The vermilion paint on the city gate was mottled and ugly under the flood water.

One of the gates had fallen completely off, and it fell to the ground. It was crushed by pedestrians, cars and horses. The other one hung barely on the city wall, and when the wind blew, it made a "squeak, squeak" sound, as if it was moaning in pain, and people couldn't help but worry that it would fall down at some point.

The streets of the city are littered with mud left over from the receding floodwaters, and the soles of your shoes will be covered when you step on them. There were only a few people who looked like servants, and they were cleaning up for a while.

The surrounding shops have long been empty, and the exquisite tiles on the roofs and the exquisite carvings on the doors can vaguely show the prosperity and liveliness of the past.

The wealthy squires who lived on higher ground were hardly affected, and the dilapidated slum settlements had nothing to lose except their lives.

The worst thing is that the small businessmen and small households are ordinary people, who were originally diligent and conscientious, and finally had a little money, and they were full of hope that their days were getting better and better, but they called a big flood to wash everything away.

Some of the houses collapsed and crushed people, and the entities had already been dug up and pulled away by the people of the yamen, leaving only the blood stains on the ground that had not had time to be cleaned up, and they were already dark and black, ugly and dazzling.

There are few shops in the city that are open for business, except for the medical hall, which is a pharmacy. If you look closely, half of it is the property of the Helian family.

The benevolence of a healer is especially precious at such a moment. For the people injured in the floods, most of the medical expenses were waived, and only a small amount of money was charged symbolically, regardless of the cost, to curb the continuous influx of people, and to leave the already small space for the injured and sick who needed it most.

Some of the impoverished rats who were dying of life rummaged around, searching for hope of survival in the homes of many people who had fled in a hurry and had not had time to take all their belongings with them, as well as in the deserted shops with open doors.

Naturally, the rice shop is also open, and the business is even more prosperous at this time, and there are officers and soldiers guarding the door. When you look at the price of food, it is ridiculously expensive.

Before the person who wanted to buy grain but was taken aback by the price complained, the little man on the counter with eyes that seemed to look like the top of his head came over unhappily and said: "Go and go, don't stop us from doing business if you don't have money."

Don't buy it. Some people rush to buy it, no matter how expensive it is, they don't have to worry about not being able to sell it. Where did the poor ghost come from, if he hadn't drowned in the flood, he would have to die of poverty and starvation sooner or later! ”

He never looks at people squarely, and he is a little more arrogant than the big officials in the capital. The officers and soldiers at the door were dressed in armor and holding weapons, and they were vicious and vicious to help scold and drive away, like lackeys.

There are also several porridge sheds inside and outside the city, and there are all good people in the yamen. There are a few rich families who can really make porridge without falling down with chopsticks, and the rest of the big families are slightly worse, but they are thick enough to fill their stomachs.

On the other hand, the porridge cooked in several grain merchants and the porridge shed of the government can be clearly distinguished at a glance from rice and water. There is only one time per person, one bowl each time, limited supply, so rare that it is not easy to fill a full water.

Officials and businessmen are clearly colluding, the price of rice and grain has risen to the limit, and it is not enough for the people to spend their money on buying grain.

The rice and grain shops of the Helian clan in the city did not take the opportunity to make a fortune. Helian Yanran had already sent a letter to strictly prohibit the merchants in the clan from colluding with the government to raise prices, especially grain prices.

Yuan Niang's order, naturally no one dared to disobey. The shopkeeper of the rice shop closed the shop early.

The government sent someone to ask, but the shopkeeper only said that there was a letter from the clan asking the minister to donate grain, and the grain in the rice and grain shops everywhere could not be sold in case of emergency.

The Helian clan donated money and materials to the imperial court is already well known, and the girl in the clan has climbed to the prince in charge of this disaster relief, and has also won the title of the county lord of Zhengerpin. The county commander knew that he couldn't afford to be guilty, but he didn't dare to embarrass him.

It's just that the other party is the parent official here after all, and it is inconvenient for the shopkeeper of the rice shop to open the door again, sell grain at regular prices, and clearly oppose them.

Zexian county order, there are also officials in Beijing who specially played for it in front of the emperor to commend him, praising Qi for abandoning his family and business for the people. But in the description of Li Xiucai and others, what Bai Sheng heard was diametrically opposite.

It's just that he pulled it out and cut off his head, and he felt that it was cheaper!

This is also confirmed by the information provided by the shopkeepers of rice shops, medical centers, and pharmacies.

As far as they know, the situation in the county is quite good. The most serious ones are the villages below. Among them, there seem to be people from the county government guarding them, and they are not allowed to enter and exit easily.

When Bai Sheng heard this, he felt that the matter was not simple, he was originally going to wait in the county town for the real team to come to rendezvous, and temporarily decided to go to the village to check it out in person.

Bai Sheng, who was already low-key and disguised, still fell into the sight of some people who had been paying attention to the situation in secret.

After listening to the report of his subordinates, he learned that a group of unsightly but extraordinary merchants came to the city, and they were still wandering around, the master pinched the goatee on his chin, his small eyes turned several times, and after thinking for a long time, he asked the county magistrate on the side: "What does the master think about this matter?"

"It doesn't sound particularly suspicious. The county order is a little uncertain, "Merchants, they like to look around everywhere they go, and this alone is nothing." ”

"But why didn't you come early to play, but you chose to come at this juncture?" the master was not so optimistic and very uneasy, "The current Wanhuai Mansion is not peaceful. ”

"Wealth and danger are begging. Aren't we the same?" the county magistrate felt that he was too cautious with some grass and trees, "Kill the bold and starve the faint-hearted." It's always the case. ”

"Master, we're doing something big and you'll lose your head if you're not careful. Not only that, but if something happens, I'm afraid it will implicate the Nine Clans. How can you not be cautious?" reminded the master with compassion.

"This ...... I heard that Qin Cha and his entourage have entered Wanhuai Mansion. It's not a good idea to act rashly at this time. If there is any big movement, I am afraid that it will be self-defeating. The county magistrate also has his own concerns, "For the time being, I don't know what kind of temperament this Qincha is."

All he heard was the ridiculous things he had done along the way, and everything he did was casual, just whether he was happy or not, it was really hard to figure out the way.

Besides, the one in Beijing had only some clear instructions, and only sent a message in the first few days telling us to keep a low profile as much as possible, and to stop all the work we were doing.

I thought it would be better to ask someone to follow first, and then it would be too late to deal with it after investigating carefully. The left and right are all in Zexian County, and they can't fight us no matter how capable they are.

Even if it turns out that it is really a spy sent by us, we have already deployed it, and we have all supervised it, and there is still that one in the capital. As long as it is not the emperor's relatives and relatives who go out in person, they can let him go and never return!"

The master pondered for a moment, and also felt that this was the truth. He commanded those who were watching not to let go of their every move, and to report anything suspicious at once.

It's just that his heart is never steady, and he always feels like something big is going to happen.