"The cooks at the prefectural government office are so-so. This is a meal ordered from Chunfeng Tower. Please enjoy it, Your Highness."
The dishes were not extravagant, consisting of six dishes and a soup, with a mix of meat and vegetables, but it was already the highest standard provided by the government since the flood control efforts began.
The three main dishes are: Lotus-scented Drunken Shrimp, Hibiscus-flavored Bass, and Crystal Pork Trotters.
Qin Zhaoyue had tasted the first course of drunken shrimp twice in her previous life, and she never expected to eat it here again.
Fresh shrimp are wrapped in lotus leaves and buried in an ice chest to chill. The wine used is likely aged Shaoxing wine, with flavors of ginger and perilla. The shrimp meat is crystal clear and smooth to the taste.
Two seasonal vegetable dishes: shredded lotus root, chilled and mixed with candied osmanthus, tender lotus seeds, and white fungus; and a vegetarian broth made with tender bamboo shoots, black fungus, and matsutake mushrooms.
The cold dishes are arranged in three layers, including pickled quail eggs, candied bayberries, braised deer tongue, crystal pork jelly, chilled water chestnuts, and fox nuts.
Finally, there's a winter melon soup made with dried scallops, bamboo fungus, fresh water chestnuts, and diced ham.
A month after the floods, the side dishes alone show that life in Bailuzhou was not significantly affected.
Qin Zhaoyue ignored the bureaucratic jargon from those above and focused on eating and drinking.
The meal was a pleasant one for both host and guests, and the atmosphere even gave off a sense of peace and prosperity.
Qin Zhaoqiong proposed to inspect the water management strategy, and Yan Wenyuan readily agreed, bringing along the five officials except for the Minister of War, along with the county magistrate.
The Fifth Prince, as the vanguard who arrived earlier, was naturally among those accompanying him.
Qin Zhaoyue was originally unwilling to get involved, but since everyone else was going, it would seem unusual for her to stay behind.
Moreover, in a completely unfamiliar environment, it is safer to stick together.
The group departed from the prefectural government office and headed first to the disaster relief resettlement area.
Bailu County was laid out according to the regulations of Fengjing, divided into forty-nine wards and markets, with the East and West markets being dedicated to trade.
After the flood, Yan Wenyuan did not simply settle the victims in any village, but made distinctions between them.
If the family is relatively well-off, they will be arranged to live in a village within 20 miles of the county seat, and the families who are willing to take over will receive subsidies of grain and salt.
Those who are widowed, impoverished, seriously ill, or injured are brought into Bailu County and housed in the four neighborhoods near the North Gate.
The funds were raised by the state and county governments, as well as wealthy merchants and gentry in the city, and were earmarked for resettlement and daily expenses.
Qin Zhaoqiong was terrified.
It sounds easy, but it's very difficult in practice.
It is already extremely difficult to resettle all the disaster victims, let alone to differentiate them according to their specific circumstances.
The Registrar explained from the side.
According to the imperial court's policy, a household register should be compiled every three years, detailing household class, population, land allocation, and so on.
There is no problem with that, but Bailu Prefecture needs to be more detailed in its management.
In addition to the major inspections every three years, there are also smaller inspections every year.
In addition, each ward in the county town is headed by a ward head and a military officer; the surrounding villages are divided into li (a unit of distance) with 100 households and xiang (a unit of distance) with 5 li (a unit of distance) each, and are headed by li head, assistant clerk, village head, and bao chief.
All matters involving household registration are reported monthly and submitted layer by layer. This system is no worse than that of Fengjing.
This is precisely why, with clear responsibilities and an accurate understanding of each household's situation, tiered resettlement can be achieved.
Qin Zhaoqiong randomly inspected several neighborhoods, and the neighborhood heads were all able to speak eloquently and were all good officials who were deeply rooted in the grassroots.
He then went to inspect the four neighborhoods located near the North Gate, ensuring that the elderly were cared for and the sick received medical treatment.
