Chapter 353 Someone in Lingnan is planning a rebellion
Pei Ming looked at the man who had kidnapped him, pointed at him, and cursed, "Feng Zhang, what exactly do you want? Don't think that just because you have Lord Pu backing you up, you can disregard this county magistrate. Prince Xuan is the future emperor. You killed someone in the street as soon as he left the city. Do you really think this world belongs to you?"
Feng Zhang lifted the tea lid, stirred the tea leaves, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and put it down again. He said slowly, "Lord Pei, I'm helping you. Prince Xuan asked you to deal with the plague. If we don't deal with those people soon, the plague will spread and we will be the ones who die."
Since becoming the county magistrate, Pei Ming has been conscientious and diligent. With a powerful figure above him, he seeks not merit but only to avoid mistakes.
“You can’t just kill people so rashly, especially in front of me. I’m going to report you to Lord Pu for letting your men kill innocent people indiscriminately, and it has nothing to do with me.”
Feng Zhang asked, seemingly inquiring but also with sarcasm, "So Lord Pei still remembers Lord Pu? You've already climbed up to the future emperor, why don't you go and complain to him?"
Pei Ming glared at him. "Prince Xuan has already left Panyu County. How can I complain to him? I can only go to Lord Pu."
This Feng Zhang is as annoying as ever, and still a madman.
Just as he was mentally complaining, a face loomed close to his, "Hey, what are you trying to do, you lunatic?"
Feng Zhang gave a forced smile and lowered his voice, saying, "I would like to have a heart-to-heart talk with Lord Pei. Don't forget, we are all in the same boat. The ship has already set sail. If you want to get off now, you will either fall into the river or the sea. You can't swim back up unless you stay on the ship or jump overboard!"
The two were bickering and making sarcastic remarks to each other.
A voice interrupted, "What are you two whispering about? May I, Pu, listen in?"
The newcomer had deep-set eyes, defined features, curly hair, and a tall stature.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the two immediately stood up and bowed, "Lord Pu..."
Pu Heshou walked to the head seat, lifted his robe, and sat down. "Sit down, no need for formalities. As you know, I've never liked being polite."
Pei Ming sat down and immediately began to complain about Feng Zhang: "Lord Pu, this guy Feng Zhang had his men kill people in the street. The people all saw it. He even sent people to kidnap me. He's completely lawless. You must teach him a lesson. Prince Xuan just left. If this is investigated, you must testify for me."
I wonder if King Xuan has any spies in the city. He might have already received news of the murder in the city.
He was afraid of losing his official position.
"Lord Pei is overthinking it. Prince Xuan is in a hurry to get on his way; he doesn't have time to concern himself with our affairs here."
"With your words, I feel relieved."
"Lord Pei, shouldn't we also take care of those beggars on the road?"
Pei Ming only understood the surface meaning, failing to grasp the underlying message. "It's time to intervene. Prince Xuan said to have those merchants return the land to the people to cultivate, reducing the number of beggars on the streets. I wonder when Chairman Feng's people will implement this. The Prince told me to keep an eye on you when he left..."
Feng Zhang chuckled coldly, "Watching us? Lord Pei, I don't know if you're really stupid or just pretending, but none of his men are here. Besides, he's just an exiled fellow. Does calling him 'Your Highness' really make you think you're a prince?"
"King Xuan is the emperor of my Great Zhou! Aren't you afraid of losing your heads if you don't listen to him?"
Feng Zhang narrowed his eyes, a murderous intent hidden within them, and scoffed, "Losing his head? He'll soon become a wandering ghost, unless he can rise from the underworld and sit firmly on his throne. But by then, Lingnan will already be our territory, or not just Lingnan, but half of the entire Great Zhou."
Pei Ming glanced back and forth between the two of them, then stood up in fright. "You...you're trying to rebel?"
Feng Zhang pressed him down to sit, put his index finger to his lips, and said, "Shh! Keep your voice down, or if someone hears you, Lord Pei will have a big scar on his head."
...
