Back to Ming Dynasty as Zhu Biao

Chapter 255 Someone Dead, Actually Alive
The bonfire was lit, and the snow in front of the government office was cleared into piles. Beside Zhu Biao were several county magistrates from the counties under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng, and they sat on chairs in the hall with their heads bowed.

The clerk of the government office held the few carbons he found, put them on the brazier, saluted Li Shanchang and Zhu Biao tremblingly, and bowed his head down.

Seeing this situation, Zhu Biao really didn't care about his identity.The volunteers who directed the food delivery set up pots to cook soup and some porridge to warm their bodies.

Standing on the steps and in front of the door are all the people standing together, many of them came here from the nearby mountain villages to feel the snow after hearing people from the imperial court coming to rescue them.

The victims were wrapped in jackets with rotten cotton batting, the clothes were so black that they were shining, their hats were buttoned up, their hands were tucked into their sleeves, and their eyes were all looking at Zhu Biao for food.

A wild dog came from somewhere and barked nearby, Li Shanchang was disturbed and kicked the dog angrily, almost slipping.

"Your Highness, I don't know when the snow will melt, and there is not enough food at all. I think it's better to find those frozen dead livestock and make meat porridge."

Li Shanchang usually likes to fight with people like Liu Bowen, but when it comes to serious matters, he never lags behind, people are always multi-faceted.

Hearing that they were looking for frozen poultry, the people below swarmed and said: "His Royal Highness, we can go and search in the snow."

Those poultry and other animals that were frozen to death can be eaten. Since there is no bloodletting, if they are made into dishes, the color will not be very good, and the taste will be greatly reduced.

"Maybe the taste is not very good." Zhu Biao said.

"Let's see it's okay, the snow-frozen ones are not too salty, so it's okay to help."

"Clear and cut, you can dig some hibernating longworms."

"I'm all light, wooden figurines with worms and poisonous gas."

Zhu Biao couldn't understand. The county magistrate next to him said in official words: "We can do it. The snow is not dirty, and it can be done after dipping in the light. We can dig some snakes to eat when we get up early in the morning. We are all naked. Long worm, really cruel."

"His Royal Highness, the wooden cow grows worms." Zhixian said.

Li Shanchang was also a man of foresight. He observed Zhu Biao's words and expressions, and when he saw that Zhu Biao couldn't understand the dialect, he took a step forward and said to the others: "You have something to report to me. His Royal Highness has not closed his eyes for a few days and needs to rest."

"Lonely, you won't go hungry." Zhu Biao said firmly, and then entered the government office.

Zhu Di said to Zhu Xi: "Second brother, let's take the soldiers to find the frozen livestock."

"Fourth? You're crazy, can that thing be eaten?" Zhu Xi frowned.

"Second brother, don't talk nonsense today, everything you say and do represents the emperor and the court." Zhu Biao said coldly.

"Brother——" Zhu Chen sighed, he knew that he would have pushed this matter to Zhu Fan, the two maids in his palace are very beautiful.

Bring a leather cup, let those women peel the fruit with their mouths, put it in his mouth, just think about it, it's ecstasy, it's much better than looking at the frozen dead bodies and the ragged people.

After that, Zhu Di took many soldiers to look for frozen dead poultry in the livestock pens of various families.

In the east and south of the city, and in the west and north of the city, poultry were dug in the snow, and hundreds of fat chickens, ducks, geese, etc. were found, and many donkeys, horses, and dogs froze to death, so frozen.

Many of them were brought by the Beijing army, although they were less fierce than the frontier army, but they were all elites, and they almost fearlessly picked up dead bodies in the snow with their hands.

The livestock that froze to death were not bled, and the fur was removed. Zhu Biao asked his men to put them on the fire to soften them.

A fire piled up in a large ancestral hall in Kaifeng, causing livestock to freeze.

A few people were crying while touching their frozen cows and mules. These were their lifeblood, and now they themselves were frozen to death.