Hearing that the imperial envoy for disaster relief, Her Highness the Princess, had come to offer his condolences, many elderly people insisted on going out to greet him, trembling as they stepped forward.
Qin Zhaoqiong didn't let anyone stop her and went into a house herself.
This is a large courtyard, divided into three sections: front, middle, and back.
This neighborhood is located at the foot of the North Gate. It has relatively few residences, but quite a few warehouses used for storage.
The courtyard was originally an inn, with mostly large communal sleeping quarters, for laborers and farmers who needed a place to rest temporarily, were short of money, or didn't have time to leave the city at night. They could stay for a night for just a few copper coins.
Hearing the commotion in the front yard, many people from the tenement came out to check, and at a glance, there were dozens of people.
There were fifty-one households living inside. Fang Zheng knew them all well and could tell them a thing or two about each person he met.
This wasn't pre-arranged; Qin Zhaoqiong simply pointed to a random spot.
This shows that the head of the household was not boasting; the ward head had a deep understanding of the residents in his jurisdiction.
Just then, a withered old woman, supported by others, slowly swayed into the front yard.
The elder approached, grasped Qin Zhaoqiong's hand tightly, and shook it vigorously, "The officials are all good people, the neighborhood chief and the others are all good people..."
They kept repeating the same few sentences, but their excited expressions were genuine; you could tell they were truly sincere.
She was probably not from the county town; her face was a dark brown, and wrinkles ran from her forehead to her neck, each furrow a testament to half a lifetime of sunshine and sandstorms.
The moment those hands touched, Qin Zhaoqiong felt a rough, stinging sensation.
A noticeable ridge in the middle of the nail is proof of a lifetime of hard work.
The elderly woman was hard of hearing, so Qin Zhaoqiong bent down and leaned close to her ear, patiently asking about her daily life.
She needs to be told something three or five times before she understands it, and sometimes her answers are completely irrelevant.
She didn't know anything about imperial envoys or princesses; she only knew they were high-ranking officials, and she would incessantly praise Longmen County after saying just a few words.
However, she spoke with a heavy local accent, which Qin Zhaoqiong couldn't quite understand.
The woman beside him, who was supporting him, was initially intimidated by the presence of the official and dared not speak.
However, seeing the situation, I couldn't help but translate for the old lady, and with the help of gestures, the communication immediately became smooth.
You could tell he was an impatient person, but he was also very kind-hearted. He could chat with the elderly about what they ate, used, and took medicine every day.
Despite the seemingly peaceful scene, Yin Zhe, Liu Yan, Meng Jian, Chen Fang, Yao Guang... and even Qin Zhaoyue were all on tenterhooks.
After the assassination attempt, they were all on edge.
Moreover, there might be sorcerers involved, making it difficult to detect anything unusual until the very last moment before the action is taken.
The two commanders of the Xuanji Guard had no choice but to surround the two princes with their "power".
Oh, no, there are three. We also need to look after the Fifth Prince.
It's one thing when they're not around, but it's not right not to take care of them when they're right in front of you.
Despite being on high alert throughout, no unusual activity was observed among the people.
Sorcerers can conceal the secrets of heaven, and it is indeed difficult to detect their actions when they are of the same level. However, it is not impossible for them to manipulate others without leaving a trace.
In particular, controlling assassinations requires extreme emotions to drive such actions, or the influence of years of accumulated emotions.
When you are on guard, you can detect changes in your emotions in advance.
Qin Zhaoyue stayed in the courtyard for about half a cup of tea's time, and then personally went into a few more households.
Almost everything was old; the beds and clothes had patches on them, but most of them were clean.
As Qin Zhaoqiong left Sifang, four words came to mind: "Peace and prosperity."
Finding nothing amiss in the city, the group headed straight for the river.
On the other side, a simply dressed peasant woman carrying a basket arrived at Fenglefang in the west.
There was a special official at the gate who stopped her because she looked unfamiliar...
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