At the gate of the city, I heard that porridge was about to start. Although the people were hungry, they lined up in a long line obediently.
Seeing that the people were no longer rushing towards the city in droves, the soldiers also put away their red-tasseled guns and still stood in the original formation.
The hundred households and a soldier carried the table that was originally used to register entry and exit at the city gate and placed it next to Wei Li.
He then lifted the large basin of porridge that had just been delivered from the floor and placed it on the table.
Wei Li stepped forward, picked up the wooden spoon in the basin, and stirred it a few times.
He frowned and looked at Baihu next to him: "This porridge is still too thin."
"I don't know where the government's disaster relief grain funds are yet, and the government's granary doesn't have much inventory. If it's too thick, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on to the court's disaster relief grain funds." Hundreds of households also looked embarrassed.
"Alas." Wei Li sighed, vigorously stirred the gruel in the basin, and stretched out his hand to a gray-haired old man at the front of the team: "Old man, give me your bowl."
"Okay, okay." The old man's eyes did not leave the porridge basin, he kept licking his lips, and handed the bowl over with both hands.
After taking the bowl, Wei Li said nothing, filled the bowl with porridge with a heavy face, and handed it back.
The old man thanked him repeatedly, held the porridge bowl in both hands, and walked aside happily.
When he was about to take the bowl from the next person's hand, Wei Li couldn't help but stop.
Behind the old man who was serving the porridge just now, a little girl of three or four years old followed, grabbing the old man's back hem with both hands, and left the team together.
"Old man, where's the child's bowl? Give it to me and I'll help you fill the porridge." Wei Li called to the old man softly.
Looking back, the old man felt a flash of embarrassment: "My family is poor, and my granddaughter and I only have one bowl to eat from."
Holding his mouth shut, Wei Li didn't know what to say. He was silent for a while before raising his head: "You can eat on the side. I'll serve you another bowl after you finish."
"Thank you, thank you Master Qingtian." The old man's eyes filled with excitement, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
Putting the porridge bowl in his hand on the ground, he quickly pressed his granddaughter's young shoulders: "Quick, kowtow to the master."
Wei Li stopped talking, pretending not to notice, and stretched out his hand: "The next one."
Xiao Chen, who was behind him, looked at everything in front of him, and his impression of Gongchang Mansion became slightly better.
Not long after, the pot of porridge had reached the bottom.
Wei Li turned around and looked at Duan Tianming and Xiao Chen: "Are you standing here watching a show? Don't you know how to bring up the porridge basin on the ground?"
Xiao Chen and Duan Tianming were stunned at the same time.
That's right, it's time to give out porridge, and the two of you didn't do anything, but just stood in the way. Are you really here to watch the show?
He hurriedly bent down, lifted up the porridge basin on the ground, and placed it on the table. He then took down the other porridge basin and walked towards the row of large pots inside the city wall.
Seeing Xiao Chen and the others walking away, the man from the household hurriedly came over and whispered in the ear of Wei Li, the magistrate of Gongchang Mansion: "Sir, those two people just now are from Dongchang."
"What's wrong with the people in Dongchang? Can we just stand here and watch the show? It's better not to come." Wei Li didn't even look back and continued to give porridge to the victims.
Seeing that the sky was getting dark and the line of people waiting to give out porridge could not be seen to the end, Wei Li felt a little anxious.
He looked back at the hundred households and said: "Move another table over and arrange for people to give porridge. The victims are all hungry. We are too slow."
"Yes." Baihu responded hurriedly and trotted towards another table in the city gate.
After moving the table over, Xiao Chen and Duan Tianming happened to come over carrying a basin of porridge.
As soon as it was placed on the table, the hundred households took a wooden ladle and prepared to serve porridge.
"I'll do it." Xiao Chen smiled and snatched the wooden ladle from the opponent's hand.
The people on the opposite side also consciously divided into two teams. They looked at the porridge basin with hungry eyes and licked their lips one by one.
Xiao Chen was anxious, so he took the wooden bowl from a victim and filled a bowl full of it.
Accidentally, half a spoonful of gruel was spilled on the table outside.
Wei Li next to him frowned and couldn't help scolding: "Slow down. The gruel you spilled may save a life."
"Yes, yes." Knowing that he was wrong, Xiao Chen hurriedly responded in a low voice.
Duan Tianming, who was next to him, grinned a few times and swallowed the words that were on his lips.
