Chapter 188: Everyone, come and taste the Sand Porridge

“Stop hitting, stop hitting!”

A woman rushed forward, screaming in despair.

“You beggars, filthy to the extreme, still want to enter the city. Giving you food is already a great favor. Come, grab the ringleader for me!”

Zhou Zhong issued a stern order.

The bailiffs, not daring to disobey, wielded their sticks and knocked down several people. Glancing at Li Laosan lying on the ground, gasping for breath, they extended their hands and grabbed Li Laosan’s ankle, dragging him away forcefully.

Dragging him like a dog.

Zhou Zhong pointed his stick at the others, warning, “Whoever dares to forcefully enter Dingyuan City again, that person will be considered rebels against the Ming Dynasty. When the time comes, your heads will be chopped off.”

“Old squad leader.”

The crowd became anxious.

“Don’t act rashly, everyone. I’m fine. Step back, step back,” Li Laosan quickly shouted.

Having spent more than half of his life in the yamen, Li Laosan was well aware of the ins and outs.

During the feudal era, the industry of shifting blame thrived, offering a variety of brands, such as the “rebel”, the “bandit”, the “outlaw”, the “conspirator”, and the “resistance against the government”…

With so many brands, one advantage was clear:

Use whichever suits the occasion.

These blame came with damage attributes—some with minor damage capable of taking down an individual, others with significant damage that could affect an entire family and even some super-powerful ones that could harm hundreds or even thousands of people.

Li Laosan didn’t want to witness the damaging effects of these blame, and he didn’t want the people to suffer any further. This group of unfortunate people had already endured enough, and he couldn’t let things escalate any further.

“Release the old squad leader!”

Li Jiu and his men approached, shouting angrily.

Seeing the crowd growing, Zhou Zhong couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. However, he also understood that if he showed weakness at this moment, it would be challenging to control this group of peasants.

Based on his usual experience, the best way to handle this situation was:

Kill one to warn a hundred.

Zhou Zhong, with determination, loudly shouted, “You group of refugees attempting rebellion, today I shall punish you in accordance with the Emperor’s decree! Come, eighty strokes for the leader of the rebels! If anyone else causes trouble, give them a hundred and twenty strokes!”

Li Jiu glared angrily, but he didn’t dare to lead his people forward recklessly.

For the common people, it wasn’t about being accustomed to oppression; it was about the life experiences etched into their bones, a phrase ingrained in them:

The government can determine the life and death of my entire family!

Everyone knew this, even if they couldn’t recognize a single character.

Therefore, they feared.

Therefore, they remained silent.

Not resisting in silence meant witnessing others endure beatings.

This was the most authentic portrayal of the Ming Dynasty’s common people.

Their silence couldn’t be simplistically labeled as weakness or compliance; it was a form of protection, safeguarding themselves and their families.

Zhou Zhong, observing the intimidated refugees, eyes filled with disdain and coldness, commanded Constable Hou Bing, in a grim tone, “Give them a beating, a harsh one!”

Hou Bing’s face on one side was somewhat swollen. Gripping the stick in his hand, he looked at Li Laosan being trampled on the ground. Recalling his deceased father, he struggled for a moment and pleaded with Zhou Zhong, “Lord Vice Magistrate, please spare them.”

Unexpectedly, Hou Bing, who had been obedient in the past, disobeyed Zhou Zhong multiple times. Zhou Zhong raised his foot and kicked Hou Bing to the ground, roaring, “I’ll deal with you later! Wang Mu, Zhang Liang, get to work!”

The sticks were raised high and then came down heavily, accompanied by the whistling of the wind.

Li Jiu clenched his fists, watching Li Laosan clinging to the ground in silence. Wanting to approach, he was firmly held back by those behind him.

Thud! Thud!

The muffled sounds made everyone involuntarily tense their bodies.

Wang Mu and Zhang Liang raised their sticks again, and the whistling wind became even more pronounced this time.

Thud! Thud!

“Ah—”

Two cries of agony echoed, one after another.

Wang Mu fell to the ground, staring at his calf. A throwing dart with a red tassel remained only as a handle. As for Zhang Liang, a throwing dart was lodged in his wrist. However, this dart had pierced straight through his wrist, revealing a sharp blade.

