He sat and discussed Dao with the Changchun Master, and the two talked and laughed amiably.
When it was getting late, Jiang Wen stood up to take his leave, as he couldn't stay with the Changchun Master for too long, lest something unexpected happen.
The Thirteen Venerables were both a position and a constraint.
The Venerable Dragon Emperor wouldn't let the Changchun Master stay in the capital without a purpose, and this summons must have been for a reason.
Although the Changchun Master was in charge of the Divine Worship Society's base, there were many strange and mysterious methods in the world, and he feared that someone with ulterior motives would investigate.
"I'll give you this item. If you encounter members of the Divine Worship Society again, show them this," the Changchun Master said, handing Jiang Wen a token with the characters 'Longevity Turtle' engraved on it.
Jiang Wen accepted it, thanked him, and turned to leave.
He returned to his residence and told Chang Nian about it. Chang Nian was overjoyed to learn that his child would not be taken away by the Divine Worship Society.
He became even more affectionate towards Jiang Wen, treating him like his own parents.
One day, Jiang Wen and Li Xiangyue were leisurely strolling through the capital, accompanied by Bai Jing, who was dressed as a man. The three of them were enjoying a moment of leisure.
As they passed an intersection, they saw a group of ragged beggars kneeling and begging.
As they walked by, a young boy blocked their path.
"Sir, please buy us!"
"Buy you?" Jiang Wen frowned as he looked at the boy.
The boy was only covered by some coarse cloth.
He was covered in mud and dust, and his fingernails were filled with dirt.
He was clearly a beggar who had been wandering for a long time.
Upon hearing Jiang Wen's question, the boy was first overjoyed, then quickly knelt on the ground and looked up at him.
"Great sir, please buy me! I will serve you well, and I will do anything for you."
As he spoke, he turned to look at his mother, who was lying on the ground not far away, looking weak.
His mother was holding his few-year-old younger brother in her arms.
"...You can get up first," Jiang Wen said calmly.
He was a little surprised.
He was just passing by, so why did someone suddenly want to be bought?
"Sir, please have mercy and buy me. Just a bite of food is enough," the boy pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Don't cry, tell me what's going on," Jiang Wen said with a smile.
The boy stopped crying upon hearing Jiang Wen's words.
"My mother and younger brother are about to starve to death. I beg you to take pity on us and give us some food to save them. I am willing to sell myself to you."
The boy said in a low voice, pointing to the two people lying on the ground not far away.
Jiang Wen looked at the two people, then at Li Xiangyue beside him, and couldn't help but sigh.
He helped the boy up and said to Li Xiangyue behind him, "Go buy some food. Lives are at stake. We'll talk about other things after they've eaten. Also, the food should be watery, so they don't eat themselves to death."
"Okay, I understand," Li Xiangyue nodded and walked towards a nearby stall.
Jiang Wen stayed behind, looking at the three people with a puzzled expression.
He looked at the boy and asked, "Where are you from? What happened? Why did you come to the capital?"
Upon hearing Jiang Wen's words, the boy respectfully told Jiang Wen his name, and then slowly told him what had happened.
The boy's name was Li Qingran, and he was from Chuyi Prefecture. The people next to him were his younger brother, Li Jicheng, and his mother, Zhang Shi. It was just that a drought had occurred in Chu Prefecture, and it hadn't rained a drop for half a year. The fields and crops were destroyed, and the people had nothing to harvest. Even the edible grass on the mountains had been eaten clean. If they didn't leave their homeland, they wouldn't be able to survive, so Li Qingran's family followed the crowd to the capital to seek refuge.
It was just that their family was originally wealthy, and even in the disaster, they had some reserves. Unexpectedly, on the way, they were robbed by bandits and lost everything. The carriages, maids, and concubines were all taken away by the bandits. His father and grandfather also lost their lives in the robbery, leaving only him, his brother, and his mother, who survived by hiding in the crowd.
Finally, they stumbled all the way to the capital.
"It's more serious than you think," Li Qingran said silently, lowering his head, with a hint of fear in his eyes. "Even the soil is being fought over. If there's really no way..."
He didn't finish speaking, but Jiang Wen could understand. After all, there were records of various disasters in history. In the absence of food, cannibalism was already the norm.
"Isn't the imperial court providing disaster relief?" Jiang Wen asked again.
"There has been some, but the relief grain isn't even enough for people to eat two mouthfuls."
"These past few years have been smooth and prosperous, so how could they not even be able to provide relief grain? I'm afraid there's something else going on," Jiang Wen said, feeling puzzled. It was just that the incident in Chu Prefecture was too coincidental, and it seemed man-made.
Seeing Li Xiangyue return with porridge, he handed it to Li Qingran.
"First, relieve your mother's hunger. People who have been hungry for a long time can easily burst their stomachs if they eat too much," Jiang Wen instructed.
Li Qingran joyfully and tearfully accepted the porridge and hurriedly ran to his mother's side to feed it to her.
"Mother! There's hope! There's hope!"
The child shouted excitedly, his voice a little hoarse. It seemed that he had encountered many hardships along the way, and it was difficult to describe the hardships.
"What do you think is going on with this disaster?" Jiang Wen asked Li Xiangyue softly.
"In my opinion, things may not be that simple," Li Xiangyue said seriously. "Chu Prefecture is a major grain-producing area, and even if it doesn't rain for half a year, it shouldn't have fallen to this point. Now that the Great Qian hasn't used troops against the barren lands for a hundred years, the court's policies are mostly light labor and reduced taxes. No matter how difficult Chu Prefecture is, there should be some reserve grain from previous years, so how could it have fallen to the point where people are displaced?"
"Do you also think this is strange?" Jiang Wen asked.
"I'm afraid so, and in my opinion, these people are just the vanguard. In the future, even more refugees will flood into the capital," Li Xiangyue sighed.
Jiang Wen nodded upon hearing this, and stood aside waiting for Li Qingran to feed his mother and younger brother.
"How will you make a living in the future? Will you continue to wander the streets, or will you find something to do?" Jiang Wen asked.
"I said just now that as long as you can give me something to eat, I am willing to sell myself to you," Li Qingran said solemnly. "Since I have already said such a thing, how can I break my oath?"
"Oh, ho," Jiang Wen was amused by the boy's attitude and looked at him with some interest. "Do you know what the consequences are of selling yourself to my family?"
"Of course I know," Li Qingran said with a relieved expression.
"But if you enter my house, what will happen to your parents?" Jiang Wen pointed to his younger brother and mother. "You only have the three of you left, so you're not going to let your mother wander outside?"
"Since I have already sold myself, I cannot let my younger brother and mother do the same. I hope that you can give me some money for selling myself to support my mother and younger brother in the capital," Li Qingran pleaded, looking at Jiang Wen. His speech was quite organized, and he was indeed a child from a wealthy family.
"Actually, I can pay to help you and your mother and son, and you don't have to think about selling yourself to come in."
Hearing Jiang Wen's suggestion, Li Qingran hesitated for a moment, then shook his head resolutely.
He looked at Jiang Wen and said, word by word, "My father taught me that one should keep their promises. Since I have already said so, how can I go back on my word? Moreover, even if I take that money, it will be difficult to gain a long-term foothold in the capital. It's better to be a servant to you, and I'll have some monthly salary. Even if my mother has no skills and can't earn money, I can still give her some money."
"You little brat, you're quite the schemer. How old are you this year?" Jiang Wen laughed upon hearing his words, and became even more aware of the boy's thoughts.
"I'll be eleven after this year."
"Ah, eleven years old. Since you're willing, then follow me. I won't treat you badly."