They looked at each other and walked towards the big pot of porridge.
Two hours later, the sky had turned completely dark.
The surrounding soldiers, each holding a torch, still insisted on standing where they were.
After handing out the porridge bowl to the last victim, Wei Li couldn't hold on any longer and sat down on the ground regardless of the dust on the ground.
He leaned his back against the leg of the table on which the porridge basin was placed, his eyes slightly closed, and he gasped for air.
"Sir, today's soup kitchen is over. How about I have someone take you back?" Xiao Chen next to him put down the wooden ladle in his hand and said with a smile.
"Alas." Wei Li sighed, "My age is really unforgiving. I have been busy for just a few hours, and my body is a bit unable to hold on. I can't rest peacefully when I return to the government office. I might as well rest on the spot."
We will meet and then arrange porridge and rice for the victims tomorrow morning."
"It is a blessing for the people in Gongchang to have parents like you, sir." Xiao Chen said sincerely.
"Gongchang's parent officer, aren't you Gongchang's guard?" Having said this, Wei Li slowly opened his eyes and stood up holding on to the table legs.
Looking Xiao Chen up and down, he couldn't help but frown: "You look very unfamiliar, who are you?"
Before Xiao Chen could answer, the people next to him hurriedly came over and said, "Sir, this is the master from Dongchang."
"People from Dongchang? Aren't they in Shouyang Town, helping Gong Changwei with disaster relief? Is this over there?" Wei Li shook his neck gently, raised his left hand, and patted his lower back gently.
"I didn't go to Shouyang Town. I was ordered to come to Gongchang for disaster relief. I just arrived today." Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"As ordered? Just arrived today?" Wei Li stopped slapping his lower back and frowned deeper.
By order? By the emperor's order? That's an imperial envoy.
But how could the imperial envoy not go to the government office, but directly carry the porridge at the porridge site and serve the porridge himself? I must have heard wrong.
Knowing the suspicion in the other party's heart, Xiao Chen smiled, took out the imperial edict given to him by the factory owner Lin Shangli from his waist, and handed it to the other party.
Seeing the familiar yellow scroll, Wei Li's heart skipped a beat and asked hurriedly: "What is this?"
"Imperial decree."
After hearing the two words of the imperial edict, Wei Li no longer dared to question anything. With a "pop", he fell to his knees on the ground.
And the surrounding soldiers guarding the city, together with the hundreds of households, saw their Lord Tongzhi from the Gongchang Mansion kneeling on the ground, and they all knelt down involuntarily.
"This imperial edict was given to me by the Emperor, not to you. Why are you kneeling down? Get up, get up." Xiao Chen suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"My lord, can you please let me have a look at this imperial edict?" Wei Li said sincerely as he looked at Xiao Chen.
Are you kidding me? A person with an imperial edict would stand with me and serve porridge to the victims?
Holding the imperial edict in hand, isn't that the imperial envoy? In all dynasties, how can any imperial envoy arrive at the destination and do some low-level work first without showing off his integrity?
What's more, when faced with his own scolding, instead of getting angry, he nodded, listened and corrected himself.
Is there such a down-to-earth imperial envoy in this world?
Even if he is really an imperial envoy, he must verify the imperial edict in his hand.
When the disaster situation is urgent, every inappropriate decision may put the victims back into a desperate situation.
Looking at Xiao Chen, Wei Li's eyes were sincere and firm.
Understanding what the other party was thinking, Xiao Chen smiled and handed over the imperial edict again: "My lord, please take a look."
Although he was very dissatisfied with Gongchang Mansion's disaster relief actions, Xiao Chen still admired the personal behavior of Gongchang Mansion and Magistrate Wei Li.
Especially in this situation, he still insisted on verifying his identity. This caution made Xiao Chen appreciate it even more.
Opening the imperial edict, Wei Li's face was full of respect.
The bright cinnabar and the square emperor's dragon seal all prove the authenticity of the imperial edict.
After reading the content of the imperial edict again, Wei Li was deeply moved.
A few short sentences showed the emperor's anxiety about the disaster.
After closing the imperial edict, he looked at Xiao Chen with a look full of embarrassment.
This person who was scolded by him and never talked back to him turned out to be the famous purple-clad captain of Dongchang.
It turned out to be an imperial envoy for disaster relief who held an imperial edict.
