The guard was prepared to lose his life. If Long Fei Ye decided to kill someone now, he would be in even more trouble!
Unexpectedly, Long Fei Ye's longsword swerved to the side, causing the guard to miss. He stepped on the guard's body and swept his cold gaze over the crowd. "This prince is here to deliver the grain. If anyone takes another step forward, I won't give a single grain!"
The crowd, already silent to begin with, grew even quieter at these words. No one dared to move.
Was His Highness Duke of Qin really here to deliver the grain?
What the commoners wanted was food. After hearing this, who would dare to touch it? However, Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu were different.
Separated by the crowd, they silently looked at each other, a tacit smile flashing across their eyes.
Their superiors had clearly investigated how much grain His Highness Duke of Qin had in his manors in Jiangnan and how much he had already used.
They were certain that His Highness Duke of Qin didn't have much grain on hand. He had money, but at this critical juncture, he wouldn't be able to buy any grain. Even if he went to the black market, he wouldn't be able to buy that much grain.
Most of the grain in the black market came from the imperial uncle's estate. How could they sell it to His Highness Duke of Qin?
Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu were smiling because they had achieved their goal!
They had incited the commoners to revolt in order to force His Highness Duke of Qin into a corner.
Instead of running away, His Highness Duke of Qin had chosen to say something like this. He was undoubtedly asking for trouble. If he couldn't fulfill his promise, it was easy to imagine how angry the commoners would be.
At that time, even without their incitement, the commoners themselves wouldn't let His Highness Duke of Qin off!
Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu hadn't moved yet, but someone in the silent crowd had already spoken up. "Dare I ask how much grain His Highness Duke of Qin intends to deliver?"
Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu were secretly delighted, especially Nanguo Mingde. He inwardly let out a sigh of relief. He had escaped this calamity!
He could relax and watch the show. He wanted to see how the wise and foolish His Highness Duke of Qin would deal with the disaster victims.
He thought that it wouldn't be long before this high and mighty king would regret provoking his precious son.
"Send as much as the national treasury allocates. South Ning County is a large county, so the amount of food allocated will not be small," Long Fei Ye replied.
Many of the disaster victims rejoiced at his words. Some were so delighted that they questioned, "Is Your Highness Duke of Qin speaking the truth?"
However, Long Fei Ye did not take it to heart. He replied Coldly, "Of course!"
Seeing this, everyone's courage gradually grew. "Dare I ask Your Highness Duke of Qin, when will the grain be distributed?"
"That's right! Your Highness Duke of Qin, will you be distributing grain in the next few days? "
"Can Your Highness Duke of Qin hurry up and distribute the grain? We haven't eaten anything for days! "
Nanguo Mingde sneered inwardly when he saw how excited the people were. He hadn't expected the Duke of Qin to lie in front of so many people. He wanted to see how the Duke of Qin would cover up this lie when the time came.
Official Yu, who was hidden in the crowd, was laughing coldly. He couldn't wait to see the Duke of Qin's lie exposed. He wanted to see how this insufferably arrogant king would be drowned by the common people's spittle!
Just the thought of it made him excited!
Official Yu hid behind the people in front of him. He couldn't help but say, "Your Highness Duke of Qin, why don't you give everyone a clear time? Otherwise … otherwise, you'll disappoint everyone!"
Long Fei Ye's icy gaze swept over him. "Immediately!" he said icily.
Immediately?
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire crowd burst into deafening cheers.
Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu were both stunned. How could this be … this lie was too much!
How could they distribute the grain immediately? Where would they find the grain?!
"Your Highness Duke of Qin, then where is the grain? Official Yu couldn't have found it, could he? "Official Yu couldn't help but ask.
This time, Long Fei Ye didn't answer him. That was because a cry came from the back of the crowd. "The grain is here! It's here! We've got grain! "
What was going on?
Everyone turned to look, including Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu.
However, there were too many people. All they could see were human heads.
But the cheers in the distance grew louder and louder, deafening to the ears. "The grain is here! We've got grain! So much grain! Everyone's got grain! "
"Long live Your Highness Duke of Qin! Long live esteemed wangfei! "
This …
Why did they mention Han Yunxi? She didn't even show up!
Nanguo Mingde and Official Yu were bewildered. They couldn't figure out what was going on.
Gradually, the cheers grew closer and closer. The refugees who'd surrounded Long Fei Ye all surged to the back, wanting to see what was going on.
What was going on behind them? What was going on with the grain that everyone was talking about?
Official Yu and Official Nanguo's hearts itched. Official Nanguo couldn't leave. After a moment's hesitation, Official Yu couldn't help but rush to the back with the refugees.
However, he soon came to an abrupt halt. The refugees who were rushing to the back all consciously walked to the left and right, opening up a very wide path!
They saw a convoy of carriages carrying grain approaching from afar. Each carriage was filled with sacks of grain, like a long dragon. Surrounded by tens of thousands of refugees, the convoy looked especially grand and imposing.
