Chapter 61 Proclamation

  The next day, at dawn, the soldiers of the Five Cities Commandery began to tidy up the refugee camp according to the orders given by the big man from the Ministry of Revenue last night.

  Some of the unfortunate refugees who did not survive the cold night were carried out. It was clear that the number of dead was much lower than before, and this time, their clothes had not been looted.

  After all, if it weren't for desperate situations, ordinary people still have great respect for the dead.

  After the soldiers carried away the bodies, they cleared a piece of land in the refugee camp, set up a row of tables and stools, and then also lined up another row of tables and stools at the entrance of the refugee camp.

  The refugees had a supplementary meal last night, added charcoal, and got a promise, with hope in their hearts, and their spirits were much better, all paying attention to the actions of the soldiers.

  When the soldiers had arranged everything, the refugees began to discuss it one after another.

  Refugee A said: "Was what that big shot said last night true?"

  Refugee B looked down on him: "The emperor's orders, how can that be fake!"

  The refugees were amazed at the speed of the arrangements and couldn't help but exclaim: "It's started so quickly, it doesn't seem like the usual official way of doing things."

  Refugee Ding explained: "The current emperor is a wise and enlightened ruler, so it's naturally different from before!"

  Refugees in the camp who had the strength to speak began to express their own views and insights, and the entire camp was filled with a sense of vitality.

  Soon, the soldiers arranged for those who could work to line up, with the physically strong in one row and the skilled craftsmen in another.

  Before the queue was even formed, the officials from the Ministry of Revenue had arrived. Without much courtesy, they divided into two groups. Four people sat on the stools at the entrance, and eight people sat on the stools inside the camp.

  Immediately, registration began in the refugee camp, where clerks were busy recording names, places of origin, physical labor or skilled labor and other details.

  Outside the camp, there were four people. Two of them were in charge of registering the donations from the common people, and the other two were responsible for recording the labor needs.

  It's still early now, not to mention the common people of the capital, even the imperial censors of the Ducha Yuan have not arrived yet. The officials from the Ministry of Revenue only came over early because they had been entrusted by the Minister of Revenue, so they had to start working on the refugee camp first.

  After waiting for about half a time, the two imperial historians rode over on horseback. Seeing that no civilians had come to register yet, they exchanged a glance and secretly thought that this timing was indeed not late. Then they went into the house where the soldiers belonged to drink tea and wait.

  Cold winds blow from time to time, and although winter has already shown its face, there is no warmth to be felt.

  Time slipped away quietly, and the yushi's soldier Ding came out twice to take a look, but didn't see a single commoner coming over.

  Gradually, the four clerks responsible for registration at the entrance of the camp were frozen and couldn't sit still. They stood up one after another to take a turn, looking at the end of the street, muttering in their hearts: why hasn't anyone come yet? To say nothing of it, disaster relief has always been an official affair, but this time it's left to the people of the capital to do this thing. How many are coming is unknown, and whether they will come or not is a problem.

  Things turned out as they had expected. It was almost noon, but still no one came to donate money or goods, not even a single person to register for work.

  Refugees in the camp occasionally looked towards the gate, hoping that kind-hearted people would appear. However, the long wait continued to disappoint them, and worried expressions appeared on more and more refugees' faces.

  In winter, ordinary people don't have many things to do. More importantly, it's very cold outside, so they usually sleep in late and get up very late.

  It wasn't until nearly noon that the common people gradually got out of bed, and the posted notices also attracted some people who were going out.

  The bulletin board area is getting more and more lively, it can be seen that the people under the bulletin board are mainly divided into two groups.

  One group is ordinary people, although they are illiterate, but when others read out the notice, they listen clearly, but are powerless. In the past few months, the prices in the capital have changed daily, and it's hard for them to make a living, let alone help others!

  Another group of people, dressed neatly and accompanied by followers, were clearly from wealthy families and were literate. They too engaged in lively discussions. However, most of them were discussing how the imperial court's proclamation used vernacular language, wondering if the imperial court had no one left to write it properly, with some ridiculing and mocking. In the end, they all went off to eat meat and drink wine together.

  In this era, there were no photographs or videos, so those who had not experienced hardship and refugee-like experiences could hardly empathize with the plight of these people through words alone.

  Among them was a group of people drinking and eating meat in a wine house by the street. When they were drunk, their bodies were hot from the stimulation of wine, so they opened the window to cool down.

