good season

Before dawn, Xiao Zhen and Zhao Shiqing didn't rush back to the mountain. They had been busy all night, and the group of people in the city certainly weren't idle either.

Tongzhou used to have no curfew, but it has been temporarily imposed for the past two days because the Fourth Prince is coming.

As soon as the two left the prefectural government office, they saw a patrol of horses. They hid in an alley and, estimating that the patrol had gone far away, waited for a while. Just as they were about to come out, they saw two dark figures run past their hiding place ahead of them.

Zhao Shiqing rubbed her eyes: "If I weren't still standing here, I would really think those two were us."

Xiao Zhen suppressed a laugh and said, "Let's go, follow them and see what's going on with these two."

Zhao Shiqing didn't move, but whistled. Xiao Guai flew over from somewhere, and Zhao Shiqing whispered a few words to him. Xiao Guai flapped his wings and flew away.

After about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, Xiao Guai flew back. Zhao Shiqing said to Xiao Zhen, "Let's go, Xiao Guai has found where those two are staying."

The two followed Xiao Guai for two streets, and in the distance they saw a person standing at the entrance of an alley.

The two found a place to hide, and when Xiao Guai saw that they weren't following them, it landed on Zhao Shiqing's shoulder.

Zhao Shiqing spoke a few words to it, and it flew away again.

It returned quickly this time, and whispered in Zhao Shiqing's ear. Zhao Shiqing patted its head and said to Xiao Zhen, "Xiao Guai said there were many people in the courtyard that the two went to (actually, Xiao Guai said eight, but Xiao Guai doesn't know how to count, so eight means a lot), and there were knives. There were lookouts at the alley entrance and outside the courtyard. I suspect that's where that group of people is staying."

Xiao Zhen said, "Knowing the address is enough; I'll have someone keep an eye on it."

The two did not linger and returned to the mountain overnight.

The next morning, as soon as the city gates opened, four letters were sent out of the city.

The relocation notice was not posted, firstly because it was stamped with a private seal, and secondly because the people would not cooperate with the relocation if it was done rashly.

However, after what happened last night, Prefect Qian will no longer use rumors to incite the public and arrest people.

This time, no inscribed stone statues were unearthed; news of the Tongzhou flood spread from the streets and alleys.

"Do you know why the city is suddenly under such strict control? It's because the Fourth Prince is coming."

"Really? Why would the prince come here?"

"It's all because of the impending floods. When His Majesty heard that there were going to be floods here, he sent the Fourth Prince to control the floods. Not only Tongzhou, but also Bai County and three other places will be submerged by the floods."

"Is it true or false? Wasn't it supposed to be a rumor? The government even posted a notice to refute it."

“Young man, you don’t understand. In my decades of experience, if the government denies something, it’s mostly true.”

“That’s right, that’s right. My brother-in-law’s cousin’s neighbor works in the government office. It’s true that the prince is coming to Tongzhou. It couldn’t be more true.”

Previously, it was just a rumor, but this time, with the Fourth Prince's visit to Tongzhou, the flooding incident seems more credible.

When the news reached the government office, Prefect Qian was restless. Now even he himself was beginning to believe that a flood was really coming.
He didn't issue any notice to refute the rumors, nor did he send anyone to arrest the person spreading them. It's a joke, the manuscript of that poem that satirized Madam Qian still has his personal seal on it.

If he dares to arrest someone, that poem will be sent to the capital and to Yue family. Don't be fooled by the fact that he now has Feng Ke as a powerful backer; it's only on the surface. In front of Yue family, he is still the poor son-in-law from a humble background. Even Feng Ke was introduced by Yue family.

At this moment, He Bo, the prefect of Gaoping, had just finished reading the letter from Prefect Qian.

Qian Ruanfan wanted him to open the city gates and take in the disaster victims?
What kind of disaster victims? From Tongzhou?

Prefect He did have a bad temper and offended many people, but although he had no hope of promotion, he was still able to sit in the position of prefect to this day, all thanks to his political achievements.

Gaoping has been plagued by bandits since ancient times, and the local people are known for their fierce nature. It is said that nine out of ten households are bandits. There have been many incidents of officials being attacked and tributes being stolen.

When there were no more locals to rob, they started robbing passing merchants. Even elderly women who walked with shaky steps would come to the official road with their canes to stage accidents and extort money.

When the army arrived, the able-bodied men had already fled; those captured were mostly the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled.

Before Prefect He arrived, everyone here avoided him like the plague.

The reason why Prefect He came here was because he had offended someone and was being ostracized.

The first thing Prefect He did after arriving in Gaoping was to suppress bandits.

