Marry a powerful minister and remain a widow?I’m done with the book-wearing female role!

Officials from the government came twice, and each time they clashed with the villagers and refused to negotiate.

Exploding mountains to open roads and provide convenience for passing caravans was originally a good move to benefit the people. However, the government acted arrogantly and wanted to force all the villagers to death!

"Master Xie, we are not ignorant. It takes time to give up the inheritance of our ancestors. All the houses and fields have been confiscated. How can the villagers live without giving a copper plate to drive people away?"

The village is very close to the official road. The villagers rely on farming and selling food to passers-by to barely fill their stomachs. They don't have much savings in their hands.

"If the village is occupied, hundreds of people will eat bran and become homeless!"

The ancestral graves are gone, the ancestral hall is gone, and the roots are lost.

After the old man finished speaking, he stamped his feet, beat his chest, and cried loudly.

He is already very old, half of his body has been buried in the earth, and he has nothing to worry about.

The old man has made up his mind that if the government insists on having his own way, he will take a rope and hang himself in front of the county government office tomorrow morning in protest.

The old man burst into tears and looked sad and desperate. The villagers remained silent after hearing this, and everyone wiped their tears.

There were no scholars in the village for generations, they were all honest farmers. Seeing the people in the government trembled, they became inexplicably shorter.

Every time I interacted with someone, before I could express my appeal, I would be scolded by the government officials. My mind went blank. I wanted to argue a few words, but I was too stupid to say anything.

"Thank you, Sir, please make the decision for the villagers!"

The old man insisted on kneeling down and kowtowed. When the villagers behind him saw this, they knelt down and were too sad to speak.

They thought that the imperial envoy must be a grand event, and they had heard rumors about Xie Zhao in the past. Mr. Xie was their last hope.

When I met him today, I didn't expect Mr. Xie to be so clear-minded and a great person that people look up to.

"Folks, please get up quickly, I am not qualified to be an official."

Xie Zhao once again took a step forward to help the old man up. His face was calm, but his whole body exuded a cold and gentle temperament. It seemed contradictory, but it was not inconsistent.

The old man straightened up and said sincerely: "There is hot water in the village. If Mr. Xie and Mrs. Xie don't mind it, you can go and sit in the village."

There are three or four villages near Guandao, where they marry each other and have close contact.

"The old man's surname is Zhai, and he lives in Zhaijia Village, which is closest to the official road."

Ever since Old Man Zhai got the news that the mountain was going to be blown up, it was like a bolt from the blue.

He was so panicked that he had to stay on the official road every day.

Reporting to the imperial envoy was an idea given to Old Man Zhai by a passing caravan.

"I heard that you were passing by. The old man has been waiting for more than ten days, and the houses in the village have been vacated and cleaned..."

Old Man Zhai tugged at the hem of his clothes uneasily, fearing that the superior imperial envoy would dislike the conditions in the village.

Jiang Yuzhu looked around and could see the joy of the villagers when Xie Zhao appeared. For a long time, the government's pressure on the hearts of ordinary people made them extremely taciturn.

"Old man, my husband is an easy-going man, you don't have to worry."

Jiang Yuzhu comforted her casually, and she and Xie Zhao came down from the official road and entered the village along a country road paved with cobblestones.

At the end of September in the lunar calendar, the wind is refreshing at noon, and flowers and plants are planted on both sides of the path, which shows the elegance of the villagers.

Although the village has thatched houses, every household is neatly organized.

At the entrance of the village, there are still two or three little children who don’t know the feeling of sadness running around. When they see unfamiliar faces, they hide behind their parents and peek.

Seeing Jiang Yuzhu looking over, the little kid shrank his head shyly.

"Ningxiang, there are cakes and candies on the carriage, take them and give a share to the little kid."

Jiang Yuzhu ordered, and Ningxiang understood immediately.

Although it sounds like the villagers are pitiful, they can't believe one side of the story. It's easier to find out from a kid.

After Jiang Yuzhu finished drinking a cup of dandelion tea, Ningxiang hurriedly replied: "Back to Madam, everything Old Man Zhai said is true."

Several surrounding villages were about to be occupied, and the villagers had no choice but to prepare for the worst.

