Was Glory City rich?
The answer was no, but it could not be completely denied.
There was a time when Glory City was glorious, but now it had declined.
So much so that for ordinary people, wanting to eat a full meal became extravagant hope, and wearing cotton-padded jackets became a fantasy.
Therefore, while the people were shocked, they also had some doubts.
Could it be that a wise City Lord had come to Glory City this time?
Was he thinking of them wholeheartedly?
To be honest, they did not dare to believe it.
That was because before this, the imperial court had sent officials and soldiers to escort a large number of supplies to aid Glory City every year.
However, because the journey was too far, the beasts were rampant along the way, and there was the risk of being plundered by the mountain bandits. As a result, less than ten percent of them would fall into the hands of the commoners of Glory City.
Since the imperial court could not provide them with relief, they could only rely on themselves.
However, the strange beasts were all around Glory City. Other than the experienced hunters who dared to go out to hunt some small wild beasts, it would be very difficult for ordinary people to return if they went out alone.
Therefore, the lives of most people depended on the merchants who frequently came and went to sell goods.
Working under them would earn them a meager salary.
Then they bought living resources from these merchants.
Originally, He Chuan sending all the merchants away had already cut off the livelihood of the people.
Although they didn’t say anything and didn’t come to the City Lord’s Mansion to cause trouble, they were only afraid that He Chuan would use this as an excuse to make a fuss.
What if the city defense army arrested them?
Then they would all be executed for plotting a rebellion.
With one wave of operations, they would be able to reduce the loss of a large amount of food!
Moreover, they could make an example of them and quickly build up their prestige.
The civilians were not stupid. They had already fought with several City Lords many times before. This level of scheming was not something trivial in their eyes.
However, the development of things had exceeded their expectations.
What did He Chuan mean by this decree?
Was it for real?
Does he know how many common people there are in the city?
Giving it away like this?
Not preserving the city guards anymore?
No one was sure what He Chuan was thinking.
After a discussion, they all decided to hide in the dark and wait and see what would happen.
Last night’s small favor did not win the trust of the common people.
Everyone was afraid that after taking the supplies, the new City Lord would come up with some tricks to mess with them.
This was a normal move, but in this special city, it was very sudden.
No one dared to be the first to receive the supplies.
This thought caused He Chuan to not see anyone outside the City Lord’s Mansion for several hours after he gave the order.
Everyone was still living at home, struggling for their lives.
He Chuan did not know the reason, but he was not in a hurry.
In any case, the food was there.
Every day, he would cook a big pot of fragrant porridge and bring a rich side dish. If no one came, he would let the city guards eat, and it would not be a waste.
Soon, a few days passed.
Many people in the city had eaten most of the food stored in their homes.
During the night when they could not eat their fill, the cold wind was even more piercing.
Thus, on the morning of the sixth day, a little girl wearing a single garment finally stumbled from the end of the alley and knelt in front of the City Lord’s Mansion to kowtow.
“City Lord, I beg you to save my mother…”
He Chuan was not at the door. It was the guards who received her.
The little girl’s face was purple, her lips were white, and she looked like she had been frozen.
The guards quickly followed the order that He Chuan had passed down earlier and brought her to a shed that had been specially built for distributing resources. They brought her charcoal and food.
“Eat something first, Brother Guard has already gone to call the City Lord for you.”
The little fellow nodded heavily. Seeing the porridge in front of her as if seeing the timely rain in the middle of the drought, she immediately wolfed it down.
Not long after, her body temperature gradually warmed under the orange-red glow of the charcoal, and her complexion became much better.
At this moment, He Chuan, who had received the news, also rushed over.
The guard timely introduced, “Little girl, this is the City Lord.”
When the little girl saw He Chuan, she hurriedly put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hands, knelt on the ground, and shouted.
“City Lord, I beg you to save my mother…”
He Chuan squatted down and personally helped her up. He patted the dust on his trouser legs and asked kindly, “What happened to your mother?”
“Mother… She ate a few wild mushrooms and then fell to the ground, motionless… sob… sob…”
The little girl wiped her tears as she spoke. When she said ‘motionless’, she finally could not hold it in anymore and burst into tears.
He Chuan frowned slightly and glared, “Send a few people to her house and bring the child’s mother over.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The guards were even more respectful of He Chuan’s identity as a prince.
Not long after, they brought her over.
He Chuan knew medical skills. After a careful examination, he found that there was not much of a problem. It was just that she had accidentally eaten a poisonous mushroom. However, the poison was not very strong and it did not harm her life.
After getting someone to feed half a bowl of porridge, the little girl’s mother immediately woke up.
“I… Where am I…” She said in a daze.
The little girl threw herself into her arms and sobbed.
“Mother… Cai’Er thought… thought that she would never see her mother again…”
The woman comforted her child and looked away at the same time.
Suddenly, she saw He Chuan.
The woman was shocked and hurriedly knelt on the ground with her daughter in her arms, “Greetings, City Lord!”
“There’s no need to be so polite.”
He Chuan had a faint smile on his face the entire time. It was like a spring breeze, “Don’t eat anything recklessly next time.”
“Sigh…” The woman sighed softly, “If I wasn’t so hungry that I fainted, who would be willing to take such a risk?”
He Chuan was a little curious, “Didn’t I issue a decree? All citizens of Glory City can come to the City lord’s Mansion to receive all living supplies. Could it be that the news didn’t reach you?”
The woman hesitated for a moment but didn’t say anything.
The City Lord had just saved her, so it wasn’t easy for her to voice out her doubts.
He Chuan didn’t force her and directly ordered his subordinates to move the supplies.
Among them were four bags of wood, two bags of rice, a bag of flour, a quilt, and four sets of thick clothes.
Apart from that, there were many other miscellaneous items that were necessary to survive this winter.
“If you don’t have enough, you can come to me to get more.”
He Chuan sent someone to send the mother and daughter back. They had to make sure that they were safe and sound, he instructed, “Remember to hide the food, don’t tell anyone. If anyone asks, just tell them that you only have firewood and a quilt. Be careful of others, nowadays, people who are extremely hungry are no different from wild beasts.”
The woman was stunned.
Before they left, she hesitated for a long time and finally only said one sentence.
“Your Highness, you are a good person.”
He Chuan smiled.