"Then I'll have to trouble Official Chen."
"This way, Wang Ye." Magistrate Chen warmly led the way.
Pang Xiao nodded and turned to look at Qin Yining.
Qin Yining smiled and motioned for him to go first. He himself followed behind with his servant girls and attendants. Behind them was the empty carriage.
The group of people headed in the direction of the yamen. Qin Yining had been to Jingang many times. This time, he saw that the streets were in a state of decay.
Fortunately, it was near the sea and the situation was slightly better than what he had seen along the way. But the city that was shrouded in the dark clouds of famine was still lifeless. Not only were the people like withered grass that had been sucked dry of water, even the roof tiles, curtains, and banners were in tatters. Weeds grew out of the cracks in the tiles and withered due to the cold weather. All of Jingang seemed to be shrouded in a layer of black fog. It was indescribably lifeless and decadent.
Official Chen came to the yamen because of Pang Xiao and the others. He smiled and said: "When I knew that Wang Ye was coming, this official had already arranged for my family to stay elsewhere. Wang Ye and Wang Fei can stay here without worry. This official will be outside. If you have any instructions, just let me know at any time. "
"Thank you for your trouble, Official Chen." Pang Xiao thanked him politely.
Lord Chen shook his head and said straightforwardly, "Your Highness, you don't have to be so polite. This is all this lowly official's responsibility. I only ask that Your Highness will do his best to help the common people survive. This lowly official is willing to be a cow or a horse!"
A word of thanks made Official Chen feel deeply moved.
Qin Yining watched from the side. He felt that Official Chen was still so straightforward even after the age of forty. What was even rarer was that his thoughts were pure. He was doing it for the people and not just for himself. This made him worthy of respect.
Official Chen quickly left and hurried to comfort the people.
Pang Xiao and Qin Yining organized their luggage for the time being.
Huzi and Jing Zhe kept a tight watch around the bedroom. Qin Yining felt relieved and asked Pang Xiao in a low voice, "Where did Mr. Xie go? The main body should be arriving soon. "
"They set off earlier than us and took some detours. They also deliberately avoided us to avoid attracting attention. I think they will arrive in these two days."
Qin Yining nodded. He took the soft eiderdown cushion that Ji Yun took out from her bundle and laid it on the official's hat chair by the window. He patted it lightly and said, "Come and rest for a while. The journey was so bumpy and tiring, I wonder if your wounds have reopened. "
Pang Xiao looked at the thick and soft mattress and couldn't help laughing.
Before they left, Qin Yining was worried that he would feel uncomfortable in the car, so he had rushed to make it overnight. He sat up and felt very comfortable.
"I'm not made of paper. I'm almost healed. How could my wound open again? You just need to relax. "
Even though he said that, his wounds still hurt slightly when he sat down.
Pang Xiao naturally didn't care. He had fought on the battlefield and suffered countless injuries, big and small. He couldn't even remember when and how he got the scars on his body. They were just superficial wounds from being beaten. To him, being beaten made him angrier than the pain.
However, while Pang Xiao didn't care about the pain, Qin Yining seemed to empathize with him. Seeing that his movements were sluggish for a moment when he sat down, Qin Yining hurriedly said, "Don't be in a hurry to do anything these days. It's more important to recuperate first. If you want to investigate the situation in the city, just let your subordinates do it separately. This way, you can investigate more clearly. "
Pang Xiao smiled and nodded. He raised his hand and pinched Qin Yining's white and tender face. "You're so young and naggy. You're almost an old mother."
"If it were someone else, I wouldn't be bothered to say that." Qin Yining rolled his eyes at him. His shimmering eyes were like flowing waves.
Pang Xiao felt that this woman was always so captivating. Just one look was enough to make his heart ripple. He pulled her into his arms, startling Qin Yining.
"What are you doing?"
Pang Xiao didn't answer. Only his warm lips landed on her white face and cheeks.
He cherished her as if Qin Yining was a rare treasure that he had painstakingly obtained.
Qin Yining tried not to press Pang Xiao down so that his wounds wouldn't hurt. However, his warm and firm embrace and his joyful gaze made Qin Yining's heart burn with passion and moved him.
They had been married for many years. Their journey had been bumpy and they rarely spent time together. However, he had never been swayed by prosperity. He always treated her the same.
Qin Yining's body and heart softened. She leaned on his shoulder and enjoyed this rare moment of silence.
At this moment, the two of them didn't want to talk about national affairs. She just wanted to be with Pang Xiao. It would be enough if they could live a peaceful life.
She didn't need any glory or wealth. She just wanted her whole family to be able to gather together peacefully.
However, the natural disaster was getting worse day by day. There were uprisings against Li Qitian everywhere. Li Qitian was so afraid of Pang Xiao.
Da Zhou could be said to be facing strong enemies from outside and internal problems from within. They had even caught up with the natural disaster.
They didn't have the right time, the right place, and the right people. However, Pang Xiao's identity couldn't ignore these things.
Qin Yining only allowed herself to be weak for a moment.
