A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 381 Is this still a disaster at home?

Li Junyou sat to the side drinking tea. He had recently heard about the great things Song Xuan had done.

After destroying the Xuanwu and Zhuque halls of Wuyou Cave, the local ruffians became even more afraid of Song Xuan, this local tyrant.

In Tokyo, even if Wuyou Cave doesn't have everything they want, no one would dare to provoke them.

Ever since Song Xuan's thunderous attack.

The people of Wuyou Cave all keep a low profile and behave themselves.

Otherwise, if the disaster victims had come to Tokyo to beg for a living, Wuyou Cave would have sent people to lure them into the cave long ago.

At that point, they'll be at the mercy of others!

Now, facing the disaster victims outside the city, only the brothel people are going out to ask if they want to sell their children.
It wasn't a formal sale, but rather a nominal employment.

The slave system of the Tang Dynasty was illegal in the Northern Song Dynasty.

The only instance recorded in Song Dynasty history of the sale of slaves occurred after a mutiny, when the relatives of the ringleaders were all confiscated and enslaved.

The people of Wuyou Cave have been keeping a low profile lately, even stopping their regular black market auctions, for fear of being exposed by their accomplices and being wiped out by Song Taisui.

Although Song Taisui left Dongjing City for Huazhou, given his temperament, he would surely leave behind a large number of spies.

Liu Congde put down his teacup:

"Li Dalang, I heard that before the top scholar Song went to Huazhou to investigate the breach, he personally led troops to destroy two of the halls in Wuyou Cave. Is that true?"

"It's true." Li Junyou nodded slightly.

“The people of Wuyou Cave are very bold; they even dared to kidnap my brother-in-law’s relatives from his hometown.”

"Huh?" Liu Congde, unaware of this inside story, widened his eyes in surprise.

"How dare they?"

“Yes.” Li Junyou put down his teacup.
"Even if members of the imperial family enter the Worry-Free Cave, it's very difficult for them to come out. How can they not be so audacious and reckless!"

Liu Congde also recalled some rumors, and then lowered his voice:

"There's a rumor that the top scholar of the Song Dynasty climbed up to the second-floor window and personally killed the thief with two golden maces. The story is quite fantastical, but I don't know if it's true or not."

"I'll ask my brother-in-law about this later to see if it's true."

Liu Congde actually believed it to some extent.

Because when he first came to us, Song Xuan picked him up with one hand and pinned him against the wall.

"No need, no need, this matter must be true."

Liu Congde grinned and said:

"However, I have some doubts about the rumors circulating that the top scholar Song fought his way in and out of the bandits seven times with two golden maces."

"That must be fake."

Li Junyou believed that Song Xuan's act of personally climbing through the window instead of hiding behind and letting the constables rush in was enough to inspire most people to step forward.

After all, Song Xuan had always treated them well.

When it was time for them to step up, they chickened out.

How can he continue to mingle in the county government office from now on?
As it turned out, these constables and yamen runners really did put in their best effort and risked their lives.

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many deaths and injuries, trapping the Xuanwu Hall members inside.

Not a single person escaped.

It can be said that the core members of the Second Hall have been severely impacted.

It is very difficult to rebuild in a short period of time.

The only thing the Lord of Worry-Free Cave can rely on is the power of the Azure Dragon Hall, but the seeds of doubt have been sown, and it is unknown when they will take root and sprout.

"Haha, I also think the seven entries and seven exits are fake, but I just love listening to it."

After Liu Congde finished laughing, he coughed once:
"Do you think if I were to manipulate grain prices, would Scholar Song do it?"

Liu Congde didn't say much, but gestured with his neck.

"It's hard to say. Anyway, if you don't make this money, someone else will."

Li Junyou also couldn't figure out Song Xuan's thoughts on the rising grain prices.

After all, it's standard practice for the government to curb rising grain prices.

However, as the saying goes, "For every policy from above, there is a countermeasure from below."

