Chapter 334 I heard that I am the best (21)
Mu Mansion, study.
Mu Yunchao and a group of his men were discussing the recent influx of refugees into Cuicheng.
"What do you think we should do with these refugees? There are more and more refugees in recent days, and the people of Cuicheng are starting to feel uneasy. If these refugees are not handled properly, something big will happen." Mu Yunchao rubbed his brows in distress and asked his men in a low voice.
One of the middle-aged staff members, who looked like a scholar, frowned and said, "My lord, according to the reports from our spies, the heavy rain in Licheng has been going on for more than half a month. Many villages have been flooded and many people have died. Now the heavy rain has not shown any signs of ending. The floods are getting more and more raging. There will definitely be more people fleeing in the future. If they all rush here, the consequences will be disastrous... So, my suggestion is to seal off the city!"
"What? Close the city? Are you crazy? So many refugees have been displaced and have escaped death to come here, but we are closing the city and not allowing them to enter? Isn't this tantamount to watching them die and not helping them? Old Liu, you are too cruel!" Another tall and strong man said with great disapproval.
The middle-aged staff member said unhappily, "I am cruel? Have you ever thought about what the consequences will be if a large number of refugees pour into our city in a short period of time? Those refugees need food and shelter. If they have some family assets, they can barely solve the problem of food and shelter, but most refugees have fled here penniless. How are they going to solve the problem of food, clothing and shelter? Will they steal or rob when they are extremely hungry? What will they do if they have conflicts with local people while stealing and robbing? Will they kill people? At that time, the local people will definitely have greater conflicts with the refugees, and even hostility between them... How will they solve it then?!"
When the tall and strong man heard what he said, he didn't know how to refute it. He just stiffened his neck and shouted anxiously: "But if we leave them outside the city, won't we just watch them die? If we enter the city, there will always be other ways, right?"
"Hmph! What will we be able to do then? Don't I want to save more people? But we don't have the energy to save them now. Don't forget, our own soldiers are still short of food and clothing and can't take care of others at all... You say I'm cruel, but I can only admit it. Who told us to only take care of our own people now?" said the middle-aged aide with a deep sigh.
"What Old Liu said makes sense. It's not that we are standing by and watching them die, but we really don't have the energy to do so. The best we can do is let them build a refugee camp outside the city, and then raise some money and food to provide relief. We can then let them return home after the flood recedes," said another younger and more refined scholar. He was also Mu Yunchao's adviser, but he was younger than Liu's staff, but his wisdom was no less than his.
Mu Yunchao looked at the young counselor, sighed, and asked, "Do you think the money and food we have raised is enough to feed the increasing number of refugees? If we help them for a few days and the money and food are used up, and we stop helping them and let them fend for themselves outside, will they blame us and force their way in?"
After hearing this, several people were stunned. Obviously, they had not thought of this possibility. The young strategist blushed and said, "I took it for granted and did not think it through."
Liu Muliao coughed lightly and said, "My lord is indeed a man of foresight."
"This won't work, and that won't work! So what should we do?" The tall and strong man scratched his head and said in great distress, "Should we send people to drive them away and prevent them from gathering outside our city? No, no, this won't work either..."
Mu Yunchao couldn't think of any suitable way to deal with the refugees who came from afar for a while, but he knew that he couldn't let them pour into Cuicheng in an disorderly manner. He had to find a comprehensive way to settle them, otherwise it would easily cause trouble.
"You go back and think of a solution and keep a close eye on the situation of the refugees outside the city. If another large wave of refugees arrives, I will deal with it." Seeing that no one had come up with a good solution, Mu Yunchao had to put this issue aside and discuss other things. As the lord, he had countless important things to deal with personally every day and could not put all his time and energy on one thing.
He couldn't spare the energy to deal with the refugees for the time being, but his wife Liu Yan, who considered herself a good wife, took the initiative to help her husband solve his troubles.
As a well-educated lady, Liu Yan had certainly received education from a noble lady, such as how to get along well with the wives of her husband's superiors, colleagues or subordinates, how to educate children, how to manage household affairs, and what to do to add a good reputation to herself or her husband...
Now that a large number of refugees have poured into Cuicheng, isn't this a good opportunity for her to establish a good reputation for herself and her husband? She immediately thought of how to raise funds from the noble ladies and big merchants in the city to help the victims.
As Mu Yunchao's wife, it was her natural responsibility to be the leader in initiating fundraising, so she enthusiastically discussed with her maids how to raise more money and food from the wealthy families in the city.
Soon, the news that Madam Mu was going to hold a flower-viewing party spread. It was said that many people in the city were invited, not only government officials, but even the owners of famous restaurants, rice shops, and cloth shops in the city had received invitations.
Outsiders who didn't know would say that Madam Mu was very approachable and was willing to humble herself to make friends with businessmen. However, those who received the invitation and were more sensitive felt a sense of uneasiness, knowing that there must be something fishy about this matter, perhaps it was the Hongmen Banquet.
But the one who made the invitation was the city lord's wife, so no matter how uneasy they felt, they had no choice but to attend the banquet.
Of course, except Zhou Shichu.
Zhou Shichu never expected that she would be invited by Liu Yan to a flower-viewing party. She thought that after divorcing Li Wei, Liu Yan would no longer take her, Li Wei's ex-wife, seriously. She didn't expect that she would actually invite her to the party?
Zhou Shichu's first reaction was that Liu Yan had bad intentions towards her. Maybe this flower appreciation was a plot against her. Who told her that Liu Yan liked to force others to do things according to her ideas in the name of doing good for others? What if Liu Yan felt that she was too pitiful for divorcing Li Wei and suddenly wanted to arrange a marriage for her?
Don't think this is impossible. With Liu Yan's way of thinking, this is very likely to happen. Although Zhou Shichu would never agree, she doesn't want to meet Liu Yan, so there is no need to go to any flower viewing party.
This time, Zhou Shichu really guessed wrong the reason why Liu Yan invited her. Liu Yan didn't want to be a matchmaker for her this time, she just wanted to get money from her!
As someone who paid close attention to the Li family's situation, Liu Yan soon learned about Zhou Shichu and Li Wei's divorce. She also learned that Zhou Shichu's restaurant did not decline without Li Wei as a backer. On the contrary, because he had less family worries, he could focus more on the store and thus earned more.
(End of this chapter)
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