pdf-ebookys Chapter 139 Princess, can’t you let the prince worry a little less?
Chapter 139 Princess, can’t you let the prince worry a little less?
The King of Qin's decisive and swift style of action caused an uproar in the court and scared the officials of the other three states half to death!
Yingzhou is the upper province, and Jizhou, Dezhou and Cangzhou are all under the jurisdiction of Yingzhou.
The silver and grain allocated by the imperial court for disaster relief last time were mostly embezzled by the officials of Yingzhou who were too daring and greedy. When it came to the three prefectures under its jurisdiction, there was not much left.
Although it is said that people die for money and birds die for food, under the risk of losing office, dismissal, and even losing one's head, insufficient money and food can still keep people sober and have a conscience.
The amount of money embezzled by officials in Jizhou and Dezhou was not large, but they were terrified when they heard what happened in Yingzhou. After discussing overnight, they returned all the silver and grain that they had embezzled and resold to the government treasury.
Although it is said that all crows are black, there are honest officials in every dynasty. Yue Zhuangcheng, the governor of Cangzhou, was an upright and honest official who loved the people like his own children. He was also the one who reported the corruption case of disaster relief silver and grain.
King Zhao Defang of Qin left three hundred elite Moyun cavalrymen in Yingzhou and led his troops straight to Jizhou.
When we arrived in Jizhou, we saw that many porridge stalls had been built. There was a lot of food piled next to the big iron pot in each stall. The thin and pale-looking victims were queuing up in long queues holding broken bowls and cans.
The city also set up points for selling grain at a reasonable price. Although each person was limited to purchasing half a liter, the price was the same as in Yingzhou, which was twenty wen per dou.
The King of Qin snorted in his heart!
If these corrupt officials had done this earlier, how could more than 600,000 people flee famine, and how could tens of thousands of people starve to death?
The officials of Jizhou came to greet the emperor trembling with fear, their faces pale and their hearts trembling with anxiety. They didn't know what His Royal Highness the King of Qin would do to them after they made amends.
The King of Qin glanced coldly at the trembling officials and said, "The amount of silver and grain you embezzled is all in my account book. Will it be okay if you cough it all up? The souls of the tens of thousands of victims who starved to death are still here, watching you from heaven!"
The officials were so frightened by the King of Qin's words that their legs were trembling and their official uniforms were soaked with cold sweat.
"You have one day to confiscate three times the amount of silver and grain you embezzled and put it into the government treasury!"
The officials who were lying on the ground, trembling with fear, immediately agreed as if they had been pardoned.
The King of Qin did not stay for long. He left two subordinates and two hundred elite Moyun cavalrymen to supervise the matter, and then led his troops straight to Dezhou.
The situation in Dezhou is exactly the same as that in Jizhou. The newly built porridge stalls and food stalls selling grain at affordable prices are all filled with grain spit out by corrupt officials.
The King of Qin still imposed a three-fold fine on them, left a subordinate with two hundred Moyun cavalry to supervise the matter, and then led the team to Cangzhou.
There were more victims in Cangzhou. There were huge crowds of people in front of the porridge stalls built everywhere. There were very few grain bags next to the big iron pots, and there was no food stall selling food at a reasonable price. However, the victims who lined up to receive porridge were not only orderly, but also did not have the numb despair of the victims in other places. They knew that as long as Yue Zhizhou was there, he would not watch them starve to death.
Yue Zhuangcheng, the magistrate of Cangzhou, was sweating profusely as he inspected the porridge stalls with officials and runners.
The two meals of thin porridge a day would soon use up the food reserves in the treasury and the pitiful little relief food that was distributed.
He had tried every possible means these days, using both soft and hard tactics to get food from local powerful landlords, but it was all gone.
Fortunately, thanks to his hard work, basically no disaster victims in Cangzhou starved to death.
The better news is that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin has come to provide disaster relief and investigate the corruption case involving disaster relief silver and grain.
