Chapter 140 Zhaodi's Death

An extremely embarrassed smile appeared on Wang Yin's face. He had done the overnight food delivery without the knowledge of the other three families. Now that Chen Zhangyi was dead, the heads of the other two families were looking at him in shock.

Wang Yin didn't think that Xu Zhenying's words were really praising him. It was clearly a way to use him to establish his authority over the other two families.

Wang Yin smiled awkwardly, ignoring the resentful glances from the Liu and Gu families. He bowed to Xu Zhenying and said, "It is my great honor to be able to help the king out of his predicament and do something practical for the people. If the king has any instructions, my Wang family will do it without hesitation."

"Well said, Master Wang, you are knowledgeable and sensible, and you know when to advance and when to retreat. Don't worry, I will treat you, the Wang family, well!" Xu Zhenying smiled and patted Wang Yin's shoulder. Sure enough, the Liu and Gu families immediately took action and knelt at Xu Zhenying's feet, begging for mercy. "Your Majesty, I am also willing to hand over all my property to help the people of this city overcome their difficulties! I hope Your Majesty will accept it and allow me to do my best to help the people!"

"Chen Zhangyi has been bullying the people of Lan County for years. Today, thanks to Your Majesty, you have rid us of this scourge. Our Lan County is finally at peace, and Your Majesty has made an indelible contribution! I am also willing to offer 3,000 dan of grain and fodder. From now on, I and my entire family will obey Your Majesty and will do whatever You tell me to do!"

This shows loyalty quickly.

Jiang Yongkang had already collected the heads of the people from the Chen Mansion without changing his expression, and had someone hang them in the most conspicuous place in the city. The Liu and Gu families were so frightened when they saw Chen Zhangyi's head that they had no thoughts in their minds.

Xu Zhenying smiled with satisfaction. "If that's the case, then I will respectfully obey your orders. Please rest assured, I, Xu Zhenying, am not lending you the grain for nothing. I will repay you in the future."

The three of them looked at each other, sweating profusely, thinking to themselves that they must not ask for anything in return, just take it.

After experiencing such a beheading farce, perhaps because of Xu Zhenying's violent suppression, it was obvious that the people of Lan County became much more obedient.

All work is progressing faster.

Miao watched as cart after cart of grain was pushed into the granary. The huge granary was gradually filled up, and the workers were working hard. She led her people to carefully register the grain, and calculated that the grain sent in by the four wealthy families in the city today would be enough for them to survive for several months.

Miao felt happy, but at the same time she thought of the bloody scene.

She suddenly felt that the food seemed to be stained with warm blood.

Xu Zhenying ordered that a portion of the grain collected today be distributed to the people of the city. This was done to encourage them to work together and win their hearts. It was also because many people had no surplus food at home. If the granaries were not opened to distribute the grain, many people would not survive the winter.

The task of distributing grain was not easy, so Xu Zhenying sent Lian, Qian Zhenniang, Aunt Feng and others to help.

Soon, everyone from the Xu family arrived.

Huang Cui'e brought her two sons, and several people from the second wife also rushed over.

At first, the people thought that Xu Zhenying's talk about distributing grain was just a joke, but in the afternoon, someone came and divided them into numbers, and told them to wait at home with their utensils, and someone would come to call their numbers later.

The man also repeatedly emphasized that there was enough food today and that one had to wait until their number was called before going out. If one went early, they would just be waiting in the cold wind, so there was no need to go out early and squeeze in.

Even a well-known good official like Sun Qingchen had never been so generous as to distribute food to the people of the entire city!

The people of Lan County were skeptical, but they also had expectations in their hearts. They sat at home on pins and needles, and when the sun set, they heard some movement.

Someone immediately jumped up and rushed to open the door anxiously: "Did the food really get distributed?"

"Really? They're really distributing food, and every household is getting it?"

Some people had already received the food and were jumping for joy as they reported loudly: "Yes, yes, everyone has some! Didn't someone come to register every household yesterday? The king has a clear account of all our situations. How many people are there in your family, how many children you have, how many acres of land you own, it's all written there—"

Someone stuck his head out and looked at the heavy pile of grain on the man's back with envy. "Is this true? How is it divided? Is it one bushel per family, or is it divided according to the number of people? I have a lot of kids at home, so can I get more?!"

