Zhu Mo, in the carriage, heard clearly. He thought: This Hai Rui is truly beloved by the people! But is he really the same as the person in the rumors?
Thinking this, he couldn't help but ask Xiao Xiao Sheng, "Old Ding, have you heard of this Hai Rui? Is he really that rigid?"
"Of course I've heard of him... Young Master Zhu, this person is famous! Officials shy away from him, and no one wants to deal with him... I've also heard people talk about him at Chaotian Temple. This man is naturally impervious to persuasion, even ghosts would be troubled by him!"
Oh...
With his doubts, Zhu Mo finally entered Chun'an County town at noon.
Along the way,
Although he didn't see any wandering disaster victims, he saw straw huts filling the area from the city walls up and down, housing disaster victims. A rough estimate suggested at least thirty to fifty thousand people.
...
Upon arriving at the Chun'an County Yamen, the two of them saw a surprising scene—
The open space in front of the gate was filled with raggedly dressed commoners, with temporary straw huts beside them. Farther away, even the Yamen itself seemed to be filled with disaster victims.
This was not surprising. What was more astonishing was—
All these people were the old, the weak, women, and children, and all of them had determined eyes, remaining silent when meeting anyone. There was none of the usual chaotic complaining and despair of disaster victims; instead, it was remarkably orderly, and spontaneously so, without any yamen runners managing them.
Zhu Mo had seen disaster victims long ago and had gone hungry himself in the Taoist temple as a child. At this moment, he immediately noticed the strangeness—
The bowls of these old and weak people contained only porridge so thin it was almost water!
"Stick a chopstick in it and it won't fall!"
Wasn't this Hai Rui's famous saying? How come, under his own charge, not only could chopsticks not be stuck in the disaster victims' bowls, but even a blade of grass would float on top!
Xiao Xiao Sheng was instantly enraged and whispered, "Young Master Zhu, what is this...? Why aren't there any able-bodied men? Where are the yamen runners? There are none..."
Zhu Mo was both shocked and horrified.
You must know,
Before departing from the provincial capital, he already knew that Qi Jiguang had transported grain to Chun'an. By calculation, the grain should not have been depleted yet, so why was it like this?
Could it be?
The grain had all disappeared?
But what about those able-bodied men?
Even stranger, there wasn't a single yamen runner in the yamen. In the halls, in the courtyards, everywhere were old, weak, women, and children, each with a bowl of clear porridge, and all of them silent...
What Zhu Mo found very difficult to bear was—
Everyone was looking at him with a look of suspicion.
This?
Why was this?
Zhu Mo was greatly puzzled.
This,
Was completely not the scene he had anticipated!
...
Zhu Mo felt uncomfortable all over. He quietly stepped out, about to board the carriage to look around, when he heard an old man leaning against a corner murmuring sarcastically, "Hmph! Want to buy our land for next to nothing? No way! Leave early! Don't wait for Master Hai to come back and arrest you!"
Zhu Mo and Xiao Xiao Sheng then had a sudden realization: So they suspected the two of them were here to buy land?
Xiao Xiao Sheng patiently stepped forward and said, "Elderly sir, this is an imperial envoy sent by the court, Young Master Zhu Mo! Have you heard of him? We are here to help with the disaster relief..."
"Hmph! Disaster relief? You people should stay out of it! Several groups of people like you have already come. Don't try to trick us! We will absolutely not sell our land! I hear your accents are from out of town? Hurry up, hurry up and leave. Master Hai will arrest you when he gets back!"
Zhu Mo was stunned: Did Hai Rui arrest those who came to buy good land for cheap? This wasn't illegal, one couldn't be arrested for that... Besides, why weren't these people complaining at all? Even though they were only drinking the clear porridge given by Hai Rui, they still revered Hai Rui like a god!
The old man stared at Zhu Mo again, scrutinizing him, and said disdainfully, "Young man, stop pretending! Young Master Zhu Mo, who in Jiangnan hasn't heard of you? Wang Shizhen, the great scholar, admired him, how could you pretend to be him? He is the number one talent of our Great Ming! And you? I spit..."
This?
Me?
Damn it!
