It doesn't matter.

"Uncle, you are right. The common people must not be killed—they are merely ignorant, led astray by others. But there are some who must die!" Li Miao smiled amiably at Li Yin, yet that smile sent a chill down Li Yin’s spine.
"This man has committed a grave crime, leaking matters of national importance in Zhong Kingdom. Uncle, do you not agree he should be executed?" Li Miao drew ever closer to Li Yin.
"He should, he should," Li Yin nodded instinctively, his impression of his eldest nephew utterly transformed. Li Miao had always been little more than a spoiled aristocrat, but suddenly Li Yin saw that the young man had changed—he was now capable of killing.
"Listen well, all of you. Though Zhong Kingdom is small, its laws must not be discarded. Should anyone spread secrets again, do not blame me, Li Miao, for being ruthless." With that, Li Miao glanced at Li Yin.
Yang Hong, ever the sycophant but also shrewd, cast a look at Li Yin, understanding that all this likely revolved around him. Why else would Li Miao execute Li Yin’s personal guards? If blame was to be assigned, any of the palace maids or soldiers could have sufficed.
"Your Majesty, we can’t hold out any longer outside the county office!" A messenger rushed in. With Li Miao forbidding swords and executions, the Imperial Guards could only stand as a human barricade—but they numbered only three hundred, and many among them were unwilling to exert themselves, for among the masses were their own kin. Thus, resistance quickly faltered.
"Ah!" Li Miao sighed. "Rumors are deadlier than swords!" He returned his sword to its sheath and walked toward Li Yin. "Come, Uncle. Let us see these misguided commoners."
"Minister Yang, make preparations!" Li Miao ordered Yang Hong to act first, as Li Miao’s own bloodstains needed tending. Yang Hong was to soothe the crowd.
"Yes!" Had it been before, Yang Hong would surely have dissuaded Li Miao—for if the mob harmed the emperor, what then? Yet witnessing Li Miao’s resolve, Yang Hong felt reassured; perhaps His Majesty truly had a solution.
"We wish to see His Majesty! Come out, Your Majesty—give us an answer!" Outside the county office, the people gathered, fury in their eyes. No one likes to be betrayed or abandoned. Zhong Kingdom—Li Shu had failed them, losing all of Huainan, yet these people remained loyal to him. But Li Miao, they heard, was to abandon them. Naturally, the people’s grief and anger were overwhelming.
Amidst their agitation, Yang Hong emerged from the office, his face darkening at the sight of the unruly crowd. "What is this noise? You rabble—do you mean to revolt?"
"Minister Yang!" The deputy of the three hundred soldiers stepped forward, saluting Yang Hong.
"Transmit the emperor’s order: all soldiers draw your blades!" Yang Hong commanded.
"Minister Yang, but those are our own people!" The deputy hesitated, trying to explain.
"Are you intent on defying His Majesty’s command?" Yang Hong’s gaze was icy. Despite Li Shu’s army’s defeat, Yang Hong still wielded authority.
"No, sir!" The deputy lowered his head.
"Then get to it!" Another man stepped out—it was Zhang Xun. Seeing his commander arrive, the deputy, Qin Huai, relaxed; with the commander present, he would shoulder responsibility.
"Yes, sir! All soldiers, draw your blades!" The three hundred soldiers unsheathed their weapons, sunlight glinting off cold steel, instilling panic among the crowd.
They had come in a moment of outrage, but now, faced with the cold, gleaming blades, true fear took hold.
"The emperor will kill us, will he? Surely not..." some murmured in terror.
"This is an uprising—will he slaughter us?"
Yet others, reckless, shouted, "If we’re to starve anyway, why not fight? What’s there to fear?" Their cries stirred the crowd, prompting a surge toward the soldiers.
Qin Huai’s face was tense. "Back! Back! Move back or you’ll be cut down!" He feared the people would charge—not for their lives, but because many among them were kin to the soldiers.