Yun Zhaoxue planned to grind all the rice in her house into rice, cook it into porridge, and take it to the streets for disaster relief. She also planned to take some out of her spatial storage and mix it with the rice.
The stone mill grinds very slowly, relying on a small donkey to pull or people to push it. They have two stone mills.
It takes half a day for a human to get half a bag, and half a day for a donkey to get a bag.
It took two days to get seven bags, that's too slow.
She rented two donkeys today, taking turns pulling the cart day and night. When no one was around at night, she would secretly use the advanced high-tech tools in her space to remove the shell. As long as it wasn't too outrageous, she would say it was the little donkeys' doing, and no one would suspect anything.
When the donkey got tired, human labor took over.
Yang knew what her daughter-in-law was going to do, so she wholeheartedly agreed and even helped wash and peel the sweet potatoes.
There were too many refugees, and their rice was simply not enough, so Yun Zhaoxue planned to cook sweet potato porridge.
Sweet potatoes can also fill your stomach and fill your belly, unlike rice porridge which is bland.
A group of people were busily working in an orderly manner in the courtyard.
Hua Murong appeared at the door carrying large and small bags. "Girl, girl, we've come to seek refuge with you."
"What happened? Did you and my second brother have a falling out?"
Just as he finished speaking, Pei Huaiji appeared at the door carrying a bundle. "Xue'er, I'm here. Do you have some misunderstanding about your second brother? I respect my master more than I respect my father. How could I possibly fall out with him?"
Yun Zhaoxue awkwardly touched her nose. Sometimes she felt that Hua Murong had a straightforward personality and was unconventional like a martial arts person.
The thoughtful Pei Huaiji was more like his master, taking care of Hua Murong in life and in all aspects.
“There was a plague in the city. I heard it was brought by those migrants from outside. All the sick and coughing people on the street were taken away and gathered together. The elderly, whether sick or not, were all taken away. I was almost taken away too. Luckily, I ran fast. We couldn’t stay in the village any longer, so we immediately packed our things and came to you for help.”
"There are two empty rooms in the side room. If you don't mind, you can stay there, or the one we stayed in before. Although it's a bit dilapidated, it can still keep you out of the wind and rain."
"A side room is fine, as long as it's habitable. We're all in the martial arts world, we don't need so many formalities."
Pei Huaiji lifted Erbao up in his arms and said, "Erbao, we'll be living together from now on. You'll be able to see your uncle's two nephews every day."
Erbao let out a soft moan, "Oh..."
Overjoyed, Pei Huaiji hugged his arm and shook it again, "Erbao is welcoming me! Erbao is welcoming your second uncle so much! I came in a hurry this time and didn't have time to buy gifts for my two good nephews. How about I make it up to you later?"
Erbao, "..."
This uncle, who appeared out of nowhere, is so self-important.
She even lifted him up by his armpits.
Erbao closed his eyes and ignored him.
When Pei Huaiji saw him close his eyes, he thought he was sleepy, so he supported his buttocks with one hand and his back and the back of his head with the other, and gently rocked him against his chest.
Yun Zhaoxue asked him, "What's the situation inside the city now?"
"The city gates are closed; no one can enter or leave."
"Strangely, there are more and more refugees in the city, and I don't know where they came from."
"The city gates are all closed, so they must be inside the city, not outside. Can you guess where they're from based on their appearance?"
Pei Huaiji said, "They are locals. It must be those unscrupulous merchants who seized the people's fields and houses, forced them to live on the streets, and drove them to their deaths. It is truly despicable."
Xiao Mingshu asked, puzzled, "Doesn't the county magistrate care? Or are they all in cahoots?"
“The county magistrate is no good. We need to find Prefect Pu. He is also the Maritime Trade Commissioner, in charge of overseas trade in the port and the two counties of Panyu and Nanhai.”
Pei Huaiji placed the child in his arms onto the crib. "Because of the Pei family's business dealings, I have dealt with Lord Pu before. Perhaps I can persuade him to put pressure on the county magistrate."
