Chapter 364: Chapter 364 Interrogation (2)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“About his family… Oh, he has a wife and a son, but I feel like they’re terrified of him.”
“He also said that Dongyang Manor had collected a lot of food, but the Third Prince had refused to distribute it to the refugees and kept it all for himself.”
“Yes, yes. He also said that the Third Prince is cold and ruthless. He doesn’t put us commoners in his eyes at all.”
Sun Hongliang’s eyes flashed with a cold glint as he listened to their denouncement of the Third Prince.
At the same time, he also understood that Brother Peng was most likely a spy sent by the First or Fourth Prince.
He raised his hand and said, “That’s enough. Shut up. Have you all even met the Third Prince? You’re just listening to rumor and don’t even know you’ve been used.”
“If it’s really as you all said, that he doesn’t give any grain to the commoners, do you think the Emperor will let him off?”
Sun Hongliang hesitated momentarily before saying, “I’m not afraid to tell you that we did harvest some white sweet potatoes last year, but only about 300 acres of land were harvested. How long will it last if we distribute it as food?
“However, how many people will we save if we replant them? We have to look at the long term.”
Because these things could be found out with just a little inquiry, it was better to say them openly and cut off the root of those spreading rumors.
“Then why do the people of Shanghe village get the sweet potatoes?” someone asked.
“Right; 1 heard that they’ve never gone hungry before.”
“Why? That’s because the sweet potatoes were initially grown by the people of Shanghe village. We can’t just let them starve to death after they gave us the seeds.
“Besides, the amount left behind would be enough for them to eat half-full.
“If my guess is correct, most of them are also struggling to hold on.
“Otherwise, why would so few wild vegetables be on the mountains?
“That’s because they’ve all been taken by the nearby villagers.”
When the escapees heard this, they couldn’t help but mumble silently. They were familiar with the scenery in the mountains. Besides the tree bark and leaves, all the wild vegetables that could be eaten had been picked.
They thought about the villagers he had seen in the past two days.
Although they weren’t starving like them, these villagers didn’t look too good either. Some of them even looked like they were about to die.
Sun Hongliang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that these refugees had listened to him.
After that, he got some people to bring some insect repellent and put them under guard.
He then returned to his room and instructed everyone to guard the manor.
At daybreak, he found Bai Jingping and told him about the matter.
After a moment of silence, Bai Jingping ordered the soldiers to bring Brother Peng’s wife and children over from the refugees.
After the mother and son entered the room, Sun Hongliang and Bai Jingping sized them up. Seeing that the mother and son were so hungry that they looked weak, they exchanged glances and made a guess.
“You guys are Brother Peng’s wife and son?” Sun Hongniang asked with a frown.
When the mother and son heard the words “Brother Peng,” they were so frightened that they immediately hugged each other and shivered, as if someone was going to eat them up.
When Bai Jingping saw this, he narrowed his eyes and said to the officer beside him, “Give the child a thorough examination and see if there are any injuries on them.”
“Yes.” The officer was stunned momentarily, and then he took the child over.
Seeing this, the little boy immediately burst into tears.
His mother wanted to resist, but Sun Hongliang stopped her and said, “Brother Peng is now in our hands, and he’ll never come back.
“We’re giving you a chance to prove your innocence, so don’t be ungrateful..”