Zhu Mo felt a sense of amusement that was almost like crying—
Pretending to be myself?
After a bitter smile and contemplation, Zhu Mo had no choice but to patiently and gently ask, "Old man, I won't argue with you... I just want to ask you one thing: Where is Hai Rui now?"
The old man snorted again, "Is Master Hai afraid of you? I'm telling you, he's a man of the Crown Prince! You want to find him? That's seeking your own death... Don't blame me for not warning you!"
"Alright, alright, you tell me!"
"Master Hai is in the eastern fields right now! You don't need to look for him, at this time, he will soon return with everyone. Just don't run away!!"
The two of them immediately looked at each other.
...
As expected,
Not long after.
Amidst a clamor, a group of farmers carrying hoes and shovels came from afar. There were at least several hundred of them, with a large mass behind them. The leader, of medium height, with a dark face and a sturdy build, wore a tattered blue cloth garment and was covered in mud.
Although these people were tired, their expressions were relaxed and optimistic. They were even talking and laughing along the way? The farmers centered around him, and laughter was incessant.
What's more,
There were about ten yamen runners in the crowd, who were now no different from ordinary farmers, also covered in mud. As the setting sun bled like blood, amidst the bleak atmosphere of disaster-stricken land, the scene before them was astonishing, giving rise to an indescribable strangeness.
Coincidentally, at this very moment—
At the western road intersection of the small county town, a convoy of carriages, about seven or eight, was entering. They were all very heavy, causing the car bodies and axles to creak. Each carriage had two characters pasted on it—
"Official Granary Treasury Silver"!
Not only that, but beside the convoy was a troop of soldiers, about thirty-odd men.
Such a scene immediately caused many old and weak disaster victims to stand up and surge towards the open space in front of the yamen, pointing and whispering amongst themselves—
This?
What is this for?
What is "Official Granary"?
But no matter who it was, although they didn't know what an official money house was, they clearly recognized the character "Silver." These carriages were all pulling bundles of silver!
Thus, both parties felt immense surprise and walked towards each other. When they were still seven or eight zhang apart, they all stopped, looking at each other, completely unaware of what was happening.
Zhu Mo and Xiao Xiao Sheng were placed between them.
However, although in the middle, they became irrelevant outsiders amidst the tense standoff between the two sides.
...
The murmuring gradually subsided. The two groups drew closer, and as they remained in a stalemate, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
The leader of the convoy was a nephew of Zheng Bichang's wife, named Jin Timing. At this moment, he was not only completely bewildered but also felt a growing sense of fear.
He was ordered to escort the silver. He had expected to be welcomed by the common people, but instead, he encountered such a bizarre scene.
He had already noticed that the farmers opposite him were not only full of fear but their eyes also held immense resentment, and they were all pointing at him. Not only that, but the commoners in the yamen's open space were also silently gathering around!
Regardless of age, strength, gender, or whether they were women or children, they all stood up, their faces full of apprehension, their eyes conveying fear, and a deep hatred towards him...
Invisibly, the scene generated a sense of tragic grandeur, a desperate will to perish together, a fish dying and the net breaking. They seemed to have made a momentous decision!
Jin Timing suddenly felt an overwhelming, invisible pressure, and he became the center of a terrifying vortex!
"This, this, this is..."
In his panic, he also keenly sensed that the sturdy, dark-faced man among the farmers opposite him should be the core figure? These disaster victims kept looking at this person, and each glance seemed to inject them with energy, increasing their resentment towards him.
This person's gaze was like a torch, coldly staring at him, his entire being exuding an indomitable spirit. His cold, electric eyes seemed capable of piercing the heart, clearly conveying: You villains, do not think of succeeding!
This?
Who is this person?
Why is he looking at me like this?
What great crime have I committed?
Jin Timing immediately regretted—
Why did I have to get involved in this mess? I am only a scholar with a juren degree, not wearing an official uniform, so they naturally assume I am a merchant. I knew Chun'an was a deep water, but I didn't expect it to be so deep!
He wanted to run over and find Zhu Mo, but in the tragic atmosphere of the standoff between the two sides, his legs had gone numb, and he couldn't even move.