It's better to be an empress than a county magistrate

Zhou Shu was caught off guard by Zhao Long's sudden turn.

However, he still hopes to form an alliance with Zhao Long so that they can help each other when they encounter danger.

Before, he didn't take Song County and Xing County seriously.

The main reason is that he looks down on Jia Wanhe and Lu Kui.

I feel that these two people are cunning and cannot be relied upon at critical moments.

It’s better to have someone like Zhao Long who comes from a humble background and has some sense of loyalty, and maybe he can really lend a helping hand in times of crisis.

So after Zhao Long's wife died, he intentionally or unintentionally tested whether Zhao Long was willing to marry him.

Zhao Long was naturally willing. If someone sent a woman to his door for free, there was no reason for him to refuse.

"That's natural, that's natural..."

Zhou Shu agreed and ordered, "Go and bring the second young lady over."

The person below agreed and turned to walk out.

"Yuru will be here soon." Zhou Shu smiled at Zhao Long.

Zhao Long nodded in understanding.

"Lord Zhao, let's talk about how to deal with Lu Xingchen in the future?" Zhou Shu asked with concern.

He was worried about how he would respond if Lu Xingchen really had the ambition to annex the four counties as Zhao Long said.

"Don't worry, Lord Zhou." Zhao Long placed his hand on Zhou Shu's hand and patted it gently.

"When I marry your daughter in the future, you will be my father-in-law. We will be one family, and your affairs will naturally be my affairs."

This was the result Zhou Shu wanted to see. He nodded repeatedly with satisfaction, "Lord Zhao is a hero. It is a blessing for Yu Ru to marry you."

Zhao Long laughed out loud.

"Don't worry, father-in-law. No matter how ambitious Lu Xingchen is, he is just a sixteen-year-old boy..."

“A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, but that’s because it has never encountered a truly powerful tiger.”

"If I meet a dragon like mine, I will tear it to pieces."

"Of course, of course... A good son-in-law is a hero, he certainly won't be afraid of a sixteen-year-old boy..."

Zhou Shu's second daughter, Zhou Yuru, was taken to the restaurant.

She didn't understand what Zhou Shu wanted to do. When he came in, he walked briskly with a calm smile on his face.

Zhao Long saw this childish face with a youthful smile and his eyes widened instantly.

Zhou Yuru didn't expect that there was someone else here. The words on the tip of her tongue didn't come out, her steps paused, and the smile froze on her cheeks.

"Yuru, what are you doing standing there? Come here..." Zhou Shu waved at Zhou Yuru.

Zhou Yuru looked at Zhao Long with a look of fear.

Because Zhao Long was big and strong, with a face full of flesh and several scars, he looked really scary.

"This is your brother Zhao. He's a real hero and the magistrate of Teng County. Pay your respects to Brother Zhao." Zhou Shu said coldly to Zhou Yuru.

But Zhou Yuru was so frightened that she was shaking all over and her legs could hardly support her body.

Because a few days ago she heard Zhou Shu say that he had found a good marriage for her, and today he suddenly called her to the restaurant to meet this man. Could this be the good marriage his father was talking about?

Although she had never seen the magistrate of Teng County, she had heard of him.

This man was a devil who killed people without blinking an eye, and he was extremely terrifying. Many women died at his hands.

Her father actually wanted to marry her to such a man.

Zhou Yuru slowly stepped back, turned around and ran downstairs.

Zhou Shu felt embarrassed and said to Zhao Long a little awkwardly.

"The girl is so ill-mannered that Master Zhao is embarrassed."

Zhou Yuru's gentle and tender appearance had already captured Zhao Long's soul.

"It's okay, it's okay. Being shy is a good virtue for a girl in the boudoir." Zhao Long laughed.

Zhou Shu felt relieved when he saw that Zhao Long didn't mind.

*

The bandits from Niutou Village were leading troops to harass Song County more and more frequently and were becoming more and more rampant. The number of people they brought out was also gradually increasing. The most recent time, there were as many as 400 people.

The common people of Song County were harassed by bandits and had nowhere to live, so they had to abandon their fields and run to Xing County for refuge.

The number of refugees in Xing County is increasing.

"Xingchen, there are more and more refugees now, but we really can't accommodate so many people." Lu Yunfeng hurriedly walked to Lu Xingchen and said.

Lu Xingchen was inspecting the shelter for these refugees at this time.

Wherever she went, the old, the weak, women and children would put down what they were doing and kowtow to her.

Because she took them in, otherwise they would have been captured by the bandits, or killed by them, or even if they hadn't died, they would have become homeless.

These refugees all yearn for Lu Xingchen's kindness.

"Second uncle, look at them, they all say that I am a living Bodhisattva. What can I do? Can I drive them away?" Lu Xingchen showed a helpless expression towards Lu Yunfeng.

Lu Yunfeng was also helpless, "If only you were a living Bodhisattva, you could just wave your hand and create a big house for them to live in."

"But you are not a living Buddha."

"These old, weak, women and children cannot work. We have already spent a lot of money to feed and drink them every day. We can't keep them like this forever."

"As long as the women are able to work, let them weave, embroider and cook..."

"As long as they have contributed and done their work, they should be paid on time, and daily settlement should not be delayed."

"As for the young and strong laborers, if the carpenter's shop and other places don't need so many people, and the farm is full, we can assign them to farmers' homes and let them help them farm."

"The farmers can pay some of the wages, and our government will give some subsidies."

"If there are still too many people, then we can find wasteland and reclaim the wasteland in Xing County. In short, we need to let them work hard. If they have something to do, they can earn money."

Lu Yunfeng naturally understood what Lu Xingchen meant, but he felt that this was not the end after all.

"It's almost over, it's almost over, it will be over soon." Lu Xingchen comforted Lu Yunfeng.

This time, the second in command of Niutou Village brought out 500 men from the village and did not harass the people, because the entire Song County village had been burned, killed and looted by them, leaving only a few.

He led his men straight to the county seat of Song County.

During this period, ordinary people from Songxian County also fled one after another.

Of course, there were also yamen runners and soldiers who escaped from the county town disguised as ordinary people.

The people of the entire Song County were in a state of unrest and had long lost the confidence and determination to resist.

The most crucial thing is that from the very beginning Jia Wanhe had no will to resist, he kept giving in, and left the common people outside without any care.

Of course, the bandits in Niutou Village in front were also trying again and again. Seeing that Jia Wan and themselves did not resist, the other counties had no intention of lending a helping hand.

So today the second in command brought more people, ready to take over Song County in one fell swoop.

Fortunately, Song County still has a city wall, and there are also hundreds of soldiers guarding the county seat of Song County, temporarily repelling the bandits from Niutou Village.

Jia Wanhe watched the second in command of Niutou Village retreat with the bandits and sat down on the city wall.

Looking at the dead and wounded soldiers around him, Jia Wanhe's last bit of fighting spirit was extinguished. The surviving soldiers looked at him with eyes full of resentment.

At night, many soldiers dropped their weapons and fled from Song County under the cover of darkness.

They knew that as long as Song County was conquered by the bandits from Niutou Village, they would surely die without a burial place.