In fact, the people who really needed to buy food in the imperial city were ordinary people. Every rich family had food in stock, not to mention the noble families. They all had their own granaries and would prepare at least a few months of food.
Therefore, the people who are really short of food are poor people. They don’t have extra money and most of them eat as they earn. The money they have is never enough to buy food for even one month.
Whenever a natural disaster or man-made disaster occurs, they are the first to be reaped. They have to use the little money they have to buy life-saving food that is more than twice as expensive, and can only go hungry and eat less.
Black-hearted businessmen can make a lot of hard-earned money
Bai Zhiyue has returned from Prince Qi's Palace, bringing back 430 palace guards and more than 30 carriages of belongings.
The King of Qi also came along. He had also fought in the battlefield in his early years. Although he had retired over the years, his skills were still there. When he heard that Bai Zhiyue was going to save people, he immediately agreed.
He also brought a doctor from the mansion, who was desperately needed.
This team of nearly 1,400 people, plus more than a hundred horse-drawn carriages carrying supplies, set off in a mighty manner.
They were heading towards the southeast, where the population density was higher, there were more casualties, and more people needed relief.
Bai Zhiyue did not take the carriage. She tied Doudou in front of her with a baby belt, put on a cloak, and rode Chiyan in front.
Qinglian and Hongying also followed on horseback. Seeing that she was carrying Doudou, the King of Qi advised
"In this kind of weather, the conditions outside are not optimistic. Will it be possible to bring the young marquis with me..."
"Don't worry, King Qi. It will be useful for me to bring him along. You'll know soon."
When King Qi saw that Bai was determined to take Doudou away, Doudou did not cry or make a fuss, but just stared at the road. Thinking of the several times Doudou had been robbed and killed, King Qi thought that perhaps Bai was worried that it would be unsafe to leave the child behind, so he stopped trying to persuade her.
Near the city gate, the emperor had sent people to clear the snow and set up simple straw huts with straw curtains hung around them to block the wind and snow, in order to receive the fleeing refugees.
They were provided with hot porridge and rice every day, and several fires were lit to keep them warm. Each family was given a thick quilt to keep warm and sleep at night.
Although the conditions are like this, at least I can survive.
After walking another two miles, there is no road. It is a vast expanse of white snow. You can't tell where the road is, where the ditch is, or where the river is. The traces of people's previous footsteps have long been covered by the snow and cannot be seen at all. It feels like everywhere is the same.
If you take the wrong path, you might be buried in the snow, and most importantly, the carriage won't be able to move.
"Can Chiyan walk in snow this thick?"
"Woman, you underestimate me. Where I was born, this kind of situation is very common. I can still move forward. Don't worry, with my height, I can walk as long as I don't have any obstacles."
"Okay, then we'll lead the way!"
This is when Doudou's ability was revealed. He pointed with his little hand in the direction to go, and Bai Zhiyue rode Chiyan first to go there, and then directed some people to clear the snow and the road along the route she had taken. At least the road had to be passable by a horse-drawn carriage.
After two encounters, the King of Qi completely understood what Bai Zhiyue meant by bringing him along. He was truly an expert in exploring the way.
Bai Zhiyue led the way, and King Qi gave orders from behind. They took turns clearing the snow. When one team got tired, the next team would take over, and the rest would push the carriage to relieve the pressure on the horses. Their efficiency was still very high.
Before dark, they passed the manors owned by some nobles around the imperial city and arrived at the first village.
The scary thing is that there are only four or five intact houses left in the village, some of which are half collapsed, and some have collapsed completely.
Seeing them coming, a group of people and several villagers followed them out.
"Excuse me, which distinguished person is passing through here?"
"We are from the Princess's Mansion, Prince Qi's Mansion, and Duke Rongfu's Mansion. We are here to help rescue people!"
"Really? That's great!"
"I am a minor official in the Imperial City Military Department, named Hu Guangfa. The Emperor has sent us to various villages and towns to provide relief, and the ten of us were assigned here.
The situation in this village is really bad. There is a shortage of manpower, and most of the food and daily necessities of each household are buried underground. They cannot be cleaned out for the time being. The few injured people who were dug out cannot be sent out. There is no medicine in the village. The patient is running a high fever. If he is not rescued, something bad will happen.
Did you bring medicine? They need it urgently!"
"Brought"
The King of Qi hurriedly asked Doctor Xu to come forward.
"This is the doctor from my house. Send someone to take him over to help take a look!"
"Yes, Xiao Liu, take Doctor Xu to the village headman's house."
"Your Highness, Duke, most of the villagers here are now concentrated in the village headman's house, the village temple, and the ancestral hall. There are only three or four houses left that can be lived in. You should go there and rest for a while!"
"No need. How many villages are there nearby?"
"There are three. This village is closer to the capital, so it has a large population and is more concentrated. We have people there too."
"Split up the people, each leading a team, and take our people to other villages to rescue people. Bring the village head with you, and tell us which families have not been rescued!"
"Yes, I obey your orders!"
Bai Zhiyue divided the group into three teams and told them to take tools and some supplies and go to other villages. Then she held Doudou and asked Li Zheng to point out the location.
Hu Guangfa and the village head saw that Bai Zhiyue was a woman holding a child, and they thought that she didn't look like she was here to save people, but rather like she was out for fun.
However, due to her status and the supplies and manpower she brought, she remained silent and pointed at the house where several people had not escaped.
Doudou quickly found out the life situation from the location he pointed and informed his mother.
"Dig this way, there are two living people underneath, be careful when digging!"
After saying that, he left the others to continue to the next place.
"There's a man under the beam, seriously injured and buried in the snow. Hurry up!"
"There's a space here with three people hiding inside. They're freezing to death. Hold on tight!"
"There's no one alive in this house, let's go to the next one!"
......
Those who are still alive will be excavated first, and those who are not alive or have died will be put behind.
He went from house to house, completely baffled the village head and Xiao Hu. "Just one look and you'll know?" How could that be possible?
Later it was discovered that the people she brought with her acted very quickly in accordance with what Rong Fugong had said, and they dug exactly according to the location she specified without using any extra effort.
A lot of people were really rescued, which is much more efficient than their random digging!
The King of Qi finally realized that the young marquis was no ordinary man.
Butler Wu, Qinglian Hongying and others, along with a dozen people, set up a big pot to cook, not only for the victims, but also for their own people.
Strength lies in numbers. Within two hours, all those who could be rescued were rescued.
Some had their legs and feet broken, some were trapped underneath and couldn't get out, and the cold weather made them sick. Some didn't wear enough clothes when the accident happened, and some lost too much blood, and coupled with the cold, were on the verge of death.
Most of those who are still breathing now are not seriously injured and have warm clothes around them. Many of them were already dead when they were dug out and were frozen into ice.
Fortunately, Doctor Xu was there, and he gave all the rescued patients preliminary treatment, and after feeding them warm water and hot meals, they were basically able to recover.
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