Zhuiying scooped the ground rice from the stone mill into a burlap sack and tied it tightly. Hearing Pei Huaiji's words, she interjected, "It's pointless for Second Young Master Pei to go. The Chamber of Commerce's Chairman Feng and Prefect Pu are related by marriage."
"So we're just going to sit idly by and do nothing?"
...
"Let's wait and see for a while before making any decisions. The person behind this hasn't shown up yet. Saving lives is the priority right now."
“Girl, that’s a plague. Many people have already been infected. The child can’t be separated from you. If you go to save people, what will happen to the child?”
The plague won't be resolved anytime soon, but the child can't be separated from his mother.
Based on his many years of life experience, he felt that the plague was strange, not like a natural disaster, but more like a man-made one, and that Lingnan was about to change.
"Take precautions and act swiftly."
"Alright, if you want to save people, I can lend you a hand, but the situation is unclear right now, so we need to wait and see."
“Princess, the divine physician is right. This matter cannot be rushed. I will go into the city again later today to gather more information.”
“Okay, let’s go and bring my sister-in-law and second sister-in-law back. It’s safer in the village. We can go to the city after things have calmed down.”
If something happens in the city and there's nowhere to hide, people in the village can run up the mountain, find a place to hide, and no one can find them.
At noon, Hongzao and Luzhi made a delicious meal.
Hua Murong exclaimed, "Delicious! It's been so long since I've had the food you two girls cooked. The village is so much better; the air is fresh and quiet, and there aren't so many troubles. I've decided to stay here permanently from now on."
“Master, you can stay here by yourself from now on. Xue’er, the others, and I will all be going to stay with my brother-in-law.”
"I'm talking about temporary residence, not living here for life. I haven't finished traveling the world yet. I haven't been to the capital for more than ten years. I heard that the capital has been reduced to ruins."
Those literati wrote countless poems to mourn the once prosperous capital and the shattered country. These poems circulated throughout the country, bringing tears to the eyes of those who heard them and sorrow to those who listened.
I'd also like to go and see for myself; perhaps I can even compose a few poems that will be widely circulated among the people, letting the world know that I, Hua Murong, am not only a physician but also a talented poet!
Xiao Mingshu said, "Master, Third Brother and Prince Xuan will definitely reclaim the capital. When you go to the capital next time, you will see the capital restored to its former glory."
"Haha, yes, yes, my little apprentice knows how to talk."
In the evening, Zhuiying returned, bringing Xie Wanyun, Xiao Xuanwu, and others with him.
Xiao Mingshu was processing herbs in the courtyard, picking out the mud and stones mixed in with them.
Seeing the carriage at the door, she exclaimed with delight, "Mother, my eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law are back!"
Yang hadn't seen them for almost half a month and missed them terribly. She immediately went out to greet them, saying, "You're back! Dinner is ready, you can eat in a little while."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mom. Is this the second baby? He's grown so much. The last time I saw him, he was only the size of my palm. Children grow so fast, unlike us who are getting old and getting shorter."
"My sister-in-law is not even thirty yet, how can she be old?"
Xian'er circled around Madam Yang, wanting to see Erbao, "Little brother, little brother, Grandmother, Xian'er wants to see little brother..."
"Grandma, is this the first baby or the second baby?"
"At noon, the baby was being held by the second child, while your third aunt was holding the first child."
Xian'er is the youngest child in the family. She wants to be the older sister and loves playing with Da Bao and Er Bao. "Little brother Er Bao, I'm your big sister..."
As she spoke, she reached out and touched his little face.
Xiao Mingshu grabbed Xian'er's small hand, "No, there's an epidemic in the city, and you just came back from outside..."
"Sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, Shuer doesn't mean to look down on you. Children are prone to illness. There are some things that adults can come into contact with without getting sick, but children can't. This is new knowledge that Master and Third Sister-in-law taught me today."
Upon hearing this, Yang dared not let them touch the two children anymore.
Xie Wanyun hadn't thought of this, and now that she thought about it, she felt a little scared. She quickly said, "It's okay, we understand. Shu'er is right. Let's go stay at the old house for a few days."
The group then boarded the carriage and departed.