If merchants travel all over the country not for profit, is it out of kindness?

Unless they are local merchants, the risks faced by those merchants are not insignificant.

"That's the truth."

Liu Congde had already sent people to the south to collect grain; he just hoped that Song Xuan wouldn't drive the price down too low, otherwise there would be no profit.

Just as the two were talking, Song Xuan, with disheveled hair, came over wearing a vest and shorts.

"The top scholar of the Song Dynasty".

"Brother-in-law."

Song Xuan greeted them politely and then invited them to sit down.

"When I saw Scholar Song on the street just now, he was so disheveled that I almost didn't recognize him."

Liu Congde chuckled: "At least this looks somewhat presentable now."

Li Junyou glanced at Liu Congde without saying a word. You don't really think that the relationship between the two of you is so close that you can joke around like this, do you?
"Hahaha."

Song Xuan chuckled a few times:

“The floods were so severe that there was nowhere to settle down. I had to set up a tent on the city wall to live. If I wanted to drink some clean water, I had to fetch some myself.”

"Very large area?"

Liu Congde's eyes lit up immediately.

Doesn't this mean the imperial court will have to provide disaster relief for a long time?

The food shortage is too great.

Wouldn't that mean we'd get rich!
Li Junyou remained silent; his family was wealthy.

It was inherited from my grandfather's generation through embezzlement.

Moreover, he wouldn't hold Song Xuan back at this time.

"That's right, there isn't enough food. Even the garrison troops in places like Huazhou probably won't have enough food for more than a few days."

As Song Xuan continued the conversation, Liu Congde couldn't help but smile.

Last time I inquired about the funds for the Yellow River project, it caused a water ghost to appear in my dreams.

This time, I'm selling grain directly.

That's a business that involves saving lives!

This is a truly meritorious act!

Even Buddha would have to give Liu Congde a shout of praise.

"Song Zhuangyuan, is the imperial court facing a severe food shortage?"

“Big.” Song Xuan looked troubled.
“It’s huge. This breach is more serious than last year’s. Last year, the south bank was flooded, but this year it’s the north bank. The impact is much wider.”

"That's too much." Liu Congde grinned, revealing his teeth, then fell silent.
"This is so heartbreaking and saddening; it's a disaster for our Great Song Dynasty!"

Song Xuan glanced at him: "Prefect Liu, do you think I'm easy to fool?"

"Don't dare."

Liu Congde didn't intend to hide it from Song Xuan; he was there to gather information.

“Scholar Song, to be honest, I was planning to get some grain to sell.”

"That's a good thing," Song Xuan added.

"Without food, the people outside will all starve to death."

Liu Congde was also quite excited.

Song Xuan understands me!

"Right? I also think I'm a living bodhisattva."

Liu Congde still had a smile on his face:

"I have already sent people to buy grain. When we sell it to the government, it will definitely be cheaper than those unscrupulous grain merchants outside, just based on our relationship."

"Oh?" Song Xuan did not refuse.

"How much grain did Prefect Liu order his men to purchase?"

"Let's bring over 10,000 shi first to test the waters."

Song Xuan leaned back in his chair: "Ten thousand shi, and this is all?"

"Isn't this enough?"

Liu Congde said, "I've already calculated it. Besides buying grain, we also need to hire boats and people for the round trip."

"Do you think the cost of buying 10,000 shi is less, or the cost of buying 50,000 shi or 100,000 shi is less?"

"Of course, the cost of 10,000 shi is much lower."

“Prefect Liu, that’s not how you do it.” Song Xuan held up his finger:
"The cost of transporting 100,000 shi of grain back to you will be much lower than that of 10,000 shi."

"is it?"

"Cousin, do you think what I said is right?"

Li Junyou received the signal and was certain that Song Xuan was also trying to seize the grain.

I just don't know if they'll confiscate it.

"Of course, if you buy enough grain at once, you can negotiate a lower price and even have more bargaining power."