Because of his efforts to suppress bandits, his son was kidnapped and murdered, and his wife, unable to bear the blow, hanged herself. Because of his efforts to suppress bandits, he spent all his savings and even nearly exhausted the family business passed down from his ancestors. Because of his efforts to suppress bandits, he was injured many times and suffered from a host of injuries.

Under his rule, Gaoping became increasingly peaceful, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.

With his achievements, someone wanted to reap the rewards. But no sooner had he been transferred than banditry broke out, and the new official almost died in office. Helpless, he had to be transferred back.

Over the years, there have been many rumors, the most common being that he colluded with bandits; otherwise, why would those bandits only fear him and not others?
However, rumors aside, it is true that Prefect He's family was destroyed and he is now all alone. He is not afraid of anyone and does not give face to anyone. As a result, his position has become more and more secure, and no one from top to bottom dares to make a move on Gaoping.

Although Prefect He had offended many people, he still had one or two old friends in the capital.

The news of the Fourth Prince's visit to Tongzhou was sent to Gaoping along with the widespread rumors in the capital about the flooding in Tongzhou.

Now that he has received a letter from Prefect Qian, Prefect He feels that the lazy, good-for-nothing Qian has finally done something decent.

Gaoping has little else but plenty of barren mountains and wasteland; otherwise, it wouldn't be a case of "poor mountains and bad waters producing unruly people."

To Qian's surprise, He not only welcomed the immigrants from Tongzhou, but also wanted to keep them in Gaoping.

Most of these immigrants are honest and law-abiding people. Wouldn't it be better to let them stay in Gaoping and reclaim the wasteland?

While Prefect Qian was pacing around, Prefect He had already summoned his subordinates to discuss how to settle the disaster victims.

These subordinates had all followed Governor He through thick and thin; they were his iron-fisted core.

So, while the fourth prince was still on his way, Gaoping had already opened the city gates and introduced a series of land reclamation policies to welcome the disaster victims.

When Prefect Qian received the letter from Prefect He, he was completely dumbfounded.

No, did he not see it wrong?
Are there still people welcoming disaster victims these days?

He wouldn't!

If the disaster had occurred elsewhere, and a large number of refugees had arrived in Tongzhou, he would certainly have kept the city gates tightly closed, preventing them from entering. What are refugees?
Even if they are hidden thieves and criminals, or bandits who rob and plunder, they should stay as far away as possible. He still wants to wait for his promotion in peace and quiet. Unless he is held at knifepoint like that night, he will never let the disaster victims into the city.

But now a problem arises. Relocation is a major event. The Fourth Prince hasn't even arrived yet, and he's already ordering the people to relocate. What will the Fourth Prince think when he finds out?
Prefect Qian continued circling.

Xiao Zhen and Zhao Shiqing couldn't wait any longer; rumors of the flood had spread from inside the city to outside.

Xiaowangzhuang.

A peddler carrying a load on his shoulders was apologizing to a group of aunties and grandmothers: "Please buy as much as you can. I probably won't be coming back for quite a while."

Auntie: "Why aren't you coming? Aren't you married? Is your wife about to give birth? She's the one giving birth, are you going to stay with her during her postpartum period?"

The peddler said, "To tell you the truth, my wife is indeed pregnant, but I'm not going to stay with her during her postpartum period. Instead, I'm going with her to Gaoping. You don't know, do you? Tongzhou is flooded. The Fourth Prince is already on his way with officials from the Ministry of Works. Not only will Tongzhou be flooded, but Baixian and Yuzhou will also become a vast expanse of water. If we don't leave now, what are we waiting for? Sigh, you should go too. Notices have been posted in Gaoping. As long as you have a travel permit, you can register in Gaoping. There's plenty of wasteland there. Whoever clears it can keep it. Alright, alright, I'm not going to say anymore. I need to go home and pack. We're leaving tomorrow."

The peddler set off immediately, not caring that he had only sold a small amount of goods. He could earn a tael of silver for nothing by simply saying a few words in the village. Today he had already visited three villages, which meant he had earned three taels of silver. In the past, he would walk the streets and alleys for a month, wearing out several pairs of shoes, and still not earn three taels of silver.

In another village, under the big locust tree at the village entrance, old men and women watched the peddler's departing footsteps and discussed whether they should also go to Gaoping.

“Whoever wants to go can go, I’m not going. My family has lived here for generations, and our ancestral graves are here too. I also have ten acres of land. Apart from the richest man in the village, my family has the most land. I’d rather die on my own land.”

"You old codger, did you forget to take your ears with you? That peddler just said that fields flooded by the flood won't grow any crops for at least ten or eight years. You're practically half-buried in the ground, so even if you're dead, you should think about your descendants. What will happen if the crops don't grow? Can you bear to watch your grandson starve to death?"

"It's not as serious as you make it out to be. I've lived for decades, what haven't I seen?"

