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墨書 Inktalez
With Qing Luan's warning, Li Yunluo became much more restrained. Even if she wanted to cause trouble, she dared not do so, fearing she might be kicked out.
Watching the obedient and proactive Li Yunluo, Sister Yun curled her lips and looked at Qing Luan with confusion. "What did you say to her? She seems like a different person now, looking uncomfortable all over!" They had previously discussed Li Yunluo's background and felt it was not simple, as her pride would occasionally slip through, making it hard to overlook.
"I told her that if anything goes wrong with the food supplies, she would be responsible!" Qing Luan replied coolly, not even glancing at Li Yunluo.
"Uh!" Sister Yun twitched her mouth in speechlessness.
The young lady was truly cunning; she could say such things so casually. Heh, Li Yunluo really had run into bad luck meeting this young lady.
With sufficient food supplies and the backing of the Merchant Alliance, the restless commoners calmed down and began to rebuild their homes.
As they watched the busy citizens, Qing Luan and Xuanyuan Rui walked side by side, discussing something in hushed tones that no one could overhear.
"Why hasn't anyone from the court arrived yet after such a long time?" Xuanyuan Rui felt somewhat reassured after learning that Qing Luan was the mastermind behind the Merchant Alliance. He worried that she might not be able to handle such a heavy responsibility.
"They're either being blocked or the ones sent are just fooling around!" Qing Luan answered lightly. This question had crossed her mind several times.
"Fooling around?" Being blocked was one thing, but how could one explain fooling around?
"The court sent someone out, but that person is just sightseeing along the way... You tell me, when will they actually arrive?" Qing Luan said with a smirk.
"Damn it!" Although Xuanyuan Rui didn't understand the intricacies of scheming, growing up in a complicated environment made him aware of such matters. Those spoiled rich kids often made grand promises but were unlikely to deliver anything useful when it truly mattered; they would only become a burden.
"I'm staying here to resolve this issue; otherwise, the people here will just wait to die!" With a sigh, she slowly explained her reason for lingering here. In truth, with people from the Merchant Alliance present, she wasn't worried about the citizens starving. However, if the court really sent someone, those from the Merchant Alliance might become a liability.
It was well-known that society looked down on merchants; perhaps what the Merchant Alliance did would become an excuse for trouble.
Qing Luan's words indeed came true.
A few days later, the court finally sent someone. Upon arrival, they were arrogant and domineering, complaining about everything—this was bad, that was bad—forcing the citizens to dismantle their tents to clear their view... The complaints from the people grew louder; they wished he hadn't come at all so they could continue living peacefully.
"Those are Prime Minister Huang's people," Xuanyuan Rui said coldly as he glanced at the arrogant young man before him.
"Do you know him?" Qing Luan asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
He had always been out and about; how could he possibly know these insignificant people?
Indeed, they were insignificant. In such situations, no one would willingly send out their own children. Instead, they would offer small favors to have someone from a collateral family handle the matter. If things went well, it was considered a great achievement; if not, the blame fell on the incapable ones, and those individuals were often used thoroughly.
"Yu Yang, the brother of a concubine of Prime Minister Huang's eldest son—a pompous, spoiled brat," came the response, laced with barely concealed anger. Despite his efforts to control it, Qing Luan could sense the underlying fury.
Did Xuanyuan Rui have some grudge against him? Qing Luan pondered this silently, not daring to ask further.
Yu Yang's character was indeed as Xuanyuan Rui described—arrogant and oppressive, making life miserable for Old Man Lin.
"I am the imperial envoy sent to rescue you. Listen carefully: obey my orders, or don't blame me for any consequences!" The foolish man didn't even bother to inquire how the common people had been faring these days. He simply believed that being here made him the highest authority, free to do as he pleased.
"Fool!" Qing Luan muttered coldly from her hidden corner, her brows furrowed.
"He doesn't even know how he's going to die," Sister Yun remarked seductively, yet her gaze was chilling enough to freeze anyone in place.
"Let's just watch," she added. Fortunately, she had hidden all the food before Yu Yang's arrival; otherwise, if he found out, there would surely be trouble.
Yu Yang indulged in his sense of superiority and ordered his subordinates to set up tents and prepare meals; after all, appearances mattered.
"How are we supposed to eat this?!" When the food was finally served, the townsfolk lined up as per Qing Luan's usual practice. However, upon seeing what they were given, the first person’s face darkened immediately as he protested in dissatisfaction.
"What’s wrong?" The people behind him grew curious and gathered around. Upon seeing the contents of their bowls, they all voiced their grievances.
"My lord, how can we eat this?!"
"Yes! How are we supposed to stomach this?!"
Seeing the townsfolk protesting vehemently, Qing Luan initially thought they were trying to cause trouble. But then she realized that they were commoners; their rebelliousness was understandable. However, Yu Yang was sent by the court, and the townsfolk held a blind fear of officials—they wouldn't act recklessly. Thus, she understood that the problem lay with the porridge.
"Let’s go take a look," she decided. Though it wasn't her business, she felt compelled to join in on the commotion since he seemed so insufferable.
"Miss Zhu, look, they actually want us to eat this..." Someone saw her arrival and immediately brought over a bowl filled with something, expressing extreme dissatisfaction.
Taking the bowl handed to her, she noticed that the thin rice was mixed with numerous small stones, murky and dirty, making it hard to swallow at first glance.
"This scum!" A glint of murderous intent flashed in Qing Luan's eyes. She turned and handed the bowl to Xuanyuan Rui, saying, "You should handle this matter." She had heard Xuanyuan Rui mention that Yu Yang was particularly debauched, and she didn't want to draw trouble upon herself.
Xuanyuan Rui gritted his teeth as he looked at the smug person in front of him after seeing the contents of the bowl, wishing he could slap him dead.
"What do you want? Are you rebelling?" Yu Yang emerged due to the commotion, irritated that his meal had been interrupted. He squinted and shouted, "It's already good enough that you have porridge to eat. Anyone who dares to rebel will be locked up!" Damn it, these commoners were too shameless; did they really think he was easy to bully?
He had seen shamelessness before, but never like this. Be careful or someone might beat you so badly that your mother wouldn't recognize you.
"We're drinking this kind of porridge; I wonder what you are eating, my lord?" Holding the porridge, Xuanyuan Rui restrained his imposing aura and approached him in a calm manner, dressed in a light blue linen robe.
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