Yu Zhi followed the displaced people and came to a dilapidated mountain temple.
The mountain temple is not big and can only accommodate dozens of people. Some other people went to the inn station a little further away.
In short, each of the five or six hundred people has his own placement. The so-called resettlement means finding a sheltered place to spend the night.
Yu Zhi hugged Tuantuan and followed the crowd. After entering the mountain temple, I found a corner and sat down.
Yu Zhi's clothes were clean and tidy, there was no smell of sweat on his body, and there was no look of exhaustion on his face.
This appearance blends into the crowd, and you can tell the difference at a glance.
But these people had been homeless for several months and were mentally exhausted. They couldn't care less about what was mixed in the crowd.
After about a stick of incense, the setting sun completely set under the Western Mountain, and darkness fell.
Night enveloped the mountain forest and also covered the entire mountain temple.
Soon, some people got up and they started to make a fire to cook. Bonfires lit up the entire mountain temple.
Yu Zhi glanced at the pot. It was full of rotten vegetable leaves and leaves, and there was very little rice at the bottom of the pot. This is the only meal that these 50 or 60 people have.
Everyone received a bowl of...soup. Obviously, this bowl of soup is not enough for them to survive the night, but it is better than nothing.
Tuantuan held his belly and growled. "Brother, Tuantuan is hungry."
Before meeting Yu Zhi, she followed others to pick up leaves on the ground and eat them.
An old man next to him handed over a bowl of soup and said weakly: "Give it to the child."
Yu Zhi looked at the old man, who was skinny and skinny, with a pair of dull eyes under his messy long hair.
In this dark night, this appearance looked extremely scary.
Yu Zhi did not take the soup because he knew that the old man only had this bowl of soup tonight.
"Old man, you gave us this bowl of soup. What about you? What do you eat?"
The old man sighed, looking helpless and sad. "The old man is buried in the soil from the neck down. It doesn't matter whether he eats or not. One more day of living means one more day of wasted food."
Yu Zhi took out half a noodle cake from his arms and handed it to Tuantuan. This is what Tuantuan ate before.
The little girl just put it to her mouth, but then put it down again.
"Brother, give it to grandpa. Tuantuan... Tuantuan is not hungry anymore."
Tuantuan returned the dough to Yu Zhi, still holding his belly, as if doing so would keep him from being hungry.
Yu Zhi gently touched Tuantuan's head and said softly: "Tuan Tuan eats half, and Grandpa eats half."
Yu Zhi broke the dough into two halves, gave half to Tuantuan and half to the old man.
"Old man, let's eat." Yu Zhi said.
Drinking the soup, the old man ate with big mouthfuls. Since the bandit robbery, he... and the people in the village have been relying on the leftover vegetable leaves to satisfy their hunger.
In front of him, half of the pancake was filled with something he hadn't eaten in months.
As he ate, the old man lowered his head, tears bursting out of his eyes, splashing on the rocks like water in a mountain stream.
Yu Zhi said nothing and glanced at the people in the mountain temple.
After drinking a bowl of soup, they fell asleep early. Probably because falling asleep earlier can reduce the torture of hunger.
After a long time, Yu Zhi asked: "Old man, are you all villagers from the villages outside Su City?"
The old man nodded and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his dry hands.
"We are all from nearby villages. A few months ago, bandits in the mountains plundered our village and left nothing behind. So we could only live in the mountains outside Su City, picking up some things from the fields. Eat vegetable leaves." The old man cried.
Yu Zhi asked doubtfully: "Don't the officials in Su City care about you?"
When the word "official" was mentioned, a flush appeared on the old man's face and his body trembled. He was obviously extremely angry, but even though he was angry, in the end it just turned into a helpless sigh.
"The government took care of us at first and gave us some food. After a few days, we were left to fend for ourselves and were not allowed to beg."
"The people in the village argued with the officers and soldiers, but they were all imprisoned. Even now, they don't know whether they are alive or dead."
Yu Zhi listened to the old man's story and his thoughts wandered away.
A few months ago, when the bandits were in trouble, Su Sui was the governor of Sucheng County. According to the old man's story, Su Sui acted like this, and the official was not dismissed unjustly.
Before knowing these things, Yu Zhi might want to help Su Sui. This is the best way for Su Muci to gain a foothold in the Su family.
But now, Yu Zhi could only sneer in his heart.
"When I was at the gate of the city, I saw those officers and soldiers driving you away, and Su Cheng's army was also driving away the people on the official road. Why is this?" Yu Zhi asked.
The old man shook his head lonely and said: "The officers and soldiers in the city will not let us enter the city, nor will they let us spend the night under the city wall. They said it will affect the business and motorcade traffic in Su City. Alas... I heard that some people are He was begging on the official road and was mistakenly thought to be a bandit by the Suzhou Army and killed."
"Bandits often go down the mountain to kill people. We don't dare to go anywhere else. We can only hide on official roads or under the walls of Sioux City."
The closer you are to Sioux City, the safer you are.
Yu Zhi said calmly: "These dog officials really deserve to be killed."
"That's what you said." The old man just vented his anger as a young man. "How can ordinary people like us fight against officials? Alas, life is miserable in this world."
