"Violence for violence"
Emperor Ming smiled, hoping that Cheng Junshi and others could completely muddy the waters of Jinan.
"And the other one?"
Eunuch You immediately opened another secret letter, then hesitated and said, "Hiss—Your Majesty, this memorial seems to be a request for grain from Young Master Cheng."
"He's asking for grain?" Emperor Ming chuckled lightly, finally picking up Cheng Junshi's memorial, each word dripping with sympathy, but his gaze held a hint of contempt: "Every word is sincere, every sentence is true. Cheng Wang, oh Cheng Wang, you truly are a good minister of mine, serving the country and its people." He said this deliberately, but there was not a trace of praise in his tone.
Emperor Ming suddenly threw the memorial aside, changing the subject with an icy tone: "Is he blaming me? Blaming me for not providing enough grain, blaming me for not sending troops to assist, blaming me for not thinking of their needs?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Young Master Cheng certainly didn't mean that." Eunuch You knelt down with a thud, earnestly defending Cheng Junshi.
"It must be because of the crisis in Jinan that County Magistrate Cheng had no other choice but to turn to Your Majesty for help. If he did not admire and rely on Your Majesty's benevolence and power, why would County Magistrate Cheng send this memorial by express courier? It is all because he trusts and relies on Your Majesty."
Eunuch You pressed his head to the ground, waiting for a long time before the Emperor finally snorted coldly: "He asked me for grain, so I should just give it to him without a second thought? What caused the riots in Jinan? Who instigated them? Did they collude with those remnants of Centipede Mountain? None of these things are clearly stated. How can I just release the grain so easily? Wu Shunyi is seriously injured and unable to attend to affairs, and Cheng Junshi... how can I believe that he, a mere child, can control the entire situation in Jinan?"
He casually tossed the memorial back onto the table, making a soft "thud".
"You Wenhu, draft the imperial edict."
"Your servant is here!"
"The unrest in Jinan is a great worry to me. I hereby order the Ministry of Revenue to immediately allocate 100,000 shi of relief grain and send it to Jinan at full speed!" Emperor Ming's voice was steady and powerful.
Yu Wenhu's heart skipped a beat. He was about to agree when Emperor Ming continued, "However, the situation in Jinan is treacherous. Although the banditry has been temporarily quelled, civil unrest has broken out again. There is a fear that some villains may take advantage of the situation to cause trouble and have ulterior motives. In order to ensure that all the relief grain is used for the disaster victims and is not embezzled or misappropriated by treacherous people, I hereby appoint Zhou Keng, the Vice Minister of the Privy Council and Earl of Zhongyong, as Imperial Commissioner to oversee the relief and suppression of the unrest in Jinan. He will wield the Emperor's sword and control all military and political affairs in Jinan. After the relief is completed and the civil unrest is quelled, Minister Zhou must thoroughly investigate the root cause of this civil unrest. Anyone who has colluded with bandits, incited the civil unrest, or committed embezzlement or dereliction of duty, regardless of their rank, shall be severely punished without exception."
Emperor Ming's decree was clear, each word like a knife. You Wenhu's heart tightened.
Having served Emperor Ming for a long time, You Wenhu had been able to analyze the meaning behind His Majesty's words carefully. He understood the implications perfectly. The decree he had prepared to distribute grain was genuine, but his true intentions were not what they seemed.
Zhou Keng was known for his ruthless and cold-blooded methods. His Majesty sent him here ostensibly for disaster relief, but the real purpose was far more significant than that.
If he wasn't mistaken, His Majesty was determined to take complete control of Jinan and eradicate all the local forces there. At the same time, he wanted Zhou Keng to use the pretext of "investigation" to purge the "restless" starving people who had been causing trouble during the riots as "bandits" as well.
Emperor Ming not only wanted to regain control of Jinan, but also to use this famine-stricken uprising to completely purge Jinan. He wanted to use the blood of countless innocent people to pave the foundation for his control over Jinan.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Yuwen Hu lowered his head deeply and sighed in a low voice.
It seems that many more innocent souls will be lost in Jinan.
*
Outside the granary in the west of the city, Hu Xingche took the lead, followed by Zhui Feng and several agile guards. Hu Xingche's eyes were fierce, and he thrust everyone into the crowd of disaster victims who were besieging the granary like a sharp blade.
"Anyone who doesn't want to die! Stand back!" Zhui Feng roared.
His voice was instantly washed away by the clamor of the disaster victims demanding food, and not a sound was heard.
"Back off!" he shouted again, his veins bulging, but it was no use.
He wanted to yell again, but Hu Xingche grabbed his wrist: "Even if you yell until your voice is hoarse, they won't back down in the slightest!"
Zhui Feng turned to look at him and asked, "Then what's your brilliant idea?"
Hu Xingche didn't look at him, but just raised the corner of his mouth: "Just watch."
As Zhui Feng was wondering, he saw Hu Xingche suddenly rush out. His slashes were swift and powerful, but they did not land on the disaster victims. Instead, they precisely struck the wildly swinging wooden sticks and shovels, or he would use the back of his knife to slam the knees and arms of the most aggressive disaster victims, forcing them to lose their balance and fall to the ground.
"Anyone who dares to step forward again, don't blame the sword for being merciless." He held his long sword horizontally, and his fierce action had indeed calmed the restless crowd.
The only way to deal with a mob is to "fight violence with violence." Only by intimidating them can we have a chance to negotiate.
Hu Xingche still held his long sword horizontally, intimidating the crowd, and turned his head slightly to Zhuifeng, saying, "Go in and save them. I'll hold them off."
