Accidentally dressed as an empress

After the banquet, Zhong Yi and Yun Xiu returned to the prefectural government. Yun Xiu lay down on the bed to rest, but Zhong Yi was still working hard late into the night. He had to research and make the sleeve arrow as soon as possible.

On weekdays, he had to manage all the household chores in the prefect's mansion and had no time to spare, so he became busy again.

Early in the morning of the second day, the sky was not yet completely bright, and a hint of paleness had just appeared in the sky. The whole world seemed to be still immersed in sleep, and the surroundings were strangely quiet.

Su Qing reorganized the army early. She was dressed in military uniform and stood tall in front of the team. Under her leadership, the army left the city in an orderly manner, and their figures gradually disappeared in the morning mist.

Yunxiu stood quietly on the city wall and watched Su Qing lead the army away. Her eyes followed the direction the army left.

The morning breeze blew her hair and the corners of her clothes, but she seemed not to notice. She just stood there motionless until the familiar figure completely disappeared from her sight, and then she slowly withdrew her gaze.

Now that the bandit problem has been eliminated and the situation has stabilized, Yunxiu had an idea and sent someone to call Tan Juan. Tan Juan came with Zhong Lu. Yesterday, she was busy handing over and counting the supplies brought by Su Da and Su Er, and was unable to participate in the banquet.

The morning sun began to rise. Yunxiu sat alone in the lobby for a while, waiting, when Tan Juan hurried over.

The two looked at each other, without any unnecessary greetings, and quickly got to the point.

Yunxiu said bluntly, "I plan to recruit a grain protection team and reopen the porridge stall. Tan Juan, you will write the notice."

In the bright room, the two sat around the table, talking to each other. After discussing, Tan Juan picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and quickly wrote the notice.

The content of the notice on the wooden sign was clear and unambiguous: "We are now recruiting strong, brave and fearless men to ensure food security and protect peace in the city.

Anyone who joins the food protection team can get enough food every month to support their family and ensure that their family will not suffer from hunger.

In addition to the food reward, there will be a certain amount of silver and a house in the city."

After writing the notice, Yunxiu did not dare to slack off at all and immediately arranged personnel.

Yunxiu called Su Da and Su Er and asked them to pick some kind and patient guards to post the notices.

Yunxiu also reminded them to post the notice in conspicuous places throughout the city, including on crowded streets, next to porridge stalls, and at the city gates where there are many people coming and going.

The guards also had to publicize it loudly so that the people would come to the signboard to read the notice and know about it.

The guards took the order and left, quickly disappearing from sight with the notice board, and began to publicize with the sound of gongs and drums.

At the same time, Yunxiu decisively ordered Su Dasu Erchong to open a porridge stall.

Su Da and Su Er took action immediately. They quickly led people to clean up the debris accumulated in the porridge shed, and the stove that was originally covered with dust was wiped clean.

Someone brought bundles of dry firewood and stacked them neatly beside the stove. The firewood gave off a faint woody fragrance.

Then, the women in charge of cooking porridge also came. They skillfully moved bags of grain to the stove, began to wash the rice, add water, and pour clean water into the big stone pot.

The porridge stall that had been closed was rekindled by everyone's busy work. The flames burned in the stove, flashing a warm orange light.

The flames in the stove roared and grew stronger. The porridge in the pot began to boil and steam rose out.

Suddenly, the porridge stall began to smell the aroma of life again. The smoke curled up, mixed with the rich aroma of rice porridge, and the rice fragrance gradually spread and wafted in all directions.

The fragrance was like magic, attracting the hungry people.

Those people, whose eyes were originally filled with despair, were tortured by hunger and became pale, thin, and hunched.

When he saw the porridge stall reopened, a glimmer of hope instantly ignited in his eyes.

They supported each other and came from all directions. There were old people leaning on crutches, trembling but still walking; there were men holding children, tears in their eyes; there were children following behind their parents, their eyes full of desire for food.

In front of the porridge stall, hungry people surrounded it. The guards were responsible for maintaining order and shouted loudly: "Everyone line up properly, don't push, everyone will get a share!" Others shuttled through the queue to help the frail elderly and children.