"Pah! Have you ever seen a flood? I heard from my grandfather that they fled here because their hometown was flooded. If they could stay in their hometown, why would they leave their homes and come here?"

At this moment, the village chief came over and said, "Everyone, stop arguing. Tomorrow, I'll have my eldest son go to the city to inquire and see if it's true."

In the city.

In the past two days, many people have come to inquire about information; they are all from nearby villages.

It is true that the prince came to Tongzhou to manage the floods.

The flooding in Tongzhou was indeed real.

Some people even mentioned that a few days ago, someone dug up a stone statue.

"Did you know? There are words carved on that stone statue. It says that in a certain year and month, Tongzhou was flooded, and the area was submerged for hundreds of miles. Nine out of ten houses were empty."

Dahuaishu Village was the first village to flee, because the village chief's son had heard the news in the city and returned that day. The village chief then gathered all the villagers, and they all agreed to flee together.

Men, women, and children rushed to harvest the grain, taking everything they could with them. Whether the rumors were true or false, they chose to believe them. At worst, they could just go out to avoid the disaster. The fields were still there, and they wouldn't be able to escape. If there was a real flood, so be it. If nothing happened, they could come back. At least, they would still be alive and their belongings would still be there.

Before leaving, the wives of the women from Dahuaishu Village sent letters to their parents' homes. As a result, some women from other villages followed suit. Some wives' families went with their daughters and sons-in-law, while others went with their parents' homes. Some villages were united and followed suit when they saw others leaving. Some left, while others did not. Some thought it was no big deal, while others thought they were clever and knew everything.

On the official road from Tongzhou to Gaoping, one could often see families fleeing disaster. Some were from the same village, while others were from the same clan. Some people with only one surname did not want to be alone, so they followed behind the main group so that they could help each other if they encountered any problems on the road.

They had all heard that Gaoping was notorious for its bandits, but things had improved in recent years, and they hadn't heard of any highway robberies. However, people are less valuable away from home, and who knows if the people there will mistreat strangers? It's always better to be together in a group.

Xiaoshi Village is a remote place, dozens of miles away from the nearest village. No peddler ever comes here all year round. This year, for the first time, a peddler came, but he brought bad news.

No one in Xiaoshi Village believed it; they rarely saw outsiders, and even less so did they trust them.

They cursed and accused the peddler of having ulterior motives, and the peddler was almost beaten.

The next day, the most capable young man in Xiaoshi Village returned from the city.

He is a dentist.

At the age of twelve, he was kicked out of his home by his stepfather and suffered a lot. When he arrived in the city, he was noticed by the owner of a shop because of his sweet talk. He stayed in the shop as a shop assistant. He was eloquent and, when he grew up, he became a broker with his clever tongue. He returned to Xiaoshi Village in glory and became a successful person that everyone in Xiaoshi Village envied.

He returned to the village this time to pick up his elderly mother.

It's not about taking my mother to the city to enjoy a life of luxury, but about taking her to Gaoping.

"Do you know? There's going to be a flood here. Someone dug up a stone figure, and there's a warning from heaven on it. Believe it or not, I'm definitely taking my mother away."

The broker ignored his stepfather, carried his mother on his back and left. His stepfather's family tried to stop him, and he was beaten black and blue, but he still carried his mother away from Xiaoshi Village.

"My God, he's been beaten to a pulp, and he still wants to take me away. Is there really going to be a flood here?"

“It must be true. He’s a broker. The village chief said that brokers are registered in the government office and know the officials. He must have gotten confirmation from the officials and risked being beaten to come back to the village to pick up his mother.”

“I think it’s not just that we got confirmation from the official. Didn’t he say that Heaven has shown its power and the stone man is a warning?”

"Should we go out and avoid this place for a while?"

"Where can we go? We don't know any of this place once we leave the village."

"Didn't the peddler say he could go to Gaoping that day?"

"I've never been to Gaoping, and I don't know the way."

"You have a mouth below your nose, so you can ask for directions if you don't know the way."

No one expected that the first family to leave the village would be the stepfather's family of the broker. Their own wife had left, and their promising adopted son had also left, so of course they had to go looking for him. It was Gaoping, after all, so they had to go to Gaoping too.

After seeing them leave, some people went to find the village chief, saying they also wanted to leave.

Meanwhile, Mudskipper and Shen Wangxing, along with Shen Guanyue, had already arrived in Gaoping.

They did not come empty-handed; they brought twenty cartloads of rice.

Gaoping took in the disaster victims, who were able to cultivate the wasteland, but it would take at least until next year to grow crops. During this year, without the imperial court's disaster relief grain, what would the disaster victims eat?
Governor He gazed at the young boy standing before him and the twenty carts of grain behind him, lost in thought.

"Young master, may I ask your name?"

"Just call me Young Master Guanyue." (End of Chapter)