frightfiction Chapter 258 Surviving the Disaster
Chapter 258 Surviving the Disaster
"Princess, are you okay?"
The maids separated the beggars and hurried to check if the Ninth Princess was okay.
"You bold and unruly people, you will have all nine heads chopped off for disturbing the princess!" The maids surrounded Li Wei, fearing that she would be hurt.
When they heard it was the princess, the noisy beggars all fell silent and prostrated themselves on the ground begging for mercy.
Although spring has arrived, the weather is still very cold.
This group of beggars were all dressed in rags. Their dirty and torn clothes had long since lost their original appearance. Their disheveled appearance made them look as if they had just been fished out of a cesspool. There were countless lice and fleas hiding on their bodies. The only whites of their eyes were left white on their bodies.
The Ninth Princess subconsciously shrank back.
At this moment, the shopkeeper of Xichunlou came out with his men and stood on the steps, shouting:
"Fellow villagers, my host has set up a porridge stall nearby. Everyone please line up over there. Don't worry, there's everything available."
When they heard that there was free porridge, the beggars kneeling on the ground no longer cared about Li Wei and ran away like birds and beasts.
"I'm sorry to frighten the princess."
The shopkeeper came forward quickly and escorted Li Wei inside.
"Boss, why are there so many beggars outside the door when you haven't been here for a few days?"
Li Wei asked as she walked inside.
The shopkeeper said hurriedly, "Princess, you don't know, these are not beggars, they are all civilians who have fled from the north. They have been arriving in large numbers in the past few days. The eldest princess has ordered us to set up a porridge stall to provide them with food from today on."
Li Wei seemed to be lost in thought.
Going upstairs and into the private room, the eldest princess was standing by the window, leaning on the railing and looking out. When she heard Li Wei enter, she said softly:
"This was once the most prosperous area in Shengjing City, bustling with people and vehicles. The congestion problem once gave the East Market Magistrate a headache."
"It was only when my father went on an incognito visit that he saw Su Ji's method and asked Su Li for advice that the congestion problem in the East and West Markets was solved."
"But now, the prosperous scene of the past is no longer there."
The spring breeze blew, making the silver bells on the window curtains tinkle.
Li Wei said:
"Sister, what can I do to help?"
Upon hearing this, the princess looked at Li Wei lovingly and pulled her to sit down.
"I have informed the Emperor that he has established a Jishiyuan in Huguo Temple to assist refugees fleeing from the north. This will require a great deal of manpower and resources. If you are willing, please come and help me."
"Yes!"
Li Wei was very happy to work with the eldest sister Huang.
"Eldest sister, I'll go back and prepare."
Seeing Li Wei eager to try and leaving happily, the eldest princess turned around and asked Fang Gu:
"Have Su Li and the others arrived in Lin'an Prefecture?"
"We're here. Madam Pei said he's settled down in Lin'an Prefecture a few days ago and everything is fine. Princess, please don't worry. Also, early this morning, the head manager of Su's also delivered these banknotes."
Fang Gu took out a stack of banknotes from her bosom and handed it to the eldest princess.
"The messenger said that Madam Pei had a premonition that a large number of refugees would be pouring into Shengjing City, and this silver is for your Highness to use as relief for the victims. Furthermore, she has also informed all the shopkeepers of Suji in the city that if you need money, food, or personnel, just give your instructions, and Suji will be happy to help."
The eldest princess held the thick stack of banknotes in her hand and listened to these words, feeling mixed emotions.
She knew that Su Li had quite a few businesses, and that those businesses were doing well. But she didn't expect that Su Li would give her so much money all at once.
"I finally know why Pei Heng likes her so much."
The eldest princess laughed at herself.
"Although my father agreed to let me run the Jishiyuan, he also frankly admitted that the national treasury couldn't afford a penny. A few days ago, I was still worried about this matter, and Su Li seemed to have foreseen the future and sent so much silver. She could have done these things in the name of Su Ji, but she gave this good name to me."
"The princess and Madam Pei are both kind people with compassionate hearts who care about the people."
"Okay, stop being so poor. With this money, we can get started on the affairs of the Jishiyuan."
The porridge shop under Xichun Tower was open for a few days, and then a sign was hung up saying that the eldest princess had opened a charity in the Huguo Temple outside the city, and all the people who fled from the north could go to the Huguo Temple.
As the news spread, the number of beggars and refugees in Shengjing City suddenly decreased significantly. The pressure on public security in the city was also greatly reduced, but it was still not much bustling.
However, the Huguo Temple was suddenly filled with noise and bustle.
"Line up, come one by one. Don't worry, we have them all!"
The Ninth Princess, with her arms tied, stood in front of a large pot, spooning out porridge herself. These days, she has been helping out at the Huguo Temple every day.
She once thought that the Great Qi Dynasty was a rich and powerful country, but after seeing so many refugees with her own eyes, she realized how difficult life was and how much suffering the people were enduring.
Although she could fall asleep as soon as she lay down due to exhaustion every day, she had never felt so fulfilled and happy in her heart.
The only sad thing is that I feel sad about the hardships of people’s lives, but my power is limited.
However, she also tried her best to help as many people as possible.
In the team, a skinny boy who looked like a monkey held a bowl of porridge and hurriedly ran through the crowd to a relatively sparsely populated corner.
"Brother Liao, have some porridge."
The skinny monkey helped a man up from the corner of the wall. The man's face was dark red, his face was weather-beaten, and his lips were pale. It was obvious that he was injured, and it was a serious illness.
He struggled to sit up, leaned against the wall and slowly drank the bowl of porridge in front of him.
He stopped after taking a few sips and pushed the remaining porridge to the skinny monkey:
"you drink."
The skinny monkey pushed back again.
"Brother Liao, I've had some, and this is for you. Don't worry, now that we've fled to the Huguo Temple, everyone can have two bowls of porridge and a steamed bun every day, so we won't starve to death. I just heard that Her Royal Highness the Princess has invited many doctors to treat everyone. Brother Liao, your injury can be cured."
The man surnamed Liao nodded, drank the rest of the porridge, lay down and continued to sleep, and soon he began to dream.
In the dream, enemies outside the city wall attacked him in large numbers. He killed countless of them with his sword, and finally fell to the ground exhausted.
Not far away, the figure of Zhenbei Hou was also staggering.
At this moment, a shout came from below the tower:
"Reinforcements are coming! Reinforcements are coming! It's General Zhao from Liangzhou!"
The scene changed, and he and a group of wounded were sitting in the courtyard of the government office.
As soon as the reinforcements from Liangzhou arrived, all the wounded were evacuated. He was stabbed countless times and endured the pain to bandage his wounds.
The brothers around him said, "Lieutenant General Liao, we have survived a great disaster, and we will surely have good fortune in the future!" But just as he finished speaking, a group of people in black cloaks rushed in, raised their knives and chopped down the wounded in the yard like cutting carrots.
Before everyone could react, the brother who had said that there would be good fortune in the future, even with a smile of survival on his face, collapsed in front of him.
He was also stabbed in the chest.
Fortunately, he was born with a different heart shape than other people, and his heart was tilted slightly to the right, which saved his life. However, because of this, he heard the horrifying conversation.