"Everyone, take your time. There's plenty of porridge today!" a woman serving porridge shouted at the top of her voice. "Our governor has reopened this porridge stall so that everyone can have a hot meal."

"Everyone come one by one and line up!" the guard shouted.

The people finally lined up in a long queue, and the person in charge of distributing porridge held a big spoon and served the people porridge in an orderly manner.

Each spoonful was full of white rice porridge, which fell steaming into the bowls handed over by the people.

Some people didn't have bowls, so the person giving out porridge took out the ceramic bowls they had prepared in advance and handed them to them.

Some of them took large wooden spoons and stirred the steaming pot constantly to ensure that every grain of rice was heated evenly. The rice porridge swirled and became thicker as it was stirred by the spoon.

"Your Excellency the Governor is truly kind-hearted and has let bygones be bygones." A gentle woman took the bowl of porridge and said while wiping her tears.

"Everyone has been hungry for so long, eat less first and don't overeat." The woman who was distributing porridge reminded as she served the porridge.

A young man holding a child was standing in the middle of the line. The child was crying with hunger, and his face was full of anxiety and helplessness.

An old man nearby saw this and took out a piece of hard dry food from his pocket and handed it to her: "Here, give it to the child to eat first."

"Thank you, you are such a good person." Tears flashed in the young man's eyes. He took the dry food gratefully, broke off a small piece and fed it to the child. The child's crying gradually subsided.

The people took the bowls of porridge, holding them in both hands, feeling the warmth spread from their fingertips throughout their bodies, their lips trembling slightly, tears glistening in their eyes. An old woman took the porridge, her hands trembling, her eyes filled with gratitude, and she kept muttering, "Mother Goddess bless you! Mother Goddess bless you!"

The little grandson beside her couldn't wait to pick up the bowl and drink it in big gulps. The rice porridge stained his dirty little face, but he didn't bother to wipe it off and just kept eating.

"Eat slowly, kid, don't choke." A slightly older child next to him said to him with a smile, and handed his share of pickled vegetables to his grandson, "Eat some pickled vegetables, don't just drink the porridge."

"Thank you, sister." The little grandson said vaguely.

Some children passed their bowls to their weaker companions behind them while eating. Their sensible appearance moved everyone around them.

"You kid, you're hungry, yet you're still thinking about others." An adult praised the child while touching his head.

The adults also ate very quickly, as they hadn't felt full in a long time. Some of them started coughing from eating too fast.

"Hey, go slower, the porridge won't run away." The person next to him laughed and joked while patting his back.

The man coughed and laughed in response: "I'm really hungry. This porridge is really a lifesaver."

Yunxiu happened to come to the porridge shed for inspection, "Thank you for saving my life, sir!" An old man bowed in Yunxiu's direction, his voice choked with sobs.

Yunxiu quickly stepped forward and supported the old man: "Please eat quickly. A full stomach will give you strength. This is what we should do. Let's get through this together."

The people around echoed: "Your Excellency is our savior!"

At this time, a young and strong woman finished her porridge, walked up to Yunxiu, and knelt down with a plop. "Sir, you are our savior. I want to do something for everyone. I am willing to join the grain protection team."

Her voice was loud and clear, and the people around her responded, "We are willing too!"

"Yes, we can't just rely on the adults for relief. We have to protect our own food."

Yunxiu's heart warmed. She looked at these simple yet resilient people and said loudly, "Great! With everyone's heart, there is hope for our city. The grain protection team welcomes everyone with courage. Let's protect our homeland and our grain together!"

The people in the square immediately cheered.

"This grain protection team is a really good idea! We have to protect our grain well." A white-haired old man stroked his beard and praised in a loud voice.

"Yes, food is our lifeline. Those food thieves are so despicable. We can't let them do whatever they want anymore." The middle-aged man next to him was full of anger and clenched his fists tightly.

Then, Yunxiu's tall figure appeared in front of everyone, her eyes firm and bright.

She began to organize and register the information of people who were willing to join the grain protection team in an orderly manner.