After Li Junyou finished speaking, he quickly picked up his teacup. He was certain that Song Xuan had something planned, but he didn't know what it was.

That makes sense.

Liu Congde thought about it carefully for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh:

"No."

"I came here to ask Scholar Song whether he would use the government to suppress grain prices, otherwise I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing so much grain."

What do you mean by "government intervention to suppress grain prices"?

Upon hearing Song Xuan's question, Liu Congde wished he could slap himself.

No one told Song Xuan about this, so why did he insist on coming up and talking?
"Uh, Scholar Song doesn't know?"

"never heard of that."

Song Xuan then looked at Li Junyou: "Cousin, do you have any connections to buy grain?"

"What do you mean?"

Li Junyou was somewhat surprised.

"My second brother was kidnapped from our hometown and has been living in fear the whole way. He just said he wants to do some small business. Grain is expensive in Tokyo now, so he wants to trade some grain to sell."

Song Xuan sighed and said:

"You know my salary isn't much, so I can't help him much. I'm just trying to find a way to buy him some food."

"oops."

Liu Congde excitedly patted his thigh: "No need to find anyone else, I'll take care of this directly."

“No, you’re buying 100,000 shi right off the bat. He can just buy 1,000 or 2,000 shi. He can use his own savings.”

Song Xuan continued to ask Li Junyou, "Cousin, what do you think?"

"I think it's not necessarily a bad thing."

Li Junyou agreed to cooperate.

He always felt that he was being set up to trap Liu Congde.

"Scholar Song, you're being too polite."

After being rejected twice by Song Xuan, Liu Congde quickly spoke up this time:

"How about this, it's just one or two thousand bushels of grain, isn't it?"

“Song Zhuangyuan’s second brother doesn’t even need to go out. When my boat returns, I can just have him go and fetch it.”

"Is this appropriate?"

"What's appropriate or inappropriate about it!"

Liu Congde's face remained beaming: "If Scholar Song also wants to get involved, I'm all in."

"No need," Song Xuan waved his hand.

"I also need to hire disaster victims to repair the river, how can I possibly get involved in the grain price fluctuations myself?"

"My second brother just needs to hitch a ride to earn some money for his trip home."

Liu Congde couldn't help but ask the question that was troubling him the most:
"If grain prices keep rising, will Scholar Song intervene to prevent them from rising so quickly?"

Why should I intervene?

Song Xuan sighed: "Prefect Liu, you have no idea how severe the flood in Huazhou is. The victims can't even get enough to eat. They're drinking thin porridge and their stools are all watery!"

"If a large amount of grain can be transported to solve the urgent needs of the disaster victims, even if the price is a bit high, it is acceptable. After all, it is a matter of life and death, and the Empress Dowager has issued an edict for relief."

"Are you really not going to intervene?"

“I, Song Twelve, may not say that a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold, but I have never gone back on my word so easily.”

Liu Congde was overjoyed, as he trusted Song Xuan's character.

In this way, all the risks to making money can be minimized.

Liu Congde believed that if he sold grain at a high price, the Empress Dowager would not stop him.

What he feared most was that Song Xuan would intervene, and even if he complained to the Empress Dowager, it wouldn't change the outcome.

With Song Xuan's promise, Liu Congde stopped sitting and excitedly got up to take his leave.

He wanted to go back directly to make further purchases of grain.

Before Song Xuan returned, he couldn't even stand his own petty and stingy manner.

Song Xuan watched him leave.

Li Junyou finished the tea in his cup:

"Brother-in-law, what do you mean by this?"

"Disaster victims need food."

Song Xuan also took a sip of tea:
"Cousin, do you have any way to persuade those grain merchants to continue buying grain and shipping it to Tokyo?"

"this?"

Li Junyou was at a loss for words:
"I still have to ask, but if I take the initiative to ask, I'm afraid it will arouse suspicion."