At the head of the convoy was a woman. She was dressed in a luxurious purple robe. Riding on a tall horse, she looked down on the crowd like a queen on an inspection tour. Under the gaze of tens of thousands of people, she was noble, elegant, and inviolable!
This woman was none other than Qin Wangfei, Han Yunxi!
"It really is grain!"
"Esteemed wangfei, that must be esteemed wangfei!"
"Esteemed wangfei is here to deliver grain to everyone!"
"So much grain! So … so much grain! "
… …
As the convoy gradually drew closer, the refugees all became excited. They danced with joy and joy! One had to know that what Qin Wangfei was escorting over wasn't anything else: it was food, it was hope, and it was their lives!
There was no incitement or pretense. Soon, large swathes of refugees fell to their knees and shouted, "Long live His Highness Duke of Qin! Long live esteemed wangfei!"
In the end, everyone was kneeling.
It was not hard to imagine how magnificent the scene of tens of thousands of disaster victims kneeling in the streets and alleys of the city would be!
Official Nanguo stood rooted to the spot, staring at the carriages of grain. He couldn't believe his eyes. How was this possible?!
Even if His Highness Duke of Qin had more grain, where would he get it from?!
Besides the imperial uncle's estate, who else in the world could take out so much grain? But … but there was no way the imperial uncle's estate would sell grain to the Duke of Qin!
Official Nanguo was stunned. Official Yu was so shocked that his entire body stiffened and he couldn't move.
Even when everyone around him was kneeling, he still stood there in a daze, unable to recover his wits. How was he supposed to believe his eyes?
This had to be a dream!
Han Yunxi successfully delivered the convoy amidst the grateful kneeling crowd. She jumped off her tall horse and tidied her clothes before ascending the high steps of the governor's estate.
"Your Highness Duke of Qin, this concubine has not failed her mission. One million and five hundred thousand dan of grain have all been delivered. Please accept it!"
Han Yunxi's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard her clearly.
One million and five hundred thousand dan!
Heavens, no wonder there were so many carriages transporting grain. Who would've thought there would be so much grain!
One million and five hundred thousand dan of grain was enough to feed all the refugees in South Ning Prefecture for two to three months!
The cheers and cries of gratitude from the commoners grew louder and louder. Wave after wave, the sound was indescribably deafening!
At this moment, they only knew that they had grain. They had real grain, grain that they could see with their own eyes! As for those rumors, they had long since forgotten about them!
His Highness Duke of Qin and Qin Wangfei were their great benefactors. How could they be corrupt? Someone else had to be the culprit. His Highness Duke of Qin had to be here to arrest the corrupt officials!
"Official Nanguo, why don't you go make an inventory?" Long Fei Ye spoke up.
Nanguo Mingde's legs turned to jelly as he fell to his knees. He didn't even know how to reply.
Official Yu finally recovered his wits and wanted to kneel as well, but it was too late. Long Fei Ye had long noticed him.
Since Chu Xifeng had already found out where the refugees were gathering, how could he not know that Official Yu from the Ministry of Revenue was the mastermind behind the scenes?
"Official Yu, or will you go?" Long Fei Ye asked.
Official Yu's legs trembled as he fell to his knees as well. Still, he was one of the imperial uncle's chosen men, so he was able to keep his composure.
"Esteemed wangfei says as much as she wants! His Highness Duke of Qin has finally delivered grain. His Highness Duke of Qin is a blessing to the refugees and Tianning! This official's admiration is indescribable … "
Official Yu was even more excited than the people around him. As he spoke, he fell to his knees and cried out, "May His Highness Duke of Qin live for thousands and thousands of years! May esteemed wangfei live for thousands and thousands of years!"
Seeing this, Official Nanguo wanted to cry. He had no idea what was going to happen next.
Long Fei Ye snorted disdainfully at Official Yu's actions.
He looked towards Nanguo Mingde and asked, "Official Nanguo, don't you want to know where your lordship's grain came from?"
Official Nanguo wanted to know, but Official Yu wanted to know even more. Official Nanguo feigned ignorance and said, "Most likely, you bought it with silver from the disaster relief fund."
"Exactly so!" Long Fei Ye said.
Official Nanguo and Official Yu were both flustered. They had no idea why His Highness Duke of Qin was asking such a question.
Unexpectedly, Han Yunxi laughed. "Your Highness, if these grain were bought, then where's the grain from the imperial court? This concubine heard about it on the way here. Just then, someone asked Your Highness where the grain went. This concubine can't figure it out. Official Yu is clearly in charge of the grain, so why are they asking about Your Highness? "
Official Yu didn't even dare to raise his head to look at Han Yunxi. Official Nanguo was also very quiet. The people were all listening, so none of the instigators from before dared to open their mouths.
Where did the grain from the disaster relief fund go?
Long Fei Ye ordered, "Someone come, search the senior provincial official's estate. Don't let a single grain slip by!"
After all, Official Nanguo had already declared that all the grain in the estate had been taken out. There was no more grain left, so if they found anything else …
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