Noble Lady

After that, the drought broke out completely.

There was no water for irrigation in the fields, and the people could only watch helplessly as the crops that were about to mature died of drought in the fields.

But nothing can be done.

Only then did they realize that something was wrong, but it was too late to store dog food.

Because merchants hoarded goods at high prices, food prices remained high for a while. Most people came from ordinary families, and even if they sold all they had, they still couldn't feed their families.

So he planned to escape.

At that time, Dongyue began to use grain stores to regulate grain prices.

Originally, the three counties of Huaiyuan, Zhushan and Haicheng were to carry out the work simultaneously.

In addition, Xue Chenyu had already explained that the drought in Zhushan County was the most serious, and according to Dongyue's own visit, it was also true, so she had been in Zhushan County.

Things turned out just as she expected. Zhushan County survived the most difficult time because she controlled the price of grain. They waited for the relief grain sent by the court, Xue Hou and Chen Mingxuan.

Naturally, we got through the difficulties smoothly.

The same is true in the nearby Huaiyuan County.

As for Haicheng County, which was farther away, Xue Chenyu said the situation was not the most critical, so she safely handed it over to Su's Grain Store to sell grain at a fair price and regulate grain prices.

Because she was afraid that businessmen would pursue profits, she also found people from the Haicheng County branch of Datong Trading Company in advance and borrowed manpower from them.

In addition, Zheng Duoqi, who was sent by Mr. Lu to supervise the private school, was found.

I just hope that these three parties can supervise each other.

Unexpectedly, these people had already colluded secretly. Because she was far away and had many things to do, she couldn't get away at all. By the time she learned the news, it was already too late.

But before she arrived, she had already sensed that things might change drastically, so she prepared a sachet in advance, emptied the contents, and put a note she wrote in it, so that she would have a backup plan in case of any unexpected events.

Later, she and Mother Li and others went to Su's Grain Store, and were knocked unconscious by the shopkeeper Su.

Everyone basically knows what happened after that.

"The place I woke up in was very remote, and we were all held separately. Only Mother Li was considered a non-threat and was kept with me. We then discussed escaping."

"But I couldn't get Mother Li out. Firstly, the people who were holding us at the time had been putting drugs in our food, making us drowsy after eating it."

"I never displayed my martial arts skills, so they didn't know anything about it. They just thought I was an ordinary maid in charge, so I was less affected. Plus, Madam Li was old, so she was unconscious for a much longer time."

"The room where we were held had only one small window, and it was too high. I could have found a way out, but taking Mother Li with me would have definitely alerted the guards given my physical strength and condition. It was impossible."

Dong Yue couldn't bear it anymore. "After we discussed it, I escaped first."

Afterwards, she found the account book and fled all the way to avoid being hunted down. Finally, she was able to enter the city by blending in with the people fleeing famine.

She had been hiding here and there and had no idea that Xue Chenyu had arrived. She wanted to go to Su's Grain Store to see if there were any clues, and happened to meet Qiuhua who was there to investigate.

It was because of her escape, and those people learned that Xue Hou and others were coming here, that they wanted to kill Xue Chenyu on the way.

I didn't expect that she was also prepared.

Yuzhu was right next to her, patting her back gently, and comforting her: "You've already reached that situation, yet you were able to escape and bring back crucial evidence. The girl knows your difficulties and won't blame you."

"Don't blame yourself. If it were any of us, we wouldn't be able to do it as well as you. I can't even lift anything with my hands or shoulders. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to escape."

Qiuhua, Xiahe and the others expressed their agreement with the order.

The worry between Dongyue's brows finally relaxed a little.

Xue Chenyu couldn't help but smile. When it came to comforting people, Yuzhu was indeed a good hand.

"It's a pity that I only got those two account books at that time, and I couldn't take away the rest. They should have moved everything away by now." Dongyue said with regret.

"It's okay. You got the most important part. Even if they destroyed the rest, it's not a big deal. Right now, we need to get the Datong Trading Company's Haicheng County branch back as soon as possible."

