Chapter 1285
Allowing Wei People to Leave the City
Chapter 1285 Allowing Wei People to Leave the City
Qiong Lao took a bite and laughed, "Hmm, delicious, but it uses too much oil. I dare not eat like this anymore. The soldiers need oil more than we pens do."
hypocritical!
Qi Tianshi mentally complained about Qiong Lao, and said, "This is a sample. It should be tasted by someone of importance before it is given to the military and civilians. Otherwise, some people will cause trouble again."
Qiong Lao didn't reply, but instead said to Wei Jun who came to report: "Please tell the students that they can wait if they want, help if they want, or ignore if they want. The choice is in their hands. If they really can't make a choice, then don't do anything. Let things proceed to the next step, to the point where they can make a choice, and then take action... They are not young anymore. Master Qin is younger than them and has already killed enemies and made meritorious contributions."
These students are all young masters raised by their respective families, and they all have their own men under their command. If they really want to do something, they can send someone to investigate who the masterminds are for 'making the Qin family righteous'.
Finding the mastermind or accomplices will put an end to this farce.
Instead of acting like a baby, only coming to him when something happens.
"Yes." The Wei soldiers left.
Qi Tianshi laughed and asked, "Isn't Professor Qiong worried that such a response might cause the students to overthink and create new trouble?"
Qiong Lao: "That's their own business. I've done all I could."
"Master, these dried taro and sweet potato are hard to swallow. Please have some barley soup to help you swallow." Qiong Lao stopped talking about this and instead focused on taking care of Xun Lao.
Before they had finished their meal, another announcement came: "Reporting to His Highness Prince Ye, Lord Yan, Councilor Su, Assistant Magistrate Qu, Prefect Zheng, and Prefect Xu of the Jumen Prefecture request an audience."
"Please." Clerk Guan put down his chopsticks and had someone invite the officials in.
Upon seeing the officials, he pointed to the dining table and said, "Gentlemen, have you not eaten yet? Please sit down and we can talk while we eat."
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Ye. Then I won't stand on ceremony." Qu Tongzhi had actually already eaten, but he was good at currying favor with his superiors, and Prince Ye was the new master he had his eye on, so he gave Prince Ye face.
The others sat down and started eating with their chopsticks.
Dinner consisted of deep-fried taro chunks, stir-fried taro stems until mushy, and a bowl of wheat flour soup.
Looking at the food, Lord Yan sighed, "Your Highness, Prince Ye, you're eating far too blandly."
This food isn't even as good as what the lowly servants in Magistrate Zheng's household eat.
In Zheng Tongpan's private granary, there were still live chickens, ducks, geese, pigs and sheep. Lord Yan and Prefect Fei had both received supplies from Zheng Tongpan.
In contrast, the King of Ye and the Qi envoy had already begun eating these southern barbarian grains.
Judge Zheng lowered his head and remained silent.
Lord Yan then asked, "Your Highness, is there a shortage of supplies at Wu Garden? If there is a shortage, Your Highness can inform the three major government offices, as they all have public granaries."
The clerk Guan laughed and said, "Just two days ago, the government granary sent a batch of supplies to Wuyuan, but I sent them out of the city to the Wei army to make meat and rice. Now we are eating taro and sweet potatoes to fill our stomachs, which is what I deserve. Lord Yan doesn't need to worry about it."
Lord Yan, Prefect Zheng, and even Magistrate Qu, who regarded him as his new master, all felt that the Prince of Ye was putting on airs.
However, the fact that the Prince of Ye is doing this is to build up the reputation of the Wei royal family. If the Prince of Ye were to still serve a table full of fresh meat and vegetables at every meal, that would be courting death!
"Please have your meal first. We can talk business after you've finished eating."
"Yes." The officials ate their taro and sweet potato dinner together before reporting the progress of the incident at the East Gate to the clerk.
"The latest news from half an hour ago is that more than two thousand Wei people have gathered inside the East Gate, kneeling and begging the Qin family to hand over the formula for the weapon for the greater good."
"Most of these Wei citizens are elderly, followed by scholars and young people... There are still many Wei citizens rushing to the East Gate."