The most valuable pigs and donkeys in the family were sold for money, and the chickens and ducks were slaughtered, pickled and dried, just to make it easier to take them on the road.

"Those little kids don't understand either. They heard the opera troupe singing and went to the capital to complain."

Ningxiang couldn't help showing sympathy, and said with great indignation: "The villagers were bullied because they were too honest. In Ruyang, County Magistrate Cao is just a dog official who collects people's wealth. The bigger restaurants in the county are all The property of Magistrate Cao and his relatives.”

County Magistrate Cao relied on his position as a local official to protect his relatives and do evil, making the people under his jurisdiction miserable.

"Xiao Tao's father went to work for a wealthy family in the county. In the winter, he fell from the roof and broke his leg. The wealthy family didn't give her a penny and even deducted her father's wages. They said it was unlucky. How can that be unreasonable?"

The more Ningxiang talked, the angrier she became, "Xiao Tao dad went to sue the officials, but there was no way to appeal. Instead, he was slapped with a blackboard."

Rich families have close contact with magistrate Cao County. Whenever the Cao family holds various banquets, they will come to the door with heavy gifts.

Cao Zhixian received benefits and was a powerful protective umbrella for evildoers.

"Little Tao Niang is weak and her father is lame. If the government bombs the mountain, I'm afraid she will have to beg to survive."

Ningxiang went around in a circle and exchanged candies for a lot of useful information. She also had a sharp mouth and chattered, which made Jiang Yuzhu understand the difficulties of the villagers more deeply.

"There is a wealthy building in the county. It is the property of the brother-in-law of Cao Zhi County. That is simply evil!"

There is a yin and yang menu in Fugui Building, which is designed to trick passing caravans.

When you eat, you get a cheap price, but when you finish eating, the price is often several times higher.

The caravan was about to cause trouble, and Cao Zhixian immediately sent the Yamen to deal with it.

If the people do not fight with the officials and the caravan is cheated, they usually consider themselves unlucky.

"I heard that a plate of emerald cabbage costs two taels of silver!"

It's just a small place, and the price is more expensive than the first-class restaurants in the capital.

Even so, by the time the meal was served, Fugui Tower was still full of guests.

Ningxiang heard from the village aunt that her brother-in-law in Caozhi County would send a shopkeeper to record the identity of the diners and take care of every business he made.

"In this way, if some people who have been blessed do not go to Fugui Tower for a period of time to be slaughtered, they will be found."

I went to eat in the open, but in fact I was giving a gift to Magistrate Cao.

It’s not surprising that a meal costs a hundred taels of silver.

The merchants are miserable but have no choice but to do anything. If they don't pay tribute, they will be in trouble in less than half a month.

Even if he can't make ends meet, he still has to make himself fat and feed Magistrate Cao with his own flesh and blood.

In a small place like Ruyang, Caozhi County covers the sky with only one hand.

Jiang Yuzhu dismissed the Ningxiang and subconsciously fiddled with the teapot in her hand. After touching the banknote hidden inside, she couldn't help but blurt out: "Yuanhe, do you still think that your father is a corrupt official?"

Jiang Fulu spent a long time accumulating money and exchanged the benefits he received into silver coins just to support the northern warriors.

How can a corrupt official like Magistrate Cao compare with his father, Jiang Fulu?

Jiang Yuzhu suddenly admired her father Jiang Fulu very much. She was willing to give everything she had to a man who loved money. What a noble sentiment this was!

Xie Zhao closed his eyes, and his mind was filled with the scene of Jiang Fulu rolling up his arms and sleeves and strangled each other with Chief Wei in the court, and he wished he could drown the other person with spittle.

He adjusted his mood, twitched the corners of his lips, and tried to sound sincere: "What Madam said is that my father-in-law is a noble man, and he is the pillar of the great nation."

After receiving Xie Zhao's affirmation, Jiang Yuzhu's eyebrows stretched even more, like a lazy cat basking in the sun. She yawned and said, "So, my father's righteous deeds must be known to the emperor?"

All 20 taels of silver have been spent, so it’s worth hearing about it.

What Jiang Fulu wants is nothing more than for the emperor to look at the Jiang family with admiration, so as to get rid of his reputation as a corrupt official.

Xie Zhao: "..."