The frozen poultry were chopped into pieces by the soldiers with big knives, rinsed several times with snow water, and strong seasoning was added.

A lot of domestic animals were roasted, and the meat had a fishy smell. Sanbao picked a chicken, washed the chicken feathers with snow-melted water, skewered them with tree branches and roasted them on the fire in the government office.

He cut the thin slices with a knife and sent them to Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao didn't eat, took the plate and walked out of the Kaifeng lobby, turned a few corridors, and put it down in front of Liu Ruiming's simple mourning hall.

"Prefect Liu, this plate of meat is respectful to you, and the salary will be distributed by the emperor as usual, and your name will be recorded on the stele of heroes."

Liu Ruiming was ill, his wife died early, and he had only one daughter.

He focused on talking to Liu Ruiming whose body was covered with a white cloth on the wooden board, and he didn't notice the girl curled up in the corner.

A rough white linen filial piety.With white silk tied on her head, her oval face is very delicate, her eyes are red, and her nose is also red from the cold. She is looking at Zhu Biao timidly.

Zhu Biao found her. This was Liu Ruiming's daughter Liu Guyu. This child seemed to be about the age of a junior high school student in later generations.

Seeing Liu Ruiming's daughter walking towards Zhu Biao, Sanbao immediately stood in front of Zhu Biao.

Liu Guyu opened his eyes wide, bowed his head to salute Zhu Biao, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and said, "Your Highness, please follow me."

"You can talk here if you have something to say." Zhu Biao said calmly.

"Yes." Liu Guyu wiped away tears and walked out.

Zhu Biao and Sanbao didn't know what it meant.

After a long time, she came over with porridge and two bowls of side dishes, followed by a maid with two white steamed buns in the bowl.

"His Royal Highness, please use it." Liu Guyu put down the bowl and chopsticks and said, "My father is clean, and the government office only has some food. If my father was alive, he would not neglect His Royal Highness so much. Please use it."

After Liu Guyu finished speaking, she and her maid knelt beside Liu Ruiming.I didn't know to be afraid, but just helped Liu Ruiming wipe the dirt from his face and hair with a handkerchief.

Just about to leave, Li Shanchang stood in the courtyard with a mighty crowd of victims.

"Li Xiang? What's the matter?"

Without waiting for Li Shanchang to answer, Zhu Xi took the lead and said, "Oh, they said they would guard the spirit of this prefect Liu."

Zhu Di nodded.

On the day of the funeral, Liu Ruiming couldn't be put into the coffin because he was frozen and deformed, so he had to order someone to cut off his arms and put them back together again.

When the coffin got up, Liu Guyu's eyes were blurred with tears, and it took her a while to cry out, with a cry.

With this sound, many people who cried felt sad and wronged, crying heartbreakingly.

Liu Guyu wept mournfully, clutching his father's coffin tightly with both hands, fearing that if he let go, he would never see his father again.

Usually when her father was around, she would often talk back and quarrel with him, but now she knew that this parting was for a lifetime.

The servant girl forcibly pulled her hand away and pulled it aside. The coffin came out from the gate, and the surrounding people stood on both sides.

"Prefect Liu is a good official."

"Master Liu has a good journey."

Someone died, but he lived in the hearts of the people.

Zhu Biao and Zhu Di stood beside and looked at the coffin going away, Zhu Xi saw Liu Guyu, walked over immediately, helped her up and said, "My condolences."

The next day, the snow stopped at any rate, and Zhu Biao was given a chance to breathe, but the oil lamp in the house was not on. When writing letters to Lao Zhu, his hands were frozen and hard, and the room was terribly cold.

The ink of Sanbao Mo was frozen with thin ice, and Zhu Biao had no choice but to let him grind it again.

Suddenly the door outside creaked, and then there was a sound of footsteps, creaking on the snow and coming towards Zhu Biao's house.

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(End of this chapter)