Thus, the four hundred thousand taels instantly beca two hundred thousand taels.
Two hundred thousand taels, though suddenly reduced by a large amount, still was not little. It was enough for the people on the vast farmlands of the Gao family to eat their fill every day, have two als a day, and occasionally eat so at each month.
Then he walked outside and encountered the Second Lady’s brother, the second steward.
He t the young master of the house, a cousin from afar.
He encountered the steward at the front yard, and eventually handed over the money. However, the steward in charge of porridge took so, thinking, "It’s alright if I take a little; it’s alright." The fat head cook took so, saying, "It’s alright if I take a little; the people can eat their fill."
Finally, the cook took a bit more, and the Powerful Warrior fetching the porridge took so more.
At last, they distributed the porridge.
The Family Head of the Gao family went to see, and on the first day, indeed the porridge and rice were enough to satisfy, each person received an egg, and plenty of vegetables; people praised the Family Head of the Gao family for his benevolence.
The Family Head of the Gao family left contentedly, and thereafter did not co to check for several days.
Until the noble son of the Gao family, Gao Yingju, noticed sothing amiss in the public opinion, changed into worn-out clothes, covered his face, went secretly to observe, and discovered the truth. He returned in shock and fury, kicked open the Family Head’s door, and scolded him harshly.
The elder mbers of the aristocratic family then realized that of the tens of thousands of taels of Silver given out, only a kind of porridge reached the people.
That porridge was so thin you could see your reflection, with very little rice, even mixed with sand!
Even so, not everyone could eat it.
To eat it, one had to bow low, speak many, many good words.
Then the person distributing the porridge would pick up a large ladle, scoop up so and pour it down with a laugh: "Co and eat!"
The Family Head of the Gao family changed face: "That first day!"
Gao Yingju said: "That first day was just a show for you; even those who ca to eat were relatives of people in the household!" He was still a young man, but his voice was a bit sorrowful and angry at this mont as he raised his head, looking at this splendid aristocratic family.
It was during this great upheaval that he realized the downfall of this aristocratic family was not due to one or two people. It was an eight-hundred-year legacy, and all around, everyone surrounding the family had long since ford a festering sore sucking the blood of the populace.
And at this ti, the Qilin Army was about to leave, but the people discovered that the porridge given by the aristocratic families grew thinner each day, while the Qilin Army was packing up and serving porridge each day richer than the last!
On the last day, they even brought in many pigs, simring and stewing at. The aroma was so fragrant it spread to many nearby places. That Marquis Qin Wu, whom the aristocrats said was a power-hungry and not a good man, had recently been dining with the commoners.
During this period, the aristocratic families talked about their own benevolence.
The Qilin Army said nothing, but the increasingly sumptuous als inexplicably left everyone’s hearts uneasy. And on this last day, Mr. Wen He took the food and said: "Everyone, today you must eat well."
The uneasiness in people’s hearts finally reached a peak, and soone couldn’t help but say:
"This, such good food, is really too wasteful."
"We can’t eat this."
In the eyes of the people, Mr. Wen He, who was considered a great good man, smiled and reassured them:
"It’s fine, eat at ease, this is the Qilin Army’s last treat."
"Eat as much as you want."
He spoke with regret, uttering those words: "After all..."
"We are leaving."
So, the place fell into sudden deathly silence.
A silence frighteningly profound.
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