She Came to Heal, Stayed to Conquer

She once lived an untroubled life in a peaceful and prosperous country, only ever witnessing scenes of famine and cannibalism on television. But today, she experienced firsthand the struggle for a piece of meat, a scene that made her both saddened and ashamed.

Saddened by how hard life was for the people of this era, with not enough to eat and clothes too thin to wear. This piece of meat meant more than just a meal to these people; it was warmth and hope.

She was ashamed because, aside from the wild game stew, these delicacies weren’t specially prepared for these people. They were dishes practiced repeatedly by the cooks. Sharing them was partly to avoid waste and partly so that the word could spread about their taste.

People continued to push forward, Miss Han’s shout drowned out by the surging crowd. Zhao Zun, fearing she’d be pushed over, swiftly ushered her into the restaurant, instructing his trusted aides and the government officials to quickly maintain order.

"Get in line, stop pushing." Zhao Zun cupped his hand around his mouth and shouted. "Those who keep pushing won’t get food."

Zhao Zun’s voice boomed like a gong over the noisy crowd, instantly overshadowing the surrounding clamor.

The crowd gradually quieted down, Zhao Zun standing on the steps with an imposing glare. Everyone caught in his gaze couldn’t help but shrink back and instinctively began to look for a place in line.

"Mr. Luo, we have to find time to teach these people order. From now on, no matter what they do, they must queue." With the situation under control, Zhao Zun turned to Luo Hai who stood nearby.

"Alright, once we reach the wasteland tomorrow, we’ll train them in order," Luo Hai nodded in agreement. The scene of people fighting over the food had startled him.

But thinking it over, he understood. He knew these folks rarely saw meat on their tables; if it were him, he might have pushed harder than they did! Moreover, these people were all from his jurisdiction, and their misery was a reflection of his incompetence.

Thus, he secretly prayed in his heart, hoping Miss Han’s plan could be smoothly implemented, allowing Qingshui County to develop so the people’s lives would improve.

The crowd began forming a line, slowly moving forward. A row of young women behind wooden barrels started serving food with spoons.

These women were personally selected by Miss Han to work as waitresses in the restaurant, all were orphans without families. In the future, their food and lodging would be provided by the restaurant; it would be their home.

In ancient times, male attendants usually served in restaurants, but Miss Han intended to break this tradition starting in Qingshui County. Now, with great-tasting food and these young female waitresses, the restaurant would surely make a big impact when it opened.

Ancient women’s clothing was cumbersome and sweeping, hard for activities; Miss Han handed out work uniforms to the restaurant staff. These female waitresses in modern restaurant attire instantly transformed in demeanor, not only making work convenient but also adding a beautiful scene in the restaurant.

While hundreds of people waited for food, the contents of the wooden barrel were already half gone, yet there were still many in line. Zhao Zun hastily turned to enter the restaurant.

"Girl, it seems like we need the cooks to prepare more food; there’s not much left outside. Moreover, I think I see scattered beggars gathering from afar." Zhao Zun said to Han Lei upon entering.

Han Lei was right by the wooden door, peering out to observe the outside situation. She too saw the beggars gathering from afar. Hearing Zhao Zun’s words, she responded quickly and hurried to instruct the back kitchen.

The aroma of steaming hot food wafted enticingly, attracting many nearby beggars following the scent.

They stumbled over in ragged clothes, looking malnourished, and came to the back of the crowd. Their eyes were fixed on the enticing food; their throats emitted low swallowing sounds. Just as officials of order intended to drive them away, Zhao Zun stopped them.

"Don’t chase them off; let them queue at the back!" Zhao Zun shouted using True Qi again.

"Yes!" the order-maintaining personnel agreed, directing the beggars to line up. "Get in line quickly, line up properly, Prince shows mercy, allowing you to join the queue from the back."

In the cold wind, the beggars, either leaning on canes or carrying broken bags, had faces full of hunger and expectancy. After forming a line, they all knelt on the ground towards Zhao Zun from afar, knowing Zhao Zun might not hear them due to the crowd, but they still loudly expressed their gratitude.

"Thank you, Prince, for your great kindness! Thank you, Prince, for your great kindness!"

Zhao Zun looking upon this scene lightly sighed: "Oh! When will the world’s suffering end? May this small benevolent act bring them a sliver of warmth!"

Seeing this, Luo Hai beside him slightly furrowed his brow. "No wonder Miss Han fears that His Majesty might say you’re garnering the people’s hearts. Zun, you hear those beggars calling out their gratitude to the Prince; hope your good intentions don’t bring trouble upon you!"

"No matter, let His Majesty think what he wants!" Zhao Zun shook his head indifferently, turned, and entered the restaurant for dinner, Luo Hai following suit.

They didn’t see that at the street corner, two figures also turned and left.

The two figures moved through alleys and finally entered a grand mansion. Hanging above the mansion gate was a plaque with two gilt characters — Wei Mansion.

In ancient times, typically only residences of those with relevant titles could be called mansions; for instance, in Huaxia’s Song Dynasty, the homes of government officials and princes could be termed mansions.

The magistrate of Qingshui County had the title of County Magistrate, but the person surnamed Wei wasn’t the magistrate nor a prince, yet had the audacity to hang the "Wei Mansion" plaque on his gate.

This mansion’s owner was named Wei Dabao, with familial ties to Mr. Wei from the Capital City.

The family had a long, illustrious history, deeply entrenched. In the Da Jing, they consistently acted with arrogance, even the late Emperor had to yield somewhat. Mr. Wei was the leading family of the Da Jing Dynasty, with family branches interconnected. Wei Dabao’s family was just one branch of the Capital City’s Wei Family.

Besides being the Emperor’s mentor, Mr. Wei was also the Prime Minister of the Da Jing Dynasty. With such a background, in this remote Qingshui County, who could do anything about him hanging a "Mansion" plaque on his gate?

As those two figures entered, Wei Dabao was reclined in a rocking chair, listening to a singer’s tune.

"Master, Master, we’ve investigated it." The two loudly exclaimed as they entered, then respectfully stood with heads bowed before Wei Dabao.

"What are they doing?" Wei Dabao lazily asked without opening his eyes, his fingers tapping the table gently in rhythm to the tune.

"Those mud legs returned by carriage; they lined up in front of the restaurant for a long time, at a food distribution."

"Demonstration? Demonstrating what?" Wei Dabao opened his eyes a crack, glancing at the two.