I've been set up.
Long after Gui Luo left, Tang Qi finally showed signs of waking up. He lay on the sickbed, his back wrapped in thick gauze, his face still pale. The old acupuncturist had just finished administering acupuncture to him, and beads of sweat were on his forehead.
"Awake? Did the King of Hell think you were too tough and kick you back?" The old apothecary snorted coldly, but his hands didn't stop moving.
"What's that sound outside?" Tang Qi keenly caught the faint sounds of commotion and crying coming from afar.
"What else could it be? Starving people, surrounding the granary demanding food." The old doctor sighed, his eyes full of pity. "The Ye family boy and Shen girl were trapped in the largest granary and almost died. Fortunately, the young man who often accompanied you led the troops and charged in to rescue them. They were a little frightened and slightly injured, but nothing serious. Now the city is in complete chaos."
Tang Qi's heart sank. He struggled to sit up, but the movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to gasp in pain.
"If you don't want to die, then lie still!" The old apothecary pressed him down: "That brat surnamed Cheng has already sent someone to the capital with urgent news to beg for grain."
"Request grain?" Tang Qi's eyes narrowed. He knew all too well the power struggles within the court. "Would His Majesty... give it to us so easily?"
"They have to give it to us, whether they want to or not. Does His Majesty intend to just stand by and watch the people of Jinnan starve to death?"
Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Shen Zhiqing walked in, exuding a chilling aura. Her face was ashen, and her brows were furrowed with an unyielding gloom and anger.
"Food is the lifeblood of the people. How dare someone steal grain from the granary in Jinan? This matter must be thoroughly investigated."
Ye Qian followed and walked out from behind. Tang Qi was startled when she saw him, and she didn't care about the pain even though she was pulling at her wound.
"You're injured?!"
Ye Qian chuckled and smiled at him, saying, "Why are you so agitated? My injuries aren't as bad as yours."
"How can we be the same! You're simply not—"
“Zhong Le,” Ye Qian interrupted him.
"Now is not the time to talk about that. The most important thing is that we are short of food and what we should do with the people."
The old doctor pressed down on Tang Qi, who was about to jump up, and said, "Xiao Ye is right."
"But you—" Tang Qi wanted to say something more, but when she looked at Ye Qian, she suddenly stopped and changed the subject, saying, "Never mind, where is Cheng Wang?"
"He's still cleaning up the mess. The people have mostly calmed down, and those who caused the trouble have all been arrested."
"Is he alone?" Tang Qi asked again.
"And there's also Chasing the Wind."
Tang Qi nodded, finally relieved.
"What about General Wu? How is he?"
"He's alright, just badly injured and needs time to recover." The old doctor stroked his beard and continued, "You're all injured, injured, injured, and you still have time to care about others? I think you shouldn't do anything or think about anything for the next few days. Just stay here and recuperate. Anyway, His Majesty's decree won't arrive for a few more days. Let's stabilize the emotions of the disaster victims first, and we can make plans after His Majesty's decree arrives."
After discussing it, the group agreed that it made sense, so they decided to do as the old doctor suggested.
After everyone else had left, Tang Qi quietly looked at Ye Qian, who was still standing there.
Before he could even speak, Ye Qian said, "I know what you want to say."
"You know you shouldn't have done that!" Tang Qi rarely showed anger.
Ye Qian simply sat down next to him, his expression indifferent.
Tang Qi watched as Ye Qian slowly extended his hand, then turned his palm over and quietly said, "These hands of mine have never held a bow or a sword before. This is the first time for me."
"I used the sword in my hand to protect the person I wanted to protect the most." Ye Qian looked at his hand and suddenly laughed: "I have never experienced this feeling before. I was very scared, but also very excited."
"I think I'm not completely useless."
“You never were.” Tang Qi looked at him: “You were late. You were never.”
“Zhong Le, look, I can protect people too.” His eyes shone brightly with boundless joy. Tang Qi looked at him and suddenly remembered the scene many years ago when Ye Qian came to him and asked him to teach Ye Qian swordsmanship.
Back then, Ye Qian's eyes were just as bright as they are now, very persistent, but also very determined, making it impossible for anyone to say no.