Because she knew that if she wanted to realize her dream and live a peaceful life with her family, there were indeed some things that could be done while the world was in chaos.
"Zhixi, it's better to order people to carefully observe the situation in the city these days. Sir Xie and the others are about to arrive. We also need to make preparations in advance. "
When he met her bright and beautiful eyes, Pang Xiao couldn't care about anything else in his heart. He planted a few more light kisses on her cheeks before he finally compromised under her unwilling gaze. "Don't worry, I'll handle these things carefully. However, based on what I see now, I'm afraid that if we don't touch the treasures, it won't be enough to let the people live. "
Qin Yining's expression was also a bit heavy. She nodded and said, "You think so?"
"If Your Majesty could get food, why would he fake it and scheme? Who doesn't rub powder on their face? It seems that Your Majesty really doesn't have the money to buy food. In addition, the granaries in various places have been abandoned for many years. That's why he can't take out food at this critical moment.
"Our Da Zhou has indeed experienced natural and man-made disasters. However, it's not to the extent that the entire Da Zhou dynasty has run out of food. There is still food, and there must be some from the previous year's storage. However, these are not in Your Majesty's hands. "
Pang Xiao's words hit the nail on the head. Qin Yining nodded repeatedly and said, "That's right. There are people everywhere who make money from the country's calamity. Those merchants and rich people have more noble titles than ordinary people. They also have the financial ability to support themselves. This year's natural disaster was foretold. From then on, they began to stockpile food. Now, they are selling it at a high price. They can earn a large sum of money and feed their own families. It's the best of both worlds."
"Isn't that right? You've analyzed their hearts thoroughly. " Pang Xiao patted her delicate shoulder with his large hand and said with a smile, "However, don't worry. They are stockpiling food to do business. If Your Majesty really can't take out the rice, we will have to think of a way to buy it from these rich people who have stockpiled food."
Speaking of purchasing, they naturally had to use the silver from the treasure.
"I know. I also think that the treasure should be taken from the people and used by the people. It's just that I'm a little worried. After all, the people who know about the treasure are all your trusted aides. Since they're doing their best to assist you, it's undeniable that they're more or less trying to get the credit of succeeding the Emperor.
"These people are the mainstays of your side. It's best that you don't make a decision that will disappoint them."
Pang Xiao sighed helplessly. "I won't disappoint them. However, I can already foresee that if we want to use the treasure, we will have to go through a complicated process. Many of them will not be willing to let me take out the silver to give to the people for free."
Qin Yining's expression was grave. "That's exactly what I am worried about. Your followers and strategists are doing their best to follow us. Naturally, we have to consider their feelings. However, whether or not the silver should be used by the people can also become a topic of discussion. This shows that these people are against it.
"If you can't persuade them, I'm afraid that they will become more and more dissatisfied with you. This is understandable. They are following you because they want you to reach that position. "
Pang Xiao did not say anything. She only hugged Qin Yining's waist and pulled him into her embrace.
Qin Yining's meaning was very clear. She was worried that if he insisted on using the treasure, those who followed him would betray him. Moreover, they had a lot of his secrets in their hands. This was a very big unforeseen event for him.
However, could he ignore the lives of the people just because he was worried about this?
If he did that, then he would really become a person like Li Qitian.
"Don't worry. I will take care of these things. "
After hearing Pang Xiao's words, Qin Yining did not continue this topic. In any case, the result was the same for them. As long as they worked for the people, it would be difficult for them to escape some fixed fate.
For the next day, Qin Yining and Pang Xiao arranged for people to go to the city to investigate the situation.
The news they received was even more disappointing and helpless than they had imagined.
Even though it was a city near the sea, half of the people had starved to death.
Although the situation here was still better than the miserable situation they had encountered on the way here, nine out of ten houses were empty. However, Qin Yining still could not maintain a smile on his face.
In the evening, when the sky was filled with red clouds, Huzi came back and said, "Wang Ye, Wang Fei, Tang Xiu is protecting Sir Xie, Sir Xu, and a few other gentlemen. They have already arrived at the main hall in front of the Second Courtyard through the side door. "
Pang Xiao thought for a moment, then stood up and said to Qin Yining, "You rest first. I will go and see those gentlemen."
Qin Yining knew that he was going to discuss serious matters, so he smiled and nodded, "Go ahead. We will wait for you to come back and eat dinner together. If you encounter any problems, don't be impatient. You can discuss it properly."
Since Qin Yining said this, it meant that he was certain that he would encounter some obstacles on this trip.
"I know. Don't worry. I'm not an unreasonable person. "
Qin Yining stood up and sent Pang Xiao out.
When they arrived at the Second Courtyard, he could not help but remind him, "This is not a place to talk. You have to be careful. "
Pang Xiao turned to look at Qin Yining, who was chasing after her and nagging. Seeing that her beautiful eyebrows were furrowed, she could not help but smile reassuringly, "Don't worry. I know how to deal with it. "
Qin Yining could only nod and lead Ji Yun and Bing Tang back to their room worriedly.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