Zhui Feng nodded to him, took a few steps to the door, and was bounced back as soon as he pushed it. Looking down, he saw that it was locked.
He immediately drew his sword, ready to strike. But before he could make a move, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
"They're in cahoots! They're going to take all the food!"
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
Anger, resentment, and the will to survive finally outweighed fear, and the crowd rioted again. The one who ignited this fire had long since hidden himself amidst the clamor of the people.
Hu Xingche cursed under his breath, exchanged a glance with Zhui Feng behind him, and then suddenly leaped into the crowd, grabbing a few troublemakers. Zhui Feng, with his sword in front, stood guard at the granary gate and said solemnly, "We are here on His Majesty's orders to open the granary and distribute grain! We are absolutely not thieves! Everyone, please do not loot or riot! If you calm down, we guarantee that everyone here will receive grain!"
Zhui Feng spoke solemnly, each word ringing out firmly, without the slightest hint of mockery.
"Do you keep your word?" someone in the crowd asked, seeing how serious he was.
Upon hearing this, Zhui Feng's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied, "Of course it counts!"
The people looked at each other, and slowly began to hesitate. Just when there were signs that the riot was about to subside, the troublemakers who had started the disturbance began to stir up trouble again.
A rough bamboo arrow shot fiercely at Zhui Feng, who was speaking. It was so fast that he couldn't dodge it. The arrowhead pierced through his flesh instantly, leaving a long gash on his right arm.
The color of blood stimulates one's nerves.
"Don't believe them! They're government officials! The government won't care whether we live or die!"
"That's right!"
"We want to get our own food!"
Human emotions seem to be particularly different when they see blood, whether it is excitement or fear, and such emotions can easily erupt in an instant.
Soon, shouts of resistance rose up one after another. Those who deliberately caused trouble joined the common people in attacking and killing Zhui Feng and the others. Hu Xingche had no choice but to defend and retreat, and stood with Zhui Feng in front of the granary.
“It’s no use saying anything now. They won’t listen,” Hu Xingche said through gritted teeth.
Those who deliberately caused trouble should have been killed long ago.
He sighed in regret, blaming himself for being too slow.
Unexpectedly, the group on Centipede Mountain had a backup plan waiting for them. By having Ye Qian and Shen Zhiqing open the granary and distribute grain, they blocked the government troops from setting off to Centipede Mountain to provide relief, giving Tang Qi and the others ample opportunity to rescue Wu Shunyi.
Meanwhile, that group had planted people here to deliberately incite public resentment, hoping to prevent them from receiving grain.
"What should we do?" Zhui Feng asked, gripping his longsword.
He usually followed Cheng Junshi and had experienced many cases, big and small, but in today's situation, he could neither fight nor retreat, which was really painful for Zhui Feng.
"What to do? What else can we do? Of course we'll fight! Whoever comes, we'll beat them up." Having spent so much time with Tang Qi, Hu Xingche had developed the same temperament as Tang Qi: to deal with whatever comes his way, and when in doubt, he only had one word to say.
beat.
"Since opening the warehouse is not an option, let's settle for second best and protect Young Master Ye and Miss Shen," Hu Xingche said quickly.
"Alright, so what do we do now? Or you hold them off while I go unlock the door and rescue them." Zhui Feng prepared to step onto the stairs, but was stopped by Hu Xing Che: "Absolutely not!"
"The door is locked right now, so Young Master Ye and Miss Shen are safe. But if the lock is opened and the mob rushes in, they will be in danger!"
Indeed, the mob swarmed forward like a raging torrent, overwhelming Hu Xingche and Zhuifeng, who were forced into a rout. A flurry of clubs rained down on them, and Hu Xingche and the others were like people trapped in sacks, struggling desperately but only able to take the beatings in silence.
The heavy barn door groaned under the mob's frenzied pounding, each impact causing the bolt to rattle violently and splinter wood. Inside, the light was dim, and the air was thick with the smell of dust and rotting grain.
Ye Qian held Shen Zhiqing tightly behind him, his back against the cold wall, his face pale but his eyes resolute. He gripped a longsword he'd picked up from a guard, its blade stained with dried blood—from breaking through the first wave of resistance and storming into the barn. Shen Zhiqing leaned against him, clutching a dagger tightly in her hand—her last defense. Her body trembled slightly with fear, but her eyes remained defiant.
"Calm down, everyone! Listen to me!" Zhui Feng shouted again, his voice weak amidst the deafening roar and the tremendous impact: "The grain has been switched! Someone has framed us! We're here to deliver grain and save you all! Really! Please believe us!"
However, he was met only with even more violent impacts and furious roars:
"fraud!"
"Collusion between officials and businessmen!"
"Kill them! Seize the grain!"
"Set this black-hearted warehouse on fire!"
Several guards who tried to approach the gate to reinforce it were struck by spears and clubs, falling to the ground with screams. Despair gradually engulfed the warehouse. Ye Qian felt Shen Zhiqing's hand gripping his clothes tighter, his fingertips icy cold.
“We’re too late…” Shen Zhiqing’s voice trembled slightly, but more than that, it was resolute: “We can’t die here.”
Ye Qian gripped her hand tightly in return, his gaze quickly sweeping over the piles of straw, stones, and sacks before settling on the crumbling gate. A desperate, ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: "Don't worry, Qingqing, you'll be alright. When the gate breaks down, I'll break through and make a way, you..."
His words were interrupted by a deafening roar, as the heavy doors of the barn finally collapsed inward under an unprecedentedly violent impact.
"The door's broken! Charge!"
"Food! Where is the food?!"
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