The so-called golden autumn is the season of harvest.
For farmers who make a living in the fields, this is the happiest time of the year.
But for the refugees outside Yao County, they did not have the slightest joy. What was revealed on their faces was sadness, confusion, and despair of having no desire to live.
The city gates were closed, and they lived in dilapidated sheds outside the city. Every day, they prayed for the government to distribute porridge twice a day. Even though the porridge was clear and only contained a few grains of rice and sorghum, in their eyes it was a life-saving delicacy.
Fu Xiaoguan and his party had already arrived in Yao County. They first went to the top of the city and saw this scene.
Yu Wenjun and Dong Shulan were extremely shocked. Famine occurred almost every year in the Yu Dynasty, and the court provided disaster relief every year. They had always thought that even if the places where the victims lived were not very good, at least they were guaranteed to have food to eat.
They had never imagined that the lives of disaster victims were like this: dilapidated shacks, tattered clothes, and clear soup that could be drunk in one gulp.
Some children cry because they are hungry, and then when they are tired of crying, they fall asleep, and maybe they will never wake up from this sleep.
Some old people gave the porridge they received to their children, hoping that their children could survive.
There were also people drinking water by the river. They were so hungry that they could only swallow the grass roots and tree barks with the river water.
Yu Wenjun gnashed his teeth almost to pieces, "This bastard official! I'll kill him right now!"
Fu Xiaoguan pulled her back, shook his head, and said, "Don't be impulsive. We don't understand the situation here. Some things... are more complicated than you think."
"But the imperial court allocates a lot of food for disaster relief every year! If you don't believe me, ask Shulan. She knows."
Dong Shulan nodded. Disaster relief supplies were all allocated through the Ministry of Revenue. Her father often handled this matter, so she knew something about it.
According to the Ministry of Households' disaster relief regulations, disaster victims can receive four taels of coarse grains and one tael of fine grains every day. No matter how you calculate it, this ration will not be like it is now. There is probably not even five cents of grain in this bowl of porridge. So where is the grain?
"We'll discuss this matter after we return to Xishan. Now let's go find County Magistrate Yu. As for the issues involved, it's not appropriate for you to get involved. You can ask the state government to send someone to investigate."
Fu Xiaoguan did not say that even if an investigation was conducted, it would ultimately be left unresolved.
Yu Wenjun took a deep breath, her face still frosty. She listened to Fu Xiaoguan's advice, because investigating such a matter required more than just her identity as a princess.
The group went down from the city wall, got on a carriage, and went directly to the county government office.
Fu Xiaoguan handed over his business card and the doorman led them to the backyard.
Yu Lian was quite surprised that Fu Xiaoguan came to visit. The Fu family was the largest landlord in the entire Linjiang area, and most of the farmland in Yao County belonged to the Fu family. Taxes were about to be collected, so what was the point of letting his son come instead of Fu Daguan?
According to Mr. Tang, Fu Xiaoguan probably didn't come here for the tax issue, but neither of them could figure out why, so they had to meet first and talk about it.
Fu Xiaoguan asked his servants to carry two boxes of Xishan Tianchun into the backyard, while Yu Wenjun and Dong Shulan stayed in the carriage.
The identities of these two women are too special to appear in such a place.
"I have long heard of County Magistrate Yu's great name, and I have admired him for a long time, but I have been busy with worldly affairs and have been delayed coming here until now. I hope County Magistrate Yu will forgive me." Fu Xiaoguan smiled and bowed to County Magistrate Yu.
"Haha, I didn't expect my nephew to come today. Last year, I went to Linjiang on official business and was entertained by the Fu family master. I heard that the Fu family master mentioned you. But now my nephew is famous all over the world. A tiger father will have a dog son. He is a hero in his youth!"
"Your Excellency, County Magistrate, are so kind! I came from the lower village without any gifts. These two boxes of Xishan Tianchun were brewed by me personally. I hope you will accept them."
"This is not good. My nephew's talent is well-known and his poetry and books are known throughout the world. You have already given me a great honor by coming to see me and letting me get a taste of the literary spirit of Linjiang's most talented man. I absolutely cannot accept this wine!"
Fu Xiaoguan suddenly looked around and whispered, "County Magistrate Yu, I'm sure those disaster victims outside must have been giving you a lot of trouble these days. I was actually very worried. It would have been disastrous if those refugees had robbed my family's food. Fortunately, under your leadership, those refugees didn't cause any trouble. So you must accept this wine. It's my sincere gratitude!"
"Ah, haha, those refugees are pretty well behaved. I've been distributing porridge every day and sending constables out on patrol. Luckily, there haven't been any disturbances."
Yu Lian poured tea for Fu Xiaoguan and said, "My dear nephew, you don't know the trouble this is. To date, there are already 33,670 refugees outside, and judging by the current situation, the number will increase. My Yao County only has a population of over 100,000. If there is trouble, I will not be able to cope with it either."
"But if they don't leave, then just standing there like this isn't a solution."
Yu Lian stroked his goatee and sighed, "Refugees cannot be expelled. I've been thinking for the past few days that if the number continues to increase like this, Yao County won't be able to bear it. We'll have no choice but to seek help from the provincial government."
"My nephew has come up with an idea. County Magistrate Yu, please give your opinion on whether it is feasible."
Yu Lian thought that the Fu family was probably going to provide porridge to relieve the disaster.
The Fu family must be worried that these refugees will cause trouble, as the first to suffer will be the Fu family's tenants. Although the rice has been stored in the warehouse, it has not yet been handed over to the Fu Mansion or the government.
If there was trouble at this moment and the refugees robbed all the tenants, even if the state government sent soldiers to suppress it, the Fu family would definitely suffer heavy losses.
With this calculation, it would be better to give some food to these refugees. As long as they have something to eat, they will not cause trouble. And it is naturally a good thing for Yao County that the Fu family can provide food for disaster relief.
But what Fu Xiaoguan said next scared Yu Lian!
"What do you think, Magistrate Yu, if I come to take in these refugees?"
"What?" Yu Yao was suddenly shocked.
"You're going to take in those refugees? Do you realize there are tens of thousands of them? Even though you have plenty of food, your land has long been divided up. How are you going to feed them? Have you ever calculated how much food they consume in a day? Do you know how many shanties we'll need to house them? Twenty percent of those refugees are elderly, weak, and sick. They've come all this way, exhausted and frail, and many are afflicted with illness. Do you have any idea how much it will cost to treat them?"
Yu Lian asked several questions in a row, which was in his heart. Even the imperial court would be troubled by such matters, let alone you, a mere landlord!
Fu Xiaoguan listened quietly to him, then smiled and said, "What County Magistrate Yu said is true. I simply hope to resolve the crisis in Yao County so that they won't harm others. As for their resettlement and treatment, I do have some ideas. You don't need to worry. It's up to you whether you agree or not."
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