"Your health is already poor, and if you keep getting injured like this, you'll kill yourself, do you know that?!"
"I know." Ye Qian looked directly at him as well: "Zhong Le, I know."
"But there are many things in this world that are more important than living."
His serious tone left Tang Qi speechless.
He could only watch Ye Qian and sigh silently.
How unfair is Heaven, taking away what Ye Qian wanted most.
These days, the old apothecary divides himself into three parts. In broad daylight, those who are injured heal their wounds, while those who are not injured follow Cheng Junshi to inspect the city.
Before the government distributed grain, Shen Zhiqing transferred some grain from her private granary near Sishou to alleviate the immediate crisis.
Hu Xingche didn't quite understand this, because the people of Jinnan were clearly so vicious that they would trap Shen Zhiqing and Ye Qian in the granary and kill them for a little bit of food. He didn't understand, or rather, he didn't understand why Shen Zhiqing was still willing to release the grain stored in his granary to feed them.
At that time, Shen Zhiqing only said this:
"From a young age, I vowed to eliminate starvation in the world. Only after growing up did I realize how far-fetched that idea was. But I have never regretted saying those words, and they still remain in my heart. Perhaps I cannot ensure that everyone has enough to eat, but at least I can now. I set up granaries with this as my original intention, so why not do it?"
So Shen Zhiqing began distributing grain, but individual grain was limited, and within a few days, the only granaries were empty.
Without food, the people returned to their previous anxious state. During this time, Wu Shunyi gradually recovered and, as soon as he was able to get out of bed, he and Ye Qian began to investigate the matter of the grain being switched. However, before they could find the source of the problem, people from Jingzhou arrived.
When Cheng Junshi pushed open the door, Tang Qi was sitting on the bed, holding a file and fiddling with something.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Tang Qi didn't look up, but kept staring at the thing in his hand: "Make something—hiss."
He shook his hand. He was used to wielding a long knife, but he wasn't familiar with this file. That thing was extremely sharp, and if you used too much force, you would start to get cuts. From the beginning until now, Tang Qi had almost managed to get a perfect six.
"What is this?" Cheng Junshi sat down and looked at the silver ingot in his hand. "Why don't you tell me, and I'll make it?"
Cheng Junshi pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on Tang Qi's hands, which were covered in bruises.
Tang Qi simply shook his head, dodged Cheng Junshi's outstretched hand, smiled at him, and said, "It's alright, I can handle it myself—any news from Jingzhou?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Junshi's expression suddenly turned serious, and his voice became low and hoarse, as if he were being pulled by something: "The imperial edict has arrived."
Tang Qi glanced at Cheng Junshi: "What do you mean?"
Cheng Junshi opened his mouth but then closed it again. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said in a low voice, "His Majesty has given 100,000 shi of grain, which will arrive soon."
"That's great," Tang Qi thought with delight, but when he looked up and saw that Cheng Junshi's face was devoid of joy, his heart sank again.
Sure enough, the next moment Cheng Junshi said, "However, the official sent by His Majesty is Zhou Keng, the Deputy Privy Councilor, who is in charge of all military and political affairs in Jinan. After the disaster relief is completed, he will thoroughly investigate the root cause of this civil unrest. Anyone who instigates or colludes with others, whether official or civilian, will be severely punished without exception."
Tang Qi remained silent for a long time after he finished speaking.
Zhou Keng...
This man is extremely ruthless; he is His Majesty's eyes and ears, and the one who truly carries the Emperor's will. The significance of Emperor Ming sending him to Jinnan is self-evident.
Tang Qi stopped what he was doing and murmured in disbelief, "This... His Majesty wants to take this opportunity to purge those forces entrenched in Jinnan?"
The last glimmer of light in Cheng Junshi's eyes went out, leaving only a chilling aura: "I'm afraid it's not that simple."
Tang Qi fell silent again. He understood all too well. Behind Emperor Ming's "generosity" lay deeper calculations and a more venomous knife. Zhou Keng's arrival meant that the emperor not only wanted to purge the evil forces entrenched in Jinan, but also wanted to use this famine-stricken uprising to crush any signs that might threaten his rule.
His task was not only to quell the rebellion, but also to seize the spoils.
