Chapter 114: Disaster victims smashed the store.
Lu'e refused to say.
Rong Yin quickly understood: "Is someone spreading rumors again?"
Seeing that he had guessed it, Lu'e no longer concealed it.
Today when they went to deliver supplies to the disaster area, they heard some people spreading rumors that the sorcerer was a master and he had long said that Rong Yin was a disaster.
The previous floods and droughts were omens. Rong Yin contributed money and effort at the time, but it was just to cover up his own crimes.
Now that so many people have died in the snowstorm, Rong Yin is trying to repeat his old trick by sending supplies. Unfortunately, his true face has been seen through by the master, and no matter how many good things he does, it cannot offset his mistakes.
Moreover, the master said that the snow disaster was just the beginning. If he was not allowed to kill the evildoer Rong Yin, Rong Yin would bring more disasters to Dasheng and kill more people.
Although the person who spread the rumor was quickly arrested by soldiers, the rumor still spread in the disaster area.
The previous floods and droughts did not actually have much impact on the people of the capital. In addition, Rong Yin's image was usually very positive, so not many people believed the rumors that were spread about him before.
But now that the snowstorm has occurred and so many people have died, some people's ideas have begun to waver.
"They used the supplies we sent them, but secretly complained about you, master, behind your back. I even wanted to take the supplies back." Lu'e felt very upset for Rong Yin.
Rong Yin comforted him: "They have suffered a disaster, and they are upset and suspicious. It is normal. Don't worry about their words."
Lu'e's eyes were red. "I just think it's unfair. Master, you have done so many good deeds, but that stinky sorcerer trampled on your kindness with just a few words and thought it was a way to atone for your crime. Those who love to spread rumors will have their tongues cut out by Prince Yan long ago."
Rong Yin smiled and said, "You also said that God is watching what people do. If they do bad things, they will definitely be punished."
Lu'e wiped her eyes and looked at Rong Yin: "Master, you are so calm."
"I'm actually pretty angry too." Rong Yin said honestly, "When I heard you say that the sorcerer framed me like that, I wanted to tear his mouth off right now, but it's not a good idea to act on impulse. Let them make trouble. One day, I'll teach them a lesson."
Seeing Rong Yin's angry expression, Lu'e couldn't help laughing, "I knew you didn't like to be angry, Master."
Rong Yin also laughed: "No, I have a bad temper."
Late at night, Zong Zhengxiao, who had been busy all day, finally came back.
After a quick meal, Zong Zheng Xiao nestled in Rong Yin's arms and said half seriously and half pretendingly, "I'm so tired. I need Ah Yin's kiss to feel better."
Rong Yin held his face up, kissed his lips, and asked with a frown, "Are you feeling better?"
Zong Zhengxiao rubbed Rong Yin's face and said happily, "Yeah, much better."
After acting coquettishly, Zong Zhengxiao also started talking about serious matters.
"I have temporarily sent more personnel, and rescue work has basically been completed in the disaster-stricken areas. However, the number of casualties may not be confirmed until tomorrow. The weather has been too cold recently, and I don't know if the seriously injured people can hold on."
Hearing the worry in Zong Zhengxiao's words, Rong Yin said softly: "God is merciful and will make the disaster pass sooner, and the people will gradually return to their normal lives."
Zong Zhengxiao hummed, sat up, and held Rong Yin in his arms. Now it was his turn to comfort Rong Yin.
"You don't have to care about those rumors. Not only are we refuting them, but many people who trust you have also begun to explain to you. There are some ignorant people among the people, but there are still many who are clear-headed."
Rong Yin relaxed her tone: "I understand, it's all the Cui family's fault, and those people were just deceived. I believe that one day, they will see through the ugly faces of those people."
Zong Zhengxiao had a relieved look on his face: "Ayin, I'm glad you're not sad. I was just worried that you would be sad because of this."
Rong Yin snorted: "I won't be sad for those bad people."
Zong Zhengxiao smiled lightly: "That's good."
Perhaps it was true that disasters easily shook people's hearts, because heavy snow continued to fall for a while afterwards, and the rumors actually became more and more intense.
