My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 175 Negotiation

"There is no food in the city," the person who had just shouted said to the people outside the city.

The people outside the city became even more agitated upon hearing this, and they picked up stones from the ground and threw them at the city wall.

"Your Excellency, please be careful." County Magistrate Feng pushed Lin Ziping aside and stood in front of Magistrate Wei.

The thrown stone traced an arc before slamming weakly against the city wall.

Chai, the patrol officer, said, “This group of ignorant people gathered here by Magistrate Wei may cause problems if this continues. Besides, His Highness the Sixth Prince is still in Fuchun County.”

Magistrate Wei stared intently at the city below without speaking.

"Sir, perhaps..." Inspector Chai gestured at his neck.

"No!" Magistrate Feng interrupted Inspector Chai. "Sir, this matter is now widely known. If not handled properly, it could bring trouble upon us."

Magistrate Wei asked, "What insightful opinion does Magistrate Feng have?"

“Your Excellency, I believe the most urgent task now is to get them to leave as soon as possible,” said Magistrate Feng.

This is the crux of the matter, the very crux of the matter!

Lin Ziping couldn't help but think to himself, "After all that talking, it seems like I haven't said anything at all. This is a perfect example of nonsense literature."

"They want grain, should we give them grain?" Inspector Chai asked, puzzled.

“Of course not.” Magistrate Feng stroked his beard. “The people outside the city are from the surrounding villages. How could a villager not have stored grain? They’re just gathering here to ask the county government for favors.”

Lin Ziping glanced at the people below the city.

They were all pale and thin, dressed in thin clothes, with exposed skin that was bluish-purple. They didn't look like people who had stored up food at all.

Unfortunately, Lin Ziping was of low status and had no right to speak at this time.

"Master Fang, what do you think?" Magistrate Wei asked, looking at a middle-aged man in the corner.

Lin Ziping also looked over.

This is Magistrate Wei's private secretary. I've run into him a few times in the county government office. He doesn't talk much and has a very low profile.

If Magistrate Wei hadn't called him, Lin Ziping wouldn't have noticed that there was such a person on the list.

Fang, the clerk, was wearing a long gown with a gray cloak over it.

“I think both Magistrate Feng and Inspector Chai have a point,” Master Fang said, bowing respectfully. “The key now is to get them to leave on their own.”

Inspector Chai said, "Master Fang is right, but how can we let them leave on their own?"

"Satisfy their demands?" Magistrate Feng said. "But the county government has no grain either."

“There’s room for negotiation even when buying groceries. Magistrate Feng, don’t be so narrow-minded,” Master Fang said earnestly, patting Magistrate Feng on the shoulder.

Magistrate Wei suddenly looked at Lin Ziping.

A bad feeling welled up in Lin Ziping's heart.

really.

Magistrate Wei, with his 37-degree mouth uttering 0-degree words, said: "Xiao Lin, go and ask him."

Lin Ziping was shocked. Looking at the others, he couldn't help but regret coming to watch the show!

He should be at home, not here.

Individual will is meaningless at this point.

As the top official of Fuchun County, his decision was approved by others without a vote.

Helpless, Lin Ziping clasped his hands and said, "Yes."

With heavy steps, I walked down the city wall.

The city's inhabitants had by now been mostly cleared out.

Old Huang and Shi Yong, along with other yamen runners from the county government, gathered at the city gate, ready for battle. When they saw Lin Ziping come down, they all turned their attention to him.

"What are your orders, sir?" Old Huang, who was more familiar with Lin Ziping, asked first.

Lin Ziping shook his head and said, "Open the city gate, I want to go out."

"Are you stupid? What are you doing going out at this time?" Old Huang pulled Lin Ziping aside.

"This is what the adults arranged," Lin Ziping said with a bitter face, and gave a general account of the situation on the city wall.

Just when everyone thought they were going to say something comforting, Old Huang handed them a vegetable basket after listening to them.

Lin Ziping took a closer look. Wasn't that the one that had been placed in the corner earlier?

"Go out quickly, and come back as soon as you've asked your questions," Old Huang said.

Shi Yong pointed to Lin Ziping's hair: "Get your hair done."

"You should change your clothes too."

"Smear some ash on your face."

……

The constables whispered advice to Lin Ziping.

At first, Lin Ziping was completely baffled, but the more he listened, the clearer it became. He realized that this was a way to infiltrate the "enemy"!

Lin Ziping looked at everyone gratefully, only to realize that everyone else was wearing the same work uniform, while he was the odd one out, carrying a vegetable basket like someone buying groceries.

No wonder Magistrate Wei called him that. Lin Ziping suddenly understood his leader's good intentions.

Asking questions doesn't make decisions; it's just acting as a mouthpiece.

There wasn't enough time, so Lin Ziping casually messed up his hair, grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and wiped it on his clothes, put his hands in his sleeves, and walked towards the city gate with his vegetable basket in hand.

Old Huang had someone open a tiny gap, and Lin Ziping squeezed through it.

As soon as I stepped out of the city gate, a gust of cold wind blew by, making me shiver.

"Hey--"

Lin Ziping shouted as he walked.

Stopped about 5 meters away from them.

The "human wall" formed by the corpses looked out at the people standing there.

Lin Ziping glanced around and saw that there were probably dozens of corpses, mostly elderly people and children.

They were huddled together, barely clothed, with several corpses lying face up, their faces bearing strange smiles, a truly gruesome sight.

"There's no food left in the city. There's no point in you gathering here. Go home now," Lin Ziping shouted, suppressing his fear.

Everyone turned to look at Lin Ziping, but no one spoke.

After a long pause, Lin Ziping repeated, "There really is no food in the county town. It's windy here, what's the point of waiting here? Let's go back to the mountains and search the river, there will always be something to eat."

"Up in the mountains? Looking for bandits? In the river? Does Fuchun even have a river?" someone sneered.

The sound wasn't loud, but Lin Ziping heard it.

Lin Ziping blushed slightly, but at least someone spoke up for him, and he wasn't performing a solo act anymore.

This isn't entirely useless.

"Cough-cough-"

Lin Ziping cleared his throat. "Then you're no use here. The county government has no food and can't give it to you."

At that moment, someone came out.

Lin Ziping looked over and saw that it was the first villager who had come to collect grain with Constable Qi.

The village headman hanged himself, and the person who came out was the one who was with him at the time.

Thinking of the deceased old man, Lin Ziping awkwardly touched his nose and guiltily looked away.

“Young Master Lin, I know you’re from the yamen.” The man’s face was purple from the cold, but his eyes were unusually firm. “You’ve delivered medicine to our village before.”

When his disguise was exposed, Lin Ziping didn't deny it and directly admitted, "Yes, I'm from the county government. Right now, all the county government officials are behind this city gate. What are you all doing gathered here? Are you rebelling?"

"Young Master Lin may not recognize me. I am Li Zhen from Shangyuan Village. My grandfather, Li Yu, was the village head of Shangyuan Village. My father, my brother, and my entire clan of thirty-five fought on the battlefield, but my grandfather..." Li Zhen paused and looked up at the sky.

After a while, he continued, "But my grandfather was forced to his death, and the grain of Shangyuan Village was stolen. If they don't want us to live, then none of us should live!"

"Correct!"

"Let's all die together!"

……

The man behind Li Zhen also roared in a hoarse voice.