"All of you, go down," Feng Jin waved her hand. With someone taking the lead, it would naturally have nothing to do with her. She could just wait to collect the harvest at home.
Lu Shi was fast. Cartload after cartload of grain was pulled into the yamen, filling all the granaries. This grain was enough to feed the people of Yingzhong County for a year.
"Reporting to Madam, there are still six thousand dan of grain parked in the courtyard with nowhere to store it."
"Boil porridge and distribute grain. Summon all the people in the city."
The people had been hungry for many days. The priority was to fill their stomachs.
"Yes, Madam."
"My dear wife, you truly have remarkable methods. In just one day, you have filled all the granaries in Yingzhong County. Your husband is truly impressed!"
Ling Mohan had not expected that Feng Jin could indeed procure so much grain in such a short time.
"Merchants naturally store a lot of grain, waiting for disaster years to inflate prices and make a fortune from the national crisis. Yingzhong County has plenty of grain; it's just that the people have no grain to eat."
"If not for the sudden appearance of the rebels this time, and their attempt to curry favor with the rebels to save their lives, we wouldn't have caught them. By using this incident to pressure them, the choice between money and their lives becomes obvious. Seeing someone executed for colluding with rebels will naturally cause widespread fear..."
"When one person donates wealth and goods and is praised, others will naturally follow suit to curry favor with you and avoid death. This grain was collected effortlessly."
Ultimately, it was about grasping human nature. In the face of death, everyone is self-preserving, and their wealth naturally seems less important to save their lives.
"It is your wife's brilliant strategy that made them obedient."
Ling Mohan's every utterance now was praise for Feng Jin, as if he wanted to lift her to the heavens.
He had come to believe that whatever Feng Jin did or said was right.
"Stop with the flattery. General Ling is opening the granaries to distribute grain, an act of immense virtue. Why don't you go out and let the people of Yingzhong County remember your kindness and boost your reputation?"
Since good deeds were done, they should reap the good reputation. It would be foolish to do everything and not even get a simple compliment.
Having said that, Feng Jin pulled Ling Mohan out. The two of them stood on a high platform. Below them were crowds of people queuing for porridge. Feng Jin had already arranged for people to stir up the crowd. Upon seeing the couple, they immediately shouted.
"It's General Ling and Madam! Yingzhong suffered from the rebels, and it's all thanks to General Ling for saving our lives!"
"Without General Ling raising the grain and opening the granaries, we would all starve!"
"General Ling's great kindness and virtue will be remembered by us forever!"
People are easily swayed by the voices of others. Instantly, the surrounding crowd joined in, praising Ling Mohan's benevolence, as if he were a savior.
Even Feng Jin received praise due to Ling Mohan's association.
Feng Jin basked in the adulation of the crowd, feeling a little lightheaded and disoriented.
No wonder Chu Yanxi went to such lengths to build his reputation and even earned himself the nickname "Wise Prince." In critical moments, these intangible things could play a significant role.
It was a pity that Chu Yanxi's painstakingly built reputation had been almost destroyed by her machinations, and he had been branded with the infamy of being infatuated with beauty and lacking judgment.
"How is it, General? Being praised feels good, doesn't it? This is all my doing."
"Thank you, my dear wife. I will certainly thank you well tonight with my actions."
Ling Mohan deliberately leaned into Feng Jin's ear and said this, exhaling warmly into her ear, causing Feng Jin's body to visibly tremble.
Feng Jin's face suddenly flushed. She pushed Ling Mohan away, saying, "Say one less word, and no one will think you're mute."
After opening the granaries, Feng Jin and Ling Mohan walked along the street, which exuded an air of desolation.
"Before the natural disaster, this street must have been bustling and prosperous. After the disaster, it was repeatedly burned and looted by the rebels. The entire Yingzhong County is in ruins and needs to be rebuilt."
Feng Jin looked at the empty street, her heart filled with a sense of sorrow.
Inside the medical clinic, the wails of countless patients echoed to the heavens.
"It hurts! I'm dying of pain..."
"Help... help..."
Even though Feng Jin had witnessed countless partings of the living and the dead, her heart still ached at the sight.
"How are you?" Feng Jin stopped in front of a woman and asked.
"Madam... please save me, I... I don't want to die..." As she finished speaking, the woman suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering directly onto Feng Jin's dress.
Snapping back to reality, Feng Jin took her hand to feel her pulse. The pulse was weak and fluctuating, a sign of critical illness. The woman's face was pale, her eyes vacant, her lips white, and her body burning hot to the touch.
"Doctor, have you identified the illness?"
Feng Jin could not immediately determine the woman's illness, so she asked the doctor.
"Reporting to Madam, we haven't identified it yet. I have already prescribed medicine to alleviate the high fever."
The doctor, overwhelmed, took a moment to answer Feng Jin.
Feng Jin examined the patients in the room. Several of them had the same symptoms as the woman just now, some milder, some more severe.
"Ah..." A man on the bed let out a cry of pain, vomited, then spat out blood, and fainted.
Feng Jin checked his pulse, her eyes widening, her expression stunned. She uttered a few words: "He... is dead..."
She then had two soldiers carry the body out, and the dread of death immediately enveloped the entire room.
Feng Jin's face turned ashen as she continued to examine the other patients, confirming her suspicions.
"What's wrong? Your face is so grim. Are you feeling unwell?"
Ling Mohan noticed Feng Jin's unusual demeanor and asked with concern.
Feng Jin lifted her eyelids to look at Ling Mohan. The words she was about to speak died on her lips. She abruptly pulled her sleeve away from Ling Mohan's hand and stepped back, creating distance between them.
"You..."
"You leave, get out!" Feng Jin shouted angrily.
Ling Mohan was stunned. Under Feng Jin's insistent gaze, he retreated from the room.
Then, the door was slammed shut by Feng Jin, separating them as if by a vast distance.
Feng Jin leaned against the door, took a deep breath, and calmed herself. "Ling Mohan, listen to me..."
"This is not a common illness. It's... it's a plague..."
Plague. Ling Mohan's eyes tightened, and his heart immediately panicked.