Disaster Without, Fortune Within, the Scholar Seeks to Amass Virtue

"Sir, please have mercy and give me some food!"

"Sir, my daughter has been healthy since she was little. Would you consider it alright if I sold her to you as a maid?"

"Kind sir, could you spare a drink of water...?"

Hebei Circuit, the ancient site of Youzhou, has been developed for over a thousand years and was once one of the imperial granaries. However, in the past two years, natural disasters have been frequent, with consecutive years of severe drought. Crops have failed to yield any harvest, and most crops have died from the drought. The limited reserves are held by landlords who are reluctant to open the granaries.

The Ever-Normal Granary and the Beneficence Granary established by the imperial court were completely destroyed in several major fires. The court sent people to investigate thoroughly but could not find any clues. Under such circumstances, how could things possibly improve?

In addition, being located on the frontier, it was frequently raided by nomadic tribes from the Grasslands. When natural disasters and natural calamities coincided, it became a human tragedy.

The loess soil along the road was cracked everywhere, and there was no water source in sight, but you could see skin and bones begging along the way. Many of them had sunburnt skin, were barely breathing, and were dragging their heavy bodies.

Looking into the distance, one could see a person lying silently beneath a dead tree trunk, surrounded by flies and insects, their fate unknown.

There are also "big-headed babies" who, due to malnutrition, carefully follow their elders around, a sight that truly evokes pity.

Qiu Yan's carriage traveled through this environment, with people constantly coming to stop it. Some were begging for food, others wanted to sell their sons and daughters, and of course, many came in groups, intending to rob them.

The Meng Clan had made arrangements for these people, but Qiu Yan had his own plans. The person sent by the Meng Clan was named Meng Wei, a servant born into the family. He was not yet thirty years old, but the Meng Clan valued him highly. He was also clever and, after noticing Qiu Yan's plans, he took the initiative to hand over the decision-making power to Qiu Yan.

In fact, the Meng Clan had prepared for all of this. As Aristocratic Clan family, they had many advisors and strategists. Once they decided to befriend someone, a group of people would gather intelligence, analyze preferences, and devise countermeasures in advance.

That's how things are in this world. If someone is trying to curry favor with you, and you're not the one being curried favor with, you'll inevitably feel that the person is too opportunistic and despicable. But if you are the one being curried favor with, you'll think that person is sensible, perceptive, and insightful. They'll be pleasing to the eye no matter how you look at them, and you'll even feel goodwill towards their Lineage.

This method has been passed down for a long time and has never failed. The Meng Clan was naturally very familiar with it, so after the advisors deduced Qiu Yan's personality tendencies, they had already prepared supplies in the carriages and escort convoys that came to pick up the people. After Qiu Yan made the arrangements, someone immediately stepped forward to distribute them to the refugees.

But this attracted the attention of nearby disaster victims, who immediately rushed over, creating a swarm that threatened to trample the area.

However, Qiu Yan had anticipated this and had arranged for the Meng Clan's guards to make preparations in advance to maintain Order, so things were relatively peaceful. When Qiu Yan handed over military power, he did so very decisively, leaving not a single guard behind. He entered the pass alone, with only Qiu An and Lingxiu Fairy by his side. Later, considering some matters, even Lingxiu Fairy temporarily disappeared.

However, as time went on, more and more people gathered, and the carriage moved slower and slower until it could barely move at all.

Inside the carriage, Meng Wei seemed unfazed, continuing to chat with Qiu Yan about the customs and culture of Three Jin. However, when the carriage swayed, his expression changed slightly. He summoned someone to inquire about the reason and learned that more starving people had come to rob them, but this time there were too many of them, and the guards were insufficient to stop them. However, the situation had now calmed down.

However, after this chaos, more and more people in the surrounding area began to harbor ulterior motives and were eager to cause trouble.

Such disasters best reveal human nature; whether one is kind or ugly, whether one awaits death or risks everything, or whether one uses the lives of others to save oneself, all depends on a single thought.

The subtle fluctuations in these people's emotions also reached Qiu Yan's heart.

"My lord, it would be wise to stop while we're ahead," Meng Wei advised Qiu Yan after hearing the report. "The famine victims are truly pitiful, and we should help them if we can. But we're not the imperial court. In this year, offering grain out of goodwill could easily lead to chaos, and we could do more harm than good."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan nodded and said, "You're right. Then we should reduce the amount appropriately and distribute it as much as possible, but we can't disregard our own safety." Qiu Yan didn't insist. He had already anticipated that this situation might occur, but some things can't be avoided just because of the fear of consequences. However, he couldn't use the lives of the Meng Clan to pave the way for himself.

Moreover, when the people of Yuan Ning were suffering from war and the refugees entered the city, Qiu Yan had distributed porridge. He was naturally aware of the possibility of unforeseen events and knew that Meng Wei's words were not alarmist. The fact that the Meng Clan family had gone to such lengths was enough to prove their sincerity.

With Qiu Yan's words reassuring him, Meng Wei immediately went out to make arrangements, and his command was well-organized. Although the starving people inevitably had some setbacks, it did not cause any major chaos.

