After killing the city god, Li Xiuyuan was not happy.
The disaster in the city has just subsided, and there is still a lot to do.
Today is the busiest.
The temporarily recruited victims are not easy to handle and need to be supervised, and since there are so many victims, it is inevitable that some will take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos.
Wang Ping, Zhu Yu, Ning Caichen and a few other scholars were already a little reluctant to take charge and could not control the situation. They were traditional scholars. They had some virtues of traditional scholars, but also some bad habits and temperaments of traditional scholars.
So this requires Li Xiuyuan to mediate and direct everything.
"My boss, some people won't let us carry the bodies of their relatives and insist on stopping us. What should we do about this matter?" A temporarily assigned steward rushed over and asked.
Li Xiuyuan immediately said: "Anyone who dares to stop them will be chased away immediately. I said now is not the time to claim the body. The weather is hot right now, and what I am most afraid of is the epidemic. You don't want to see the plague running rampant in the city."
"I understand, I understand." Cold sweat broke out on the steward's forehead.
"But you can't be unkind. You can ask the relatives of the corpse to accompany you outside the city and let them bury it. Remember, corpses are not allowed to be placed in the city," Li Xiuyuan said.
The steward agreed and left quickly.
This man is also someone who understands the seriousness of the matter and how terrible it will be once the plague breaks out in the city.
Plague is particularly terrifying in any era. In ancient times, when plague broke out, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people died.
Even many wars in history that determined the ownership of the country would be changed by a plague.
Therefore, Li Xiuyuan must control the epidemic, otherwise if a plague really breaks out here, it is estimated that more people will die than those who died in the disaster.
"Master Li, it's not good. Several rice shopkeepers in the city are asking us for rice money, but how can we give them money now..." At this time, Ning Caichen ran over panting.
"Where is the shopkeeper of the rice store?" Li Xiuyuan asked.
Ning Caichen immediately said: "It was over there, coming here."
Li Xiuyuan looked along and saw several middle-aged shopkeepers who were also suffering from the disaster and were quite embarrassed coming towards here.
"Master Li." Several shopkeepers saluted out of respect.
Li Xiuyuan returned the gift, and before he could speak, a shopkeeper took the lead and said: "As a scholar, Mr. Li organized manpower to appease the people and rescued people after the disaster. I admire him very much for this, but it's just that
There are state laws and family rules. Even if Mr. Li is providing disaster relief and rescuing people, he cannot do what he did like a bandit and forcibly take away the food from several rice shops such as mine."
"Yes, there is a food shortage all over the city now. Mr. Li sent people to forcibly open the granaries of several of our grain stores. How much has this cost us? Mr. Li, please give us an explanation today."
"We must give us an explanation. The grains in our several granaries combined can be sold for at least 100,000 silver."
Several shopkeepers talked to each other one by one.
Some people were polite with their words, while others clamored for compensation.
Li Xiuyuan took a look, his face was calm, and he motioned to the shopkeepers to calm down: "Please be patient, shopkeepers. After the disaster, we are providing food relief and saving lives. It is helpless to seize the granaries of these shopkeepers. I hope that some shopkeepers will
How about the understanding of the shopkeepers? I will be given some grace by the shopkeepers for a period of time. After three months, I will compensate them at half the price for the amount of grain they have lost. How about that?"
"What? It's only half price compensation. That's too little for you, Mr. Li. I know that you are the son of the Li family in Guobei County. A few years ago, I went to your Guobei County to collect grain. Your Li family has been rich for three generations.
, your generation is already the fourth generation, and everyone says that your Li family is generous and generous, why did Mr. Li buy our life-saving food at such a low price?" A shopkeeper immediately jumped out and said indignantly.
Li Xiuyuan said calmly: "My Li family is rich, but I am not being taken advantage of. Your food has been soaked in water, and the weather is hot now. If I don't take your food, your food will be completely rotten in ten days. I can
Buying at half price is already very benevolent. Do you really think that I have read too much and can’t even run my own business? If it weren’t for the current special situation, the road is flooded and the road is rugged and difficult to travel, I really think I care about your water-soaked food.
.”
"But our food can save lives now. Your half price is unreasonable, and it's still half the normal price." Another food merchant said.
Li Xiuyuan's eyes flashed coldly: "Are you guys trying to take this opportunity to raise prices and make it difficult for the country to make money?"
Several shopkeepers were immediately speechless and avoided looking at each other. Although they had this idea in their hearts, how could they dare to say it openly.
To tell you this, the victims here would probably tear themselves into pieces.
"If nothing goes wrong, we can all leave. If there is food in other granaries, take it all together. I will still buy it at half price. Don't wait until the food is spoiled and come to me. I won't want it then, but
If you dare to stop me from getting food, don't blame me for being ruthless." After Li Xiuyuan finished speaking, he gave these businessmen another warning.