Government officials patrolled the streets every day, reminding residents to clean their roofs. If they found it inconvenient, they would personally help sweep the snow.
For those who have been affected by the disaster or whose houses have become uninhabitable due to the snowstorm, the government has arranged free accommodation for them, provided two meals a day and heating, to ensure that they can spend the winter safely.
Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin contributed both money and manpower, but even after all they had done, there were still people who could not stand the deception of the sorcerer and his followers, and turned from trusting Rong Yin to hating and resenting him.
Those believers would disguise themselves as disaster victims and sneak into disaster shelters, spreading false rumors. Most of the time they acted secretly, and there were so many of them that the government could not catch them all.
The disaster victims stayed in shelters provided by the government, ate hot soup and meals, and listened to the nonsense of the believer who had never given them any help.
"We suffered the disaster because of that mermaid. Your Majesty and the mermaid should provide us with food and drink, right? Some of our family members died in the snow disaster."
"They think they can buy us off with such a small favor. It's simply wishful thinking! Human life is priceless. They don't even want to pay a penny. It's wishful thinking!"
"You can go to the street and see that the mermaid's shops are still open. He can easily make tens of taels of silver a day. If he really feels guilty, why doesn't he send all the food in his shop to us? Letting us eat these broken steamed buns and broken vegetable soup every day is just to perfunctorily treat us!"
In fact, the victims had quite a good meal. They had white flour steamed buns and vegetable soup with meat and vegetables, and one sip of it warmed their whole body.
Most of the people affected by the disaster are ordinary people. Even before the disaster, they could not bear to eat white flour and meat every day. The current life is a luxury for them.
But human hearts are never satisfied. Only when they believe in the believers and believe that the natural disaster was brought by Rong Yin, can they enjoy the government supplies with peace of mind and at the same time cast their covetous eyes on the delicious food in Rong Yin's store that they usually cannot afford to buy.
Of course, there are some reasonable people among them who know that what this believer said is all nonsense.
But seeing that most of the people around them had greedy looks on their faces, these few chose to keep quiet. After all, they were outnumbered and they didn't want to be targeted.
The believers were still fanning the flames: "If you ask me, we'll go to the store owned by the mermaid and make trouble. If the mermaid is sensible, he should compensate us. If he doesn't, we'll take the things in the store. Anyway, there are so many of us, and we're all disaster victims. The mermaid won't dare to do anything to us!"
What he said was very exciting, and when they thought of the delicious food in the store, many people were eager to try it.
The believers looked at these people with dusty faces and greedy looks, and a hint of sarcasm flashed in their eyes.
"There is no need to be afraid of the government. We just want to fight for what we deserve. If the government blocks us, it will only prove that they are right and that what the master said is right!"
Someone in the crowd echoed: "That's right, he was the one who brought the disaster. Why should he stay in the palace and enjoy the good life while we have to suffer here?"
"If we don't live well, they won't live happily either!"
"We all listen to you. Master, you are right. Rong Yin is a monster that harms people!"
Seeing the emotions rising, the believers who had achieved their goal could not help but feel happy. After meeting up with other accomplices, they sneaked out with the victims for fear of being stopped by the guards. Finally, they gathered together and headed towards Rong Yin's shop.
There is a stove at the door of several of Rongyin's stores, with a pot of hot water boiling on it. Anyone who wants to drink can ask the store clerk for a bowl.
At this time, an old man passing by had just finished drinking hot water and handed the bowl back to the clerk. He turned around and took a few steps when he found a group of people walking towards the store with great momentum.
He quickly turned around and shouted into the store: "Little girl, quickly call all the employees in your store out, there are a lot of people coming, and they seem to be looking for trouble with you!"
The clerk was stunned for a second, then quickly notified others.
While they were talking, the group of people had already reached the door. Seeing how big the situation was, the clerk quickly protected the old man behind him.
By the time Rong Yin received the message, the conflict was over.
The victims ignored the store clerks' dissuasion and, failing to get their money, started to smash and steal things from the store.
Because they had not anticipated this, the store employees were not prepared and not only did they fail to stop the person, but several of them were unfortunately injured.