I caused a big commotion today, but only caught the troublemaker, closed the business, and detained everyone. I'll go back and settle the accounts later after I've cleaned up the mess.

……

While they were talking, the mayors and village heads of all towns and villages in Haicheng County had rushed to the county government office.

This was exactly the order Chen Mingxuan had given before.

Chen Mingxuan has now been instructed by Situ Zhen, the Prince of Cheng, to act as the county magistrate.

He directly posted official documents to resettle those who had left their homes due to famine.

He also personally explained to the mayors and village heads, asking them to take back all the people currently scattered in the city who belonged to their respective towns and villages, and that relief food would be delivered later.

If there are town mayors or village heads who shirk their responsibilities, they will be dismissed on the spot.

With the daily distribution of porridge, the people in each village and town have long been clearly identified.

Xue Chenyu had made arrangements early on. Except for the first two days of chaos and disorder, porridge was distributed according to the villages and towns.

It also needs to be registered.

Now that all the town mayors and village heads have come, it's a good opportunity to take the people back.

Of course, these hungry people who have a bowl of porridge to eat here are more worried that they will have no food to eat when they go back.

Chen Mingxuan could only imitate Xue Chenyu's beating of drums and gongs, "I have said that the relief food will be delivered soon. Even if you don't believe me, think about it..."

"You've been stranded in the city for a long time now, with nowhere to go and no clothes to change into. It's still hot out, and you think sleeping on the streets is okay, just finding a roof over your head."

"But have you ever considered that no matter how long the summer in Lingnan lasts, winter will eventually arrive. It's already nearly November. Once the heavy snow is over, do you still expect to survive the winter wearing this single outfit?"

Chen Mingxuan's words immediately penetrated everyone's heart.

"Yes, no matter how long the summer is here, winter will come soon. I can't wear this thin layer of clothes to survive the winter. Where will I get a quilt to cover myself with?"

"That's right. If I could have enough food to eat when I get home, it would definitely be comfortable. As the saying goes, there's no place like home, not to mention sleeping on the streets here."

"But sir, what if we go back and have no food? We can't starve to death, right?"

Chen Mingxuan took a deep breath. He felt that he was new here and lacked credibility.

So he sent his men to invite Xue Chenyu and the prince.

then.

The prince and Miss Xue soon reunited at the gate of the county government office.

"I know you're starving, afraid you'll die if you go home. But Lord Chen is an official sent by His Majesty. He represents the court, and he's bound to keep his word. This is a matter of the court's dignity."

Situ Zhen read from the script.

He also knew that these words were of little use to ordinary people who were starving and afraid of death.

In fact, it doesn’t matter much to the common people who becomes the emperor. They just want to have a full meal.

"Even if you don't believe him, you should at least believe Miss Xue." Situ Zhen pushed Xue Chenyu out again.

Then everyone saw the dusty Xue Chenyu limping out with the help of her maid.

"Why is Miss Xue injured?"

"But what happened?"

These hungry people in Haicheng County already have a very good impression of Xue Chenyu. They treat her like a living Bodhisattva and naturally care about her safety.

Situ Zhen: "Miss Xue has been so worried about you. What will you do if you let her down?"

Xue Chenyu: Prince Cheng, you enjoy watching the fun, don’t you?

Of course, now is not the time for her to lose her temper.

She cleared her throat and said, "The imperial envoy sent by His Majesty, Prince Cheng, and Lord Chen, the great savior who brought the grain, came all the way from the capital, just like me."

"Why don't you trust them? Why don't you trust the court?"

"When the prince learned that some people were fleeing famine northward, he was worried that something might happen to you on the Peach Blossom Road, so he immediately organized people to chase you back and didn't let you starve."

"After all this time, aren't the Prince and Master Chen, who saved your lives, enough for you to trust?"

"Or do you really prefer to sleep on the streets here rather than return to your comfortable homes?"