Magistrate Shen stood up suddenly.
During the style contest yesterday, he had been looking for a chance to talk to Sui Ruren, but he never had the chance.
He was still thinking about taking the time to go to Dahe Village in the past few days, ostensibly to see his son, but in fact, to talk to Sui Ruren.
He was really too busy, and he kept thinking about letting Sui Ruren see his sincerity, but he never had the time.
For someone like him whose words and actions are inconsistent, it is normal for people in Suiru to look down on him.
Magistrate Shen belittled himself, went back to his room, changed into a pair of green clothes that looked youthful, and then walked to the side hall where guests were entertained.
"I've met the magistrate."
Cheng Wanwan stood up and saluted.
Magistrate Shen said a little awkwardly: "From now on, people from Suiru don't have to salute anymore. Sit down. Sit down quickly."
The two sat down, each picked up tea and drank it.
Cheng Wanwan took a sip to moisten her lips and went straight to the point: "I heard that Huzhou was besieged by refugees?"
"Refugees began to enter the city half a month ago. The prefect set up a porridge shack in the city to provide two meals a day to temporarily calm the refugees down. Who would have thought that thousands of refugees suddenly showed up yesterday. If so many people came into the city, , there was a big chaos, so the prefect closed the city gates and only set up porridge sheds outside the city, reducing it to one meal a day." Magistrate Shen sighed, "There are more and more refugees, wait a few more days, Huzhou’s food supply will not be able to sustain it, and we don’t know how many people will die.”
Cheng Wanwan also sighed.
In a farming-based dynasty, as long as there was a problem with the harvest, those at the bottom would starve to death and freeze to death in large numbers...
She said slowly: "Among Huzhou, Ping'an County pays the most taxes and grains. Master Shen, have you ever thought that those refugees will come to us?"
Magistrate Shen nodded: "The magistrate has issued an order. If there are refugees coming, just set up porridge sheds outside the city. Refugees must not be lured into the city. There is still a lot of food in the Ping'an County granary. We can save as many people as we can." How many people? We can't just watch these poor people die outside the city."
Cheng Wanwan pursed her lips and said: "The government has government officials on duty, so the refugees dare not cause trouble, but if the refugees arrive in the village, the villagers may suffer unreasonable disasters. I dare to ask the county magistrate, if the refugees break into Dahe Village and cause trouble maliciously , does Dahe Village have the authority to deal with these refugees?"
Huzhou is the place with the most grain in the country this year. Among Huzhou, Ping'an County is the most outstanding, and among Ping'an counties, Dahe Village is the granary.
Those refugees are very likely to come to Dahe Village to grab food.
This is not her malicious speculation, but when a person is starved to the point of death, he can do anything. If a group of people are in desperate situation, the lethality cannot be underestimated.
The county town is protected by a wall and the refugees cannot enter, but in addition to the two main roads, the village also has countless trails. Even if there are no trails, the refugees who have no way to retreat will forcibly carve out a path in the deep mountains and dense forests. The way to survive.
Once Dahe Village is invaded by refugees, there will never be peace again.
Cheng Wanwan prides herself on not being a selfish person. Since coming to this era, she has been doing her best to help everyone get rich together.
But now, she doesn't dare to rush to help the refugees because the risk is too great.
"People in Suiru don't have to worry." County Magistrate Shen comforted him. "According to statistics from the inn, there are about three to four thousand refugees coming from the south this year. Six to seven hundred died of cold and starvation on the road, and more than a thousand more have gone." Elsewhere, there are about 2,000 refugees coming to Huzhou. These people are scattered throughout Huzhou. The number of refugees coming to Ping'an County is expected to be about 400 to 500, and there will be no big trouble. In addition, the prefect has already written a note to the court. , requesting the imperial court to release food for disaster relief..."
Cheng Wanwan nodded.
Four to five hundred people, that is, almost half of Dahe Village, should not bring much turmoil to a county as long as they are managed properly.
And it seems that Magistrate Shen has been prepared for this, so the situation will not be that bad.
After the business talk was over, Cheng Wanwan stood up and left.
"Wait a minute." Magistrate Shen scratched his ears, "The county government kitchen is preparing lunch. Why don't Suiru people stay and have a meal before leaving?"
When he was talking about official business, he was organized and eloquent.
Now that his selfishness was involved, he suddenly didn't know where to put his hands and feet.
Cheng Wanwan is also a little bald.
She made it so clear last time, why hasn't the county magistrate given up yet?
She smiled and said: "If the old lady is here, I will definitely have a meal with her. If she is not here, I won't stay any longer."
The meaning of these words is already obvious, anyone who is not a fool can understand it.
Magistrate Shen's face was filled with disappointment, and his whole face drooped. He said in a dull tone, "Can you please trouble Sui Ruren to bring something to Xiao Zheng?"
Naturally, Cheng Wanwan would not refuse such a trivial matter.
Magistrate Shen hurriedly went to prepare things, and after a while, he brought two big bags over: "This baggage is Xiao Zheng's winter coat. In this bag are some academic test policy papers that I bought back from Huzhou. Xiao Zheng and Cheng Zhao There are all..."
Cheng Wanwan took the things and said, "Master Shen, I'll take my leave now."
She turned and left the county office.
Magistrate Shen sighed silently. He really didn't know what to do... He had a headache.
Master Yuan saw this scene deeply in his eyes, walked over, and said: "A rich businessman came to our Ping'an County recently. I heard that he came for the soap business. Other businessmen came to order soap, and this Shopkeeper Gao, according to the boy next to him, is here for soap prescriptions. Suiru has built a workshop, so how can he sell soap prescriptions?"
Magistrate Shen frowned: "A small businessman actually covets the business ideas of a ninth-grade Ruren?"
"This Gao family is not an ordinary person." Master Yuan lowered his voice, "The Gao family has a fifth-grade official, and the entire Gao family has ascended to heaven. This shopkeeper Gao is a side branch of the Gao family, and he uses the name of the master's family to show off his power everywhere... Sui Ruren is just a ninth-grade official, and is really nothing in front of a fifth-grade official. If your Excellency helps Sui Ruren solve such a major matter, Sui Ruren will feel grateful and will definitely talk to you..."
"It's ridiculous!" Magistrate Shen slapped the table, "A shopkeeper who does business in a branch, even Master Gao doesn't even know him, dares to use Master Gao's name to come to our Ping'an County to cause trouble! Master Yuan, please arrange it quickly Let's go check and see if this shopkeeper Gao has been bullying men and women in the past few days since he came to Ping'an County. If this is true, he will be arrested and put on trial immediately!"
Master Yuan quickly stopped him: "Sir, we are not in a hurry. We will wait for a while."
Magistrate Shen was puzzled: "Why wait?"
"We have to wait until the shopkeeper Gao goes to Sui Ruren in an aggressive manner, we have to wait until the shopkeeper Gao bullies others with his power, we wait until Sui Ruren is desperate and has no strength to fight back, and then the Lord descends like a god from heaven." Master Yuan said like a storyteller, "The Sui Ruren family has been destroyed. Shopkeeper Gao was forced to have no way out, and just when he was about to take out the soap recipe, the adult suddenly appeared. Only then would there be the effect of a hero saving the beauty, and Sui Ru would never forget it..."
"If that's the case, what's the difference between me and those who rob people's girls?" Magistrate Shen said slowly, "The calculated love and obsession are the most despicable and will not last long. Besides, I don't want to She fell into a situation with no way out...Master Yuan, don't be stunned, arrange for someone to investigate the shopkeeper named Gao!"
Master Yuan opened his lips and wanted to say something, but finally it turned into one word: "Yes!"