The situation at the hot pot restaurant was better, mainly because there was a lot of heavy work in the restaurant and they hired a lot of employees. Before the soldiers arrived, they managed to hold back the victims.
Otherwise, it is the hot pot restaurant's business hours now, and it is full of customers and hot pots and hot soup. If a fight breaks out, I don't know how many people will be injured.
After the officers and soldiers arrived, they clashed with the disaster victims and injured several of them, but fortunately no one died, otherwise the aristocratic families would have made a big fuss about it.
The ringleaders and the victims who caused harm were all arrested.
The store was in a mess. After compensating the frightened customers, the employees cleaned up the mess and closed the store.
Rongyin gave them annual leave in advance. In addition to settling the injured employees, it also gave each employee a big red envelope, which was both to comfort them and to thank them for their efforts to protect the store.
Knowing that his hard work was destroyed, it was impossible for Rong Yin not to be angry. Although he understood that those disaster victims were just deceived and the real culprit was the Cui family, he still couldn't help but complain a little towards those disaster victims.
Regarding this matter, Rong Yin was angry, while Zong Zhengxiao was furious.
On the day when the disaster victims were making trouble, Rong Yin had originally planned to leave the palace and go to the store, but because her dog Erdou was not feeling well, Rong Yin helped take care of it and canceled the trip.
Zong Zhengxiao couldn't even imagine what terrible things those irrational victims would have done to Rong Yin if she had been in the store at the time.
It is true that Zong Zhengxiao loves his people, but he also has a bad temper.
He ordered that the temporary shelters were no longer allowed to take in the disaster victims and their families. Since they trusted the so-called master more, the master should provide them with food, drink and shelter.
The victims who participated in smashing the shops were dumbfounded. They had never expected that the usually gentle emperor would have such a bad temper. Now they were homeless and without shelter, they could only live on the streets.
They wanted to find the believers who instigated them, but found that they were either thrown into jail or disappeared without a trace.
After calming down, the victims found themselves with nowhere to go.
The victims who were still in the shelters were all thankful that they did not believe what those people said, otherwise they would have ended up like this.
Sensible passers-by looked at them with sarcasm, as if they were a bunch of fools.
At this time, someone stood up and told them: "Since you are causing trouble with the Master's followers, you are also the Master's followers. I see that the Master is very close to the Cui family, so you should go to the Cui family to find him. You are believers, and the Cui family will not ignore you."
The disaster victims had nowhere else to go and could only follow this man's instructions and find the Cui family.
The Cui family felt a headache when they saw such a large group of people blocking their door, at least a hundred of them, crying and cursing, saying that the Cui family must take care of these believers.
The Cui family is rich, and logically they can afford to support a few hundred more disaster victims. However, the Cui family is not a philanthropic family, so how could they be willing to spend money on outsiders for nothing?
If it had been before, these disaster victims would have been driven away long ago.
But the Cui family still needs them now, so they can only grit their teeth and keep them for the time being.
Of course, the reason they told others was that they took the disaster victims in because they felt they were homeless and pitiful, not because they were followers of the Master.
After all, the Cui family has not yet completely exposed themselves. Those rumors and the so-called masters are all manipulated by the Cui family behind the scenes. At least most ordinary people don’t know that this is all the fault of the Cui family.
The Cui family left these disaster victims behind with dissatisfaction, and the treatment they received was certainly not any better.
A house that can shelter you from the wind and rain? A charcoal-fired brick bed for heating? White noodles, meat and vegetables every day?
That’s nice to think about!
The leaky thatched house had only a pot of scorching charcoal, a pile of wheat bran and a bowl of cold water. With these conditions, you would have gone out into the snow and ice to die.
In addition to poor living conditions, the victims were forced to go out every day to tell other people about the good deeds of the Cui family and spread rumors that Rong Yin was a harmful monster.
The Cui family was watching their words and actions. If any disaster victims dared not to go, or went but did not follow the Cui family's instructions, they would disappear quietly the next day.
The remaining disaster victims complained bitterly. If they had known this earlier, they would not have followed those believers in smashing shops out of momentary greed.
