After putting his things away, the man listened to the approaching conversation and quickly left, hiding in a corner not far away.
"Look, aren't those clothes and food?" Two men who walked over looked at the bundles beside the city wall with surprise, but their voices carried a hint of uncertainty.
Li Shi rushed forward and picked up the bundle, happily flipping through it a few times. "Really, we won't go hungry now."
After saying that, he frowned again, "It's just that these clothes have a strange smell that I can't quite describe."
"It smells weird, but it's wearable. Quickly hide it so no one sees it." Zhang Rui nonchalantly snatched the clothes and put them on, carefully hiding the grain.
They had suffered from hunger and cold for the past few days, enduring untold misery. Now that they finally had a piece of clothing to wear, they no longer cared about whether it was clean or not.
After putting on his clothes and taking a couple of steps, Zhang Rui felt his vision go black. He thought it was just from being hungry for too long and didn't pay much attention to it. He urged his companion, "Let's hurry up. Lord Pei has set up soup kitchens in the city to distribute soup. If we're late, there won't be any left."
*
Pei Qingyan stood outside the soup kitchen, watching the dwindling number of refugees, his expression softening slightly.
"Brother, the flood in Liangzhou has been brought under control. Now, as long as we settle these refugees, we can return to the capital to report back." Su Jinyang revealed a long-lost smile, a joy that seemed to have finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
Upon hearing this, the prefect of Liangzhou smiled obsequiously, "Congratulations, Lord Pei! His Majesty will surely reward you handsomely upon your return to the capital."
He thought with a glimmer of hope that the flood in Liangzhou had been resolved, and that His Majesty, considering his own efforts, would not punish him for concealing the truth.
If he pleases Pei Qingyan, and the latter pleads on his behalf, he might be able to keep his official post.
The prefect of Liangzhou had a good plan, but he didn't notice Pei Qingyan's increasingly cold gaze.
Su Jinyang let out a light sneer without restraint, and was about to speak when he was drawn to the commotion coming from the porridge stall.
"Why is there none for me? Aren't I a citizen of Liangzhou? I don't care, you must refill my porridge today. Lord Pei, you can't discriminate against me."
Zhang Rui shamelessly poured the rest of the porridge into his own bowl, drinking it while loudly complaining that he hadn't gotten enough of the benefits.
The girl distributing the porridge was furious, her face turning red. "You've already had three bowls, while the other people haven't. Don't go too far!"
"It didn't say I couldn't have more. It's my turn, why can't I eat?" Zhang Rui didn't care, spitting as he spoke, taking his shamelessness to the extreme. He kept swaying around in his scavenged clothes, clearly eyeing the porridge in other people's bowls.
Li Qingqing had never seen such a shameless person before. Her fingers trembled with anger. "Do you know who I am...?"
Zhang Rui grinned, looking quite smug. "I don't care who you are."
His joy was short-lived. He felt himself being lifted up by the back of the neck, his legs swinging wildly in the air. Terrified, his face changed drastically, and his previous arrogance vanished completely. "Ah! Who is it? Let me go!"
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