"It would be better to secretly spread some rumors and entice them to buy the grain themselves."

"Well, that's a good idea."

Song Xuan exclaimed in admiration.

"Brother-in-law, grain prices in Tokyo are already very high. Aren't you going to intervene?"

"Intervene my ass."

Song Xuan put down his teacup: "The most important thing now is to get the grain here first, then we can talk about everything else."

"If you restrict them from raising prices, their reputation will be ruined."

“Cousin, I can say this right here: as long as grain is sold within my Kaifeng County, I will absolutely not impose any restrictions on grain prices.”

Song Xuan said in a serious tone:
"Whoever has the ability to purchase a large amount of grain and transport it to Tokyo is truly capable. If the Yellow River breaches are controlled this time, they won't breach so frequently in the future."

"If the project is delayed again and again, it may not be completed until next year, and the losses will be even greater. If there is an abundance of grain, the price of grain will not be too high."

"I see."

Li Junyou said, "Then I will do my best to make this happen."

"Good work."

Li Junyou didn't disturb him any further, but went home to discuss it with his grandfather.

Although Li Shiheng still holds an official position, he is already in a semi-retired state.

Having heard his grandson's description, Li Shiheng stopped teasing the thrush in the cage.

There are quite a few families in Tokyo who keep birds.

The wealthy keep all sorts of rare and expensive birds, while ordinary families keep local birds; everyone has their own preferences.

"Song Twelve's nephew-in-law is not simple at all."

"Grandpa, why do you say that?"

Li Shiheng whistled at the thrush and said with a chuckle:

"If there are no restrictions on the price of grain, more and more people will join the effort to transport grain from other places to sell in Tokyo."

"Buying high and selling low is human nature."

“I knew my nephew-in-law was a very clever person. He could figure things out on his own without being taught by others, and he even dared to put them into practice.”

Li Junyou raised an eyebrow: "Buying high and selling low?"

"good."

Li Shiheng waved his hand:

"You can secretly encourage others to do this, but don't get involved in this business yourself."

"Or, like Song Twelve, they might buy a thousand or two shi of grain in the name of their ignorant younger brother to cover their tracks."

"He doesn't break any taboos and can even seem normal. This kid really knows how to hide his thoughts."

Li Junyou listened to his grandfather's analysis, but for a moment he didn't quite understand.

However, he knew that his grandfather was a cunning old fox, and if he could praise Song Xuan so much, then his good brother-in-law must be a little fox!
Only among those of the same kind can one quickly discern the other's true intentions through subtle clues.

"Does your brother-in-law really have no impact by not setting price controls on grain?"

Li Shiheng then shifted his gaze from the bird to his grandson.

He has a quick wit, but if he goes into business, he will surely be taken advantage of by others.

"That's where Song Twelve's brilliance lies!"

Li Shiheng felt a small insect on his beard and stroked it again:
"Just watch as the price of grain in Tokyo rises like a skyscraper and then collapses in spectacular fashion."

At this point, Li Shiheng became somewhat happy again:
"I haven't seen anyone manipulate the market like this in many years."

"And this person just happens to be my nephew-in-law!"

Faced with his grandfather's praise of Song Xuan, Li Junyou still didn't understand why he could succeed without restricting grain prices.

"My dear grandson, don't look at me like that." Li Shiheng turned his head away, not wanting to see his grandson's "wise" gaze:

"You just need to do the work. Once things are settled, I believe you will understand the reasons behind it. Because some things cannot be learned just by being explained by others."

"Grandson understands."

Li Shiheng sighed inwardly, thinking, "It's a pity that none of my many descendants are as clever as I am."

Am I the only smart person in the Li family?
After all, Li Shiheng started from scratch, and now that he can't find a successor, he's naturally furious.

Zuixian Tower.

After destroying the two Wuyou Cave dens, Song Xuan did not come to Zuixianlou, but instead went to Huazhou to provide disaster relief.

This gave them more time to gather information.