"Don't just talk about boys, girls have it too!"

"What? Girls are included too?!" someone asked anxiously. He only had three daughters and a still-crying boy in his family, and women were never counted when food was distributed. He was already complaining about this, but when he heard that girls were included, he immediately got anxious. "Really? Girls are included too? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure! The person distributing the grain said that girls get one peck of rice, boys get one peck of rice, and they all count as human heads! At that time, some people were not convinced and asked why women were also counted. The lady distributing the grain asked him if women were human beings, and asked him if women didn't eat. They had a big argument. The lady also said that if anyone has a problem with women being distributed grain in the future, then don't come to collect the city lord's grain! They are given food and still talk nonsense. People like this just can't stand others having it..."

"Thank heaven, thank the king!" The man was so anxious that he knelt by the door and kowtowed in the direction of the county government office. When he stood up, tears streamed down his face. "My girls are saved... The king is so kind... Only with the king's arrival can our Zhang family have food to eat... Come, Sanniang, quickly follow Dad and kowtow to the king..."

The girl next to him immediately knelt at the door and bowed solemnly in the direction of the county government office.

I don’t know why, but the people next to me had tears in their eyes when they saw this.

Who would have thought that just because of Xu Zhenying's action of distributing grain, the people of Lan County immediately accepted Xu Zhenying and others.

Some people even thought that it would be a good idea for this mountain king to be a county magistrate.

At this moment, Xu Zhenying did not participate in the distribution of grain. She only asked Xu Yinxi to bring the Xu family to help, and Feng'er stayed by her side waiting for orders.

Because Liu Dazhuang is back.

He brought back news about Li Zhaodi.

He also brought back a woman with a big breast and a body full of powder.

When Liu Dazhuang mentioned that this woman was the most famous brothel owner in the riverside area, Xu Zhenying had a bad feeling.

As expected, the madam was like a frightened bird, trembling in fear at the sight of a bandit leader like Xu Zhenying, barely able to speak clearly. "Your Majesty, please allow me to report this. Zhaodi... has a very strong temper. I've been keeping her for two days, and I only mentioned that she should have clients, and she actually jumped into the lake and committed suicide. Several of us sisters couldn't hold her back... Your Majesty... this isn't our fault... We didn't even touch her. She was just upset..."

Xu Zhenying felt a black screen before his eyes and almost fell into his chair.

The big man showed no mercy and kicked the old procuress in the back, shouting, "Bullshit! Are you so bold? How dare you lie to our city lord? Believe it or not, I will arrest all the girls under your command and interrogate them. If their testimony doesn't match, I will throw you into the imperial prison and torture you with every possible punishment!"

The madam cried out in pain, "Ouch, ouch!" Frightened by this, she dared not hide anything. "I swear to God, I really didn't touch her at all. It was a few maids who did it. Yesterday, a customer came who was not easy to serve, and they... they didn't want to serve him, so they tricked Zhaodi into doing it..."

The mother cried and felt that she was not innocent.

Xu Zhenying's face turned pale. "Go on!"

"That Zhaodi has a terrible temper. She refused to eat or drink from the first day she came in, and she even scratched the guards several times. I was originally planning to calm her down and temper her before letting her receive guests, but she just died last night... I don't know what happened, but I know that not long after she went in, I heard people banging and breaking cups in the room. Later, they said Zhaodi jumped out the window into the moat!"

Xu Zhenying felt her mind go blank for several seconds, unable to digest this sudden bad news. She breathed rapidly, her hands tightly grasping the side of the long table.

Feng'er was already crying. She quickly supported Xu Zhenying and called out, "Master!"

Da Zhuang continued to ask: "Where's the body? Could it be that she jumped and you just left her alone?"

"Your Majesty, the moat is connected, and the water is cold and deep. Who would be willing to salvage it in the middle of winter? By the time I found it, the body had already been washed away by the river. I'm truly wronged. Because of this, the customer lost his temper and almost smashed my sign. I only managed to save my life by kneeling and kowtowing humbly. If I had known this damn girl was so fiery, I... I... why would I have taken her in and put myself in such trouble! I'm truly... I'm truly wronged..."

