0p0 Chapter 669 Yangque City
Chapter 669 Yangque City
Shen Ruyi suddenly found the act of confiscating property quite fun and interesting.
After thinking it over in her mind, she realized that her current rescue efforts were only a temporary solution and that she needed to go to the prefectural city where the disease was located to expand the scope of her efforts.
Therefore, it was decided to split the force into three groups.
The group led by Lord Lu continued their previous actions, inspecting village by village as planned.
Those young masters were all under Lord Lu's command, and of course, General Huang also assigned a group of men to protect them.
The supplies on the train were also under their control.
Another team, led by General Huang, is investigating the whereabouts and origins of these human traffickers.
Shen Ruyi wanted to see if she could catch a few big fish, and she didn't believe that there weren't high-ranking officials and nobles involved.
The rest of the people went with Shen Ruyi to the local prefectural city of Yangque. If conditions allowed, she would go for a big one.
After making the arrangements, Shen Ruyi led Yiren and the shadow guards on horseback towards the prefectural city.
They encountered many refugees along the way, but these refugees were not from the epicenter as Shen Ruyi thought, but from Sishan County, which is next to it.
After asking around, I learned that the Qingjiang River embankment upstream of Sishui County collapsed due to the earthquake.
The floodwaters breached the dikes and flowed downstream, causing most of Sishui County to be flooded.
The houses, grain, and poultry were all washed away by the flood, and people couldn't survive, so they thought of fleeing to the prefectural city.
Shen Ruyi had someone call over a merchant surnamed Chen who was with the group of refugees and asked him a question.
"Where is your county magistrate? Hasn't he taken any action? Hasn't he opened the granaries to distribute grain?"
I figured this person was a businessman, so he should know more.
They should be better informed than these refugees.
As expected, the other party did not disappoint Shen Ruyi.
"You guys are obviously from out of town. What are you thinking? The county magistrate was one of the first to run away."
Upon receiving the news, he immediately fled with his group of concubines.
The official in charge of Sishan County now is Master Ma.
"So, that Master Ma is considered a good person and a good official?"
"What a load of rubbish! It's not that he doesn't want to run away, it's that his mother won't leave."
She insisted that even if she died, she wanted to die here, to return to her roots, otherwise she would die with regrets.
Master Ma, that corrupt official, was no good official, but he was an extremely filial son.
His filial piety was renowned far and wide; everyone knew about it.
His mother said he would never go west if she said he would go east. Because of this, he would take care of anyone or anything his mother liked in Sishan County.
So in our Sishan County, if you want to get something done, it's better to flatter his mother than to ask the clerk.
Many people use his mother to achieve their goals, and it always works.
"I see. That sounds quite interesting. So, what is his relationship with the county magistrate?"
"Those two had a very good relationship; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were in cahoots. They were equally wicked and even cooperated to cover for each other."
"You know quite a lot. Has Master Ma opened the granary to distribute grain?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. What grain are you going to put out? There isn't even a mouse in the warehouse."
"Where's the grain?"
"It was sold off secretly."
Shen Ruyi smiled, gave the other person a meaningful look, and lowered her voice to say:
"Oh, you do know a lot. But could you tell me how you know all that? Hmm?"
I have a feeling that this person's arrival was too deliberate, as if he was waiting for her on purpose.
It's clearly unreasonable that an ordinary person could know this so clearly.
The merchant surnamed Chen was so frightened by Shen Ruyi's ambiguous gaze that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy.
"We were wrong, we will never do it again, please forgive us, sir."
"Wrong? Okay, tell me, where did you go wrong?"
“It is wrong for a junior to speculate about adults, and even more wrong for a junior to say these things to adults.”
"I truly know I was wrong. Please forgive my mistake and let me off this time. I really won't dare to do it again."
Shen Ruyi snorted coldly, "My lord? Who is my lord? Speak!"
"You are an adult, you are an adult, I really know I was wrong."
But I had no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure. I just want to save my hometown and the people there.
I didn't mean any harm, really, please forgive me, sir.
"How come I don't know what kind of adult I am?"
The other person secretly glanced at Shen Ruyi again and said cautiously:
“You must be an adult, or at least a young master from a noble and powerful family, right?”
Your demeanor and bearing suggest you're no ordinary person. You must have a way to save them, right?
Such temperament is not something that can be cultivated in just any family.
Based on his many years of business experience, this person was either a benefactor or an important person.
But one thing is certain: their family background must be top-notch.
Shen Ruyi didn't answer the other person, but continued to ask, "What other information do you know? Tell me everything."
"..."
Having learned what she needed to know, Shen Ruyi spurred her horse forward without stopping for a moment.
The woman beside her asked, "Aren't you sad?"
"What's there to be sad about? It's because we have expectations and hopes for them that we feel disappointed and sad."
I never had any expectations of these officials, so whatever happens, I find it all quite normal.
After all, the real world isn't a TV drama; there aren't that many incorruptible officials who are remembered throughout history.
Moreover, the reality is that honest officials and kind-hearted people with a bottom line simply cannot survive.
The entire pool was filthy and dirty; how could they possibly allow anything clean and pure to exist there?
This is like some people who are clearly capable but just can't make money, and they still live a very frugal life.
It's not that they have a problem with their abilities; it's that they are too clean and simply cannot survive in this filthy world.
Of course, it's also because their methods and intentions are too clean and pure.
It would be a lie to say that you felt nothing upon hearing this news.
How could she not be moved? After all, so many innocent people had died; their lives mattered too.
Although the main cause was the earthquake, it was ultimately a man-made disaster.
There wasn't a single grain of food left in the granary. These people are incredibly audacious.
She replied, "I see. You've thought it through."
“What kind of insight is this?” Shen Ruyi sighed and said, “Let’s continue on our way.”
"Yes, master."
After riding for more than an hour, I finally made it into the city before dark, carrying the token of the King of the East Sea, and arrogantly used my methods.
The city gates have been closed for the past few days, for fear that refugees from outside might enter the city and cause trouble.
This time, Shen Ruyi didn't hide anything or conceal her whereabouts.
She deliberately swaggered into the city, and even arrogantly put on airs as a princess.