"No, I don't dare. Since Young Master Li has said so, then we will do as Young Master Li told us. There are still several granaries in the city. I will take Young Master Li's subordinates to get them."
Facing Li Xiuyuan's strength, several shopkeepers did not dare to expose their greed, so they had to accept this not bad result.
At least half price compensation is better than nothing.
"That's very good." Li Xiuyuan nodded, indicating that they could leave.
However, one grain merchant was dissatisfied and said: "Mr. Li, others respect you, but I don't. I am the largest grain merchant in the city. If I don't agree with you to collect grain, it depends on where you go to raise grain. Half price is like purchasing
My family's food is a dream, unless you buy it at a premium to the market price, I will never agree to it."
After saying that, he tossed his sleeves and left angrily.
Li Xiuyuan frowned and ordered a few men to help me tie him up. This man is a grain merchant in the city. He raises prices and doesn't allow us to get grain. He wants to starve us to death. You can do whatever you want.
"
"Master, is this happening?" Several of the stricken men were immediately furious. They immediately picked up sticks and bricks and rushed towards the grain merchant.
The grain merchant was shocked and was soon surrounded by several strong men, who screamed in agony.
"This is an extraordinary moment. There are victims all over the place. Many grain merchants have died. Who will pursue the case? Now the court is not interested in anything." Li Xiuyuan stood with his hands behind his hands, looking into the distance and murmuring to himself.
The shopkeepers nearby trembled all over and broke out in cold sweat.
Does this son of the Li family really dare to kill someone?
He is a scholar.
"It's almost done. What about you? Put down the bricks. They are bluestone bricks. They will kill people. You can hit them as far as here. I will tie him up later and keep an eye on him. Let him stay here for the next few days.
Here." Li Xiuyuan said.
"Yes, boss."
Li Xiuyuan nodded, then looked at the shopkeepers and said, "Hey, shopkeepers, why do you look so ugly? Are you sick?"
"No, it's okay. We won't disturb Mr. Li's disaster relief work. We'll come back to you next time."
Several shopkeepers touched the cold sweat on their foreheads, not daring to stay for long, and left in a hurry.
Before leaving, I took a look at the grain merchant, only to see him lying on the ground with a bloody head and bleeding. Although he was not dead, he had lost half his life.
I was secretly glad in my heart.
Fortunately, I had left some room just now, otherwise I would have ended up in the same situation.
After they left, Ning Caichen came over and whispered: "Mr. Li, is this too cruel? After all, we have robbed their food."
"Extraordinary times, extraordinary methods, you cannot be weak in front of these grain merchants, you need to knock the mountain to shake the tiger. If they hold on to the grain, the people will starve to death. Once hungry, the people in the city will do anything."
Li Xiuyuan said in a deep voice: "Fortunately, several of these shopkeepers have business dealings with my Li family, so it's not too much to sell my Li family a favor, otherwise I would have killed them all."
When Ning Caichen heard this, he immediately bowed and saluted: "Young master Li has served the people with his fists, and I am ashamed of myself."
Although he cannot be as decisive as Li Xiuyuan, he understands Li Xiuyuan's approach. At this moment, Li Xiuyuan's approach is the most correct.
If he were the disaster relief minister of the imperial court, he would really kill a few grain merchants, and he would definitely not just talk about it.
"There is no need to be polite. There are things you need to do right now. Go quickly. Remember, you are not doing this for me, Li Xiuyuan, but for the morality in your heart and to live up to the sages who have studied hard for more than ten years.
Book." Li Xiuyuan said.
"Xiaosheng understands." Ning Caichen said seriously and strode away immediately.
Li Xiuyuan didn't say much and continued to direct, dealing with various troublesome matters.
At this time, some scholars who were working with Li Xiuyuan began to completely believe him and felt that Li Xiuyuan's previous words were not bragging.
He is indeed responsible for providing disaster relief and rescuing people, making arrangements, and directing work.
All the scholars here, from scholars to local merchants and family heads, dare not say that they can take over Li Xiuyuan's position and handle everything just right.
If someone else had stood up, trouble would have occurred within half an hour.
"There are not enough wooden boards to carry the bodies, so unoccupied houses can be demolished."
"The supply of rice porridge and clean water here cannot be stopped, and people who have fled outside the city will come back one after another."
"There are people in the city who are making money out of trouble, and they have been kidnapped together with the criminals."
Li Xiuyuan stood outside the Chenghuang Temple, with a tall and straight posture, standing here like a big mountain. If he does not fall, these victims will not be in chaos, and everything will be in order.
The victims coming in and out will also feel inexplicably at ease when they see Li Xiuyuan.
At this moment, he was like a divine needle anchoring the sea, rooted in Guobei City.
But this means that the front was relatively busy. By the evening, everything was on track and all kinds of troublesome things were solved. Li Xiuyuan gradually became more relaxed. He was not as busy as before and could take some time out.