Chaos of Ming 1628

It's all grain, nothing but grain.

The granary was not empty; instead, it was filled with mountains of sacks.

Everyone had worked to ensure that not a single grain of rice could be seen in the granary, but no one expected that there would be so much.

Even if it's just cooked into a thick porridge, each person can drink a bowl and survive for more than half a year.

The snowstorm lasted for more than a month, and many people starved to death, but not a single bowl of thin porridge was seen.

After the gurgling sound came anger.

"Damn it, so much food and they won't save us."

"Our grandson, you died so unjustly!"

"You, surnamed Wang, what right do you have to be a public official? Do you know how many people you've killed?"

The people started to riot.

Wang Fengyuan's face was still bruised. Hearing these voices, he waved his hand and backed away, saying, "Hey, don't get agitated."

"It's because I wasn't a good official, so His Majesty replaced me with a better one, isn't it?"

"If I don't save you, but he knows to, isn't that enough?"

As expected, the people turned their gazes to Sun Qing. Although they did not speak, their immense anticipation was truly breathtaking.

"Lord Sun, this is wonderful! With so much grain, rescuing people will be much easier." Li Qingshan had initially given up hope, but after opening the granary, he was overjoyed and hurried over to Sun Qingshan.

Only Sun Qing was filled with doubt. This shouldn't be the case; not only should the granaries in Hejian Prefecture not have so many, but even the capital city probably couldn't produce enough.

This grain is very suspicious.

"Li Qingshan, check every bag immediately!" Sun Qing didn't dare to be careless and immediately gave the order.

At the same time, he looked at Wang Fengyuan.

Just then, Wang Fengyuan also looked at Sun Qing, and the meaningful smile on his face sent chills down one's spine.

Sun Qing's expression changed, and he grabbed Li Qingshan's hand, lowering his voice: "Make sure to check carefully, not a single bag is missed."

Li Qingshan's smile vanished as he immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. He called over a few trusted men to inspect each bag.

no problem.

Each bag was full of grain.

Although it wasn't pure white rice, it contained a variety of grains, both refined and coarse. These were all things that could fill one's stomach.

But the more this happened, the more worried Sun Qing became.

Especially when you look at the crowd of people outside, their eyes shining as they stare at the grain.

Sun Qing looked tense and grabbed Li Qingshan, lowering his voice as much as possible: "Li Qingshan, tell me the truth immediately. Who sent you to bring these disaster victims?"

"It was Lord Wang who said there was no grain left in the granary."

Li Qingshan said in a relaxed tone: "He repeatedly slandered you, saying that the people would not trust American grain. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I brought people here."

"I've long known of Lord Sun's incorruptibility. I figured even if there's no food, I wouldn't give anyone the opportunity to wrongly accuse him!"

"Wang Fengyuan?!" Sun Qing gritted his teeth.

Li Qingshan's smile froze, and he nodded.

"Quick! Close the warehouse door!" Sun Qing shouted.

His subordinates immediately complied.

Li Qingshan was stunned at first, but when he saw Wang Fengyuan's malicious smile and the crowd of people bustling around the granary, he suddenly realized what was going on.

The first one rushed over and stood in the middle of the granary gate.

Anyone who dares to step forward will be killed by him.

None of this was what Sun Qing wanted to see. He hurriedly stepped forward and shouted, "As you can see, we have food!"

"I know everyone's stomachs are empty. Seeing food, everyone wants to get some to survive."

"I am very grateful to everyone for trusting me enough. That's why you are still willing to stand here and listen to me say a few words."

Sun Qing's words had some effect. At least the people stopped walking further ahead.

"Everyone must remain calm. You should know that if you start looting, all you'll get are corpses everywhere. The food will still be unevenly distributed, and you'll still end up on the brink of death."

The footsteps of the elderly, the weak, and the children had completely stopped.

After all, when it comes to actually stealing something, they don't have any advantage.

Sun Qing remained vigilant, raising his voice even higher: "I dared to let everyone see the granary because I never intended to hide anything from them."

"The food is right here; I did this so that everyone could have a hot meal."

"Zhang Hu, Zhao Long!" Sun Qing shouted.

The two immediately stepped forward.

