Chapter 548: Did Old Master Li Take the Wrong Medicine?

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A dozen or so skinny children huddled near the stove, their mouths watering as they stared longingly at the steam billowing from within. They seemed desperate to dive right in and eat their fill.

Crippled men and women, lame or blind, groped their way with difficulty out of the dilapidated hovels.

Some elderly people, with disheveled hair and dirt on their faces, hide in the grass, afraid to show themselves. They still long for a bowl of hot rice...

Lao Er Li and everyone who brought supplies had tears in their eyes. Their throats felt like they were blocked by something.

The day after the grand court meeting, Li Lao Er went into the Imperial Study.

The emperor thought he was here to offer flowers, after all, the name of Baihuayuan had been on everyone's lips in Xindu these days.

The Emperor chuckled and teased, “Lord Zhongshan, what good flowers have you brought this time I hear you sold a golden lily for a king’s ransom, and you’ve kept two peonies hidden away. All the flower lovers in Xin Du can’t sleep or eat because they’re so envious!”

Li Lao'er retorted, "Your Majesty, the reason I requested an audience today is not to present you with flowers. In fact, from now on, I will not offer you any flowers, not even a single one."

"Bold!" the chief eunuch, who was just pouring tea for the Emperor, immediately rebuked him, looking at Li Lao'er as if he were an idiot.

What's wrong with the Li family Are they trying to commit suicide

To actually dare to be so disrespectful to the emperor!

The Emperor was also taken aback, but seeing Li Er's calm demeanor and recalling the Lee family's past loyalty, he waved his hand to signal the chief eunuch to step down. Then he asked, "Lord Zhongshan, why do you say so"

Li Lao'er threw open his robe and knelt directly on the ground, bowing respectfully as he kowtowed. Then he said: “Your Majesty, I truly am not prepared to offer you this famous flower for your enjoyment, because I wish to keep it to sell. The silver coins, grain, medicinal herbs, and other goods I receive from the sale, I intend to deliver to the relief agency!”

The Emperor must have heard that I traded a golden lotus for a lot of grain and medicine, and sent it to the relief agency yesterday. But the Emperor doesn't know, the relief agency is simply hell on earth. The houses are dilapidated, the elderly and children are helpless and rely on no one, their bones are as thin as firewood, and people die every day from illness and starvation.

"My family fled from the north, so we know all too well the pain of hunger and lack of clothing. I can't bear to see this suffering, so I have already helped repair houses for the relief agency and am planning to continue selling my famous flowers to raise more supplies to donate to them!"

"Therefore, I said that I would no longer present flowers to Your Majesty. It is not because I am stingy, but rather because I believe that Your Majesty probably desires more for your subjects than simply admiring flowers. I believe Your Majesty hopes that the people will be free from suffering and live happy and prosperous lives!"

After a moment of silence in the room, the Emperor suddenly laughed and rose to his feet to help up Li Lao Er. He nodded repeatedly and praised him: “What a good life! Marquis Zhongshan, please sit down and talk.”

Li Laoer let out a long sigh of relief in his heart. He carefully sat down on the stool brought by the eunuch, his expression showing a bit of fear, and said in a low voice, "Thank your Majesty for not blaming the minister's rambling."

"No, this is not rambling..." The Emperor waved his hand. "If you consider these words to be ramblings, then I hope all the officials in court would be rambling!"

The Emperor sighed and continued, "Actually, every day I listen to them praise me and watch them present all sorts of precious treasures. My heart is also restless."

Instead of spending their time searching for treasures or staying up late writing leaflets, they should think hard about how to improve!

"The Heavenly Martial Emperor moved his capital here, and everything was in ruins. Yet the aristocratic families remained extravagantly lavish, and civil and military officials continued to muddle through their days."

"If everyone were like your family, willing to put their full effort into even the smallest of matters, then countless small things added together would have brought peace and vitality back to Tianwu long ago. It's a pity..."

Li Lao'er came today to show his loyalty, but he didn't want to step on all the aristocratic families and officials to get ahead!

If the emperor's words were to spread, the Li family would become public enemy number one of the Tianwu aristocratic families and officials from all walks of life!

So, Li La Er quickly got up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, to be honest, I have my own motives too. My family is poor and can only do what little we can. We just hope that Tianwu will be peaceful, so that we won't have to flee anymore. In fact, I came today to ask Your Majesty for an official position!"

"Your Majesty, the Relief Bureau now only has a seventh-rank official in charge, named Cheng Ming. He works diligently, but his abilities are limited. Moreover, the funds allocated to the Relief Bureau are not substantial, so over the past two years, the bureau has been deteriorating…"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request permission to manage the Relief Agency. I wish to guide its people towards survival and eventually self-sufficiency. My goal is to transform the Relief Agency from a burden on Tianwu into a source of strength for our nation."

“Of course, this process will take at least two to three years. I alone cannot accomplish it. Your Majesty, please allocate more money and grain to the relief agency. With these funds added to the supplies I raise by selling flowers, we can ensure that the relief agency can meet the basic needs of several hundred people.”

The emperor listened from beginning to end, and he had to say, the more he listened, the more he was touched by Li Lao Er's intentions.

But as an emperor, he would not make any decisions lightly.

Thus, he nodded and said, “Master Zhongshan is willing to share my worries, which comforts me greatly. Today, you return first, and I will ponder this matter further.”

Li Lao'er knelt down again and kowtowed, then respectfully retreated.

The Eunuch Superintendent was too astute, and without waiting for the Emperor's command, immediately dispatched a young eunuch to investigate.

But after just two hours, the emperor woke up from his nap and found out that the truth had already been delivered.

The eunuch in charge of the imperial wardrobe, while changing the emperor's clothes, whispered, "Your Majesty, I had someone go to the relief agency. Master Li was right; the houses are dilapidated and the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled are suffering terribly."

Yesterday, Mr. Li sent a lot of food and medicine, and even brought a doctor, but the relief office didn't even have a single leak-proof house. They could only immediately find people to repair it. Today, the courtyard is full of the smell of medicine, and I heard that the doctor is making soup for the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled to treat their illnesses!

"Luckily, the courtyard was large enough. The previous official had also been diligent, making sure to send out any dead bodies promptly. Otherwise, this summer heat could easily have caused an epidemic."

The Emperor nodded, his expression unchanged. He asked again, "How is the amount of grain and money allocated to the relief agency by the Ministry of Revenue calculated"

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Household Affairs allocates three baskets of grain and two ounces of silver to the Relief Bureau every month," the chief eunuch reported truthfully, without embellishment. But the emperor was no fool; he almost immediately understood.

If it's just a few people, three baskets of grain and two ounces of silver per month would definitely be enough.

But for hundreds of people, this is simply a drop in the bucket...

The Emperor sighed deeply. He asked himself if he was a foolish emperor, but before he ascended the throne, Heavenly Martial had already been riddled with holes.

Even though he has been trying his best to "treat" it these past few years, the problem keeps recurring, leaving him helpless and frustrated.

Let's talk about this relief agency. Its original intention was to help the refugees who fled from the north.

Of course, there are some like the Li family, where their relatives and friends all came together in groups, finding a place to settle down and struggling to survive.e interested in a prostitute like you Hum, go on with your daydreams!”But that said, a few women did not bother to get their hands dirty, of course, perhaps because they found it too messy.They tidied...