The cave master of Wuyou Cave did not convene a meeting underground this time either.

Because there is still a lot of water in the tunnels under Kaifeng city.

This place is not at Zuixianlou.

The group of people were all summoned by the cave master.

Of the four hall masters, one was missing; he had been arrested by the authorities.

Who knows when he might betray us!
This has never happened before.

Cang Lin was certain that his Drunken Immortal Pavilion had been exposed; it was only a matter of time before he could get a good price for the Xuanjia armor.

Xiaofeng's stronghold was the first to be destroyed by the government, but his core members suffered relatively few losses.

The other two groups suffered significant losses of key personnel.

The most powerful Azure Dragon Hall, on the contrary, suffered no major losses.

The authorities didn't come to arrest him, and Cang Lin didn't escape directly; he remained seated at Zuixianlou.

"Have you found out everything?"

The cave master of Worry-Free Cave, wearing a mask, spoke in a sinister tone.

These people were already used to it.

Xiaofeng, who had served as the hall master for the shortest time, always felt that the cave master was a eunuch in the palace.

Someone with some connections.

"So that the cave master may know, I have already found out most of the facts."

Cang Lin recounted everything he had gathered.

The expression beneath the mask of the Cave Master of Worry-Free Cave was unknown, and no one dared to breathe loudly.

"Bai Zhen, was it someone who saw you tying people up and kept telling Song Xuan day and night?"

"If a stranger suddenly appears among the villagers and inquires about others, how can one not be suspicious?"

Upon hearing the cave master's question, the strategist Bai Zhen also shared this concern:
“What the cave master said makes sense, but if Song Xuan had known the news and sent people to keep an eye on me, then only the Xuanwu Hall should have been exposed. How could the Zhuque Hall have been exposed?”

"Afterwards, I learned that the Imperial Guards and yamen runners set off from the county government office together. Under Song Xuan's leadership, they first dispatched the Imperial Guards to raid the Zhuque Hall."

"Then Song Xuan led his men by boat directly to Xiangfu County and captured Xuanjia alive."

The Cave Master of Worry-Free Cave glanced at Akabane through his mask:
"Your people were exposed prematurely?"

“Master, I don’t know what happened either. Perhaps it was the White Tiger Hall that exposed it.”

Akabane directly shifted the blame to Xiaofeng, since he was the one who was more unlucky!
"Cave Master, he's spouting nonsense. How could I possibly tell them such confidential matters?"

Xiaofeng said angrily, "Unless the people from both halls have a long-standing acquaintance, they will not expose themselves."

The two of them were fighting, and the cave master of Wuyou Cave did not stop them, as he had always been unwilling to admit that there was a traitor among them.

Although the imperial court repeatedly suppressed Wuyou Cave, most of these efforts were limited to the surface.

They couldn't even break through the underground tunnels, let alone understand the way, so it was impossible for them to send in spies.

However, after Song Xuan arrived, he inadvertently discovered that Wuyou Cave was active on the ground, so he must have sent people to keep an eye on it.

"be quiet."

Cang Lin remained seated to the side.
"We still need to analyze the reasons. Right now, Song Xuan is busy with disaster relief and has no time to pay attention to us."

"The only thing we need to figure out now is whether the Vermilion Bird Hall was exposed by some kind of accident, just like the White Tiger Hall."

"Or someone leaked the information beforehand, and Song Taisui knew in advance, waiting until the heavy rain came before taking action."

Because of Song Xuan's actions, everyone felt like a sword of Damocles was hanging over their heads.

Everyone was starting to panic.

But the one who was most panicked was Cang Lin, who had a large and powerful family. He had cleared his name, and his descendants had started taking the imperial examinations.

Once exposed, they may be implicated.

"Song Tai Sui?" The Cave Master of Wuyou Cave chuckled.
"That's quite a nickname, it's very well-known in Tokyo."

