Chu Chengyao saw the man next to Gu Yichen. Not only did he have a good personal relationship with Gu Ruizhou, but Lin Jinyan also greeted the man when he left. He became curious about the man and sent a spy to follow him.
After the investigation, the spies reported back: This person's name is An Zhixian, and he is the young owner of Buyehou Tea House in the south of the city. The owner of the tea house, An Nanfeng, is nearly forty years old. He is a Zhangzhou native with a small fortune. He moved to Tai'an three years ago to settle down and open a business. At Buyehou Tea House, I have a close personal relationship with the two young masters of the Gu family.
When Chu Chengyao heard that An Zhixian was just an ordinary merchant, he didn't pay much attention to him and waved the spies out.
The man standing nearby was dressed in rough clothes. After seeing the spy leave, he took a step forward and saluted with his hands. A red mark on the back of his exposed hand was particularly eye-catching.
"Master, food is in short supply these days. You can't buy food anywhere. The food in the mountains can only last for three months at most. Do you want to continue to recruit people?"
Chu Chengyao frowned and said: "Stop recruiting people for now. The food has already been figured out and we can wait until we get it. What you did last time was cleaner. Don't be caught by the horse's feet."
"Don't worry, Master, we evacuated very cleanly. The prince and the general's office privately searched the mountains several times, but couldn't find anything."
Chu Chengyao nodded: "Be careful when you go in and out. Except for our own people, other people recruited do not need to tell your identity. You only need to train them into obedient swords. They don't need to know who is using the sword. This way safest."
The weather is slowly turning colder, and the number of refugees in Tai'an City is gradually increasing.
The imperial court set up a large pot of porridge at the gate of the city. At first, they were able to eat well and in good order. Later, when there were too many refugees and they couldn't eat enough, a few brave ones began to grab food. As time passed, the number of people grabbing food became more and more intense. There were so many refugees that they flocked into the city and robbed them everywhere.
At first, it was just a shop. Later, under the shadow of hunger and death, the refugees had forgotten their fear. As long as they could enter the houses, the refugees swarmed in.
Everyone in Tai'an City was in danger, and every house closed its doors. It took two full days for the city guards to expel all the refugees out of the city. The Ding'an Army stationed at the Royal Hunting Ground also dispatched 10,000 troops to Tai'an City to maintain order.
The emperor was furious when the refugees came into the city and rebuked Yuan Dao, the disaster relief minister, for not doing his job properly. However, Yuan Dao complained that the food for the disaster relief had been robbed twice by refugees recently. If the food was not enough, what kind of relief would he use?
The Lin Mansion is closed tightly. Although they don't have to worry about food, Lin Yanqing still orders the whole family to be frugal and not waste food. The master of each house can only eat half of the regular dishes.
Lin Yanqing sighed: "If Yan'er hadn't hoarded food, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to live so peacefully behind closed doors. With all the refugees entering Tai'an City, there must have been starvation everywhere outside, and I don't know how many people suffered."
Lin Siyuan: "The academy has also suspended classes recently. I don't know when the people can be settled this time."
Lin Jinyan stood up and said: "Grandpa, grandmother, dad. Before the locust plague happened, Yan'er saw the price of old grain dropped and asked Taifeng Grain Store to stock up some. He originally thought of selling it to poor families cheaply after winter, but who would have thought that a locust plague would happen? …Yan’er wants to do her part and take this food to the city gate to give porridge to help the refugees.”
Old lady: "The refugees have just been driven out of the city. How dangerous would it be if there were another riot? Every household is still closed, and you still have to run out."
Lin Jinyan: "Grandma, if the city guards are out, the situation must be under control. If you don't want to worry, you can send guards who know how to fight and kick to go to the city gate to check the situation."
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