Just as chaos threatened to erupt, someone shouted, "His Majesty arrives!"
The crowd instantly calmed.
"The emperor is here! The emperor is here!" The people surged forward. To claim that the common folk felt no fear would be a lie. The Son of Heaven—the emperor—was regarded as divine. The common people, mostly unlettered, were no atheists; for them, the emperor was a god, even if he was a usurper—still a false deity.
Seeing Li Miao emerge, the people instinctively knelt. "We greet Your Majesty!" A dense mass, thousands strong, prostrated themselves.
Li Miao, dressed anew, stepped out. He saw the throng kneeling, calling out to him, and took a deep breath. Such a spectacle—thousands kneeling before him—was awe-inspiring. Had he not possessed a strong heart, he might have been frightened out of his wits.

Li Miao was followed by his uncle Li Yin, who, though outwardly humble, nursed resentment within. His nephew had, without a word, killed his personal guard; the act was nominally against the guard, but in truth it humiliated Li Yin. How could he not be angry?
He looked at the commoners and sneered inwardly: so what if my guard was killed? You still have no choice—either slaughter these unruly people, or be killed by them. In the end, Li Yin’s aims would be achieved. Once Li Miao departed for Hebei, he would be nothing, while Li Yin, though reliant on others, would at least remain his uncle.
Li Miao gazed at the kneeling crowd—young and old alike, children no more than a few years, elders in their fifties and sixties. Unlike modern times, where seventy is merely three-quarters of a life, the healthy reach ninety, and even the ill often live into their eighties.
But in this chaotic ancient era, seventy was rare; at thirty, one called oneself old; at forty, one entered old age; at fifty and sixty, longevity was true fortune.
Seeing the white-haired elders kneeling before him, Li Miao felt embarrassed and wished to approach. Yet Zhang Xun stopped him. "Your Majesty, it is dangerous!" Moments ago, these were labeled as unruly folk—how could the lord risk approaching them?
"Step aside!" Li Miao commanded Zhang Xun.
"This..." Zhang Xun hesitated, unsure whether to obey.
"Do not worry, General Zhang. If even an old man could kill me, what is the purpose of Zhong Kingdom’s existence? If you are concerned, you may accompany me." Li Miao and Zhang Xun each stepped forward, Li Miao entering the crowd, Zhang Xun at his side.
Only then did Zhang Xun relent, allowing Li Miao to proceed.
Li Miao walked past the formation of three hundred soldiers and entered the throng of commoners.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Those nearest trembled in fear; to offend the divine was terrifying, and his proximity unsettled them.
"Come, old man, the ground is cold—rise." Li Miao approached an elder and spoke gently.
"Your Majesty, I do not dare!" The old man quaked in terror.
"What’s there to fear? Just treat me as your eldest nephew. Rise, the ground is cold." Li Miao stepped forward and, regardless of the elder’s protest, lifted him up.
"Yes, yes!" The elder was shaking, nearly collapsing were it not for Li Miao’s support.
"Everyone, please rise!" Li Miao addressed the others kneeling. But they did not move. Only when Yang Hong glared and barked, "What’s this? The emperor commands you to rise, and you refuse—is this rebellion?"
Li Miao’s gentle words were ignored, but Yang Hong’s harsh command prompted a response.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The crowd slowly stood, subdued by Yang Hong’s rebuke.
"Old man, can you tell me why you are blocking the county office?" Li Miao feigned ignorance, asking.
"Old fool, old fool..." The elder had yet to recover, but managed, after a deep breath, to explain, "Old fool heard that the army’s provisions are running low, and the emperor intends to abandon us. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy. I can go without food, can starve, but please save my grandson—he is still young. I beg you, grant him a morsel." The old man knelt again, banging his head on the ground until blood appeared.
"Old man, rise, please rise!" Li Miao tried to lift him, but the elder stubbornly refused. If Li Miao did not promise, the old man might truly bash himself to death outside the office.
