surnamed Wang

Song Mao has always believed that seeing is believing. Before he really came into contact with King Wu, he had always been suspicious of the rumors. Now when he heard King Wu speak, he found that he was not as narrow-minded as the outside world said.

Song Mao was surprised and said truthfully:

"Your Majesty is aware that this official is indeed worried about the people's livelihood in Anzhou."

He spoke politely enough, but Anzhou's problems could not be summed up by just "people's livelihood". In private, both officials and ordinary people called this disaster relief.

What is a disaster?Natural disasters and man-made disasters have caused people to live in dire straits. The current situation is obviously not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster caused by King Wu.

If there weren't many officers and soldiers present to maintain order, someone might have picked up stones and stabbed the king to death.

The expressions of the refugees who dared not say anything fell into the eyes of King Wu. He smiled and said:
"It seems that I am indeed unpopular with the people. Recently, Mr. Guan has been advising me that when I am in a high position, I should administer benevolent policies and not bully the people. I think it makes sense, so I shamelessly came to help the governor share his worries."

After hearing this, Song Mao looked at the young man next to King Wu, felt good in his heart, and cupped his hands and said:
"You haven't asked your name, sir?"

"If you don't deserve a great name, you will prosper in Xiaguan."

The counselor smiled, and matching his appearance, he looked like a loyal person.

Song Mao somewhat believed King Wu's words. If he had some good advice, it would be possible for the absurd prince to change his gender.

In the past, if these two scholars could not keep up, they would have a sour friendship. But now that the problem is unresolved and they are their own masters, the two are destined to never become friends.

After Song Mao also introduced himself, he said to King Wu:

"I wonder what your prince's plan is?"

Wang Siheng looked at the two steaming cauldrons and a sack of copper plates next to him, and sighed:

"The governor of the Song Dynasty loves the people like his own children. I am really ashamed. It is better to teach people to fish than to teach them how to fish. How long can you help them?"
It's okay to say now that when winter comes and it gets colder every day, cotton-padded clothes and quilts will be a huge expense. I have been away from the court for many years, but I also know that the money from the Ministry of Revenue is not so easy to approve.

Now that the palace has not yet been completed and is in need of a group of laborers, it would be convenient for Mr. Song to give up two hundred young men. Their food and accommodation will be taken care of by the palace, and they will also receive a large salary every month.

In this way, Mr. Song can use the remaining money to buy some warm clothes. When the weather gets warmer next year, the people can go to the mountains to cultivate wasteland and grow food. "

The method given by King Wu is indeed the most suitable at present. In order to fulfill the emperor's instructions, Song Mao directly stopped the construction of the palace. Although he gained fame, it was not easy to control the food and drink of nearly a thousand people.

Allowing the people under his control to freeze to death for the sake of high-ranking status is not in line with the official standards of the Song Dynasty governor.

While Song Mao was thinking, King Wu looked at the ragged refugees in front of him. Among the crowd was a young man sitting on a straw mat drinking porridge with a broken bowl.

Sitting next to him was a blind girl who was neither good-looking nor ugly. The two exchanged words from time to time and seemed very harmonious.

Wang Siheng had a strange look on his face and turned around and said:

"If Lord Song is willing, I can send people to inform the merchants and let them help the victims as appropriate."

King Wu himself, on the other hand, did not hold back and directly said the word "disaster victim".

Song Mao raised his head when he heard this, no longer hesitated, bowed respectfully and said:

"I will first thank the prince for the people of Anzhou."

"No need to be polite, this is what the king should do."

After King Wu finished speaking, he took out a bulging bag from his arms, handed it to the counselor beside him and said:
"Go and share it with the refugees."

The latter looked confused at first, but when he saw Wang Yijing in the crowd, he smiled knowingly, stepped forward and started dividing the money.

The refugees quickly surrounded them, and there was a burst of gratitude. Guan Changsheng did not mind being dirty, and handed them over to their hands one by one until he came to the young man. With a "clang", he threw the largest piece into the opponent's bowl.

The young man raised his head and grinned:
"Thank you, uncle. You are kind-hearted, and you will definitely live a long life and be full of children and grandchildren."

"I would like to lend you your good words and wish you many children and good fortune." The young man's smile became brighter and brighter, as if he was happy for the other person's praise.

……

A few days later, the palace was bustling again. King Wu kept his promise and not only took care of the workers' food, accommodation and money, but also gave each worker a set of work clothes.

After resuming work, he did not rush to build the palace. Instead, he built dozens of work sheds outside the palace wall. They were made of solid materials to resist the cold and keep warm, and they could be used directly as residences.

The workers were treated well and were very motivated. The construction was much faster than before. If this rate continues, it will be completed before the Chinese New Year.

Refugees outside the palace have also been resettled. Although the conditions are worse, they have roofs to cover their heads, and hundreds of people can gather together, so they won't be cold.

Funds from wealthy businessmen and the imperial court arrived one after another and were escorted into the treasury. Everything was developing in an orderly manner and for the best.

Just when everyone thought they could survive the cold winter safely, a sudden fire destroyed everything.

It was a snowy night, workers were sleeping in work sheds, and refugees were huddled in beggars' dens.

Just after midnight, the quiet night was suddenly broken by the harsh sound of gongs, flames shot into the sky from the northwest, and shouts resounded on the streets:

"Oops, there's a fire in the granary."

The whole Xi'an was in a state of panic. The granary contained freshly delivered relief food. The victims who were still sleeping were suddenly excited. They rushed to the streets and spontaneously participated in putting out the fire with buckets and basins.

Before the fire could subside, another gong sounded from the east, "Come quickly, the palace is on fire."

This time it was the workers' turn to be anxious. They put on their clothes and ran out of the burning work shed. Each one of them looked disgraced and rushed to the well in the palace without caring about cleaning up.

As the sky grew brighter, everyone finally put out the fire, but everything they relied on for survival was reduced to ashes overnight.

The granary was burned to the ground, and all rations and seed grains were gone. The refugees stared blankly at the scene in front of them, and some couldn't help but sob.

The palace was not much better. The outer work sheds were completely burned, and the interior was also severely damaged. Most of the palace was reduced to coke.

Although it was discovered that there were not many casualties in time, without food and shelter, it would definitely be impossible to survive this winter.

After receiving the news, Song Mao rushed over in a hurry. When he saw the piles of ruins and the people in a daze, his head felt dizzy and he almost fell down.

This fire not only burned away the people's hope of living, but also burned away his future.

"What happened? Who did it?"

Song Mao asked with red eyes. If two places caught fire at the same time, someone must have done it deliberately.

The three refugees were tied up and thrown in front of him. Song Mao recognized them at a glance and said with some disbelief:
"Why is this so?"

One of them raised his head and said with an angry expression:

"Why can those people go to work in the palace, have enough food, clothing, and money, while we can only live in a dirty and smelly shack, living a life worse than animals?"

"Just because of this, you want to set fire to the palace?"

"Master Song, we have asked you for mercy before, but you still gave the opportunity to others. Since we can't get it, we can't give it to others."

The three of them had resentment in their eyes and were not at all ashamed of their actions.

Song Mao looked at them and then at the victims present. Many of them seemed to agree with their statement and looked at him with hidden eyes, as if he was the heinous arsonist.

Seeing this, Song Mao suddenly felt short of breath, his throat tightened, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.

... (end of this chapter)