Chapter 826: Intercession

"Lord Viscount, you are here?"

Soon after Wu Fan arrived outside the city, a wealthy middle-aged man came to greet him with a smile on his face.

Wu Fan nodded and looked at the crowd outside the city without saying anything.

When Wu Fan was about to enter the city and passed by here in the morning, the refugees he saw were lifeless and full of despair. Now, these refugees who were originally lying or sitting waiting to die are queuing up with expectation and joy, staring at the big pot in front of them that was slowly emitting fragrance. Some people stared at the pot and kept swallowing their saliva.

In the pot was the porridge that could fill their stomachs. The refugees who had not eaten for a long time could not bear it when they smelled the fragrance of the porridge. If it were not for the big families who arranged people to cook the porridge and sent a lot of servants and guards to maintain order, I am afraid that the scene would have been in chaos.

And the person who took the initiative to talk to Wu Fan was one of the people who went to Wu Fan's house for a banquet at noon. Wu Fan had an impression of him. This man's surname was Liu and his family was in the cloth business.

"Sir, as you requested, we arranged for people to come and build a porridge shed as soon as we got home. It's almost done now." The rich businessman Liu said to Wu Fan.

"Well done." Wu Fan nodded.

"Thank you for your compliment, sir." The rich businessman surnamed Liu smiled even more brightly, and then he clapped his hands to the refugees and said loudly: "Everyone, the person next to me is Sir Wu Fan, the only viscount in our Qingyuan County. It is Sir Wu's credit that you can drink porridge."

"Thank you Sir Wu."

"Sir Wu is such a good person."

"Sir Wu, you are our second parents."

The refugees thanked Wu Fan one after another.

"Qingyuan County is the fiefdom given to me by His Majesty. You are all citizens of Qingyuan County. This is what I should do." Wu Fan replied loudly: "However, I promised before when I asked the big families in the city to build porridge sheds that this porridge cannot be drunk for free. After drinking the porridge, you all have to move for me, repair the city walls, dig moats, move stones, etc., and do all the work that can increase the city defense facilities! Only when Qingyuan County is safe can you be safe, and all of us can be safe."

"Your Excellency is right."

"It should be, Qingyuan County is also our home, we will never let the rebels break through here!"

"As long as I am full, I am willing to do any work!"

Many refugees expressed their opinions.

Most of these people are simple farmers. Qingyuan County is their home. In their hearts, defending their homes is what they should do. Of course, some lazy and evil people are not excluded among these people, but they have not eaten for a long time. Now that food is in the way, filling their stomachs is the most important thing. As long as there is food, Wu Fan can arrange them to do anything.

In a word, everyone is trying to survive.

Wu Fan nodded with satisfaction. With these hundreds of thousands of laborers, the defense capability of Qingyuan County will be greatly enhanced. Wu Fan also plans to select another group of people from these people to join the militia of the Hermit Village and his own compound in the county. Because of the special nature of the Hermit Village, joining the militia of the Hermit Village is actually no different from becoming Wu Fan's private soldier. In today's world, it is not a bad thing to have more military power in hand, as long as you can afford it.

The porridge was soon cooked, and the refugees swallowed their saliva and lined up eagerly, waiting for their turn.

After watching for a while, Wu Fan planned to leave. Qingyuan County was temporarily stable. He still needed to rush to Shanlingguan in Nanping State. The situation there was also very critical, and Wu Fan did not dare to leave for too long.

"Please stay, sir." When Wu Fan was about to leave, the wealthy businessman surnamed Liu stopped Wu Fan.

"What's the matter?" Wu Fan turned his head and looked at the other party.

"Hehe, this..." Facing Wu Fan's gaze, the wealthy businessman surnamed Liu seemed a little embarrassed and a little uneasy, but after hesitating for a while, he still said to Wu Fan: "Sir, I heard that you arrested the young master of the Ji Mansion?"

"Are you talking about Ji Hao?" Wu Fan said.

"It's him."

"I arrested him, what's wrong? Did someone ask you to beg for mercy?" Wu Fan said lightly.

"Hehe, my lord, you are wise. Nothing can escape your eyes." The rich businessman surnamed Liu said with a smile: "Someone from the Ji family did come to me and asked me to help intercede."

"The Ji family acted very quickly." Wu Fan sneered: "Do you know what Ji Hao did? You dare to come and help intercede?"

"It's nothing more than stealing and selling grain. My lord, anyone in his position would do this. After all, it is equivalent to guarding a vault. Who can not be tempted? As long as you turn a blind eye, this matter will pass. It can also do good to the Ji family, and the old man's influence in the court. It is a good thing for the Ji family to accept your kindness." The rich businessman surnamed Liu said.

"A matter of breaking the law and discipline has become a normal thing in your mouth?" Wu Fan questioned.

The rich businessman surnamed Liu smiled awkwardly and did not speak, but it was obvious that he still felt that this kind of thing was normal, especially in today's world.

"Do you know how much official grain he stole and sold?" Wu Fan asked back.

"How much?"

"More than two-thirds of all the stored grain!" Wu Fan said coldly.

"So much?" The wealthy businessman surnamed Liu said in surprise.

The people of the Ji family came to him and said that Ji Hao was arrested by Wu Fan for stealing and selling official grain, and asked him to help intercede. As for how much official grain Ji Hao stole and sold, it was not stated. In the eyes of the wealthy businessman surnamed Liu, the amount should not be too much. Ji Hao was too young and did not have much courage and means. If it was just a little official grain, he did not think there was any problem. Which of the officials in the government office was clean? They all took advantage of their positions to get benefits. There was nothing wrong with Ji Hao doing this.

However, the wealthy businessman surnamed Liu never thought that Ji Hao was so bold that he stole and sold more than two-thirds of the official grain. This is a big number, a number that can be confiscated if it is serious!

No wonder the people of the Ji Mansion were so anxious before and promised him many benefits. It turned out that the matter was so serious.

"So much? Otherwise, where do you think the grain you bought by various means came from?" Wu Fan said sarcastically.

The wealthy businessman surnamed Liu smiled even more awkwardly and said, "Your Excellency means that the grain we bought also includes government grain?"

"What else? The market is so short of grain, but you big families can buy so much. The grain can't just fall from the sky, right?" Wu Fan said.

Through the previous interrogation of Ji Hao, Wu Fan already knew where the grain went. Ji Hao had a limited brain, but his father Ji Guang was smart. He never sold the grain directly to the big families in the city, but to middlemen, and even multiple middlemen. Those middlemen then sold the grain to the rich merchants in the city. Although they would make less money in this way, it would be safer and would not arouse the suspicion of the rich merchants in the city.

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