ebookland Chapter 395 1 The Impoverished County Magistrate
Chapter 395 1 The Impoverished County Magistrate
As Song Ruozhen finished speaking, Chu Tianche glanced at her and said in a deep voice, "What right do you, a mere maid, have to interrupt here?"
Ling Qian'er also sized up Song Ruozhen. This maid was far too unruly, daring to interrupt even in such a matter!
"How could a maid like you understand such things? Even if you want to show off, you should know to consider the occasion."
The arrogant voice carried a hint of disdain, but even more so, contempt, confirming Song Ruozhen's suspicion that Ling Qian'er's previous indifference to worldly affairs was all an act.
She was so focused on the situation in Haitian City that she forgot she was just a maid and shouldn't have said anything.
Chu Junting glanced at Ling Qian'er, "Now is the time to brainstorm. Everyone is trying to come up with ideas, so why bother with these things?"
“Jun Ting, I know you have never cared about the difference between superiors and inferiors, but she is just a short-sighted maid, how could she know these things?”
Ling Qian'er's smile remained unchanged, and she didn't feel anything was wrong. "I think what His Highness Prince Che said is also correct. Many people are starving to death now. It would be better to open the granaries and distribute food first, so that at least fewer people will die."
Gu Huaixu glanced at Ling Qian'er and Prince Che; the two of them were quite a perfect match, singing in unison.
"I remember Miss Ling came here to find someone, and Prince Che accompanied her. Shall we go and inquire first?"
Ling Qian'er's expression changed slightly. She felt that Gu Taifu's words were meant to urge her to leave, but Gu Taifu's expression also showed concern, which made her wonder if she had misunderstood.
"What Grand Tutor Gu said is true. The eldest son of the Ling family has not yet arrived in the capital, but he has now arrived in Pingyang City. Why don't we go and inquire about him first?"
"My brother is exceptionally intelligent; he will surely not only be able to take good care of Miss Ling, but also help find the eldest son of the Ling family," Chu Junting said.
Chu Tianche frowned slightly. Although he had the intention of contacting Ling Qian'er, his main purpose in coming here was to help solve the floods and refugees in the south.
As long as this matter is resolved, even if the emperor did not assign him to handle it, it will still be a great achievement, allowing the court officials to see his abilities and methods.
He didn't care at all about finding Gu Jia Dalang.
"I'll go and find out about my older brother later," Ling Qian'er said.
Chu Junting nodded, "We feel at ease knowing that my brother is with you."
Seeing that Chu Junting had arranged things so clearly for the two of them in just a few words, and that Prince Che looked unwilling but couldn't think of any way to refute it, Song Ruozhen couldn't help but find it amusing.
Before leaving, Chu Tianche still instructed, "Third brother, the lives of the people are at stake. If you really can't think of a way, don't waste time. Opening the granaries and distributing grain is the best solution."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, we will handle this properly," Chu Junting replied.
After the two left, Chu Junting turned to Song Ruozhen and asked, "What were you trying to say just now?"
Everyone turned their gazes, remembering that Ruozhen seemed to have something to say, but was interrupted by Chu Tianche and the other person.
"I think opening granaries and distributing grain is a solution, but there are quite a few refugees now, and the situation in other cities around the city is probably similar, except for Haitian City."
Unless we go to every place and force all the wealthy merchants to open their granaries, once this news gets out, Haitan City will soon be overcrowded, all the grain will be plundered, and the final situation will be no better than it is now, or even worse.”
Song Ruozhen's eyes were serious. She didn't have much experience in dealing with this kind of thing, but she understood human nature.
Just like when Tang Xuening gave out meat buns before, she actually meant well, but people are never satisfied, and good intentions can lead to bad outcomes. That's just human nature.
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately envisioned the possible scenarios and their hearts skipped a beat.
"Not only that, these wealthy businessmen must be connected. They probably received the news and made preparations in advance before we even arrived."
Chu Junting spoke calmly and collectedly, which was also the reason why he had previously opposed Chu Tianche's proposal.
Many things cannot be judged solely by their immediate appearance. A temporary solution might be acceptable if it only addresses one city, but it is clearly unacceptable in such a large-scale situation.
As Gu Huaixu listened to Chu Junting and Song Ruozhen's analysis, he realized that although the two children were young, they were extremely thoughtful in handling matters, and a sense of relief appeared in his eyes.
"Since we need to resolve this matter, let's first go and check on the county magistrate's situation," Gu Huaixu said.
Everyone nodded in agreement. In fact, no one knew the situation in Haitian City better than the county magistrate. They could find out by asking him.
"This humble official, Zhao Qingyuan, Magistrate of Haitian City, greets Your Highness Prince Chu and Grand Tutor Gu."
Upon learning that the King of Chu had actually come to Haitian City in person, the county magistrate came out to greet him with utmost respect and trepidation.
The crowd sized up the county magistrate before them. He was about forty years old, with regular features and dressed very simply. It was unclear whether he had changed his clothes after hearing the news or if this was his usual style.
Chu Junting slightly raised his eyebrows and glanced at Zhao Qingyuan indifferently, his attitude revealing his domineering nature:
"Zhao Qingyuan, as the official in charge of the people of Haitian City, how many people in the city are starving and dying? Is this how you act as their official?"
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
Zhao Qingyuan was startled and knelt down with a thud, saying tremblingly, "It is all my fault for failing to handle this disaster properly."
“Pingyang City is flooded, and the people are displaced and have fled to Haitian City. As the local official, you should actively find ways to receive the refugees, control grain prices, and then report the news to the imperial court.”
Not only did you fail to report it, but you also allowed wealthy merchants to hoard grain and drive up prices. You are practically forcing all the people to their deaths!
Chu Junting's eyes were sharp as knives, and his aura as a superior was unmistakable. The powerful pressure made Zhao Qingyuan not even dare to raise his head.
"This humble official deserves to die!" Zhao Qingyuan's face was pale, and he stammered, "Your Highness, it was all my fault for failing in my duties. I am willing to die to atone for my sins, and I only beg Your Highness to spare my family."
Hearing the commotion inside, Song Ruozhen didn't go in, but instead checked the situation from the outside.
"Fifth sister, I see that the magistrate's house is empty, and it doesn't look much better than that of an ordinary person. This shouldn't be the case!" Song Zhiyu couldn't help but say.
Song Jingshen looked at the situation and also found it strange. "Usually, those who want to make dirty money at this time are always colluding with officials and merchants. It is impossible for a rich merchant to make a fortune while the county magistrate is penniless."
Besides, even if one is penniless, isn't this... a bit too poor?
"I just took a detour to the back kitchen to take a look, and guess what I found?" Song Ruozhen said.
"what?"
"The magistrate's family was eating plain porridge with pickled vegetables. Not only that, I also heard the kitchen maid say that they were almost not full."
Song Jingshen and Song Zhiyu exchanged a glance. This was just too strange!
"He's a county magistrate, after all. Wealthy merchants can't even finish their meat and throw it away, yet he's eating plain porridge with pickled vegetables. Could it be... that he's really being blackmailed?"