Feng Er was furious and anxious, tears streaming down her face. Thinking of Li Zhaodi's voice and smile, her heart ached. "Where's that man? Catch him for me. I'm going to kill him and avenge Zhaodi!"

"Ah..." The madam looked bewildered, "Isn't he already dead?"

Xu Zhenying slammed the table, stood up, and pressed the madam with all his might: "Dead? How did he die?"

"Wasn't he beheaded by the bosses this morning?" The madam said hesitantly, "It was the eldest son of the Chen family..."

Now, everyone in the house fell into an eerie silence.

Xu Zhenying was stunned.

Is it true... if she had taken action against the Chen family earlier, Li Zhaodi would not have ended up with no body left?

The color on Xu Zhenying's face instantly faded away, and she murmured, "If only I had come earlier..."

Feng Er immediately interrupted her: "City Lord, you must not have such thoughts. This is fate... None of us knew what would happen last night. Zhao Di's matter has nothing to do with you. You must not blame yourself!"

Da Zhuang also said, "Don't worry, City Lord. I'll take people down into the water right now to retrieve Miss Zhaodi's body. As the saying goes, if she's alive, I want her dead. I'll definitely bring her back!"

Xu Zhenying's eyes were red. She sat there for a long time, motionless, like a statue in meditation.

The madam trembled and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, this matter really has nothing to do with me. If I had known that Zhaodi was your sweetheart, I would not have dared to embarrass her even if I had the courage! I have already taught those girls under my command a lesson. If you are still angry, I will call them all to apologize to you! I beg you to show some mercy and leave me a way out -"

Feng Er was furious, "Get out of here!"

The madam was overjoyed upon hearing this: "I'll get out! I'll get out now..."

Xu Zhenying turned her head and glanced at Feng'er. Her voice was a little low: "You go out. I want to be alone for a while."

Feng'er wanted to say something but stopped herself. She wiped her tears but didn't say anything. She just turned around and went out, closing the door.

She didn't dare to go too far away, nor did she dare to go in to comfort Xu Zhenying, so she had to sit on the doorstep not far away, staring blankly at the lights in the house.

Now that Li Zhaodi is dead, the girl will probably be sad and blame herself for the rest of her life.

For some reason, Feng'er was also very sad. She was sad for Li Zhaodi, sad for Xu Zhenying, and even more sad for the world.

Li Zhaodi...that's a good girl...

Although Cao Qin'er was mean and had a bad relationship with Qian Zhenniang, Li Zhaodi was kind-hearted and had secretly given them some cakes before.

To be fair, although Li Zhaodi is Cao Qiner's daughter, she does not hate Li Zhaodi at all, and even feels that Li Zhaodi is more pitiful than herself.

Now that Yinzhang is dead, Li Zhaodi has long lost the desire to live, so she simply goes to accompany Yinzhang.

But Cao Qin'er and Li Xiucai's family are still alive.

Feng'er felt it was really unfair.

Why do good people have such a hard life? Why do those who can endure hardship have to endure more? Why do bad people live so carefree?

What is the difference between her Feng'er and Li Zhaodi?

Li Zhaodi had at least been with her parents for so many years, but she had been sold since she was a child and had been moved around everywhere. If she were not a girl, she and Qian Zhenniang would still be living a life of being bullied and not daring to resist.

How many Li Zhaodi and Feng'er are there in this world?

Feng'er really doesn't understand why it is so difficult for women to live in this world?

——————————————————————————————

Xu Zhenying has been locking himself in the room.

Outside, the people were cheering. They praised Xu Zhenying's merits. They happily took the food home and talked about how great the new king was.

But all this excitement has nothing to do with her.

After Miao and his companions had distributed the grain, they returned to see that the door to the county government hall was closed, but the lights were still on inside.

When they heard Feng'er mention Li Zhaodi, everyone in the Xu family couldn't help but wipe away their tears.

"That Mr. Li has really committed a great sin, what a wretch!"

