Chapter 153 Another torrential rain arrives, the crackdown on wealthy merchants…
"Boom—"
The heavy rain pounded on the raincoats, making a dull sound. Dozens of women stepped across the mud puddles in unison, their straw hats cascading down their foreheads like curtains of rain.
Their faces were cold and solemn as they followed closely behind one person.
When Zhang Ting first arrived in the prefectural city to take charge of the overall situation, he issued a series of decrees within two or three days and coordinated with all parties. In just five days, he had largely stabilized the disaster situation in Zhangzhou Prefecture.
Then, as if things weren't going to go wrong, the fine weather suddenly turned gloomy, and a terrifying downpour arrived in an instant.
Zhang Ting was originally stationed at the government office, discussing flood prevention matters with various officials, but within half a day, urgent reports of disasters from various counties came one after another.
The situation was critical, and after quickly assigning disaster relief tasks, she led her team to join in.
Zhang Ting went to Muyang County, the county closest to the prefectural city, to provide disaster relief. There were about 10,000 people there. The situation there was not too bad. Only the easternmost village was submerged by the rising lake water.
She mobilized the militia in batches to carry out disaster relief and rescue, and transferred the villagers one by one to the nearby mountains. When the rain subsided, she led the people into the city and temporarily settled them in the charitable hall.
After providing a simple distribution of food and warm bedding, Zhang Ting led her people back to the prefectural city. She still needed to deal with the disaster situation reports from various counties.
She took off her straw hat and raincoat, handed them to the clerk beside her, wiped the excess water droplets off her clothes, and steadily stepped into the gate.
Inside the main hall, a dozen officials had been waiting for a long time, their wet hair plastered to their faces, looking quite disheveled.
"Lord Zhang, you're back."
"My lord, I have something to report!"
"I've been waiting for you so long, and I'm so glad you're back!"
As soon as Zhang Tingfu appeared, everyone crowded around her, their attitude incredibly enthusiastic.
Recalling when Zhang Ting first took office as the general manager, these officials were still hostile and refused to cooperate. In just five days, they were all subdued by her and treated her with more warmth and hospitality than they would their own mother.
The crowd automatically parted to make way for her. She strode through the crowd and sat down in the main seat. "Lord Wang, what urgent matter do you have to discuss? Please speak quickly."
Wang Yousheng struggled to squeeze through the crowd. "My lord," she said, "many wealthy families in the prefectural city are considering moving their entire families away from Zhangzhou Prefecture because they see the heavy rain is coming again." She had been assigned to oversee the affairs of the prefectural city and rushed to report upon hearing the news.
Zhang Ting gently tapped the table with his right hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "Invite these people to the government office, and I will speak to them personally."
"Yes." Wang Yousheng withdrew.
Another person squeezed into the crowd, named He Ruoshui, "Lord Zhang... there are also people spreading rumors that God has sent down a natural disaster to kill all the people of Zhangzhou Prefecture... I have found that even the yamen runners are in a state of panic."
"Arrest all those who spread rumors and tie them to the wooden frame outside as a warning to others. This is the most critical moment for the entire Zhangzhou Prefecture, and we must not allow anyone with ulterior motives to disrupt public morale!" she said coldly.
"This first offense is a warning. If it happens a second time, you will be executed in public without exception! Do you understand?"
He Ruoshui stood up straight with respect, "Yes, sir. I will obey your command."
Zhang Ting glanced out the window, then turned to her and said, "The rain has lessened a bit now. Summon all the yamen runners and clerks in the entire prefecture to the main hall."
The other officials had just returned to the prefectural city after dealing with the disaster and were reporting on the situation.
"Sir, you are truly a brilliant strategist. If it weren't for your advance planning and the notification to the entire county to be on alert for flood prevention, this torrential rain would have caused chaos and disorder!"
"And your epidemic prevention methods have been implemented in various counties, which has greatly reduced the number of people suffering from the disease."
Since the head of disaster relief took office in Zhangzhou Prefecture, the disaster situation in each county has not only stabilized, but the supply of money and food has also been allocated, and the rapidly increasing number of casualties has been effectively curbed.
He is a thousand times, ten thousand times better than that Prefect He who only knows how to profit and is stingy when things go wrong!
Zhang Ting waved her hand to stop their flattery and continued discussing the main topic.
Under her leadership, the entire Zhangzhou Prefecture seemed to be gradually improving in an orderly manner. However, Zhang Ting knew that without money, food, and medicine, the stable situation would collapse again sooner or later. And what would happen after the collapse? It would be corpses everywhere and people exchanging their own children to eat.
She could only repeatedly remind herself to be careful, careful, and even more careful, and then painstakingly searched every nook and cranny to find the remaining grain and send it to the disaster-stricken counties.
After collecting information on the disasters in each county, Wang Yousheng led the wealthy merchants from the prefectural city to the capital.
Zhang Ting had other matters to attend to in the main hall, so the wealthy merchants invited him to wait in a side room.
They were terrified when they heard the title "Disaster Management Office" and dropped everything to come.
After the clerk finished serving the tea and left, one of them quietly closed the door.
The side room was packed with thirty-six people, whispering amongst themselves, their voices barely audible.
Suddenly, a clear and loud voice rang out in the empty room, “Are you all afraid of that disaster relief chief? I have inquired about her. She is just a minor seventh-rank county magistrate. We have all dealt with Prefect He and Assistant Prefect Zheng. Are you afraid of such a lowly official as her?”
The people in the side room stopped talking and all looked at this person.
The room was silent.
Then someone said, "We have never done anything wrong. We just want to find a way to survive. The Director will not make things difficult for us. It doesn't matter whether we are afraid or not."