Yun Zhaoxue asked Zhuiying, "Have you found out? What's the situation in the village now?"
"Liao and his men found out that some people were begging the government to open the granaries and release grain to save lives, but the county magistrate ignored them. Later, someone spread a message in the city that King Xuan had ordered that no grain be released and that those with the epidemic be taken away and isolated from their families, which was also King Xuan's responsibility."
"Prince Xuan is the heir to the throne and the next emperor. Is the person behind this spreading negative rumors about him in the city plotting a rebellion?"
“The county magistrate must know, as well as the vice president of the chamber of commerce, Feng Zhang.”
She had Zhuiying investigate the person behind it last time, but they found nothing.
Once King Xuan left, the true nature of the person behind him could no longer be hidden.
"However, there is also good news: Master Li of the Li family has already started distributing porridge in the north of the city."
There are too many refugees in the city; their meager food supply won't last two days.
Many hands make light work; if more people distribute porridge, the people will be saved.
“Okay, we’ll go into the city early tomorrow morning to distribute porridge and provide free medical consultations.”
"Free clinic? But the people can't even afford to eat, let alone have the money to go to the clinic for medicine."
"Perhaps some clinics will see our charitable act and be affected, so they will sell medicine for free or at a reduced price. The main purpose of the free clinic is to study the epidemic."
"How could I not have thought of that? The princess is so righteous."
"It hasn't been done yet, it's just a current idea, we'll take it one step at a time."
The following day, Yun Zhaoxue went to the streets to distribute porridge.
They used the name of King Xuan's exiled troops to display a large banner with the character "Xuan" written on it.
The people then realized that they had wronged the imperial court. It turned out that the court had not abandoned them, nor had it forbidden the government from distributing porridge to them.
The princess even personally served them porridge.
In the past, they wouldn't have dared to even think about it.
These ordinary people, how could they possibly have the chance to see a princess of such high status on a normal day?
"Fellow villagers, the imperial court has not abandoned us; it has sent a princess to provide us with porridge."
"The imperial court even sent a divine physician to provide us with free medical treatment. We didn't get the plague; we got sick from eating unclean food."
"Take the prescription to Datong Medical Clinic and you can get the medicine for free."
Yun Zhaoxue single-handedly changed the people's minds.
The people went from resentment towards the imperial court to gratitude towards it.
...
Chairman Feng went to inspect the streets and saw several households distributing porridge. The middle stall had a large Zhou flag with the character "Xuan" written on it.
"What happened? Who are those people?"
"Your Excellency, I don't know either. She looks unfamiliar, and that woman is incredibly beautiful..."
The servant stared wide-eyed at Yun Zhaoxue over there.
"Don't you know? Why don't you just ask around? You idiot, why aren't you going?"
"I'll go right away." The servant ran to the back of the Xiao family's porridge distribution team and asked the refugees for information.
Having learned Yun Zhaoxue's identity, he ran back and said, "Master, I've found out. They came here in exile with Prince Xuan, and one of them is a princess."
"A princess? Could she be a member of the Zhao royal family?"
"Probably. Who else but royalty would dare to call themselves a princess?"
"Damn it! We absolutely can't let him ruin our plans, Feng Gan." Feng Zhang beckoned to his godson Feng Gan and whispered a few words of advice in his ear.
Over there at the soup kitchen.
Yun Zhaoxue had long realized that she was being watched.
I gave an elderly woman carrying a child a full bowl of porridge; the porridge was so thick you could see it with your own eyes.
The old woman, holding the bowl in both hands, was moved to tears and bowed to her, saying, "Thank you, Prince Xuan, thank you, Princess, thank you."
It's all pure white rice.
In the past, even when they farmed their own land, they couldn't afford such good porridge; a bowl of rice soup and a few wild vegetables were all they had for a meal.
"No need to thank me, ma'am. Please take good care of the child."
After distributing the porridge, he returned to his residence in the city, where he was followed by people the whole time.
As they returned to the village, they were stopped by more than a dozen men in black.
Who are you?
"The men who want your lives, come at them!"
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