Before long, the carriage entered the county town. The scene inside the town was different from the outside. Although the disaster was still visible, it was relatively more Order. People could be seen setting up tents to distribute porridge along the streets.

The carriage stopped in front of an inn, and everyone got off. They would spend the night there and continue their journey the next day.

There's not much to say about the check-in process. During dinner, Meng Wei sought advice from Qiu Yan. It was clear that this servant of the Meng Clan family was very eager to learn and quite knowledgeable.

Qiu Yan had already noticed this during the day, realizing that this person had a keen eye for things, was decisive in handling matters, and, more importantly, was adept at allocating manpower, making him a rare talent.

Any Aristocratic Clan would be eager to recruit such a person, as such individuals are indispensable for maintaining an Aristocratic Clan. From this perspective, the Meng Clan, which is capable of cultivating such talent, is no ordinary family either.

The conversation continued until the end of dinner, when Meng Wei reluctantly took his leave, saying he didn't want to disturb Qiu Yan's rest.

After seeing Meng Wei off, Qiu Yan returned to his room, took out his books, and began to read silently. His two classic Original Edition had been taken to the Imperial City with the eunuch in charge of summoning him when he handed over military power.

In the Imperial City, countless people were eagerly anticipating seeing the true face of the classic text. Many Grand Confucian and Grandmaster even traveled from all over the country, making it seem like a grand event. However, the author himself did not necessarily need to appear.

Before long, the Ginseng Baby and other items in the package started making a fuss again, but it didn't affect Qiu Yan at all. After watching for a while, he raised his hand and made a grasping motion, and the thoughts he had gathered on his body immediately materialized.

These were the People's Wishes that arose during the day after he ordered the distribution of supplies and food. Compared to the porridge distribution in Yuan Ning, these sentiments were even stronger and more profound.

However, Qiu Yan shook his head, rubbed his Votive Thoughts together, turned it into a Fortune, flicked his finger, and dispersed the Fortune, returning it to the starving people who had placed their Votive Thoughts in it, thus strengthening their Fortune and increasing their chances of survival.

Although Qiu Yan is now quite powerful and his Divine Ability is considered high, he cannot reverse the changes in Human Path in one fell swoop. Saving all the disaster victims is not something he can do alone; the Dragon Court must step in. On the other hand, if he really did solve the disaster by his own Divine Ability, it might just be the beginning of a new calamity.

However, this does not prevent him from providing assistance within his capabilities.

After finishing these tasks, Qiu Yan was about to blow out the lamp and rest when he was disturbed by a noisy commotion outside the window.

A few moments later, Meng Wei came and knocked on the door, explaining the whole story.

It turned out that a Zigui. Seeing that the people in the city were sleeping peacefully while the starving people outside were suffering from cold and hunger, he spoke passionately in the city, which resonated with many people and caused chaos.

"This man called on merchants and gentry to donate their surplus wealth to relieve the people's suffering. He also sent someone to notify the guests in this inn, asking us to donate all our belongings to accumulate good karma..." Meng Wei said with a hint of disdain.

"I see," Qiu Yan nodded, then asked, "Since you've returned from studying abroad, your family must be here too. Have you already set an example by sacrificing your own home to save someone?"

Meng Wei sneered upon hearing this, "That's the problem. Although this person's ancestral home is here, and he does have Zigui Hebei, his father is a regional governor. The majority of his family's property, industries, and farmland are located elsewhere. What use would it be if he donated the house? Besides, what the starving people lack is food. Even if we give them a house, the government won't easily let them into the city. Moreover, this person has no say in the family, and he can't make decisions about the house."

The Meng Clan has its own sources of information, and Meng Wei has already thoroughly investigated the background of the person who started this incident, knowing it like the back of his hand.

As he spoke, he suddenly asked, "By the way, the reason I came here today is to ask you, sir, how to deal with this matter?"

"It's better to avoid trouble. Give him all the extra rations, but make sure to leave enough for the Guard Stations." Qiu Yan gave these instructions. In fact, he had already seen that Meng Wei already had a plan, and the reason he came to ask was to show respect.

"That makes things easier..." Meng Wei said with a smile as he left.

However, things didn't go as smoothly as he had expected. Although they didn't want trouble, trouble came knocking on their door.

The next morning, Qiu Yan met the initiator in the lobby of the inn.

This man was quite handsome and talented. He came from a local scholarly family and was named Kong Sanwei. His father was the Southern Ridges Circuit Intendant.

"I've long heard of Brother Qiu's reputation, and I've been eager to meet him for some time." The words spoken by this Third Young Master Kong slightly displeased Meng Wei and the others.

It should be noted that Qiu Yan is no longer as unknown as he once was. Even border generals address him as "Xiuzhuan" and gentry respectfully call him "Sir".

However, this Kong Sanwei, who only held the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level), subtly displayed an air of superiority in both his etiquette and the way he addressed people, which was unpleasant. (To be continued...)

P. S.: Thanks to "Xiao Wu's Dad" for the monthly vote!