Someone else scoffed, "Ning Xin, aren't you afraid? If you weren't afraid, why are you sitting here so calmly?" She had some familiar clerks in the government office who had warned her beforehand not to easily provoke the "Chief Administrator," a man who could kill without shedding blood and devour people without spitting out the bones.
Ning Xin choked, unable to explain clearly.
Just then, the door to the side room was quietly pushed open.
Zhang Ting led Wang Yousheng in, and she smiled gently at everyone, "I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. Were the tea and snacks alright?"
The wealthy merchants hurriedly put down their bowls and stood up to greet her. "Greetings, Lord Zhang! We have long admired your name. Today you are indeed like a god descending to earth, as bright and clear as the moon!" They all smiled even more brightly, especially Ning Xin, who had spoken contemptuously to Zhang Ting. She squeezed to the front and smiled the most heartily and enthusiastically.
"General, the tea and snacks you have bestowed upon me are truly delicious! I have seen countless delicacies in my life, but this is the first time I have tasted such an excellent flavor." He kept flattering him, being as obsequious as could be.
The other wealthy businessmen, who were a step behind, cursed inwardly: This disgusting troublemaker! If they had actually believed her just now, wouldn't they have been in big trouble?
Pooh!
Zhang Ting sat down with a smile. "I hope you all find this comfortable. This was sent by my husband. He is from the capital, and the tea and snacks are authentic northern flavors. If you like them, I will have my servants prepare more and send them to your residences later."
Accepting tea and snacks from the head of the department means that you are getting closer to her, right?
The wealthy merchants rushed to express their gratitude. They had a good relationship with Zhang Ting and wanted to see who would dare to stop them from entering or leaving the city.
After exchanging pleasantries, some of the wealthy merchants couldn't contain themselves. "Lord Zhang, you are so busy with state affairs, what important matter could you possibly have that you have summoned me for?" She still needed to go home and pack her things before the rain got too heavy.
"Let's not beat around the bush. I've summoned you all here today to requisition grain from the granaries and grain shops. The government will issue you IOUs, and we will repay you in full once the disaster is over." She looked at the crowd with a clear and upright gaze.
Wang Yousheng, standing behind Zhang Ting, was dumbfounded. Wasn't this to appease the wealthy merchants and prevent them from fleeing? Why were they here to borrow grain?
The honest, unassuming wealthy businessmen were taken aback by this revelation. They had hoped to cultivate a good relationship with Director Zhang to facilitate their departure from the city. It turned out she was eyeing their wallets instead.
How can this be allowed?
At that moment, he looked extremely troubled. "General Manager, you know that times are tough. Although we have some money in the prefectural city, our expenses have been huge in recent years, and the income from our shops is not enough to cover our expenses. We're almost bankrupt. Where do we have any grain to support Zhangzhou Prefecture?"
"To be honest, Lord Zhang, my elderly mother is seriously ill, and her monthly expenses are high. My family is large, and the expenses are huge. I really have no extra money to lend to you."
For every good cop, there's a bad cop. "Lord Zhang, you're a respected and upright official, the people outside are all talking about you. Now there's a disaster, and lives are at stake. You wouldn't force me to leave my money, or else you wouldn't let me leave the city, would you?"
Zhang Ting shook his head and said very sincerely, "You are all people of Zhangzhou Prefecture, and you have never done anything wrong. You are free to come and go as you please, and I will not stop you in the slightest."
However, she added, "But the requisitioning of granaries and grain stores is not something I'm discussing with you; it's a formal notification to you."
Ning Xin's fawning expression vanished without a trace. She stood up abruptly, her mouth twisted in anger as she cursed, "You corrupt official! You seize people's property without a care! How are you any different from that corrupt official surnamed He!"
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary policies. I have already said that I will return it, so how can it be considered forcible occupation?” She said dismissively, slowly standing up. “You have been rooted in Zhangzhou Prefecture for many years, how much silver have you earned? Now Zhangzhou Prefecture is in a critical moment and urgently needs your help!”
Of these people, which one can say their money was completely clean? If she hadn't entered officialdom and needed to maintain a respectable image, she really wouldn't have paid back the money.
What nonsense about an elderly mother being seriously ill and a wife and children needing support? What nonsense about being unable to make ends meet and being at one's wits' end?
Would someone who's truly broke sit here?
The wealthy businessmen were utterly shocked by her shamelessness. This wasn't a case of needing their help; it was of forcing them to lend a hand!
"Lord Zhang, we are honest people. You are a good official, you can't treat us like this." When Ning Xin saw that being forceful didn't work, he tried being gentle.
"Yes, Lord Zhang, we have great respect for you. You mustn't let us down!"
Zhang Ting gave them a "calm down" look and said with a smile, "Of course I know you are innocent. Haven't you noticed that some of your 'friends' are missing?"
These words shocked everyone present. They looked around in panic, only to realize that several wealthy businessmen were missing from the room, one of whom was a local tycoon.
"Where...where are they?" someone asked, swallowing hard.
Zhang Ting sat down, crossed his legs, and sipped tea leisurely. "Of course, he was hung on a tree outside the yamen."
She glanced at everyone and sighed with regret, "Only eight of them are not innocent."
The wealthy businessmen turned deathly pale in an instant and retreated in panic.
Zhang Ting regretfully put down her teacup. This art of tea tasting was destined to be unattainable for her, but fortunately, there was someone in her family who understood it.
With many matters to attend to at the government office, she got up and walked out. Halfway there, she suddenly turned back and smiled brightly, "By the way, your friends should still be weak. If you have some free time, go and see them off."
The shadow stretched long and distorted beneath her feet, like a giant beast lurking in the abyss, its blood-red maw gaping open at them.
When she turned around, her eyes were filled with a wild, icy coldness that pierced to the bone.
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