Even Huang Cui'e spat in disapproval. "When he came to collect the grain today, I heard his tone. He was planning to disown Li Zhaodi as his daughter, saying she had brought shame to the Li family. He didn't even think about who paid for the food for the three of them. They don't have any other skills, but they are really good at getting rid of people after they've done their job!"

Lian herself had three daughters, so she felt the same way. Thinking of Li Zhaodi, her eyes welled up. "That girl is a good girl, but it's her fate to have such parents... I can only hope that she will be reborn into a wealthy family in her next life, so she won't have to suffer so much."

Miao said, "Once we're done with things here, let's go to the temple and burn some incense, praying to the Buddha to bless the child so that she won't suffer such a hardship in her next life, and to find her a good family."

Huang Cui'e sighed, "Oh, if only we had killed the Chen family earlier. If we were a step late, we might have been able to save Zhaodi!"

Feng'er wiped her tears and was about to retort, but Xu Yinxi warned her righteously, "Aunt, please don't say such things again. Sixth sister and Zhaodi have the best relationship, and she doesn't know how to blame herself and feel sad right now. Please don't rub salt into her wounds."

Huang immediately said, "I saved it, I saved it, I just said it casually."

Miao's face was filled with worry. "I'm afraid she hasn't had dinner yet. It's not a good idea to let her stay up like this. How about I go and call her?"

Feng Er shook her head. "Madam, please don't... leave the girl alone for a while. She'll naturally get over it when she figures it out. Let's not force her. She's already suffering enough."

Miao sighed.

The younger ones from the second house were obviously terrified. First, they witnessed Xu Zhenying chopping off so many people's heads in the morning, and now they heard that Li Zhaodi committed suicide by jumping into the river and her body was nowhere to be found.

If they said that the Chen family had little relationship with them, then they were simply afraid of Xu Zhenying's ruthless methods.

But Li Zhaodi is not an ordinary person. They were still talking together a few days ago, but in the blink of an eye, she passed away. It makes people sigh that things in the world are impermanent.

Xu Minglu's eyes also turned red, and he held his mother tightly and refused to let go.

However, Xu Lezhi thought that Li Zhaodi was too weak, no wonder she was always bullied. People earn their own lives, and she, Xu Lezhi, could not end up like Li Zhaodi.

The Xu family members gradually dispersed.

When it was late at night, the city was quiet, but Feng'er was still waiting outside. Qian Zhenniang called her several times, but she refused to leave, saying that she was waiting for Xu Zhenying to come out.

Qian Zhenniang felt a little jealous, thinking that Feng'er had never treated her so sincerely before.

But then she changed her mind and thought, who is Xu Zhenying? How can she be compared with him? Feng'er is now the most popular person in Xu Zhenying's eyes. He takes her with him no matter what he does, while she has fallen to the third tier. She is a little jealous and a little sad.

Qian Zhenniang left the cloak to Feng'er and gave her a hand warmer. Seeing that she was determined to stay with Xu Zhenying, she had no choice but to shake her head and leave.

It's late at night, the dew is heavy, and the moon is rising above the branches.

Jiang Yongkang is here.

It turned out that all the people in the exile team heard about this incident one after another. They couldn't help but feel sorry for Li Zhaodi, and despised Li Xiucai's family thousands of times in their hearts.

However, Li Xiucai's family felt relieved.

It is said that Mr. Li drank three cups of wine, which meant that he finally didn't have to worry about his family having a prostitute. He felt refreshed, but still pretended to ask Cao Qin'er to burn paper.

Cao Qin'er was really sad and vomited so much that she was bedridden.

Unfortunately, no one sympathized with her and they all said she deserved it.

If Old Madam Fang were here, she would definitely pour some cold water on her to wake her up.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place!

Jiang Yongkang looked at the lights that were still burning in the house and asked, "Has the city lord not come out yet?"

Feng Er was a little worried. "It's already been two hours. I'm really worried...I'm worried that the young lady will be upset. I'm worried that the young lady will blame herself for not saving Miss Zhaodi sooner. You know, the young lady has always been loyal and righteous. I'm afraid she will be sad for a long time this time."