The sudden turn of events left everyone in shock. Zhou Zhong had just shouted, “Who’s the troublemaker,” when a horse galloped from a distance. A middle-aged man, robust and imposing, abruptly pulled the reins, halting about three zhang away.

The clattering of hooves raised dust as the group hastily approached.

The accompanying guards dismounted first, then helped down officials such as Yu Xin and Huang Zicheng.

“Who are you people?”

Zhou Zhong, seeing this formidable group and their ruthless actions, felt a sense of panic.

Xiong Wucheng walked over coldly, glanced around, and then stepped on Wang Mu’s leg to slowly pull out the dart. As for Wang Mu’s pitiful screams, he completely ignored them.

Upon witnessing this, Zhang Liang gritted his teeth and forcefully pulled out the dart from his wrist.

Xiong Wucheng looked at the dart handed over by Zhang Liang and coldly asked, “Did I tell you to pull it out?”

Zhang Liang was taken aback, only to see the dart being thrust back into his wrist, this time in a different spot. He couldn’t help but emit a sound reminiscent of a slaughtered pig.

Xiong Wucheng slowly pulled out the dart again, kicked Zhang Liang’s chin, and said, “The people you beat didn’t even make a sound. What are you screaming for?”

Wang Mu’s face turned pale. He stared at Zhang Liang, whose jaw was dislocated, lying on the ground and still trembling, and immediately shut his mouth.

Xiong Wucheng walked up to Wang Mu, stomped on his injured leg, causing Wang Mu to scream in pain, and then received another kick, causing him to faint.

Yuxin, using a broad stance, walked slowly towards the two unconscious constables who were still bleeding on the ground. He furrowed his brows when he saw them.

Xiong Wucheng bowed slightly to Yuxin and the others, saying, “Xiong is a martial man, not accustomed to your civil officials’ ways. Please forgive me.”

Yuxin snorted, glanced at Zhou Zhong, remained silent, and then bent down, grabbing Li Lao San’s arm. He asked, “How are you? Can you still stand?”

Li Lao San, seeing Yuxin’s stern appearance and official demeanor, hurriedly replied, “No problem, thank you, sir official.”

“How did you know I’m an official?” Yuxin asked, somewhat surprised.

Li Laosan stood up, took a deep breath, and wanted to say, “Who dares to provoke officials if they are not officials?” However, he dared not say those words and could only say, “This commoner has also served as a constable in the county office and knows what an official is.”

“Heh, turns out you’re an old county official. Your skill in observing and understanding is quite good,” Yuxin said with a smile. Then, he glanced at the constable who was about to run into the city to deliver the message and said sternly, “None of you are allowed to leave.”

Xiong Wucheng chuckled and watched as a dozen guards went to intercept the constables. He then held a dart in his hand.

“You don’t need to take action,” Yuxin scolded Xiong Wucheng with a stern look.

It seemed that people from the Security Bureau had some questionable hobbies, such as randomly throwing things. Whether it was cups, stones, darts, or even a few who liked to throw weights, it was all chilling to hear.

“Are you the magistrate of Dingyuan?” Yuxin asked Zhou Zhong.

“No, no, I am Dingyuan County Vice magistrate. I am here to relieve the disaster victims under the orders of the magistrate,” Zhou Zhong nervously explained, sensing that these people were not ordinary.

“Lord, please come and take a look.”

Jing Qing stood beside the porridge shed, scooped a bowl of porridge, and inserted chopsticks into it. Surprisingly, the chopsticks stood upright. He turned around and called out.

Yuxin, Huang Zicheng, and others walked over.

“If the chopsticks stand in the porridge, at least it shows that they still have some conscience,” Huang Zicheng said with a smile.

Jing Qing’s expression changed, and he handed the bowl over.

When Yuxin took the bowl and looked inside, he was instantly stunned.

The smile on Huang Zicheng’s face froze, his mouth corners turned cold, and his eyes became sharp. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “Bring them all over to me!”

Zhou Zhong, Xie Gang, and others were pushed and knelt in front of the porridge shed.

Huang Zicheng shouted sternly, “Come on, serve them the porridge. Whoever can’t finish it, force it down for me!”

Yuxin’s face darkened.

The chopsticks didn’t fall was not because of the thick porridge; instead, it was because there was too much sand inside!

