"Any troublemaker who refuses to listen and continues to rush down will be killed on the spot!"
In the chaos, a child was separated from his mother and fell to the ground. The helpless child sat on the ground and cried loudly.
The yamen servant didn't even look, he raised his sword and slashed at the child.
Just when the sword was only an inch away from the child, a ray of white light passed by, and the yamen officer felt a pain in his wrist. The next moment, a slender figure stood in front of him.
"You are so bold and unruly that you dare to use weapons against me. Let me take him down!"
Just when several government officials surrounded Qi Jue, Feiyun quickly stood on the high ground and raised his badge.
"His Royal Highness King Dingbei has arrived. Who dares to make a mistake? Everyone, put down your weapons!"
Ding...His Royal Highness, King Dingbei?
Just when everyone was in disbelief and fell silent for a moment, a chubby fat man rushed over in a hurry.
At one glance, he saw Qi Jue standing in the crowd. His legs instantly softened and he knelt down with a plop, "Tongzhou General Judge Zhu Ping, pay homage to His Highness King Dingbei. May your Highness be blessed and safe!"
Although Qi Jue never came to Tongzhou, the name of King Dingbei had already spread throughout the country. In the hearts of the people of Dazhao, Qi Jue was a god-like existence.
Therefore, after learning that Qi Jue was here, the restless people immediately calmed down and knelt down very consciously.
"His Royal Highness King Dingbei is here to save us!"
"Happy to His Highness King Dingbei!"
Qi Jue did not pay attention to Zhu Tongpan, but first helped the child who fell to the ground and asked in a low voice: "Is he injured?"
The child was dumbfounded and didn't know whether to cry or answer first. At this time, the child's mother rushed over and knelt down with a plop.
"Thank you so much to His Highness King Dingbei for saving the child of a common woman. You are a living Bodhisattva. Hurry, kowtow to His Highness and thank you!"
Qi Jue was neatly dressed and had an orchid-like temperament. Even after traveling for many days, his temperament was not diminished at all. He stood out among the crowd.
But the noble aura and powerful aura that comes with it make people dare not take a second look.
Qi Jue glanced at the people who were kneeling on the ground with haggard faces and skinny bones, and finally his eyes fell on Zhu Tongpan.
"Where is the prefect of Tongzhou?"
The magistrate of Tongzhou was none other than Prime Minister Pei You, who had been demoted earlier. Qi Jue came to Tongzhou to deal with the plague. Given the ability of Prime Minister Pei You, he must have known the news a long time ago.
But today there was such a big commotion at the gate of the city. As the prefect, Pei Youxiang did not show up immediately, but only the magistrate came.
Zhu Tongpan replied tremblingly: "Back to Your Highness, the plague in Tongzhou has spread seriously. Magistrate Pei is so worried that he can't eat or sleep every day. He fell ill yesterday, so he couldn't come to welcome His Highness.
Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
As soon as he finished speaking, some people shouted with righteous indignation: "Fart, the people in your government are greedy for life and afraid of death. They only care about their own life and death. They don't care about us at all and they trap us to death in the city. What kind of bullshit prefect is this?"
He has already run away!"
"Yes, Your Highness King Dingbei, since the outbreak of the plague, both medicinal materials and other things in Tongzhou City have been monopolized by vendors. Just a bag of rice can be sold for ten taels of silver. That is what we poor people earn every year.
Money that can’t be earned!”
"Not only food, but also very common medicinal materials for treating headaches and slow fever, the prices are also ridiculously high. If unfortunately they are infected with the plague, many people will not die of illness, but starve to death!"
With a few people taking the lead, the people could no longer bear it and told them all about the suffering they had suffered during these days.
Qi Jue didn't interrupt anyone, he just kept everything everyone said in mind.
After the people's emotions calmed down a little, Qi Jue spoke again: "People of Tongzhou, I came to Tongzhou this time because of the plague. No matter what the outcome, I will advance and retreat with Tongzhou.
These days, you are in dire straits because the imperial court failed to fulfill its responsibilities. I am here to apologize to you all!"
After saying that, Qi Jue took a step back, raised his hands and gave a solemn salute to all the people.
The people were shocked and speechless. Not to mention the noble princes of the Tian family like Qi Jue, even the extremely small soldiers guarding the city were arrogant all day long and did not treat them at all.
The common people take it seriously.
Not to mention, after the plague broke out, the government only cared about themselves and did not care about their lives or lives. However, Qi Jue, who was supposed to have nothing to do with these things, lowered his profile on the first day he came to Tongzhou and, in the name of the court,
Apologize to the people.
All of a sudden, the anger in the people's hearts subsided a lot.
"His Royal Highness King Dingbei, you are a living Bodhisattva!"
The people were choked with sobs, their emotions were calmed down, and finally they no longer became agitated.
Zhu Tongpan took advantage of this opportunity and hurriedly stepped forward to please him and said: "Your Highness, you have been tired all the way. Why don't you go to the state capital to settle down first? After you have rested, it will not be too late to deal with the plague. What do you think?"
"The common people are all starved, skinny, and miserable. However, Zhu Tongpuan has a rosy complexion, is fat and strong, and is living a very nourishing life. It seems that he has not been affected by the plague. As a parent official, you are really dedicated to your job."
It’s really, at this critical moment, you still have the nerve to talk about taking a rest?”
Zhu Tongpuan was instantly frightened and broke into a cold sweat. He knelt down with a plop and kowtowed on the ground regardless of his appearance.
"Your Highness, please calm down. Your Majesty, please calm down, Xianguan...Xiaguan was born with a wide body and a fat body. Since the outbreak of the plague, Xiaguan has been worried about the people of Tongzhou. However, since ancient times, there is no cure for the plague. If you are unfortunate enough to catch it,
I can only wait for death, and my subordinates are really incompetent..."
Qi Jue sneered coldly, "There is nothing you can do. If you can't cure it, just let it go. Let the prices rise and most of the people starve to death. Is this how the imperial court supports you bunch of losers?"
This useless sentence made all the officials kneel on the ground and tremble, fearing that Qi Jue's anger would damage their black gauze hats.
Zhu Tongpuan was sweating profusely and wanted to defend himself. Qi Jue no longer had the patience to listen to his glib words.
"Lead the way, where are the biggest rice shops in Tongzhou."
Although he didn't know what Qi Jue was going to do when he went to Mipu, Zhu Tongpan didn't dare to delay. He got up in a hurry, without having time to wipe the sweat from his head, and led Qi Jue's way.
Soon, we came to the first rice shop.
The door of the shop was open, and there was even a lot of rice on display, but the waiter was busy swatting away mosquitoes. The people only watched from a distance, and no one came forward to buy.
There was a sharp contrast between the ragged and hungry people and the fragrant rice that no one could afford.
It's like a heaven and a hell.
At this time, a rickety old man came up to beg with a broken bowl, "Uncle, please do me a favor, my grandson hasn't eaten in several days..."
"Where did the stinky beggar come from? Why don't you just beat him away with a stick?"