With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

Qiao'er carefully glanced at Chen Qingwan's expression before saying:

"Your Majesty, perhaps... perhaps there is someone who can solve this problem..."

Chen Qingwan raised her eyebrows: "Who?"

"Lu... Lu Yan... Lu Yan from Shannan County..."

Qiao'er's voice became smaller and smaller, almost inaudible.

Chen Qingwan was stunned when she heard this, then sneered:

"Bah! I think you've been bewitched by that bastard official! Shannan County is a place with some crooked ways."

"But food and water don't fall from the sky! Unless Shannan County's food can feed millions of people for several years!"

"But that greedy bastard Lu Yan wouldn't take it out even if he really had it!"

"The people of Datong don't need this hypocritical handout from this corrupt official!"

Qiao'er was so frightened by Chen Qingwan's anger that she dared not speak anymore.

He lowered his head and didn't dare to breathe.

Li Dazhuang felt relieved when he saw Chen Qingwan rejecting Lu Yan so much.

He had always been suspicious of the various rumors about Lu Yan.

I think it's too exaggerated, even a bit absurd.

Now it seems that His Majesty does not trust Lu Yan, so he doesn't need to mention this person anymore.

Chen Qingwan rubbed her throbbing temples. This crooked official deserved to die!

She waved her hand and said impatiently:

"Li Dazhuang, take these gold, silver, and jewelry and contact the grain merchants. The higher the price, the better. Buy the grain back quickly! Hurry!"

Li Dazhuang responded as if he had been pardoned:

"Yes! Your Majesty! I will do it right away!"

After saying that, he ran out in a flash, as if he was afraid that Chen Qingwan would go back on her word.

Chen Qingwan turned to Qiao'er again, her tone softening a little.

"Qiao'er, arrange for people to spread the news that the imperial court will provide relief to the victims in the capital, offering them a way out and leading them to the capital."

Qiao'er bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

……

The sun scorched the earth and the air was filled with the smell of dust and sweat.

Lu Yan rode a mule, staggering along the road to the Shannan County branch.

He "borrowed" this mule from Qingshui County.

It is said that she is Zhao Dezhu's treasured child, and he treats her like a treasure on weekdays.

But who is Lu Yan?

He is Lu Yan!

Someone who borrows things and never returns them.

He hummed a tuneless little tune while looking at the surrounding scene.

The construction progress of this sub-county is much faster than he imagined.

The streets have already taken shape and some simple shops have started to operate.

"Sir, there's a newly opened restaurant up ahead. Do you want to go in and take a rest?"

Lu Fei followed Lu Yan on horseback and pointed to a two-story building not far away.

Lu Yan squinted his eyes and looked at it. Although the restaurant was simple, it looked very good.

But in this remote place, it stands out from the crowd.

"Okay, let's go try the food and drinks at this country shop and see if there are any surprises."

The three of them entered the restaurant and were greeted by a strong aroma of wine.

Lu Yan found a seat by the window and picked up the menu on the table.

But I found that the names of the dishes written on it were all weird.

"Flying Dragon in the Sky? What the hell is that? It's not a lizard, is it? And this Phoenix Dancing in the Sky, isn't it made of chicken feathers?"

Lu Fei and Zhang Xun looked at each other and tried hard to suppress their laughter.

"Sir, these... these are all rustic dishes, and the names they give are... quite... down-to-earth."

Lu Yan curled his lips.

"Down-to-earth? I think it's down-to-earth! Never mind, just serve a few signature dishes and a good bottle of wine."

After the food and wine came, Lu Yan took a bite and his eyes widened immediately.

"Oh my god! What the hell is this? It tastes worse than pig food! You can call this a signature dish? Boss! Boss!"

A short, fat boss with a greasy face came running over happily.

"Sir, what do you want?"

"Orders? What the hell is this dish you made? Even a dog wouldn't eat it! Give me back my money!"

Lu Yan slammed his chopsticks on the table and said angrily.

The boss turned pale with fright.

"Sir, this... this is our restaurant's signature dish. Everyone says it's delicious..."

"Delicious? Try one and let me see! It's awful! Give me your money back!"

The boss had no choice but to return the money.

Lu Yan and the other two left the restaurant cursing.

Not long after walking out of the restaurant, a spy came running over in a hurry.

"Report! Sir, a drought has struck Qingzhou, and countless people have been affected!"

When Lu Yan heard this, he frowned.

Drought? Victims?

This is a troublesome matter.

However, an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

“Disaster victims…disaster victims…got it!”

He slapped his thigh and said excitedly:

"Hurry! Go back and gather the troops, bring some food, and let's go to Qingzhou to provide disaster relief!"

Lu Fei and Zhang Xun looked confused.

"Sir, our county has just been established and the food supply is not very abundant. If we go to provide disaster relief...will it be..."

"Idiot! Let's go to Qingzhou and bring back all the disaster victims! Our sub-county is in urgent need of civilians. This is a great opportunity!"

"Now that we have people, are we still worried about no one growing crops?"

Lu Fei and Zhang Xun suddenly realized what was going on and gave thumbs up.

"Great! It's really great! Your Excellency is wise!"

Lu Yan smiled proudly.

"This is called turning a crisis into an opportunity! Hurry up and prepare, we'll set off tomorrow!"

The next day, Lu Yan led a group of people and marched towards Qingzhou in a mighty manner.

They didn't bring much food, only some medicine and daily necessities.

Lu Yan knew that if he wanted to attract the victims, he had to let them see hope.

When they arrived in Qingzhou, Lu Yan and his group were shocked by the scene before them.

The fields were dry and cracked, with no grass growing on them. Everywhere were ragged, skinny victims.

Some of them sat on the roadside with empty eyes, while others wandered around looking for food.

Lu Yan looked at these poor victims and felt mixed emotions.

Although he wanted to use them to develop the sub-county.

But seeing their miserable state, I couldn't help but feel pity.

"Sir, are we...are we really going to take them all back?"

Lu Fei asked with some reluctance.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan immediately replied:

"Take them! Of course we have to! But we have to make them willing to follow us."

at the same time.

Chen Qingwan's disaster relief team was slowly marching on the official road to Qingzhou.

When Her Majesty the Empress travels, there is naturally a lot of pomp and ceremony.

Even though this was a secret visit, he brought five carriages with him.

Three of them were loaded with food and medicine.

At first, Chen Qingwan looked at the emaciated appearance of the victims along the way.

He couldn't bear it and ordered that porridge and medicine be provided.

But along the way, the number of victims far exceeded her imagination.

At first they came in groups of three or four, and later in large groups.

Later, a dark mass came like a swarm of locusts.

Chen Qingwan's kindness is like a piece of fat meat that exudes fragrance;

Attracted countless hungry wolves.

"Your Majesty, we are running low on food."

Qiao'er came close to Chen Qingwan and spoke in a low voice with concern.