"Grandpa!" A small child approached the elder.
Li Miao knew this must be the old man’s grandson. The child, though little, began to cry upon seeing his grandfather in distress.
Unable to lift the elder, Li Miao picked up the child instead. The old man, worried for his grandson, ceased his head-banging.
"There, little one, don’t cry," Li Miao comforted the child in his arms.
"Grandpa, grandpa!" The child called for his grandfather, refusing Li Miao.
Li Miao set the child by his grandfather’s side. "Old man, are the others like this as well?"
"We beg Your Majesty not to abandon us!" The rest of the crowd knelt again.

Li Miao ceased trying to help them up, nor did he urge them to rise. He understood their sincerity—they just wanted to eat, to survive. Why, in this chaotic world, was such a simple wish impossible?
For Li Miao, had it been someone else, the ground might already be littered with corpses.
Such is the chaos of the age! Thinking this, Li Miao cast an angry glance at Li Yin behind him, who remained meek and humble.
"Who said I would abandon you?" Li Miao addressed the crowd.
The people could not answer—would they admit it was hearsay?
"Your Majesty, isn’t the army short on provisions?" the old man ventured.
"Haha, old man, where did you hear such rumors? To feed thirty thousand, perhaps I could not manage, but for these mere three thousand, eat your fill!" Li Miao declared boldly.
"Ah!" The elder seemed disbelieving.
"Hmph!" Li Yin snorted coldly behind. He managed the finances and provisions—how could Li Miao not know how much grain remained? Pretending at grandeur; let’s see how you explain yourself next, my dear nephew.
"Old man, do you not believe me?" Li Miao smiled at him.
"I dare not!" The elder said, but his disbelief was clear.
"And the rest of you?" All replied they dared not.
"Then, would you all come with me to view the granary?" Li Miao knew that seeing was believing.
"Really?" The elder asked instinctively.
"Insolence!" Yang Hong stepped forward. "His Majesty has personally addressed you; that is great fortune. How dare you doubt him?" Yang Hong sought to aid his master, for the granary truly held but a hundred bushels. Li Miao’s reassurance might calm the people, but opening the granary would expose the truth. Thus, Yang Hong gave Li Miao an escape—if he accepted, the incident could be suppressed and the unrest quelled.
The old man, cowed by Yang Hong’s rebuke, still did not believe Li Miao.
Li Miao sighed. Even as emperor of Zhong Kingdom, he could not command absolute obedience—thus, the people doubted him.
"Very well! If you all wish to see the granary, I shall grant you this opportunity!" Li Miao announced.
"Your Majesty?" Yang Hong was anxious; if they saw the granary, the truth would be exposed. What then?
"No matter," Li Miao gestured for Yang Hong to step aside, his mind already made up.
"Once you have seen the granary, I hope such events never occur again. If there is a next time, I must apologize, for the law of the land will prevail, and an uprising means the people shall be punished." Li Miao’s eyes glinted coldly. Fools may become rebels; though the people suffer, matters have two sides—one pities their misfortune, yet also blames their lack of resolve. This was but one incident; if it happened again and again, Li Miao could not always appear.
His stern words silenced the crowd.
"Come, let us go together to see the granary. Uncle Li Yin, please lead the way!" Li Miao said.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li Yin nodded, turning with a triumphant gleam in his eye. Li Miao, he thought, though you seemed decisive, you have still forced yourself into this corner. Once the granary is opened, and the empty stores revealed, the people will riot, leading to violence and ultimately to Li Miao’s departure for Hebei. With these thoughts, Li Yin felt much relieved and eagerly led Li Miao toward the granary.
"Your Majesty, this is the granary. Open it—let these...no, let the people see our empty, barren stores..." Li Yin had not finished the words "empty, barren granary" before he was stunned.
The granary of the county office, the place Li Yin visited twice daily, was now completely filled with rice.