Chapter 1018: Chapter 854: Willing or Not, You Have No Choice

An unfavored prince, apart from the grand assemblies held by the court, almost never has the opportunity to enter the Capital. Furthermore, Prince Jing might not value Li Taixing very much either, since he botched the task back then.

Therefore, Li Taixing must seek new supporters; otherwise, it would indeed be difficult for him to rise in rank.

Local officials seeking to return to the Capital have to pay a hefty price and also need connections in the court. Unless you’re favored by the Emperor, that’s naturally a different matter.

"He set off for Hangtian Prefecture early this morning, and even took a female companion with him."

Actually, Ding Shiliu found Mr. Min quite frustrating since the people in several State offices in Jiangnan were still suffering. Yet, this gentleman was indulging in revelries every night — utterly absurd.

Ha! Gu Chengyu didn’t know what to say. He even brought a female companion along, was this a sightseeing tour?

He didn’t understand how Min Feng’s temperament had changed so greatly once he arrived at Jiangnan. Did he feel constrained in the Capital, and upon leaving, thought that the sky was high and the Emperor far, thus revealing his true nature?

Such a personality cannot hold its composure; even if one desires wealth and beauties, should one not wait until reaching a higher position?

Now, as just a Sixth-rank Official, he was already becoming arrogant? Gu Chengyu shook his head, young people! They really can’t hold their composure.

"What are the situations in other State offices?" Gu Chengyu slightly closed his eyes, pondering his next course of action.

"In other State offices, there haven’t been reports of river embankment leaks!" Ding Shiliu replied with certainty.

Gu Chengyu murmured, "Then we shall proceed directly to Hangtian Prefecture."

Gu Chengyu didn’t plan to stay long in Yingnan Mansion, since the refugees were all heading to Hangtian Prefecture, which must be chaotic. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With this in mind, Gu Chengyu instructed Ming Mo and the others to prepare for departure.

"Sir! Didn’t you say earlier that you wanted to meet Lord Prefect of Yingnan Mansion?"

Ming Yan was somewhat puzzled. When they were about to reach Yingnan Mansion, Sir indeed mentioned wanting to meet the Lord Prefect there.

Gu Chengyu nodded, "Situations change; I wanted to negotiate with Li Taixing about settling the refugees. But now that the refugees haven’t even come to Yingnan Mansion, we’ll discuss this later. Let’s first go to Hangtian Prefecture to control those refugees and prevent chaos."

Gu Chengyu paced back and forth in the room a few steps before his eyes emitted a captivating glow.

"Actually, I needn’t negotiate with these local officials. Since the Emperor has bestowed the Imperial Sword and gold medal, wouldn’t it be a huge loss not to use them? Once I dispatch the refugees to these State offices in batches, they’ll have no choice but to accept them, there’s no room for refusal!"

Ming Yan and Ming Mo exchanged glances, feeling their master at this moment was indeed mighty and domineering! Yes, whether willingly or not, they must agree!

"Ming Mo, rest for two days at Yingnan Mansion and observe the movements there. I’ll proceed to Hangtian Prefecture with Ming Yan and Ding Shiliu; catch up with us in two days."

They had rested a bit before, but once Ming Mo arrived at Yingnan Mansion, he connected with Ding Shiliu and the others, unable to rest even for a moment.

People aren’t made of iron; excessive fatigue can break a person down. He wasn’t a boss who liked exploiting people; proper rest is necessary.

Ming Mo nodded, refraining from any insincere refusals.

He knew it was kindness from his master, and after resting for two days, he’d have to take over for Ming Yan; they would rest in rotations anyways.

Just a pity that the master who has to oversee the big picture couldn’t take a good rest day himself.

"After resting for two days, I have tasks to assign you. Kindly investigate the grain prices in several State offices, and send me messages by carrier pigeons within these days."

Ming Mo was somewhat puzzled, grain prices? But soon, he understood.

...

"Sir! The refugees are still staying outside the city gates, refusing to leave, which is causing great inconvenience for our Prefecture’s residents to move in and out of the gates." A government official hurriedly arrived at the government office to report to Yang Chaoying.

Upon hearing this, Yang Chaoying set aside his pen, rubbed his brow.

"They refuse to leave; if I dispatch people to drive them away, these refugees might become even more dissatisfied, potentially leading to dire consequences. Let them be!"

Speaking of this matter, Yang Chaoying also felt deep helplessness. The day before, he had declined the refugees entry and closed the gates.

Yet the refugees preferred to endure the rain outside the city rather than leave for Yingnan Mansion. On the first day, the refugees even knelt outside the gates, their desolate appearance really tugged at his conscience.

He wasn’t heartless and indeed understood the plight of the refugees, but he couldn’t neglect the lives of the residents under his governance!

The refugees must not enter the city; otherwise, unimaginable consequences would unfold.

Moreover, letting these people in, what about those arriving later? Should they be allowed in or not? If allowed in, how to settle them?

The problem returned to its origin, still the same old story: no Silver, no grain.

The court’s disaster relief grain and Silver didn’t know when it would arrive; Yang Chaoying sighed deeply.

The refugees lived fretfully, but his heart was equally troubled. The situation of the refugees outside the city in the past few days was seen by the residents inside the city.

Some residents in the city had begun to speak ill of him, thinking he’s letting them die without saving them, diminishing his prestige among the populace.

But what could he do? How could these people understand his plight?

"However... Sir, just now I observed that the number of arriving residents has increased considerably compared to the previous two days. Moreover, some residents are building huts with thatch to shelter from the rain."

"How many more people have arrived? Have you estimated?" Yang Chaoying tightly gripped his fists, his worries unable to be quelled.

"More than double compared to before! And more are constantly arriving; I fear that as the number of refugees increases, lacking food and water, they will undoubtedly rob nearby residents."

The words of the government official were not baseless; he had been roaming around outside the city for the past two days. Observing that most refugees were honest folk, yet among them were those unruly hooligans and people of improper character.

If these people congregate to commit theft and robbery, it would be difficult to prevent chaos among Hangtian Prefecture’s residents.

The manpower of their government office was limited, impossibly dispatchable to monitor all refugees. Besides, if these starving refugees got violent, even they could get beaten up.

"Furthermore, the refugees outside the city are mostly without food, with some already begging from residents entering and exiting the gates."

Yang Chaoying’s brows furrowed deeply; these were his gravest concerns.

The city gates couldn’t remain closed forever; residents still needed to go in and out. For the past two days, he ordered local residents entering the city to report their place of residence, with soldiers keeping vigil at the gates, checking by holding household registry documents and registering them carefully.

Thus, the residents’ pace into the city slowed. Recently, the residents of Hangtian Prefecture were quite dissatisfied because the checking speed was really slow, delaying much time.

Residents moving in and out of the city meant some residents would be isolated.

If those refugees came across an isolated resident, harboring ill intentions, what then?