He wants to completely take back Jinan, which has been out of his control.
It would be best if the people of Jinan were to behave themselves, but if they rebelled—whether they were rebels or ordinary people—is that just Zhou Keng's opinion?
“What a ‘win-win’ strategy…” Tang Qi’s voice was filled with utter sarcasm: “You gain the reputation of being benevolent in disaster relief, take the opportunity to reclaim Jinan, and use someone else to do your dirty work and eliminate potential threats. Your Majesty’s move is truly ruthless and vicious.”
Cheng Junshi said in a deep voice, his brows furrowed and his face extremely ugly: "He is trying to force the people of Jinnan to their deaths. General Wu is seriously injured, and I do not have enough authority. At that time, Jinnan will be Zhou Keng's personal fiefdom. He can kill whoever he wants. Since he is acting on the Emperor's orders, this is His Majesty's will. I'm afraid Emperor Ming wants to thoroughly purge Jinnan."
The Jinan region has long been out of control due to its unrest. To completely regain control, a soft approach won't work, so a hard one is the only option. However, without a legitimate reason, direct military suppression will not only provoke resistance from the people of Jinan but will also cause other regions to doubt His Majesty's benevolence, which would greatly shake the foundations of the rule.
Now, Jinan is suffering from a severe drought. The granaries have been opened to distribute grain, and the starving people have rioted. This is a golden opportunity, not only with a legitimate reason, but also so that His Majesty can take Jinan in one fell swoop.
That was truly a brilliant move.
"We can't just sit here and wait to die..." Tang Qi gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with pain and anger. "If we want to save the people, we can't just sit here and wait to die. The food must be distributed as soon as possible. Before Zhou Keng arrives, we must ensure that as many people as possible receive the life-saving food. We must also find evidence to prove that the people's riot was deliberately instigated. As long as we can prove that the uprising was instigated and that the people were just trying to survive, we can tear apart His Majesty's high-sounding excuse."
Cheng Junshi's eyes flashed as he looked at Tang Qi: "You have an idea?"
“Zhou Keng will arrive from the capital in at least five days.” Tang Qi thought quickly, then gestured for Cheng Junshi to come closer, his voice extremely low: “First, we must immediately issue a public proclamation in the names of General Wu and yourself, stating that the imperial relief grain is on its way and will arrive soon. At the same time, continue to open the granaries and release some grain to stabilize public sentiment. Tell the people to register according to their household registration and receive the grain in an orderly manner. Anyone who dares to loot should be executed without exception. Let Hu Xingche lead the troops to maintain order; he is calm and collected and can keep things under control.”
"Open the granaries? Now?" Cheng Junshi frowned. "After it was discovered that the grain had been switched with straw and stones, those granaries were sealed off. Now, without the imperial decree, they're opening the granaries without authorization..."
"We can't worry about that now! Xiaoqing's granaries are about to run out. If we wait any longer, even if the people don't starve to death, they'll rebel and Zhou Keng will see it and we'll be like lambs to the slaughter!" Tang Qi was so anxious that he aggravated his wound and convulsed in pain. "His Majesty wants control of Jinan. As long as we prove that opening the granaries was to quell the rebellion, stabilize the situation, and pave the way for Zhou Keng, even if he's furious, he won't act immediately. By the time Zhou Keng arrives, the people will be stable. Even if he wants to kill us, he'll have to find another excuse. This stability is the people's shield."
Cheng Junshi struggled with his expression, but finally sighed firmly and said, "Alright, then we'll do as you say. I'll take responsibility for opening the warehouse without authorization."
“You…” Tang Qi looked at him and then chuckled softly: “You are truly righteous, Shaoqing.”
Cheng Junshi simply shook his head: "I hold an official position, and there has been very little I can do for the people. Now that I have an opportunity, why hesitate? What should I do next?"
"Next," Tang Qi continued in a deep voice, "that kid Lu Juezhen is smart. Let him sneak into the crowd to investigate the source of the rumors. As for Qu Chi and Qing Qing, tell them to investigate the old debts of Jin Nan. If they can do something like exchanging grass and stones for grain, the government officials probably have gold bars stuffed under their beds. If they can find out this, that will be the key to turning the tide."
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