Six parts sand, three parts rice – was this kind of mixture even worthy of being called porridge?!

These people, reaching such a point of depravity, are simply beyond redemption!

“Please spare us, my lord! Please spare us, my Lord! We were just following the orders of the county magistrate. Everything we did was commanded by the magistrate.”

Zhou Zhong pleaded desperately.

At this moment, he could only sell out the magistrate since he wasn’t present…

“Is the porridge cold? If it is, let them drink it!”

Yuxin didn’t care at all. Judging by their appearance, they had long treated the common people as fish on the chopping block.

Does cooperation excuse them?

Well, whether it’s cooperation or coercion, as long as they participated, they should taste the flavor of this porridge!

“Ugh, pfft…”

The guards forced the porridge into the mouths of the yamen runners. However, as soon as it reached their mouths, it was all sand, causing them to spit it out. The guards paid no attention and, instead, forcefully poured it in.

A chorus of retching and coughing filled the air.

Yuxin scooped up a bowl of porridge, smiled bitterly, and said, “In all my years in the court, this is the first time I’ve witnessed such a scene. Minister, have you ever seen this before? Left Censor? Vice Minister? Hehe, probably not. So, today, let’s have a look! Come, let’s serve a bowl to each of the esteemed lords.”

Huang Zicheng, Jing Qing, Mao Taiheng, and others stared, reluctantly accepting the porridge. It seemed that there was no escaping this meal of sandy rice porridge.

Yuxin blew on the soup, took a sip, tasted it, swallowed, and said, “So, this is the taste. Everyone, don’t just stand there.”

Huang Zicheng, Jing Qing, Mao Taiheng, and others took a few sips of the soup, which they could manage. However, when they reached the “porridge,” everyone wrinkled their brows.

This mouthful of porridge was full of sand. Who could stomach it?

After drinking it, won’t they suffer from stomachaches?

Yuxin took a few bites, spat out the sand, and solemnly said, “Before, I thought that the Emperor’s personal visit for disaster relief was making a big deal out of nothing. Now, it seems that we, the courtiers, were blind. The prosperity during Qingming is just a false name to deceive people’s eyes. Beyond the capital, the skies are still dark.”

Upon hearing this, people like Zhou Zhong, Xie Gang, and others were all in a state of shock. It was evident that these officials from the capital were appointed directly by the Emperor!

Heavens, the Emperor wanted to come personally for disaster relief? If the Emperor really came, then their heads…

“What is your name, and why were you beaten?”

Yuxin looked at Li Laosan and asked.

Li Laosan quickly knelt down, and other refugees also knelt down.

Yuxin’s political show was very successful. With the move of “officials eating sandy porridge,” he won the hearts of all the refugees.

Li Laosan kowtowed and said, “My lord, this humble one is Li Laosan, and we are refugees from Huaiyuan. It’s just that, exhausted from the journey and tormented by the wind and rain, many people fell ill. We wanted to enter the city to seek medical help, but we were treated as unruly and rebellious by the officials… My lord, please help the refugees from Huaiyuan.”

Yuxin walked towards Li Laosan, personally helping him up and looking at the kneeling refugees. He gestured towards the south and shouted, “I am Yuxin, a secretary of Grand Secretariat. By the Emperor’s order, I am here to aid the disaster-stricken people and oversee the local situation. Listen carefully, you are the people of Ming, good citizens affected by the disaster. You are not unruly rebels. If anyone dares to falsely accuse you, they are seeking their own death!”

“The Emperor has decreed that not a single refugee should be harmed. Xiong Wucheng, immediately lead people to seal the county office and make all rooms available for the people of Huaiyuan to stay! As for the magistrate, arrange for him to stay in the prison for the time being.”

“Yes, sir!”

Xiong Wucheng’s eyes lit up, and he led his men away.

“Mao Taiheng, Gu Pu, take people to invite doctors. Invite more, and all of them should gather at the county office. Prepare hot water and fresh clothes.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Huang Zicheng, Jing Qing, open the granary and set up a porridge shed outside the county office. Yan Xubo, comfort the people. Take some people to check on the refugees at the back, where did they go and prepare to receive them.”

Yuxin, as a veteran of two dynasties with rich political experience, arranged everything in an orderly manner.