Chi Yu glanced at Cang Lin, and deep down he felt that Cang Lin had long since colluded with Song Xuan.

Moreover, Zuixianlou had already paid its taxes long ago and had not resisted Song Xuan at all.

Perhaps they got together around that time.

Otherwise, three out of the four branches would have been wiped out.

And Zuixianlou couldn't possibly keep it a secret, yet Song Xuan hadn't made a move yet.

How can I avoid arousing suspicion?
Everyone knows that the cave master is from the palace, so he should know Song Xuan better.

But surprisingly, none of them refuted it.

Song Xuan became famous overnight, and he was quite a force to be reckoned with in the capital city of Tokyo!
Otherwise, those scoundrels from Kaifeng County wouldn't have gone to Xiangfu County to hide from Song Xuan's arrest.

There's no need to arrest people who want a lucrative prison sentence; they'll just walk right into it.

To expedite the project, Song Xuan would send people to recruit temporary workers.

Since these hooligans are idle anyway, it's a good opportunity to find a reason to make them work.

"This matter is indeed too unbelievable."

The strategist Bai Zhen wanted to analyze the situation further, but the cave master slapped him so hard he dared not speak.

"What's the point of analyzing? There must be a mole inside."

The cave master's voice grew increasingly louder:
"Without the cooperation of an inside man, even if Song Xuan were a powerful figure, he couldn't have found them so accurately, taking down two at once, and even having to deal with the one in Xiangfu County!"

"Since the cave master has said so..."

Chiyu immediately began to accuse Canglin of secretly colluding with Song Xuan.

He betrayed us brothers to gain his own wealth and glory.

Cang Lin sneered repeatedly: "If I had betrayed you, Song Xuan would have already surrounded us."

"Song Xuan is in Huazhou, how could he be free?"

"He has returned today."

"Great, you even know exactly when he'll be back."

Chi Yu slammed his fist on the table again: "Cang Lin, are you still denying that you were secretly colluding with Song Xuan?"

"I colluded with him in secret. How could Song Xuan not have accomplished such a great feat as capturing the cave master, even if he had delegated the task to someone else?"

Cang Lin said calmly, "He can mobilize the Imperial Guard with a flick of his finger. Do you and I still have a chance to escape?"

Akabane was stunned by Canglin's question.

This is indeed an excellent opportunity to capture them all in one fell swoop.

"Xiaofeng, who do you suspect?"

Having been called out by the cave master, Xiaofeng didn't hide anything:

"I doubt the strategist. How could an old scholar like him escape from Song Xuan's tight encirclement?"

"With so many people, why didn't anyone check the roof!"

The strategist Bai Zhen's hands trembled with anger.

“Song Xuan made a mistake despite his meticulous planning, and I was also lucky.”

Bai Zhen glared at Xiao Feng and said, "You are the most suspicious."

"You started this false accusation; I'm just returning the money to you."

Xiaofeng mocked him without caring at all.

No one can be completely clean; either everyone gets covered in poop, or everyone is innocent.

"Cang Lin, who do you think is the most suspicious?"

“Cave Master, I can’t tell.”

Although the mature and prudent Cang Lin was willing to make money from time to time, he would not openly express his suspicions about others, lest he escalate the conflict.

If you can't tell, then it doesn't exist.

The cave master looked around at the group and said:

"Perhaps you have all been tricked by Song Xuan without even realizing it."

“We do have Song Xuan’s spies among us, but they are not any of you here. Perhaps they are your trusted subordinates whom you have never suspected.”

After the cave master finished speaking, he added:

“Song Xuan is the best at winning people’s hearts. Many people in the county government are willing to risk their lives for him and serve him.”

"Not bad." Cang Lin nodded repeatedly.

“What the cave master said makes sense. I heard that the wounded soldiers have been properly taken care of, and the dead constables and yamen runners have also been placed in the coroner’s morgue for safekeeping until the floodwaters recede.”

