Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 60: Drag the first row out and skin them alive! (Please continue reading!)
The thousands of refugees kneeling on the ground were first stunned upon hearing the imperial edict, and then their hearts were filled with joy.

They were right; the emperor had indeed come to rescue them! They wouldn't starve to death!
Among the crowd, a woman kneeling on the ground glanced at her dying child in her arms and couldn't help but shed two streams of tears.

My child, you won't starve to death anytime soon.
Even though everyone was overjoyed, they dared not cheer, but instead knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

He imitated the emperor's chants in a very convincing manner.

that's it.

The grand imperial procession headed towards Tongguan County, which was not far ahead.

Tongguan was a gateway connecting three provinces.

Located north of the Yellow River and south of the Qinling Mountains, it is a true gateway to the Central Plains.

Therefore, even a group of several thousand people would not appear too crowded in front of the massive Tongguan city.

The imperial procession had not yet reached the city gate.

The magistrate of Tongguan County, along with all the officials of the city, knelt in front of the gate to wait.

As the imperial procession slowly approached, the group prostrated themselves on the ground and then crawled forward on their knees with utmost respect.

Once he was close enough, the magistrate of Tongguan pressed his forehead to the ground and, with tears streaming down his face, shouted:
"Your Majesty, I, the Magistrate of Tongguan County, along with all the officials of Tongguan City, humbly request Your Majesty's well-being!"

"Your Majesty, we were unaware that Your Majesty would personally descend to Tongguan. We were unable to properly welcome you and deserve to die. We beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Judging from the appearance of the Tongguan County Magistrate, anyone who didn't know better would think he had just met the Emperor and was so moved that he almost died.

Of course, these words of loyalty did not reach the ears of Zhu Youjian, who was in the center of the army.

The Imperial Guard riding at the front of the group glanced at him indifferently, then turned his horse around and reported back.

soon.

The Imperial Guard who had just turned back to report returned, and looking at the kneeling officials, he loudly proclaimed:

"His Majesty's decree: All officials of Tongguan County shall immediately begin to receive and resettle the displaced people in the city, and provide them with relief. Afterwards, all officials shall immediately assemble at the county government office!"

"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"

Upon hearing this imperial edict, the magistrate of Tongguan County and his officials hurriedly made way for the imperial procession.

He and the county magistrate exchanged a glance, and he felt a little relieved.

What they feared most was that the emperor would arrive and, without saying a word, immediately interrogate them.

In that case, they might not even get a chance to explain themselves.

But now that the emperor has ordered them to deal with the disaster victims first and then gather at the county government office, it means that things are going pretty much as they expected.

Once the disaster victims are settled, we can put those arguments to good use inside the county government office.

It's a pity that a portion of that hard-earned silver is being distributed to the poor.
But as the imperial procession passed by the fierce and elite guards, the magistrate of Tongguan County forcibly suppressed the regret in his heart.

As long as the emperor is in Shaanxi, he will absolutely not be allowed to engage in any corrupt practices.

In any case, the emperor couldn't stay in Shaanxi forever.

Let's get through this current crisis first, and then we'll make it back many times over later.

After entering Tongguan City.

After his attendants and guards thoroughly cleaned up the county government office in the city and surrounded it in layers, Zhu Youjian stayed inside the county government office to rest with his eyes closed, while the others also found their own places to rest.

The officials who were originally in Tongguan City were busy settling the refugees who had just left the city's outskirts.

At this moment, amidst a sea of ​​disaster victims.

The magistrate of Tongguan County was helping a thin, emaciated old man to a seat with deep affection, and then personally served him a bowl of thick porridge that wouldn't tip over even if chopsticks were stuck in it. "Old man, it's all my fault for being too busy with official duties lately. I never expected that those wolves in sheep's clothing under my command would dare to abandon you in the outskirts!"

"Please rest assured, sir. I will find out in the next two days who dared to do such a thing as bullying their superiors and abusing their subordinates, and I will punish them severely!"

After saying this, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the crowd of refugees around him: "Gentlemen! Now that you are in a charity hall, if you encounter any injustices, you can tell me the truth, and I will definitely seek justice for you!"

The words fell.

The other officials also hurriedly knelt down, pointed to the sky, and swore an oath that they would never do anything to oppress the disaster victims.

Otherwise, your whole family will die immediately!

The surrounding disaster victims, having filled their stomachs and regained their strength, also joined in with cheers.

Among these cheers, some were indeed genuine.

It vividly portrays the close relationship between officials and the people, and is deeply moving.

The withered old man wore a grateful expression on his face, but in his heart he was already cursing the ancestors of these officials for eighteen generations.

These officials are masters at putting on a show; if anyone actually listens to them and seeks justice, they're doomed.

So these people certainly didn't dare to do anything while the emperor was alive, but as soon as the emperor left, they would be retaliated against to the point of their families being destroyed.

Although he was furious, the old man dared not show the slightest sign of anger.

Officials have their way of life, and ordinary people have theirs.

The common people should not fight against officials; this is a principle that has been passed down for thousands of years.

Unless they are driven to the brink of utter ruin, they would never dare to offend the officials.

Ultimately, they still wanted to live!

About two or three hours later.

The thousands of refugees who had just gathered on the outskirts of the city were finally all properly resettled.

The magistrate of Tongguan County also brought all the officials of the city to the county government office.

Tongguan County has only a handful of officials in name only, but a large number of clerks.

To show his respect for the emperor's summons and to obey the imperial edict ordering all officials to assemble, the magistrate of Tongguan County brought several hundred people to the county government office.

At the same time, in order to show their reverence for imperial power, hundreds of people knelt and crawled forward all the way from the entrance of the county government office.

The crowd crawled on their knees all the way to the courtroom. Because there were so many people and the county government courtroom was not big enough, even the courtyard outside the courtroom was filled with kneeling people.

The magistrate of Tongguan County and a group of key county officials were at the front of the procession. When they entered the courtroom, the magistrate had secretly peeked at the emperor's face, trying to discern his thoughts.

However, he only glanced at it and immediately dared not make any further movements.

The black-clad guards on either side had fierce, wolves-like eyes that inspired fear in those who looked upon them.

The young emperor, seated in the center of the room, exuded a chilling aura.

The magistrate of Tongguan County kowtowed deeply and then said, "Your Majesty! All 1,217 disaster victims outside Tongguan City have been properly taken care of!"

"Among them, 135 are relatively weak. Your Majesty has arranged for special care for them and requested physicians to treat them!"

"In addition, when these refugees first arrived at Tongguan, I also carried out extensive relief work, but..."

Before he could even utter the words he had prepared, the magistrate of Tongguan County heard a voice from ahead that was devoid of any emotion.

"Drag the first row out and skin them alive."

(End of this chapter)