  Suddenly, someone glanced out the window and saw several cars passing by, loaded with food and clothing. He couldn't help but let out a "hmm" of surprise, then leaned against the windowsill to take a closer look.

  When he saw that the cart was indeed heading in the direction of Wang Gongchang, he turned his head and said to his companion: "Come quickly and see the fool, someone has actually gone to donate goods."

  Is there really someone who thinks they have too much money and goes to help the imperial court do good deeds? These people are a bit skeptical, and they all rush to the window to watch the commotion.

  As expected, there were two flatbed carts. One was piled with some tattered canvas clothes and some charcoal, on which sat an old man in coarse, worn-out clothing. The other cart was loaded with some coarse grains, pushed by a young fellow also dressed in coarse, worn-out clothing.

  "Doesn't look like he's from a wealthy household either, just look at how shabby he is. He can barely feed himself, yet he wants to be a good person." One of them concluded with disdain.

  "It looks like they've been poor their whole lives and suddenly got rich, so they're hastily buying as many things as possible to take home and hoard, as if they're afraid of going hungry again. It doesn't look like they're going to donate anything." Another person had a different opinion.

  "Look, aren't they going in the direction of Wang Gongchang?"

  "It's just as I thought, it turned out to be a poor neighborhood, I was right."

  "Stop arguing, let's hurry up and finish eating. After we're done, we'll go to the Welcome Spring Building to have some fun. Those sisters are still in bed, so they won't need to get up."

  A group of people burst out laughing together in agreement.

  Those two flatcars were indeed heading towards Wang Gongchang, but not because they saw the notice, rather to fulfill yesterday's promise.

  Those two men were the old man and his son, who were among the servants taken in by Zhong Jinwei yesterday. The old man was called Yu Haining, and the son was called Yu Changjun.

  At this time, neither of them knew that there was a group of people behind them discussing them, and they were rushing forward with their heads down.

  "Father, how old is the young master?" Yu Changyu finally couldn't hold back his temper and spoke up to the old man in the carriage ahead.

  The old man didn't answer immediately and continued to ride the donkey forward. After a while, he still answered his son's question: "It looks like it's in its early twenties. Nowadays, there are few young people with good hearts like the young master, especially in an environment like the capital."

  "Dad, can our son also become an official like the young master?"

  The old man listened, suddenly turned his head around, with a serious face: "Your father taught you to be cautious and avoid being frivolous, do things seriously, some things will naturally come easily! Moreover, the young master is not someone who has mixed in with the crowd, he has broad knowledge and experience, and also has the merit of saving the emperor, you should learn from him properly."

  "Dad, I was wrong!"

  When he heard his son admit his mistake, the old man was satisfied and turned back.

  "Dad, can we let him know about our Kung Fu skills?"

  This time, the old man didn't turn around and directly said: "With your three-legged cat skills, let the young master see a joke."

  Yu Changjian pouted slightly, but didn't dare speak out loud, lest the old man hear him.

  As they talked, they unknowingly walked quickly onto the main street in front of Wang Gongchang.

  At the entrance of the refugee camp, one of the staff members accidentally looked up and saw two flatbed trucks loaded with supplies coming from afar. He suddenly became excited, as if he had seen an alien, and exclaimed: "Come on, people are coming! Look, they're finally here!"

  The other three officials and the soldiers on the side all looked over, and indeed someone had arrived. Those who were sitting returned to their seats, those who were rushing into the house to call the imperial historian did so, and even two soldiers went forward to greet the flat cart.

  On the other side, Yu Haining and his son were taken to the main street in front of the refugee camp, where they were shocked by the commotion at the refugee camp, which was completely different from what they had imagined. What on earth happened?

  The two soldiers walked closer and took a look, only to find that they were familiar faces. The people who were sent away by the East Factory yesterday would naturally have an impression of them.

  With respect, after inquiring about their intention, guide them to the officer over there who is in charge of registering donations.

  When they arrived at the entrance of the refugee camp, Yu Haining and his son also understood the situation. In their hearts, they knew that Zhong Xingbo was helping those in need, and so quickly there was a commotion, which gave the fellow villagers in the refugee camp a glimmer of hope. They couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion and pride, thinking that being a servant to a public son hadn't lowered their own status.