The news from Yingzhou also reached Cangzhou, and Yue Zhuangcheng clapped his hands in delight!
Other officials also secretly rejoiced that they had met a boss who was honest, upright and ruthless, so they did not follow in the footsteps of their colleagues in Yingzhou.
A bailiff came running over with a look of surprise on his face: "Sir, the prefect! His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin is here with his team for inspection!"
Yue Zhuangcheng's face flushed with excitement, tears welled up in his eyes: "His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin came so quickly, the victims of Cangzhou are saved!"
Wu Tongpan hastily reminded him, "Master Yue, let's go and welcome His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin!"
Yue Zhizhou agreed and was about to leave with the officials when a thunderous sound of horse hooves came from the southwest.
More than a thousand elite Moyun cavalrymen were like a steel torrent, surrounding His Royal Highness the King of Qin and galloping towards them.
When they were several hundred steps away, this iron-blooded army reined in their horses.
King Qin Zhao Defang rode slowly forward on horseback, escorted by more than twenty riders.
Yue Zhuangcheng took the lead and knelt on the ground from a distance, "Welcome His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin!"
The disaster victims around also knelt down one after another, "Welcome His Royal Highness the King of Qin! ..."
King of Qin Zhao Defang rode his horse up to the officials, jumped off his horse, and personally helped up Yue Zhizhou and Wu Tongpan one by one.
"My Lords, please stand up!"
Yue Zhizhou and Wu Tongpan stood up and looked at His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin excitedly.
"Your Majesty, you are finally here. The food in Cangzhou can only last for two days at most."
King Qin Zhao Defang suddenly bowed to all the officials!
"On behalf of the imperial court and the 100,000 people of Cangzhou, I would like to thank all the gentlemen who have devoted their energy and hard work to disaster relief!"
Cangzhou is a poor province with too much saline-alkali land in its jurisdiction. However, even with the same disaster, not many victims fled to other places to escape the famine, and no one starved to death.
These dedicated officials have made great contributions!
The officials of Cangzhou were so frightened that they quickly stepped away, not daring to accept the gift from His Royal Highness the King of Qin. However, they were moved and proud in their hearts, and they were all surging in their chests!
[We did not embezzle the relief money and grain, and we did our best to collect grain and provide porridge to save the lives of the people. We have a clear conscience and stand tall! ]
They had forgotten that when Yue Zhizhou had issued an order to stop embezzlement and resale of disaster relief silver and grain, they had cursed this stubborn superior behind his back.
Yue Zhizhou quickly bowed again!
His voice was choked with excitement. "I am unworthy of your praise. It is the duty of local officials to do our utmost to fight the disaster!"
King Qin Zhao Defang sighed with a heavy heart!
"Yes! The salaries given to court officials by the Song Dynasty were the most generous in history. Officials received generous salaries and should have worked hard to benefit the world.
When faced with a natural disaster, we should do our utmost to fight the disaster and rescue the people in our jurisdiction.
But those black-hearted corrupt officials, who usually plunder the people's wealth, are so insatiable that they even create man-made disasters when natural disasters occur. They have lost their humanity by drinking human blood and eating the people's wealth!
It's really hateful and heartbreaking!"
His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin's angry words made all the officials feel terrified and admired!
His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin truly deserves to be called the Eighth Wise King who loves his people like his own children!
After expressing his feelings, the King of Qin said gently, "You have done a great job. I will commend you for your achievements when I return to the capital.
Tomorrow, the food shipped from Yingzhou will arrive, which will solve the urgent problem.
The food urgently transferred by the Ministry of Revenue from Jiangnan will soon be delivered to the disaster area."
When Yue Zhizhou learned that the food would arrive the next day, he was overjoyed!
Looking at His Royal Highness Prince Qin with admiration and worship, "Your Highness is very decisive in doing things! Such speed and effectiveness are really rare."