Sun Qing immediately ordered: "Have the people affected by the snow disaster line up to register, clearly writing down their place of origin, work ability, and skills."

"Yes, sir." The two nodded and immediately went to do so.

Looking down at the people below, they were no longer as content as before. Sun Qing felt a little more at ease: "What I want is not just for everyone to have enough to eat in this one meal, but for every meal."

"As long as everyone follows the arrangements, we will not only be able to drink porridge, but also get cotton-padded clothes and houses to shelter us from the wind and snow."

At this point, Sun Qing's tone changed, and his voice became sharp: "But if anyone doesn't follow the rules, then don't blame me for turning my back on them."

"If one person starts looting, the granary doors will be tightly shut, and not a single grain of food will be distributed to the public."

The more people there are, the more diverse their personalities will be. This makes them inherently difficult to manage.

Sun Qing believes that the principle of collective punishment can be quite effective in certain situations. For example, even now, with only one person being punished, there's still a sense of侥幸 (a sense of侥幸, or a feeling of getting away with it). Even if someone notices the anomaly, they won't intervene.

After all, if that person succeeds, can't I do it too?

But once things affect everyone's interests, and there's even the slightest mishap, there are plenty of busybodies who want to make a living, even without Sun Qing's intervention.

The crowd suddenly fell silent.

Under the direction of the constables, they lined up in an orderly manner and registered carefully.

The matter of the granary has finally been resolved.

Feeling guilty, Li Qingshan walked up to Sun Qing with his head down. Before he could speak, Sun Qing waved his hand to stop him: "Now you still need to establish your prestige among the disaster victims. Don't let your act of showing weakness be seen by others."

"As for the rest, we'll discuss it when we get back to the manor."

After saying that, he walked towards Wang Fengyuan.

"Lord Sun, you're truly remarkable!" Wang Fengyuan didn't leave, his smile undiminished. He cupped his hands in praise to Sun Qing: "To dare display so much grain in front of thousands of refugees, I'm afraid only you in the entire court would dare to do such a thing?"

"And you truly live up to His Majesty's high regard for you; even in this situation, you were able to turn danger into safety."

"Truly admirable!"

Sun Qing had nothing more to say about this person.

Staring at the man's face, he sneered, "You've seen the show begin, and now you're watching the commotion. Since Lord Wang hasn't left yet, it seems this show isn't over yet."

"I wonder what else Lord Wang intends to see?"

As he spoke, Sun Qing still smiled, but that smile was frightening to behold.

"I don't know what Lord Sun is talking about?" Wang Fengyuan was clearly guilty. He touched his nose and took a step back. "I didn't leave. I just didn't hand over the keys and account books to you, sir."

"Once Lord Sun signs, there will be no further trouble between us."

As he spoke, he handed over an account book.

There's a key on top.

The ledger only showed the quantity of grain currently in the granary. Nothing else was recorded.

"Lord Sun, the count has been completed. Please stamp it!"

The quantities match perfectly.

The grain supply is currently caught between two events.

Sun Qing couldn't find a reason to refuse to sign.

Holding a pen, I signed my name and stamped it.

Wang Fengyuan glanced at it and chuckled, "In that case, Lord Sun, it's best if we never meet again."

Farewell!

The word "eternal farewell" carries too heavy a meaning. In the context of ancient Chinese, "eternal" meant never seeing each other again in this life, implicitly assuming that they were separated by death, with one of them passing away.

Using it for this purpose is truly unlucky.

Since Wang Fengyuan just said it, it couldn't be a literal misinterpretation.

Sun Qing smiled faintly, showing no sign of panic: "It's just a handover of duties; there will still be opportunities to meet in official circles."

"Even if Lord Wang no longer holds office, he is still a citizen of the Ming Dynasty. How can you say goodbye forever?"

"These words are ominous; Lord Wang, you should refrain from cursing yourself like that."

Wang Fengyuan originally intended to make a sarcastic remark, but who would have thought that Sun Qing would say such a thing instead.

Looking at the orderly refugees, then at the tightly closed granary, he let out a cold snort: "Sun Qing, you're so young and arrogant, just wait, you'll suffer for it!"

Having said that, he left angrily without giving Sun Qing a chance to refute him.