"The families of the two who died in battle were all arranged by Song Xuan to stay in the backyard of the county government office."

"In that case, even more people will probably be willing to risk their lives for him."

The cave master told them not to suspect each other, but to detain the suspects at a lower level.

To be honest, people like them, living comfortably in Wuyou Cave, can still save a lot of money.

What benefits would there be if we surrendered to the government?
How many people understand the principle that it's difficult to become an official without connections in the imperial court?
The most likely scenario is that someone below wants to rise to power and colludes with someone from the inside to eliminate their own leader.

"After you go back, investigate carefully and don't overlook any clues."

The cave master glanced at the group again:

"If you have even the slightest clue, tell me, and I will help you verify whether the clue is true or false."

"Yes, Cave Master."

Several people responded.

"My Worry-Free Cave has existed for a hundred years, while Song Xuan has only been in office for half a year. How many years can he hold power in Kaifeng County?"

"When we go to other places in the future, we can rest easy again."

"So, for those of you who have lost manpower, you should slowly train new manpower."

"What Tokyo has in abundance is people."

After encouraging everyone once, the cave master of Wuyou Cave let them leave.

After everyone had left, the Cave Master of Worry-Free Cave took a long time to recover before leaving through the secret passage to go to the bathroom to wash up.

Believe it or not, Song Xuan's dredging operation resulted in almost no standing water in Kaifeng County, as the water all flowed into the Bian River.

He was able to get through the secret passage thanks to Song Xuan.

Day two.

Song Xuan rode a tall horse and led his yamen runners to the outskirts of the city.

Wang Shu rode over in a donkey cart again: "Twelfth Brother, come on up and let's chat for a while."

Song Xuan pulled on the reins and jumped directly onto the donkey cart:
"Minister Wang, what's wrong?"

“You’ve been very busy lately. I’ve already consulted the Astronomical Bureau, and if you want an auspicious time, it’s probably around the fifteenth of August.”

Wang Shu didn't need to explain too clearly; Song Xuan understood that the so-called auspicious time was the murderer's act of cutting out the heart and liver in the bathroom.

"Were members of the Imperial City Guard involved in this matter?"

"The Emperor has already sent someone over."

Song Xuan sat on the donkey cart:
"Then Minister Wang should simply await good news."

"Do you think the murderer's alchemy furnace could really be attacked by a rainstorm?"

"Yes, no one will be spared. If he lives in Xiangfu County, he will definitely suffer a severe blow."

Song Xuan could only give Wang Shu more confidence.

Because at this point, Wang Shu could no longer control his emotions and was filled with anxiety and uncertainty.

Whether the murderer can be caught is now imminent.

"Ah."

Wang Shu felt more confident, so he didn't disturb Song Xuan as he went to do his work outside the city, and instead headed for the palace.

The two were taking opposite paths.

Zhao Zhen sat in the donkey cart and did not peek out.

There were also many guards around.

Once he left the city, the disaster victims didn't recognize him.

When they arrived outside the city, there were still many disaster victims, and their numbers had even increased.

Instead of waiting to die in my hometown, I'd rather come to Tokyo and find a way to survive.

Currently, a large number of local troops are also maintaining order outside the city to prevent any riots.

It's getting late, and someone is already there preparing to cook porridge.

"My lord, the number of people is probably over ten thousand, including men, women, and children. If you can find three thousand able-bodied men, women, and children, you'll be lucky."

If someone is fleeing famine, it must be a whole family.

“It’s alright. Women can do this kind of work too. The children can be cared for by the elderly. Each county should be divided into different areas, and then further subdivided by village, with each village acting as a guarantor.”

Song Xuan looked at the disaster victims who had started queuing up early, hoping to get food sooner:

“I can also find some students to teach the child to read, such as the Thousand Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, or even counting.”

"what?"

Zhao Zhen hadn't expected Song Xuan to make this arrangement:
"But the imperial court's disaster relief efforts are already very expensive. If we were to prepare writing materials on top of that, it would be too much."

