The timing for setting up porridge stalls was uncertain. If it had been established from the beginning and then closed, no one could fault it. After all, their household rice supply was limited, and rationing was the correct approach. However, if someone joined midway and only intended to operate for a few days, others were not fools; they would surely see through it as mere pretense, not a genuine act of feeding the needy.
"Father, furthermore, the Emperor's health is failing. He has been confined to his sickbed for months. Without a miraculous medicine, I fear he may not survive this year."
A new emperor needed to be enthroned. However, their Wang family had previously served as the Junior Director of the Eastern Palace’s Bureau of the Heir Apparent under the deposed crown prince. For years, they had been trying to distance themselves, but had never truly succeeded. While Emperor Xingzhao reigned, his appointments kept them in place, and both Prince Duan and the Crown Prince were his sons. Thus, living cautiously allowed them to reach the position of Assistant Minister.
But with the Crown Prince ascending the throne, things would be different. As the saying goes, "One emperor, one court," he would first purge Prince Duan's faction. Wang Chengyi, having served Prince Duan, would undoubtedly be at the forefront of this purge. This was highly disadvantageous, extremely disadvantageous. Therefore, at this moment, it was best to avoid drawing attention.
Realizing this, Wang Chengyi broke out in a cold sweat. Listening to his youngest son’s eloquent discourse, he felt a surge of relief. Fortunately, he hadn't acted impulsively, otherwise all his years of planning would have been in vain.
"Master..." Madam Wang tried to ask more, but Wang Chengyi waved her off. He dismissed her, telling her not to dwell on such matters. This was not the opportune moment to seek prominence. Madam Jing, from a humble background, did not understand court politics and generally followed the pronouncements of the men in the family.
The matter passed. Although the Wang family withdrew, as people were not paying close attention, several porridge stalls quietly sprang up. Originally, there were only a little over thirty porridge stalls; with this addition, the number reached over fifty. This greatly alleviated the pressure on the initial thirty-plus stalls. Those that could only last three days now persisted for seven or eight days, with even surplus grain remaining.
By this time, the Tongzhou granary was supposed to be opened. Soon, they would no longer have to starve. However, their eager wait resulted in disappointment. On June 15th, it was suddenly revealed that the millions of stones of grain in the Tongzhou granary had long since disappeared. The vast granary now held only 100,000 shi, enough for only 100,000 disaster victims for two to three days.
News of this reached the imperial court. Emperor Xingzhao was furious. He ordered the punishment of the Minister of Revenue, along with his subordinate officials, and in his rage, collapsed from a stroke. He remained unconscious for a day and a night before waking. His first inquiry was about the granary and disaster relief. He learned that due to the punishment of the Ministry of Revenue officials, no one had yet been found to manage the affairs, and the matter was left pending.
Emperor Xingzhao erupted in anger again, coughing violently until he coughed up blood. Finally, after the earnest persuasion of many ministers, he managed to stabilize himself and summoned Grand Secretariat Chief Song Sanqing and Second Secretariat Chief Yang Tinghe, issuing them instructions.
When she returned home, Su Xiaoqi also learned of this news. She was also disheartened. "What? They said the grain would be released for disaster relief after a few days." Now, even the national granary had been emptied by some kind of parasite. In normal times, this would have been manageable. With the summer harvest, grain consumption could be quickly replenished. But this year was a drought year. Even if they survived the summer and hoped for the autumn harvest to plant a crop for winter sustenance, there was already a minor locust plague. Great Liang would likely not recover from this natural disaster for at least a year and a half. The book stated that only Shen Yun and a person named Wang intervened to save the day, preventing greater losses. Su Xiaoqi felt her head spinning.
Shen Yun held her hand and said, "The only course of action now is to close the porridge stalls. Everything will depend on individual fate."
Su Xiaoqi refused. "Isn't there the Yunzhou granary?" Yunzhou stored grain transported from the northeastern regions. The quantity was not large, but the person guarding the granary was known for his integrity, so the grain there was surely safe.
"Last year, the northeast experienced an extremely cold winter, resulting in a poor harvest. There were only 300,000 shi, and with tens of thousands of disaster victims now, how can we provide aid?" Shen Yun had already suspected the condition of the Tongzhou granary, but the reality was even more shocking. At the same time, he felt deeply disappointed by the corrupt officials and the state of the dynasty. He even doubted whether the Great Liang Dynasty he served was worth his loyalty.
"Three hundred thousand shi is still quite a bit," Su Xiaoqi mused, her eyes darting. She had already decided to use her reserve grains from her space. After all, over these past few days, the grains she had賀秋磊 collect were almost depleted. She was now very worried that other porridge stalls, upon hearing this news, would falter. Coupled with the depletion of grain reserves, the reduction in the number of porridge stalls could lead to unrest among the disaster victims.
Su Xiaoqi's estimation was correct. Because the imperial granary had failed, some noble families were unwilling to contribute grain for free to set up porridge stalls and provide daily sustenance. Where there had been hope, there was now a sense of futility. The next day, several porridge stalls closed. Some had been operating from the beginning, while others had opened just days ago, offering porridge for only a day or two before shutting down.
Su Xiaoqi’s heart sank. What she could do was still too little. However, she would do her best to save as many people as she could. At this moment, her space seemed to come alive, automatically leveling up to level twenty. The harvesting speed of her crops, such as rice, wheat, potatoes, and corn, doubled. She even received two spiritual herbs from her space. All of this filled Su Xiaoqi with immense confidence. To help those porridge stalls persevere, she had賀秋磊 transport some of her home-grown corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes from her estate. These were to be added to the rice porridge, reducing their consumption of rice and allowing them to last a few more days. They would eventually persevere.
But even so, it was still not enough. Only tens of thousands of people had entered the capital; many more were spread across other prefectures in Northern Zhili, and some were struggling to survive by foraging in the mountains. Every day, many people were still dying—from starvation, malnutrition... Bodies piled up. The weather was hot, and no one had the capacity to dispose of them promptly, leading to the outbreak of various illnesses.
The imperial court opened the Yunzhou granary, and grain was also sent from the fertile regions of Jiangnan and Huguang via the Grand Canal to support Northern Zhili. Consequently, gradually, the disaster-stricken populace no longer had to worry about starving to death. However, the illnesses, which had not been controlled in time earlier, began to spread among the disaster victims. Many who had not died of starvation succumbed to diseases. While grain was no longer scarce, more and more people were dying. The populace was enraged, but had no effective solutions. Later, the diseases began to spread not only among the disaster victims but also to the servants in many affluent households. Even some high-ranking stewards and governesses contracted the illness, as did some ladies and young ladies from wealthy families.
Suddenly, people were filled with panic, a fear even greater than when there was no food. Following the scramble for grain, a buying frenzy erupted again across various parts of Northern Zhili, this time for medicinal herbs. And the one who instigated all of this was Zhao Xiaohua.