A manager asked the Cui family head, since the conditions provided to the disaster victims were so poor, weren't you afraid that they would rebel?
Patriarch Cui sneered, "Only those two idiots, Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin, take these bastards seriously. These brainless things cannot be treated as human beings. They must be slapped like animals and then rewarded with dates, then they will be obedient and dare not resist."
The steward remained silent and did not ask any more questions.
Until the end of the year, the snow showed no sign of stopping. More and more people needed rescue, and the sorcerer jumped even more happily.
At this time of year in previous years, everyone was busy buying New Year goods and the capital city was already bustling. However, this year, due to the snowstorm, the festive decorations were cast into a gray hue.
With the help of the Cui family, the number of followers of the master continued to grow, and public opinion began to favor them.
The Cui family felt that the time had come, so they secretly met with people from Prince Ning's mansion and decided to immediately implement the plan they had made long ago.
So the next morning, Prince Ning, who had not attended court for a long time, dressed in court robes, led by the head of the Cui family and all the officials of the aristocratic families, knelt down and begged Zong Zhengxiao to put the country first, get rid of the monster Rong Yin as soon as possible, and return a peaceful and prosperous era to the people of Dasheng.
Prince Ning said righteously: "First there were floods and droughts, and now there is a snowstorm, which has killed countless people. Your Majesty, isn't this enough to wake you up and realize that Rong Yin is a monster who only brings disaster?!"
The head of the Cui family also said: "Since the arrival of the mermaid, Your Majesty has never thought of marrying and having children. Don't you know how serious the consequences of having no successor to the country are?"
The officials of the noble families kowtowed in unison: "Your Majesty, please execute the evildoer Rong Yin!"
Zong Zhengxiao sat on the dragon chair, his face as cold as snow, "Natural disasters have existed since ancient times. You said that Rongyin caused the disaster. Do you have any evidence?"
Prince Ning said: "The sorcerer that Patriarch Cui hired with a large sum of money, as well as several abbots of the Buddhist temple, can prove that Rong Yin is an absolute evildoer. If Your Majesty does not believe it, you can summon them into the palace for a confrontation!"
Zong Zhengxiao cast a murderous look at the two people kneeling in front of him, "Oh, the sorcerer is one of yours, and the previous rumors were also spread by you?"
Patriarch Cui felt that there was something wrong with what he said, but before he could open his mouth, Prince Ning said, "That's right. The sorcerer is a cultivator with great merits. What he said cannot be wrong. Moreover, there are Buddhist monks who can testify to it. Rong Yin will never deny it!"
Zong Zhengxiao did not respond to him, but looked at Patriarch Cui: "Master Cui, how can you guarantee that the sorcerer you invited is telling the truth?"
Patriarch Cui's eyes flashed with a sinister look, and he cunningly said, "The master has a good reputation among the people, and the people all believe in him. He must be capable. Your Majesty suspects that he is lying, so he should produce evidence to prove that the disaster was not caused by Rong Yin. In this way, the sorcerer's words will naturally be refuted."
"Oh, you have a sharp tongue." Zong Zhengxiao sneered, "You think the sorcerer is telling the truth, but I have heard a rumor before. A master said that the Cui family influenced the fate of Dasheng. Otherwise, why did your youngest son die in the flood, your second son took poison after the drought, and your third son committed suicide before the snowstorm? This is God punishing you, the Cui family. If the Cui family continues to live in the world, it will bring endless disasters to Dasheng."
Hearing how Zong Zhengxiao had framed the Cui family and his sons, the head of the Cui family, whose rage had burned out all his rationality in the past few days, could no longer control his suppressed anger. He stood up and shouted at Zong Zhengxiao: "Nonsense! My Cui family is not a disaster star! My sons did not die because they were punished by God!"
The smile on Zong Zhengxiao's face turned even colder. "The master who told me that the Cui family was a disaster star is also quite famous. Lord Cui can also find evidence to prove that his words are wrong. I will never stop him."
Being outmaneuvered, the Cui family leader felt a splitting headache, his rationality was completely shattered by anger. With red eyes, he pointed at Zong Zhengxiao and shouted, "You believed in slander! You tyrant king!"