While Song Xuan was away, Zhao Zhen frantically searched for flood-related cases passed down through three generations, hoping to find some suitable solutions.

At the same time, we gained a deeper understanding of the losses caused by the disaster.

"Sixth Brother, this is a bit like asking, 'Why don't they eat meat porridge?'"

"Ok?"

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"The Bian River contains silt and also a lot of sand. Although Ouyang Xiu failed the imperial examination, I heard that when his family was poor, his mother taught him to read by drawing in the sand."

"If we apply it here now, it can be completely replicated."

"Drawing in the sand!"

Emperor Zhao Zhen was truly blinded by the rich and luxurious life, unable to imagine how poor people could learn to read.

Of course, this information monopoly is two-way. The common people's imagination of the emperor's daily life is that he eats meat pies every day and can eat whatever he wants.

They hadn't tried the specific dishes, so they could only use something as a substitute.

Song Xuan stood on a makeshift platform, holding a wooden megaphone, and conveyed the government's policies to benefit the people to the people below.

Food is scarce right now, so this is all the porridge we have.

However, if you follow Song Xuan to repair the Bian River and the surrounding waterways, you will have rice and meat to eat, as well as wages.

Both men and women can register.

The elderly and children eat the disaster relief food here, while the able-bodied men in the family earn their own food and wages.

"The government would also invite doctors to treat sick children and the elderly and prescribe medicine. If young adults were also sick, they could be treated together."

After Song Xuan finished speaking, there was a buzzing of discussion.

Most people would be willing.

Because of Song Xuan's entire set of policies, the feeling of the flood of displaced people was:
The shock of the imperial court wanting me to live and even allowing me to make money!
The disaster victims left their homes and arrived in Tokyo. Most of them were actually aware of the Xiangjun system.

Here, all we can do is survive on thin porridge.

But this Magistrate Song said that if everyone followed him to repair the river, they would not only have enough to eat, but also receive wages.

Where can you find such a good job?
"My lord, is it true?"

Someone in the crowd mustered up the courage to shout.

"Of course it's true. I, Song Twelve, was the top scholar appointed by the Emperor in the fifth year of the Tiansheng era. My word is my bond."

Zhao Zhen wanted to say that a promise should be kept, but when he looked at the refugees below, he knew that many of them would not understand.

He himself was acting like someone who "doesn't eat meat porridge."

Twelfth Brother has been among the common people for a long time, so he must know better than I do how to deal with them.

"Gentlemen, if you have any grievances, just go and knock on the grievance drum in Kaifeng County, and I will resolve them for you."

"Who in Tokyo doesn't know the formidable reputation of me, the Earthly Tai Sui?"

"The Number One Scholar."

"I've heard of it; he even passed the imperial examinations three times in a row."

"Yes, yes, I remember now."

There was much discussion among the refugees, and then another refugee spoke up:

“My lord, my name is Liu Min. My wife and I have two children. We both want to go and repair the river, but we are worried that there is no one to take care of our two children and that they might be kidnapped.”

"That's a good question."

Song Xuan pointed to the official next to him and said, "Give him an extra bowl of porridge later."

Liu Min was overjoyed; he hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.

“For young children, it is possible to take care of them if there are elderly people, but they may not have enough energy. I plan to send someone to bring quicklime to disinfect them first.”

"Then we divided everyone into zones according to their respective counties, so that people from the same village could take care of each other. We tried to build a shack and a dedicated public toilet for each family."

Song Xuan raised his voice:
"But this is clearly not enough, so I plan to invite some students from the Imperial Academy to come and teach the children to read and write, pass the time, and help take care of them, so that when you finish your work, the whole family can reunite."

The disaster victims at the scene were so surprised by Song Xuan's arrangements that they were speechless.

Is this still a desperate act of running to the capital to beg for a living after a disaster at home?

How come the treatment has become so good!

(End of this chapter)