After dinner, Yan Yi did not leave in a hurry, but instead subtly mentioned some matters in the capital to Uncle Meng Er.
Regarding the court's affairs, no one interjected or spoke much. Fu Yu and the Qi father and son also sat quietly and listened.
During the conversation, Yan Yi also mentioned, "After I exposed the matter of the Qingzhou refugees, the Emperor wants Uncle Meng Er to return to Qingzhou to be the county magistrate."
Grandpa Meng did not respond, but inwardly he was very resistant to being a county magistrate.
"Uncle Meng Er, I apologize for not asking for your permission before I recommended you."
Upon hearing Yan Yi's words, the old man breathed a sigh of relief, as if a burden had been lifted.
"This commoner thanks Lord Yan for his righteous advocacy. I had already lost the desire to be an official. Coupled with years of idleness, I am now a genuine farmer. Hehe~"
The old man smiled with a carefree air, leaving Yan Yi deeply touched.
"Some people spend their entire lives striving for officialdom, but Uncle Meng Er can let go when he should, which is truly admirable for a junior like myself."
The old man: ...
Next, Yan Yi spoke a few more words about the handover of relief supplies for the Qingzhou refugees.
Grandpa Meng also took the opportunity to discuss the future plans of the Qingzhou refugees with Yan Yi. "They told me they want to stay in Liaodong and start farming next spring."
Yan Yi had already anticipated that there might be a conflict and conveyed the Emperor's intentions.
"The Emperor's original intention was for these refugees to return to Qingzhou after the weather warms up next year."
"Lord Yan, this matter is rather difficult to handle."
"Why?"
"These people escaped the flood and gathered two to three hundred strong when they headed north, but only a little over a hundred survived to reach Liaodong."
Seeing the old man's heartbroken expression, Yan Yi didn't know what to say.
If these hundred-plus people were to return to Qingzhou as the Emperor wished, unless they were transported by carriage, they would likely not have many survivors by the time they reached the borders of Qingzhou.
Yan Yi knew this assignment would be difficult, but after hearing Uncle Meng Er's account, a chilling thought struck him.
If the Emperor insisted on these people returning to Qingzhou, they truly had no way to survive.
Yan Yi was silent for a long time before giving Uncle Meng Er a cautious reply: "The grain distributed by the court can sustain them through this winter if used sparingly. For the rest, after I return, I will submit a memorial to the Emperor for a decision."
In his urgency, Yan Yi used the term "this official," indicating that he truly could not make this decision himself.
The old man did not make things difficult for Yan Yi and cupped his hands in thanks, "This commoner thanks you in advance on behalf of the Qingzhou refugees, Lord Yan."
"Uncle Meng Er, you are too kind. I dare not accept such thanks."
"Also, this commoner has a humble request. Tomorrow, please accompany me to distribute the relief supplies to the Qingzhou refugees."
Yan Yi had initially intended to hand over the supplies and money to Uncle Meng Er and be done with it. He hadn't expected Uncle Meng Er to invite him to jointly distribute the relief funds and materials to the Qingzhou refugees.
Yan Yi could imagine that the situation of these Qingzhou refugees was beyond description.
"Very well, we shall discuss tomorrow's matters tomorrow."
Grandpa Meng also knew that anything he said would be futile until Yan Yi saw the Qingzhou refugees for himself.
Finally, Yan Yi reluctantly returned to the thousand-household office with Qi Yuanshan.
Walking silently along the way, he felt a sense of melancholy. He wished he could stay at the Meng family's home, fantasizing about encountering the little girl's master in the dead of night when he came to see his disciple.
Then he would be taught a few moves, or perhaps, he would be taken as a disciple.
The thought alone made him incredibly happy.
Alas, his fantasies were too beautiful.
Qi Yuanshan's thoughts were the opposite. He absolutely could not let Yan Yi discover Xin Ci's secret.
The next day, Qi Yuanshan woke up early, intending to invite Yan Yi for breakfast. However, after searching the entire courtyard of the thousand-household office, he couldn't find Yan Yi anywhere.
When he asked the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had accompanied Yan Yi, he learned that the fellow had gone to the Meng family again to mooch for food.
Qi Yuanshan's gums ached. He had never seen anyone like him; he visited the Meng family even more frequently than he did.
At this moment, breakfast was being served at the Meng family's residence.
Steaming hot mixed-grain porridge, perfectly thick, and small steamed buns with a savory, fragrant broth that left a lingering taste, as well as steamed buns made from triple-ground flour, with a faint aroma of the grains themselves, accompanied by two refreshing small pickled dishes.
As expected, Yan Yi seemed to have eaten several extra bites.
Before he had even put down his chopsticks, Yan Yi began to flatter Uncle Meng Er.
"Uncle Meng Er, why do I feel that the food in your home tastes better than that in the capital?"
Grandpa Meng listened and smiled. "It's the grass on the other side that looks greener. When you were young, didn't you also feel that the food at relatives' houses tasted better than your own?"
Yan Yi: It seemed to be true.
Grandpa Meng: This is all rice and grain grown in his granddaughter's miniature world, so of course it's fragrant.
However, he did not want Yan Yi to know. He didn't mind Yan Yi eating a few meals, but taking it away was impossible.
So after breakfast, the old man began to make arrangements with Yan Yi to go to the Qingxi School, where the Qingzhou refugees were temporarily housed.
Yan Yi naturally had no objections. He first rode his horse to the thousand-household office and then, with his subordinates escorting the supplies, headed to the school where the Qingzhou refugees were staying.
However, when he saw the gaunt refugees, he truly felt a pang of discomfort.
Captain Song and the others had already received the letter from Fu Yu, and all of them had stayed behind, not going to the construction site.
Seeing Town Chief Meng accompanying Lord Yan, they immediately knelt and kowtowed.
"This commoner greets Lord Yan."
"This commoner greets your lordship."
"Please rise, everyone." Yan Yi dared not let them remain kneeling on the ground. Looking at their arms and legs exposed through their ragged clothes, which were all skin and bones, he feared that their limbs would break if they bent them.
This was also a plan devised by Captain Song. Originally, Town Chief Meng had already helped them obtain some old clothes and had also provided new cotton cloth and cotton. By now, each person had received at least one new padded jacket and a set of old clothes.
But after hearing Fu Yu's words last night, they hadn't slept all night.
None of them were willing to return to Qingzhou, where there was nothing left but tears.
Now, it seemed heaven had treated them well, encountering Town Chief Meng in their desperate situation. How could they leave?
They absolutely would not leave Town Chief Meng, no matter what.
And so, in order to elicit sympathy from Yan Yi, they endured their hunger and did not eat breakfast, nor did they drink the seafood soup that Town Chief Meng specially prepared for them every morning.
They even wore their tattered clothes that they had worn all the way to Liaodong on the outside.
Grandpa Meng was stunned, thinking: You are already miserable enough, there's no need to deliberately act pitiful to make others sympathize.
Little did he know that Yan Yi and his subordinates, seeing the pitiful state of these refugees, all showed signs of compassion.