As soon as he finished shouting, not only did Zong Zheng Xiao's face change, but all the civil and military officials in the hall took a breath of cold air.
No matter how big your Cui family is, you are still a minister after all. What's more, the royal family is still superior to the aristocratic families. You, a minister, actually dare to curse the emperor like this. What's the difference between this and seeking death?
As expected, Zong Zhengxiao suddenly stood up and glared at Patriarch Cui with cold eyes: "Cui Zeng, you are so brave!"
With a cold rebuke, Patriarch Cui regained his sanity. After realizing what he had just done, Patriarch Cui knelt on the ground again and kowtowed vigorously, "I am guilty, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Other courtiers also knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Zong Zhengxiao took the opportunity to scold him, "You are so disrespectful in front of the palace. Given Lord Cui's current mental state, it is hard for people to believe that what you said is true. I think you should go back and rest for a few days. When you have recovered, come and discuss with me who is the real troublemaker!"
After saying this, Zong Zheng Xiao waved his sleeves and left angrily. No one in the hall dared to speak out to stop him.
"Retreat!"
The eunuch's sharp voice reached everyone's ears.
Watching Zong Zhengxiao's back going away, Patriarch Cui staggered and almost fell, fortunately the people next to him helped him up.
Prince Ning looked at Patriarch Cui with an angry look on his face: "Today is a great opportunity. If you just hold on a little longer, you will succeed immediately. But you... ah!"
Zong Zhengxiao concluded that the head of the Cui family was mentally ill, so the credibility of what he said in the court in the future would be greatly reduced, which would be very detrimental to their plan.
It seemed like a sure win at the beginning, but now it ends up being a joke.
Other small families were also dissatisfied with the Cui family head's temporary failure, but they did not have the courage to say it out loud like Prince Ning, so they had to follow suit to persuade him.
"Your Highness, Lord Cui may not have had enough rest recently. It's not convenient to talk here. Let's leave the palace first."
"Hmph!" Prince Ning seemed to be furious. He turned around and left alone.
Before the head of the Cui family could fully recover from his shock, he was supported by his companions and walked out.
The people in the group of heroes followed them and made sarcastic remarks.
"Before you call others evil, don't you look at yourself and see how many relatives you have killed."
"I think that the natural disasters in Dasheng were all caused by someone. He oppressed the people of the world and his own family. It would be better to get rid of himself before killing others."
"Keep your voice down. What if I get you killed too?"
"What should I be afraid of? I'm not his son. But he doesn't have anything to worry about. Although there is only one legitimate son left, there are still several illegitimate sons. He is already old, and he shouldn't be able to overcome all of them before he dies."
"Hahahaha, you have such a big mouth."
The Cui family loves to use these weird things to harm others, so the Hero Group will use their own method to retaliate.
"You guys..." The official from the noble family who was supporting Patriarch Cui was indignant.
The people in the Hero Group curled their lips and said, "What's wrong? He is the only one allowed to do it, but no one is allowed to talk about it?"
Before the people from the noble family could fight back, the body of the head of the Cui family, who they were supporting, suddenly stuttered, and then he spat out a mouthful of black blood with a "puff" sound, then he tilted his head back and fainted.
The officials from the aristocratic families were in an uproar again.
The head of the Cui family was sent to the clinic. After the doctor took his pulse, he found that the head of the Cui family was poisoned.
As for the cause of the poisoning, the head of the Cui family has not woken up yet, and the other two mistresses of the Cui family are not in charge of the matter. The housekeeper of the Cui Mansion can only ask people to start investigating from the food aspect.
And everything that happened in the court was spread among the people.
Some people say that even Prince Ning, a member of the royal family, has come out to say that Rong Yin is a monster, so what else is there to explain?
Some people also said that Prince Ning's eldest son and daughter-in-law were executed by the emperor. Perhaps Prince Ning's family resented the emperor, so they teamed up with the Cui family to frame Rong Yin.
The Cui family, which Zong Zhengxiao described as the real disaster, was also questioned by the people because the three children of the Cui family died in such a close proximity that it seemed as if there was something wrong with the Cui family itself.
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