"General Chu has ordered Commander Feng to set up barricades on the main road of the East Gate to block the Wei people who want to continue gathering at the East Gate." "More than two hundred rioters have been arrested, all of whom are genuine Wei people with proper household registration and whose lineage can be traced back five generations. They were not taken away for interrogation. As ordered by His Highness the Prince of Ye, they were made to kneel on the side of the main road so that everyone could see that these arrested people have not been tortured and are all alive."
If they are arrested and imprisoned in the yamen, and there are assassins inside who might kill themselves by running into the wall, the mastermind behind them will definitely take the opportunity to make a big fuss.
"It seems that the mastermind may be from the Tai Zhou Mansion... The Tong Family Escort Agency has been in contact with Liu Qing, Yang Ming, Ma Zibai and others."
Lord Yan reported the findings to the clerk in detail.
The clerk Guan laughed, glancing at Prefect Zheng, which made Councilor Su's heart skip a beat.
Fortunately, the clerk didn't say anything.
Lord Yan, however, was getting anxious. "No, please speak! What should we do next?"
"Please give your instructions, Your Highness, Prince Ye."
The clerk then said, "Continue the investigation, and be sure to find out all the masterminds behind this!"
"I hereby issue another decree: any family wishing to flee the city may pack their belongings and leave, but once they leave the capital city, they are solely responsible for their own safety."
what!
Lord Yan, Councilor Su, Prefect Zheng, and Magistrate Qu were all astonished!
Lord Yan hurriedly said, "Your Highness Prince Ye wants to open the city gates to let the Wei people leave? This is abandoning the city, and it violates His Majesty's order to prohibit relocation; it is defying the imperial decree!"
"Your Highness, this door must not be opened, otherwise the capital city will become a ghost town in less than three days!"
The clerk said, "I understand what you gentlemen have said. It is what the people of Wei want to leave the city to find a way to survive, and I will respect that."
No, we are a feudal dynasty, what respect are you talking about to commoners?
Councilor Su reminded them: "Your Highness, the people of Wei do not want to abandon the city and flee. As long as we show them hope of winning, they will stay and defend the city with us."
The clerk glanced at him and asked, "Is Councilor Su implying that I should use my power to force the Qin family to hand over the formula for their weapon?"
"Your Highness misunderstands. I had no intention of forcing the Qin family." Councilor Su was silent for a moment before saying, "But such a powerful weapon should not be held by one family. It should be handed over to the court."
"Ha," Guan, the clerk, chuckled, seemingly quite annoyed.
But he didn't curse anyone. He just repeated, "Issue my royal decree that Wei citizens who want to leave the city to find a way to survive are allowed to leave, but they shall bear the consequences themselves."
"As for asking the Qin family to uphold righteousness and hand over the formula for the powerful weapon so that the Wei people can see hope of victory, we will discuss that later."
Councilor Su frowned upon hearing this: "Postpone the discussion? May I ask Your Highness, how long will it be postponed? If it is postponed for even an hour, chaos may break out in the city."
The clerk replied, "General Liang will be returning to the city soon. We can discuss the matter of the sharp weapon after General Liang returns."
What if General Liang doesn't come back?
Councilor Su was about to speak again when Qi Tianshi interrupted him, "Does Lord Su still remember the death of Gu Chengyong?"
Councilor Su dared to talk back to Clerk Guan, but he was genuinely afraid of Angel Qi. Upon hearing this, he broke out in a cold sweat and dared not speak, remaining silent.
"Heh," Qi Tianshi laughed, "Lord Su, some troubles are unavoidable. What we need to do is eliminate the perpetrators who cause trouble."
What?
Councilor Su was sweating profusely, and his face turned slightly pale... Eunuch Qi wanted to condone Wei Min's rampage and then catch Wei Min and the masterminds in one fell swoop!
"Lord Su, remember you are an official appointed by the court. You must serve on the side of the court and His Majesty. Do not fail to live up to the Emperor's favor." Qi Shitian's threat was blatant.
Councilor Su hurriedly declared, "As His Majesty's subject, I naturally stand on His Majesty's and the court's side!"
Qi Tianshi smiled and said, "That's good."