The daughter of the emperor was reborn and was spoiled by the sickly prince.

Although the people of Jizhou are enthusiastic, they also know their limits.

They did not pursue Gu Mingzhao relentlessly.

Gu Mingzhao was unhappy: "The business world in Jizhou is just like the officialdom, the atmosphere is not right."

Liao Qinglan was puzzled: "Why does Your Highness feel this way?"

When it comes to the officialdom in Jizhou, she is not sure about it.

But those vendors just now all loved Gu Mingzhao from the bottom of their hearts, and she didn’t understand why Gu Mingzhao said that.

"Businessmen are profit-driven, so why would they give money and property to others for no reason? They must have seen my identity and thought it would be profitable, so they did this."

"The people of Jizhou have been wronged by your highness' misunderstanding." Liao Qinglan couldn't help but speak a fair word for the people.

Gu Mingzhao glanced at her and motioned for her to continue.

"They do have something to gain, and they want a stable and happy life. Your Highness is building water conservancy projects to benefit the people, which is a great benefit to the world. They gave Your Highness the fifth rank out of respect and gratitude for Your Highness."

Gu Mingzhao was puzzled: "How did you know?"

Liao Qinglan smiled and said, "When I was in the capital, I dealt with many shopkeepers. They were good at observing people's expressions and making people happy, but the purpose of doing so was nothing more than to make customers more willing to spend money. As for giving away items for free, they are very rare. The people here don't want to bribe you, they just want to express their gratitude."

Gu Mingzhao listened to these words and his heart was as calm as water.

"These are all part of the job of an official. There is nothing to be grateful for."

"If all officials thought like you, there wouldn't be so much injustice in the world."

Liao Qinglan sighed softly and was suddenly attracted by a burst of hawking sounds.

"There's a place selling candied haws over there. Let's go over and take a look."

Liao Qinglan looked at him, her eyes following his face and looking at the hands that they had been holding.

Gu Mingzhao immediately let go of his hand, a trace of discomfort flashing across his face.

"Go buy it yourself. I'll wait for you here." Gu Mingzhao's voice was a little unnatural. He turned his head away, deliberately avoiding looking at Liao Qinglan.

A faint blush appeared on Gu Mingzhao's ears.

Liao Qinglan couldn't help but raise her eyebrows when she saw this, thinking to herself, "You're actually getting shy again?"

The corners of her mouth turned up, and she took Gu Mingzhao's hand again and said, "Just now you held my hand, now it's my turn to hold yours, so we're even."

Gu Mingzhao looked at her curved eyebrows and eyes, which were as warm and bright as the sunshine that could melt ice and snow.

He let the soft little hands hold him and walked with her on the street.

"Auntie, I want one string, no, two strings of candied haws."

Liao Qinglan took out a few copper coins from her sleeve and handed them to the old lady.

The old lady's hair was already gray and her eyes were cloudy. She squinted and looked carefully, but seemed to have trouble seeing clearly. After hesitating for a moment, she handed the candied haws to Liao Qinglan.

It's so cold today, and the old lady is out selling candied haws alone. Her family must be in financial difficulty.

Liao Qinglan couldn't bear it, so she took out another ingot of silver and stuffed it into her hand.

The old lady felt the heavy weight in her hands: "Girl, what are you doing..."

"The New Year is coming soon, go back early and reunite with your family." Liao Qinglan said softly.

The old lady cried with joy, thanked him repeatedly, and walked away carrying the wooden frame.

Liao Qinglan handed one of the strings of candied haws to Gu Mingzhao.

He shook his head and didn't answer.

Liao Qinglan passed the candied haws to his mouth and said, "It's very sweet, try it!"

Gu Mingzhao took a half step back in disgust: "Why do I remember someone crying because of jealousy?"

When the words fell, both of them were stunned.

Gu Mingzhao was trying hard to recall.

He couldn't remember who or when.

But at that moment just now, something like this flashed through my mind.

Liao Qinglan remembered it very clearly. This was the excuse she used to evade Gu Mingzhao during the Qiqiao Festival.

He still remembers...

That is to say, he still remembers some things from the past, and perhaps his memory is slowly returning.

She was delighted and wanted to take this opportunity to test it again to see if she could evoke more of Gu Mingzhao's memories.

Just then, there was a sudden noise nearby.

A bully was approaching the lady who was selling candied haws with a menacing look.

"Have you prepared the protection fee?"

The old lady replied tremblingly: "Mr. Xue... Mr. Xue, I haven't opened the shop yet today, so I really can't come up with the money."

"Nonsense!" Xue San glared and shouted, "I saw you accept the money with my own eyes just now, don't try to deny it!"

The old lady tightly protected the purse in her arms, knelt on the ground, and choked up, "My husband is still waiting for money to buy medicine to save his life. I really can't give you this money."

Xue San sneered, his tone even more fierce: "It seems that you don't even care about your son's life."

The old lady's heart trembled and tears ran down her old face.

She opened her purse helplessly, took out the silver that Liao Qinglan had just given her, and handed it to Xue San with trembling hands.

"My Wu'er...how is he?" the old lady asked with a hint of anticipation, "When can you help me deliver a letter again?"

Xue San took the silver and replied nonchalantly: "That depends on your performance."

The bully smiled smugly, turned around and left, leaving the old lady sobbing alone in the cold wind.

Liao Qinglan was so angry that she was burning with anger.

I didn't expect that my kindness in giving the old lady a silver ingot would bring her trouble.

She looked at Gu Mingzhao for help.

Gu Mingzhao was not going to let the bully off easily. He stepped forward and blocked Xue San's way: "Give her the silver back."

Xue San stared at Gu Mingzhao fiercely and said, "How dare you, a pretty boy, meddle in my business?"

After saying that, Xue San punched Gu Mingzhao in the face.

Gu Mingzhao turned sideways and nimbly avoided the attack.

The hilt of the Longyuan sword struck the back of Xue San's hand.

Xue San felt pain and loosened his grip, causing the silver to fall to the ground.

Seeing that he couldn't beat Gu Mingzhao, Xue San shouted loudly: "How brave! Do you know who I am?"

"I'm not interested. Save your self-introduction for when you get to the government office." Gu Mingzhao looked at him coldly.

"I am the nephew of the prefect, Lord Liu! Believe it or not, I will put all of you in jail!"

It’s Liu Yu again!

A cold light flashed in Gu Mingzhao's eyes, and he was about to tie Xue San up.

The old lady staggered over and grabbed Gu Mingzhao's sleeve.

"Young Master, Third Master Xue has a strong background, you must not offend him."

Xue San took advantage of Gu Mingzhao's inattention and turned around and ran, cursing as he ran: "Just wait! I will definitely take revenge!"

Liao Qinglan picked up the silver that fell on the ground and handed it back to the old lady.

"Auntie, don't be afraid. We will do justice for you." Liao Qinglan said in a gentle voice.

The old lady didn't even bother to take the money. She covered her face and cried, "I don't care what happens to my life. I'm afraid he will do something to my son."

Gu Mingzhao and Liao Qinglan looked at each other.

It seems that this matter must be dealt with to the end.