Although the envoy Zixu had given Shen Tang some time to brace herself, it was limited. There was simply too much to clean up afterward.
The news had not been deliberately concealed. In less than two days, it had spread throughout Heyin, and sorrow clouded the commoners' faces.
In the two years since Shen Tang had taken charge of Heyin, they had lived peaceful, prosperous lives, with the gloom of the past seemingly far behind them.
But that did not mean they had forgotten. They had merely buried those unbearable memories in the deepest recesses of their hearts, occasionally digging them out to chew over. Usually, they could only sigh over how fortunate they had been to meet a good commandery governor and finally emerge from a sea of suffering...
But these good days had been far too short!
Far too short! Many elderly commoners even ran to the government office gates and wailed in grief, nearly fainting!
The younger ones could not help cursing the royal court and the envoy who had delivered the edict, pointing at the heavens behind their backs.
But no matter how much they cursed, the facts had already been set in stone.
The officials at the government office were deeply uneasy.
That lasted until the third day, when Shen Tang held a meeting.
Only, the meeting's contents were different from what they had expected.
"Presumably, all of you have heard about what happened a few days ago. But as long as I have not yet relinquished my position as Heyin Commandery Governor, I am still Heyin Commandery Governor for every day that passes. During this period, I hope you will all remain at your posts and carry out your respective duties. Do not be careless."
The officials exchanged glances in private.
They, too, had