crowd of people gathered outside, kneeling in gratitude, he rushed to inform Gu Qinlan.
Upon hearing the news, Gu Qinlan immediately dispatched Fuyu and Wanying to guard the gate, and to quickly stop anyone who tried to kowtow to express their gratitude.
Faced with the crowd who insisted on kowtowing, Fuyu and Wanying gently advised, "Our lady is distributing porridge not for fame or reward, but simply to help everyone get through this difficult time. The rice in the porridge is sparse, and everyone may not be full. It is best to reduce activity after drinking it to avoid feeling hungry again sooner."
"Please go home quickly. Once this difficult period is over, there will be plenty of opportunities to see your wives in the future."
These words were full of sincerity and earnestness, and the people left with tears of gratitude in their eyes.
On the government side, when Lord Liu learned that Gu Qinlan had set up a soup kitchen, his face immediately turned ashen.
Madam Liu was equally displeased, her face showing displeasure: "What exactly is Gu Qinlan up to? We came to her for help, but she made excuses, claiming that General Zheng disagreed. Yet, in the blink of an eye, she started distributing porridge on her own! Isn't this blatantly disrespecting us?"
Lord Liu's face darkened, and his tone hardened: "I think she did this on purpose! She wants to get rid of us and monopolize all the glory!"
Madam Liu was furious. They had originally planned to use Gu Qinlan to persuade the wealthy and powerful families in the city to invest jointly, so that her husband could also get a share. Unexpectedly, Gu Qinlan was incredibly clever and left them no opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
"Sir, are we just going to stand by and watch her steal all the credit?"
Lord Liu sneered, "If she wants to steal it, let her steal it. I want to see if she has the fortune to enjoy this honor!"
Madam Liu became agitated, her breathing rapid: "Sir, what do you mean by that? Has Gu Qinlan offended some formidable person?"
Lord Liu sneered repeatedly: "She is far from qualified to offend that person. It is her lucky husband who is ignorant of the times and has angered him. Just wait and see, the news of Zheng Dinglian's death on the battlefield will soon reach us. Once Zheng Dinglian is gone, that so-called Prince Duan's Mansion can collapse at any time."
Madam Liu was utterly astonished, her face turning pale: "The Zheng family is a family of meritorious officials, how dare he..."
Lord Liu sneered, “So what if he comes from a family of meritorious officials? That man will one day rule the world. To the Zheng family, he is nothing more than a loyal lackey, and an unruly one at that. Since he cannot be used for our own purposes, we should eliminate him completely to prevent him from becoming a stumbling block in the future.”
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