Yu Zhi asked again: "I heard that the imperial court had dismissed the previous Sucheng County Sheriff. Does the current Sucheng County Sheriff leave the bandits alone and not care about your life or death?"
The old man glanced around the mountain temple, his eyes filled with vicissitudes of life and sadness. If they were in charge, how could they all end up like this?
It seems that Sucheng County is also a puddle of mud, be it Li Jun or the current Sucheng County Sheriff. In short, they are not good people... Yu Zhi knows who to use to establish his authority.
Yu Zhi asked: "I saw many people nearby along the way. There were very few children. Do these children have somewhere else to go?"
After walking on the official road for a day, there were many people in distress on the road, but Yu Zhi only saw a young boy like Tuantuan. Even under the city wall of Sioux City, I saw only a handful of children.
With so many people in distress, why do they only have so few children?
Yu Zhi was puzzled by this all the way.
The old man could not express his grief, and said in a trembling voice: "The bandits not only wanted money and food, but also robbed children. In that robbery, almost all the children in the village were robbed, and the parents of those children were also killed. .”
"Robbing the child?" Yu Zhi was puzzled. "It's common for bandits to ask for money and food, but what's the use of robbing children? If you have more children, more rations will be wasted in the village."
The reason was beyond what Yu Zhi could know.
Yu Zhi thought for a while and continued: "Old man, you will go into the city with me tomorrow. I don't believe it. Su City is so big that it can't accommodate you?"
...
...
The lights are brightly lit in Sioux City, and flower boats are everywhere on the rivers in the city. Waves of piano music float out from the attics on both sides of the river, melodious.
People on the street are relaxed and content. Walking in the summer evening breeze, watching the circus acrobatics on the street, it is so lively.
Separated only by the city wall, the inside and outside of Suzhou are two different worlds.
Outside the city, there is a tragic situation with people dying of hunger everywhere, but inside the city, there is peace and prosperity with singing and dancing.
Bandits are rampant and banditry continues. Everything is the words in the memorial, everything is the suffering of the people outside the city.
In the Sucheng County Sheriff's Mansion, the newly appointed Sheriff was having fun with the parrot in the cage. It was a fiery red parrot, its red feathers were full of luster, and its long tail was swaying. It was obviously very spiritual.
The new Su Cheng County Sheriff's name is Zu Anbang. He has a broad heart and a fat body. He always has a smile on his face. At first glance, he looks like a good old man. But if you look carefully, you will find that there is a hint of cruelty and cunning hidden in the good old man's eyes.
The ruthless and treacherous good old man is none other than the smiling tiger.
Zu Anbang had also been involved in the officialdom of Nanzhou Prefecture for more than ten years and was transferred from Jiangnan City, the capital of Nanzhou Prefecture.
For Zu Anbang, this performance of duty is a promotion. To become the magistrate of Sucheng County is to stand in the middle of Nanzhou officialdom.
Behind Zu Anbang, a middle-aged man was sitting, drinking tea leisurely. He looked at Zu Anbang and said with a smile: "Master Zu, the censor from Kyoto is coming soon. Are you still so leisurely?"
Zu Anbang continued to tease the fire parrot and said: "Master Su is worrying too much. He is just a young boy. He is the inspector censor, that is, a child. He does not understand the principles of officialdom. When he comes to Su City, Treat him well and then send him back home."
The so-called Mr. Su is Su Ling, the son of Su Rongxing, the second wife of the Su family.
Su Ling sighed and said: "Master Zu, please don't underestimate him. I heard that this Master Yushi investigated the murder case of an official in Beiliang Mansion and was promoted to six levels in a row, and was promoted to the third rank of Zuo. Deputy Capital Censor. With such a method, I am afraid he is not an ordinary young boy."
Zu Anbang then stopped joking and sat on the chair. "Mr. Su, you have to know that the man in Jiangnan City will never let outsiders come to Nanzhou to do evil. If the inspector censor knows the current affairs, he can look at the mountains and rivers of Nanzhou and return to Beijing safely. If he doesn't know the current affairs, , his life will not be easy if he goes south this time."
Before the inspector censor arrived, Zu Anbang had already made plans.
He has only been in Sucheng County for a few days, and he also wants to establish his authority.
Su Ling stopped admonishing and said, "Master Zu, please don't forget. Your becoming the governor of Sucheng County is also a result of my Su family's contribution. Master Zu promised me about the Su family... "
Suddenly, Zu Anbang stared at Su Ling with sharp eyes. Su Ling was also stunned. A chill enveloped his whole body. He choked and swallowed the words back in his stomach.
After just a moment, Zu Anbang returned to his old smile and said cheerfully: "Don't worry. I will definitely fulfill my promise to the Su family. Besides, your father is the governor of Lin'an County. How could I dare to deceive the Su family. "
"However, I just came to Su City. Mr. Su must give me some time to sort it out."
Su Ling thought about it carefully and said, "Master Zu, just don't forget."
"Today that woman Su Muchi is back. Although Su Sui is a loser, Su Muchi is not. We must be careful in our affairs to avoid being noticed by Su Muchi."
Zu Anbang drank tea and agreed: "Naturally."
