After returning to the mansion, Su Nansheng mentioned to He Xun that she had met He Jin and expressed her intention to use Fei Yu to find out about He Jin's recent situation.
She always felt that the calmness He Jin showed that day was rather strange. There must be something fishy when things go against the norm. After all, He Jin was not a magnanimous person.
"So, you also think he doesn't look like a good guy?" He Xun said teasingly.
Su Nansheng knew he was referring to the incident with Shao Tan last time. She gave him a sidelong glance and said,
"You should know best what kind of person he is. There's no need to look."
This time, there was no need to find an excuse. He Jin was a despicable and insidious villain.
He Xun looked in the direction of Bitao Courtyard and sneered,
"That's exactly why I know he's not worth fearing. There's no need to waste time on him."
He Jin was a snake in the grass, extremely ambitious. However, he always shifted responsibilities and was timid, truly a man of great ambition but little talent. It was difficult for him to achieve anything significant.
Su Nansheng: "..."
Sure enough, the great general was bold and decisive. But...
"Let's still look into it. Otherwise, I won't be at ease."
The more such a villain, the more carefully one should deal with them. They were most adept at stabbing you in the back, just like Su Hele.
"Okay, I'll lend him to you. Remember to return him."
He Xun gave her a smiling look, his voice tinged with helplessness.
Su Nansheng then told him about the matter of providing relief to the refugees. He Xun's expression became a bit solemn.
"In previous years, I rarely stayed in the capital, so I didn't notice this matter. But it's easy to imagine that the capital is a prosperous and wealthy place. It's always easier to make a living here than in some other places, and there are more kind - hearted people.
However, this is not a long - term solution. I'll find a way to deal with this matter later.
In the meantime, while ordering Sifang Restaurant to provide relief to them, we should also strengthen the defense."
In the northern border, these so - called refugees were the most feared.
In order to survive, they dared to do anything and were fearless. Moreover, they had no fixed abode, making it difficult to track their whereabouts.
...
He Jin first searched for the refugees in the city and threw them into prison on flimsy pretexts.
But later, when he wanted to continue arresting people, he found that those refugees who had been wandering in the city had suddenly disappeared without a trace.
He Jin immediately realized that he had scared the enemy.
Those refugees were well - informed. They must have known about his previous arrests.
But it didn't matter. This could also be a way to warn others.
In the future, if these refugees wanted to come out again, they would definitely think twice about whether to return to their original place or go to prison.
He glanced at the obviously cleaner and tidier street, then went to the city gate.
If he wanted to solve the problem of these refugees at the root, he couldn't let them in. Regardless of whether they had travel permits or not, he would find excuses to stop them outside the city gate.
However, after guarding for two consecutive days, He Jin couldn't bear it anymore.
Not to mention that he had to carefully distinguish which were the refugees and which were the ordinary people and merchants who needed to enter the city, which was really tiring.
Just the fact that some people were dirty and smelly, and their language was extremely vulgar and overbearing.
If he asked too many questions, they would glare at him. How daring they were!
But carefully interrogating them was an extra step he had added. He couldn't arrest all those who offended him and throw them into prison.
No wonder there were refugee uprisings every year, but they were never completely eradicated. This matter was really tricky to handle.
He Jin regretted it. He shouldn't have taken on this hot potato. Du Wenbai was such a sly old fox!
After some thought, He Jin wanted to get rid of this hot potato. So he said to Kong Pengxing, the gatekeeper,
"Lord Kong, these refugees are wandering around everywhere. Du, the deputy magistrate, is deeply troubled by them. We should share his worries!"
"What Lord He, the registrar, said is absolutely right. These refugees really need to be managed. They've made the capital a complete mess."
Kong Pengxing immediately echoed, his attitude respectful.
Actually, in terms of official ranks, the two were on par, and he was even slightly higher than He Jin.
But who could compare to He Jin, who had the backing of the Anshun Marquis Mansion and held a position in the Jingzhao Prefecture? Naturally, his status was much higher than that of a mere gatekeeper like Kong Pengxing.
Seeing that Kong Pengxing agreed so readily, He Jin nodded and continued,
"I've been guarding the gate and driving people away here for two consecutive days. I'm sure Lord Kong has already learned the method. From now on, it's up to you. Don't let Du, the deputy magistrate, down!"
As he spoke, he gently patted Kong Pengxing on the shoulder, looking like he was placing high hopes on him.
Kong Pengxing naturally agreed. Then He Jin left with a grand air, saying that he would come for an inspection in two or three days.
Kong Pengxing watched him leave, then said to the city guards, "Continue to let people in."
"Sir, how should we check them from now on?" a city guard asked.
When He Jin was here before, he would interrogate those suspected of being refugees for a long time. He didn't have that kind of patience.
Kong Pengxing waved his hand impatiently,
"Just do it roughly. There are so many people coming in and out every day. How can we tell them all apart?"
Since He Jin was no longer here, why should they be so serious?
After he gave the order, the city guard felt relieved and immediately shouted,
"Those behind, hurry up! Don't dawdle and waste time."
...
One day, Su Nansheng was checking the account books when Bitao came in from outside.
"Madam, Manager Shi of Sifang Restaurant has submitted the accounts for the past few days."
As she spoke, she handed the account book in her hand to Su Nansheng.
Su Nansheng took it and looked at it for a while. Her brows gradually furrowed.
The amount of silver spent by Sifang Restaurant on providing relief to the refugees in the past few days had increased several times. Had all the refugees in the capital flocked to Sifang Restaurant?
"Bitao, have there been any ladies distributing porridge in the city these days?"
Bitao shook her head and said, "I don't know. Should I go out of the mansion to find out?"
The affairs of other mansions were beyond her scope. She had to go out and inquire.
"Okay. By the way, ask where those refugees are from."
"Yes."
Just as Bitao was about to leave, Su Nansheng called her back.
"Forget it. Those refugees are a bit dangerous. I'll ask Fei Yu to find out when he comes back with He Xun."
Previously, her attention hadn't been on these refugees, and she hadn't thought of this.
It was only after He Xun's instructions that day that she realized the hidden dangers.
Not all refugees were the old, the weak, women, and children. Some of them just wanted to live off others.
She was actually thinking of Bitao's safety, but she heard Bitao shout, "No!"
Su Nansheng: "???"
"Madam, they're just a few refugees. I can handle them! I'm no worse than Fei Yu. Back then, I even joined him in suppressing bandits. As the saying goes, women can hold up half the sky!"
Bitao looked indignant. If it weren't for the rules of propriety, she might have rolled up her sleeves to argue with Su Nansheng.
Su Nansheng: "..."
She hadn't said Bitao was worse than Fei Yu.
"Go, go. Our Bitao knows martial arts. She's not afraid of those refugees."
Su Nansheng's smile was somewhat obsequious.
Since she had even brought out the saying that women can hold up half the sky, how could Su Nansheng dare to stop her?