The King of Qin smiled faintly, "Fighting the epidemic and disaster relief is like marching to war, and speed is of the essence! The key to leading troops with decisive killing is also suitable for use in fighting the epidemic and disaster relief."
Naturally, all the officials racked their brains, searching for words of praise in their minds, and flattered His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin!
The King of Qin, however, remained as gentle as jade, neither arrogant nor extravagant, with a calm expression, and it was obvious that he did not take these flatteries to heart.
Yue Zhuangcheng admired and worshipped him even more in his heart!
If His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin can succeed to the throne according to the "Golden Casket Alliance", he will definitely be an emperor of all ages who can be compared with Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang!
The King of Qin stayed in Cangzhou for only one day. After receiving the grain shipped from Yingzhou, he handed it over to Yue Zhizhou and then led his team away.
He trusted these dedicated officials and did not leave any one to supervise them. He handed over the disaster relief work in Cangzhou to Yue Zhizhou.
King Qin Zhao Defang led his men back to Yingzhou City.
When the victims who had fled the famine heard the news that the King of Qin was providing relief in Yingzhou, they all rushed back.
In this era of strict travel permit system, no one would be willing to leave their hometown and wander around to escape famine unless they really couldn't survive.
Now that there is life-saving food in my hometown, if you don’t run back quickly, you are a fool and deserve to die!
King Qin Zhao Defang personally led his men to patrol the streets of the city.
Groups of ragged, unkempt, pale-faced and thin victims, carrying their elderly and children, entered the city.
Under the supervision of the soldiers and yamen runners, they lined up in an orderly manner in front of the porridge stalls, waiting for a bowl of life-saving hot porridge.
Those who are secretly complaining are those unscrupulous businessmen and landlords who hoarded grain and tried to profit from the natural disaster.
The price of grain used to be as high as seven hundred coins per dou, but now no one is interested in buying it even at one hundred coins per dou.
The limited purchase of grain, which was sold at a fair price of 20 wen per dou, was steadily supplied every day. In the big iron pot in front of the disaster relief porridge shed, pot after pot of thick porridge was cooked from morning to night.
When the people passed by those grain stores, they would spit out a mouthful of relief!
It's right! It would be better if these big men who eat people without leaving any bones behind were all bankrupt!
When the news spread that the relief grain transferred from Jiangnan would be transported to the disaster area in a few days, the grain prices in several prefectures were cut in half overnight.
Every grain shop listed a price of fifty cents per dou.
Seeing that they still couldn't sell the grain, some anxious grain merchants secretly cursed the King of Qin for his cruel methods! At the same time, they gritted their teeth and hung up a sign that the grain was 30 wen per dou.
Most of the grain that was hoarded was bought at a high price of fifty or sixty coins per bushel!
The King of Qin silently ordered his men to purchase the confiscated silver in secret and try to exchange it for life-saving food.
Yun Yi hurried into the room and bowed to King Qin!
"Your Highness, we have received a secret report that Yang Yanzhao will be able to arrive in the capital the day after tomorrow."
Ok?
The King of Qin threw down the account book in his hand and frowned slightly.
"Yang Yanzhao's return is really not at the right time! Yun Yi, send him a message and ask him to dawdle on the road.
I have another task for you. I have noticed that among the disaster victims on Hebei Road, there are many strong and healthy women with big feet.
You take people to observe secretly, and if there are any suitable ones, recruit some for the princess, and bring them back to the capital to hand over to her Big Foot Women's Army."
Yun Yi smiled knowingly and left.
After leaving the door, he couldn't help but smile.
[The prince is worried that when Yang Yanzhao comes to the capital the next day, the princess will go to see him privately, and he cannot secretly supervise him in person!
Alas! ... In addition to Yang Yanzhao, there is also Kou Zhun! I wonder how the prince feels after being so jealous?
The prince was filled with jealousy and was thinking about recruiting soldiers for the princess's Big Foot Women's Army. Princess, can't you let the prince worry less? 】