I was kicked out of the house, and I was reborn and became the emperor

"The Third Prince? Yes, I have had doubts for a long time. It is understandable that the Sixth Prince and Shangguan Ba ​​are enemies with me and want to kill me, but why does the Third Prince repeatedly exclude me and even strongly oppose my marriage to Zhuge Jingqi?"

Fang Yi looked confused.

Zhang Wenyuan shook his head and said, "Your Majesty is wrong. The Sixth Prince and Shangguan Ba ​​do not have a deep hatred for you. It is only because you have touched their secrets and posed a threat to them. The one who is truly your enemy is the Third Prince."

"My grudge against the Third Prince?"

Fang Yi frowned and thought, racking his brains but still couldn't remember when he had offended the third prince.

Just as Fang Yi was feeling sorry for himself, Zhang Wenyuan said, "The Third Prince wants to harm the Marquis, not only because of personal vendetta, but also because Zhuge Jingqi, the daughter of the former Grand Commander of Yanzhou, was engaged to the eldest son of the Xingguo Marquisate, and the Xingguo Marquisate is the Third Prince's accomplice."

Thinking of this, Fang Yi squatted helplessly: "How did the fight between the Third Prince and the Sixth Prince involve me? I just happened to be the target... That's it, there is no point in saying more, Commander Zhang, we will set off immediately."

Fang Yi was about to stand up, but Zhang Wenyuan whispered, "Wait a minute, there seems to be an ambush around."

"What do you mean? Is there another assassin?" Fang Yi looked around and saw a shadowy figure in the bushes.

"No, these people have no murderous intent, or maybe the people from the Governor's Office are secretly protecting us."

"In that case, let them deal with these bodies and letters." Fang Yi said as he threw the letters on the ground.

Under the strict escort of Zhang Wenyuan, the group continued their journey.

Inside the carriage, Xiaorou gently wiped the remaining blood on Fang Yi's cheek with a handkerchief, her eyes sparkling with admiration and admiration: "My Lord, your heroic performance just now was truly breathtaking. You repelled the assassin with only three moves. Xiaorou has a new respect for you."

"I clearly told you to hide in the car. There are dangers everywhere outside. It's hard to defend against sneak attacks. What if something happens to you? I promised that I would be your strong shield from now on."

"Master Hou..."

Fang Yi's care was like the warm sunshine in spring, which quietly warmed Xiaorou's heart and made her cheeks blush.

But Fang Yi himself was immersed in thoughts, his fingers stroking the Youlong Sword, his mind flying to the distant Jiuyuan County.

The group arrived at a nearby county town and stayed at a government post. Fang Yi made a prompt decision to split up and act separately.

Xiaorou is traveling behind two conspicuous carriages and has the secret guards of the Yanzhou Governor's Mansion, so she should be safe.

Fang Yi and Zhang Wenyuan changed into merchants' attire, rode their horses at full speed, and headed straight for Jiuyuan County.

Fang Yi was deeply afraid that new complications would arise and interfere with his carefully planned layout.

The two of them sped along the official road, and three days later, at dawn, they finally arrived at Ningde Prefecture, only half a day's away from Jiuyuan.

After taking a short rest in the woods and eating a simple meal, Zhang Wenyuan asked, "My Lord, you divided your troops and changed your attire. Could it be that you don't want the Jiuyuan County Magistrate to know your whereabouts?"

"exactly."

"A mere county magistrate is such a big deal for you, Lord Marquis?"

"Just as father said, you will understand when you get there. Even father said that the county magistrate of Jiuyuan is enough to give me a headache."

Fang Yi smiled mysteriously, but in his heart he was grateful for the Jinyiwei files copied by Liu Congwu, which allowed him to know this place very well.

"This is quite interesting." Zhang Wenyuan sneered.

Soon, the two set off again. It was noon and the outline of Jiuyuan County gradually became clear, but it looked extremely desolate and dilapidated.

The city walls are mottled and the streets are deserted. This county town is not as prosperous as the villages in the suburbs of Kyoto.

There were few pedestrians on the street. They were all pale and thin, with tattered clothes, looking like zombies, lifeless.

Fang Yi and Zhang Wenyuan exchanged a meaningful look. At this moment, a ragged old man staggered and suddenly fell in front of them.

Zhang Wenyuan immediately dismounted to check, shook his head gently, and whispered to Fang Yi: "He's...he's gone."

"It looks like hunger."

"The rich are feasting and drinking, while the poor are freezing to death on the streets. A human life is not as valuable as a horse."

Fang Yi was deeply moved.

The skinny old man formed a sharp contrast with Zhang Wenyuan's tall and strong mount, and Zhang Wenyuan seemed to be accustomed to such scenes: "Yanzhou is already poor, and it is not surprising that there are disasters and starving people everywhere."

"But everyone on the street looks like hungry ghosts. If this is the case in the county town, one can imagine the situation in the surrounding villages."

The two men mounted their horses again and patrolled the city. They found that although Jiuyuan County was vast, it was dead silent and all the taverns and shops were closed.

When they arrived at the East Gate, they saw several yamen runners driving away refugees who were trying to enter the city. Although these refugees were younger than the old man before, they were also weaker.

After being driven away, the refugees had no power to move forward and could only find a sunny spot to lie down, as if they were quietly waiting for the end of their lives.

Witnessing this scene, the expressions on Fang Yi and Zhang Wenyuan's faces couldn't help but become a little solemn.

Before nightfall, the two men spurred their horses to a gallop and once again set foot in the inconspicuous seaside village on the border of Jiuyuan County.

However, the reality of the fishing village by the sea is even more desolate and desperate than expected...

The dream that Fang Yi had woven in his heart was a peaceful picture of a seaside fishing village: rippling blue waves, fishermen singing to each other, golden dried fish hanging in front of every house, and the air filled with the joy of harvest and the freshness of sea salt.

But the reality is a cruel irony - the fishing village seems like a ghost town, the houses are dilapidated, as if they have experienced a fire, and in the wind and rain, it seems that they will be annihilated into nothingness at any time.

Looking along the coast, Fang Yi's heart was deeply hurt: several ragged villagers huddled on the shore, desperately chewing rotten sea fish in an attempt to fill their stomachs.

"I thought that the people in the fishing village who lived by the sea might be more self-sufficient than the people in the city, but I didn't expect it to be such a miserable situation."

Fang Yi's voice was mixed with disbelief and compassion.

Zhang Wenyuan remained silent, but there was a subtle anger hidden between his brows.

Afterwards, they visited several villages and found that the situations were mostly similar. Some people even had to rely on Guanyin soil and tree roots to survive. The hardships of their lives were shocking.

Fang Yi couldn't bear to delve further. He was afraid that he would witness the darkest and most tragic scene of cannibalism...

The series of soul-stirring scenes made even Zhang Wenyuan, who was usually calm and composed, feel upset.

"Jiuyuan County has come to such a state. Could it be that the prefect of Ningde Prefecture really knows nothing about it? Lord, now that we are here and have seen it with our own eyes, shouldn't we also talk about the story behind Jiuyuan County and its county magistrate?"

“I still don’t know the truth, but the miserable state of people’s livelihood in Jiuyuan County is undoubtedly inextricably linked to the Magistrate of Lu County, Lu Dongxun!

When I set foot on this land, the first thing I did was to eradicate this cancer and get rid of the corrupt officials who have committed so many evil deeds!"

Fang Yi pulled the reins tightly, his eyes burning with anger, and his oath was loud and powerful.