Chapter 145: Relief

Inside the spacious main hall of the Qingxi County Government Office, the thirty-something County Magistrate had a physique like a plump gourd; his large belly seemed to carry the worries and responsibilities of the entire county. His gaze swept through the hall, landing on the group of family Patriarchs from the county who were well-known and possessed significant strength.

"Today, I have summoned you worthies not for idle chatter," the County Magistrate began slowly, his hands hidden within his large sleeves as if gripping the safety of the entire county. "The refugees outside the city are like a tide, suffering from hunger and cold; they are in urgent need of our help. I hope you can all be generous, contribute some Silver, and donate some grain to appease these refugees and prevent them from attacking the city out of desperation, which would cause unnecessary losses."

Though his voice was not loud, it flowed into everyone's heart like a clear spring, making it impossible to ignore.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a dissatisfied voice rose in the hall. A Patriarch of a small family stood up, his face showing a hint of bitterness: "My Lord, please examine the facts. It is not that I am unwilling to contribute, but the refugees have occupied the grain transport routes for the past few days. Over thirty carts of grain were all looted, and the servants transporting the grain were beaten black and blue when they resisted. I truly cannot afford much grain."

The County Magistrate's brows furrowed slightly. He did not respond directly to this Patriarch but instead turned his gaze toward Lin Xiong, the Patriarch of the Lin Family, who sat in the second seat on the left.

The Lin Family was a prominent family in Qingxi County that managed grain; anything related to grain could not be separated from the shadow of the Lin Family. With this small-family Patriarch standing up to complain at this moment, the County Magistrate understood in his heart that the shadow of the Lin Family must be behind it.

He cursed inwardly, yet his expression remained gentle: "Patriarch Lin, you are the Granary of the county. With refugees running rampant now, do you have any good strategies?"

Lin Xiong smiled slightly and cupped his hands: "My Lord, the refugee problem is indeed thorny. However, my Lin Family is willing to do our humble part and donate a portion of grain to help you appease the refugees."

The County Magistrate felt relieved, but his face remained serious: "Patriarch Lin is truly a man of great understanding."

Lin Xiong interrupted: "My Lord, no rush. I have one more condition I hope you will grant."

"Oh? As long as the refugees' hunger on the road can be solved, if you have something to say, speak freely." The County Magistrate cursed Lin Xiong inwardly for being unappreciative, while appearing as gentle as a spring breeze.

He paused and continued: "Actually, I also understand everyone's difficulties. However, as people of Qingxi County, we should pull together in times of trouble. If the refugees attack the city and cause losses, none of us will be able to stay out of it."

The words about pulling together were spoken by the County Magistrate with a hint of a threat, causing the expressions of the various family Patriarchs below to change abruptly.

Lin Xiong bowed: "My Lord, I have heard a little something. Recently, it is not just refugees occupying the roads and robbing grain, but also the bandits from Black Wind Stronghold. The refugees are running rampant and seizing grain; even if we feel resentful, we still have hearts of compassion, and saving a life is fine. But if Black Wind Stronghold keeps blocking the road to rob, and if they recruit some refugees, this will be a great disaster!"

The County Magistrate smiled inwardly; the bottom line was finally revealed. So that's where they were waiting for me!

"That is indeed my oversight. As for the situation mentioned by that small-family Patriarch, I will send people to investigate clearly. If it is true, I will certainly send troops to punish them severely without leniency. But before that, I hope everyone can temporarily set aside personal grievances and work together for the safety of the county."

As the County Magistrate's voice fell, the hall was silent. Even if they were dissatisfied, since the Magistrate had said this much, they could only let it go. Subsequently, some family Patriarchs expressed their willingness to contribute some Silver and grain to help the Magistrate appease the refugees.

However, the County Magistrate knew in his heart that this was merely a stopgap measure. To truly solve the refugee problem, it would require long-term planning.

The County Magistrate stood on high, overlooking the bustling scene of money and grain being handed over, and the stone hanging in his heart finally fell to the ground. He secretly cursed his own good-for-nothing brother-in-law: he had a perfectly good refugee business to run, yet he insisted on running off to rob the roads! And he robbed the very grain that concerned the major livelihood of the people! This gave the County Magistrate a massive headache.

Half a year ago, his brother-in-law had just received a huge ransom from the eldest young master of the Li Mansion, and he had thought things would be quiet for a while, but he hadn't expected him to start making waves again so soon.

The County Magistrate shook his head helplessly, thinking: This brother-in-law is truly rotten wood that cannot be carved!

Speaking of the County Magistrate's Principal Wife, Liu Shi, she was a woman with a beautiful appearance and a charming demeanor.

Her skin was as delicate and dripping as dew on a flower bud, and at thirty, she was at an age where she was like a wolf, with an extremely vigorous sexual desire.

Although the County Magistrate had already cultivated to the Bone Refining Mid Stage, he still felt somewhat inadequate when facing the twenty-eight-year-old, wolf-like Liu Shi. One must know that Liu Shi was only at the Blood Refining Late Stage.

The County Magistrate sighed inwardly; his authority as a husband was not being upheld. If this continued, it would not only affect his cultivation progress but might also cause family conflicts. At the same time, he had to properly discipline that restless brother-in-law to avoid any further major disasters.

Therefore, when facing the gentle and considerate yet insatiable Liu Shi, the County Magistrate felt at ease letting her brother go to Black Wind Stronghold to serve as the Dandangjia.

Over these ten years, this brother-in-law had indeed helped him a great deal. However, now that refugees were everywhere, if he were to be highlighted again, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

It was simply too reckless!

The County Magistrate pondered the events of the day carefully, and the more he thought, the more he felt something was wrong.

Could the Lin Family have sensed something? By all logic, they shouldn't have! His methods had always been very covert, and he had even joined forces with the Li Family to set up a trap.

The Li Family had even brought out a full two thousand taels of real Silver. The Lin Family should not have noticed anything. Thus, the flaw in the problem likely lay with Black Wind Stronghold.

It seemed he would have to discuss it properly with Liu Dong; perhaps another bandit escape incident would be needed. However, this time he would have to put forward a figure of sufficient weight to suppress the resentment of these people.

In this way, not only could he get money and grain, but he could also skim a profit from it. Such a good thing was rare to come by.

It was noon, and the entire Qingxi County was bathed in warm sunlight.

At the city gates and the Inner City gate, a striking notice was firmly posted on the wall. It clearly stated: "Starting from tomorrow, Qingxi County will begin distributing rice porridge and food to help everyone get through these difficult times." This news quickly spread throughout the entire county, attracting widespread attention.

Upon hearing this news, the people sighed at the Magistrate's benevolent act. In this difficult time, being able to have such a measure undoubtedly gave the refugees a glimmer of hope.

However, unlike the Ordinary people, the wealthy and powerful families watched all of this with cold eyes. They pondered inwardly that while this approach could win the hearts of the people, it did not offer much practical benefit to power-holders like them. They were more concerned with their own status and wealth than the livelihoods of those poor people.

Money, contributed.

Grain, given.

Now it just depends on when the Magistrate will suppress the bandits.