Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 161: Let the refugees enter the city!

Jiang Zao had no idea that Zhou Wei had any acupuncture techniques that were so difficult to learn.

But Ning He asked her to stay, saying she was intelligent, so she must study hard and not let Zhou Wei and Ning He down!

At that moment, people were moving goods, carrying bags of grain, which were to be stored in the warehouse behind the soup kitchen.

Looking at these people, Jiang Zao revealed, "Miss Ning, although that eunuch Liu had malicious intentions, the palace's plan to benefit the people is true."

“I just saw you distributing porridge, and each person only received half a bowl. I’m afraid there isn’t enough left. If the palace starts disaster relief, then Miss Ning will be much more relaxed.”

Ning He nodded with a smile, and everyone was very optimistic about the palace's efforts to benefit the people.

"It is said that a goddess descended to earth and provided enough charcoal and food. Perhaps it is heaven's mercy on the people."

Jiang Zao replied, "Goddess..."

Ning He looked at her: "What's wrong with the goddess? Isn't this an auspicious omen from heaven?"

"I heard in the palace that the goddess lives in the East Palace. If she can really save us from disaster this time, she will become the Crown Princess of the East Palace in the future."

The Crown Princess? A goddess?

Ning He immediately caught the two keywords, and the name Mei Xingyue popped into her mind.

Ning He's identity remains unknown regarding what happened at the grand court assembly.

In addition, she has been too busy these past two days and has not been able to go to the princess's residence to meet with Zhou Wei and Jiang Yueli.

I really thought it was a blessing from heaven, but I never expected it to be the woman who appeared at the literary ceremony that day.

Ning He didn't know this woman, only that Zhou Wei and Jiang Yueli paid special attention to her!

If that's the case, then the disaster relief efforts need to be questioned.

Ning He had heard of the Mei family of four. How could someone like Mei Xingyue possibly produce so much food and charcoal?

There must be something fishy going on here.

Moreover, she even had a premonition that the soup kitchens set up by the palace for disaster relief would run into problems.

She just couldn't be sure where things would get messy.

Ning He's questions didn't last long.

Just two days later, Ning He discovered that after the porridge kitchens in the palace began to benefit the people, those who had left her gradually returned.

However, those who returned were mostly the elderly, women, and children!

Ning He was curious, so she stopped a woman and asked her some questions.

"Sister Yu, Dongcheng is distributing porridge, why are you back again?"

When Sister Yu heard Ning He's question, she was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes, and she knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Ning He.

"Miss Ning, we were greedy, we shouldn't have gone to Dongcheng!"

"I just thought my dog ​​was still young and I wanted him to eat his fill. I heard that nobles from the palace were distributing porridge in Dongcheng, so I took him there."

"Miss Ning, please don't blame us."

Ning He was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.

She reached out and helped the other woman up. "Sister Yu, I'm just distributing porridge, not making a business. Wherever you go, how could I blame you?"

"Besides, I only have half a bowl of porridge here every day, which is barely enough to keep you alive. If Dongcheng can provide you with enough to eat, then you can naturally go to Dongcheng."

"I just don't understand why they came back after only two days."

When Sister Yu heard that Ning He didn't blame her, she wiped away her tears and stood up.

"It's not that we want to come back, but... it's just that we can't squeeze in from the East District anymore."

As Sister Yu slowly explained, Ning He's brows furrowed more and more as she listened.

It turns out that the porridge stalls in the East City were originally the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue. Although Eunuch Liu sent Jiang to the warehouse as an excuse, the Ministry of Revenue did indeed hand over the porridge stalls in the East City to the Imperial Food Administration.

But early the next morning, people from the Eastern Palace came and took over the soup kitchen.

After the palace servants of the East Palace prepared all the necessary items, Mei Xingyue arrived at the East City porridge stall in a grand procession, sitting in a wheelchair.

Peach Blossom, Mei Xingyue's personal maid, stepped forward and told the people that Mei Xingyue was a goddess!

The goddess, acting on behalf of the Crown Prince, came out to bestow blessings upon the people, and everyone could come and receive white rice and charcoal.

Mei Xingyue even took advantage of the abundance of food and charcoal to allow the refugees who were blocked outside the capital to enter the city.

Upon hearing this, Ning He's hands began to tremble.

"What? The goddess let the refugees from outside the city in?"

Sister Yu nodded with difficulty: "Yes! The people from the Five Cities Garrison originally refused, but the goddess said that the person behind her was the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace."

“The Crown Prince is the heir apparent; who would dare disobey? We had no choice but to open the city gates and let him in.”

“Miss Ning, you have no idea how terrifying those refugees outside the city are. Every single one of them has eyes that gleam with greed.”

"If it weren't for the presence of the Five Cities Garrison, these people would have already stormed into the warehouse and looted all the grain and charcoal."

How could Ning He not know the terror of the refugees?

The refugees trapped outside the capital city were even more uncontrollable!

Most of them had been kept outside the city for more than ten days.

In the past ten days or so, the refugees have eaten up almost everything that was available in the suburbs of Beijing!

There were many murders and assaults among the refugees as they fought over food.

Although it hasn't reached the point of cannibalism yet, the refugees outside the city are no longer peaceful, and any disturbance could easily lead to a civil disaster!

Now that Mei Xingyue has actually let people in, it's not just a matter of fighting for food.

Ning He looked at the room full of elderly, weak, women and children, and was filled with worry.

Would these people take this opportunity to cause trouble in the capital?

"And then what? The goddess has so much food, and the Five Cities Garrison is guarding her, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

Sister Yu sighed: "It's freezing cold outside. Who would stand outside for so long just for a bite to eat, except for those of us who are just trying to survive?"

"The people of the Five Cities Garrison are all extremely perfunctory. As long as the refugees don't cause trouble, they don't care."

"The goddess only appeared for half an hour before she was carried back to the greenhouse in the back."

“Those refugees were fierce and banded together, driving the old, weak, women and children out of the line and not letting us receive porridge.”

"Women and children were pushed and shoved, and the soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison ignored them."

Jiang had been listening from the sidelines and felt extremely uncomfortable.

She had seen too many things like this in the palace.

The victims are only the elderly, women, and children, the least likely group to cause any trouble. Why would anyone care?

If the refugees were bullying a man, then it would be a different story.

Fights may break out between men, affecting the security of the capital. The officers of the Five City Garrison will surely step in to stop it.

Ning He also understood the key point; no wonder those who returned were all women and children like Sister Yu.

They couldn't get a single bite to eat in the East City.

Although Mei Xingyue provided a sufficient amount of food and charcoal, the elderly, weak, women, and children did not get a single bite.

This scene is truly bizarre!

Ning He had been in charge of the household affairs in the General's Mansion for many years, and she immediately saw that there was a problem here.

"Sister Yu, if the Goddess doesn't handle the specifics, then who are the ones who step in?"

"They look like people from the palace. I heard someone say that they are all palace maids and eunuchs from the East Palace."

Ning He nodded, her feelings somewhat complicated.

Is this all the so-called goddess has to offer?

She was almost destined to become the Crown Princess, yet she couldn't even win over the palace servants of the Eastern Palace.

This person doesn't even deserve to be called a goddess.