Jun Qingcheng held the half-finished bowl of chicken soup, looking at the young man with a displeased expression.

"You don't need to waste your breath. I've already told you, unless you kill Su Hua, I will never go back to the capital with you!"

Seeing this, Xiao Baocong smiled indulgently, "If it were before, I would stay with you as long as you wanted in Shanghe Village, but it's different now. Da Hong is coming soon. If we don't leave, the Prince and Princess will be worried sick in the capital."

"What great flood?! This is just a lie." Upon hearing this, Jun Qingcheng completely lost her appetite for the soup.

"Observing celestial phenomena and predicting good or bad fortune is the duty of the Imperial Observatory, but no news has yet come from the capital."

Su Hua was just a country girl who had never hired a female tutor in her family. She probably didn't even know how to read. How could she possibly predict that a flood would come?

In my opinion, she just wanted to use the reputation of exempting people from taxes to make them grateful to her.

"Such absurd words! Do you really think you, the second young master of the Xiao family, would be fooled by her?"

“What Qingcheng said is certainly not without reason.” Xiao Baocong nodded slightly. “However, the weather in Qingshui County has been strange these past few days, and the outcome is unpredictable. If there is even a ten percent chance of danger, I cannot let you take that risk.”

“Xiao Baocong! So many people can stay in Qingshui County, why can’t I?” Jun Qingcheng remained unmoved, her face turning pale with anger, her eyes surging with hatred.

"Stop spouting these high-sounding words. All I can tell you is that you don't want to kill Su Hua!"

Having said that, he applied a slight force with his hand.

He was about to smash the bowl of chicken soup on the ground.

"Qingcheng, you've really misunderstood me." The young man raised his hand and caught the soup bowl, handing it to Caidie beside him.

He then took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped the soup from the corner of the girl's mouth. His voice was extremely gentle, "Qingcheng is a golden branch and jade leaf. This Shanghe Village is remote and barren, and it is really not suitable for Qingcheng. Why don't you take this opportunity to get a good night's sleep?"

When you wake up, let the floodwaters rage or the rivers overflow.

"None of this has anything to do with the two of us, is that alright?"

"What do you mean by that?" The girl had a bad feeling and subconsciously tried to avoid his movements.

However, before the words had even finished, he suddenly felt dizzy and the sky outside the window went completely dark.

"Princess!!!" Cai Die exclaimed in shock. The white porcelain bowl in her hand crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces. The soup inside spilled all over the floor and was still slightly steaming.

She stepped over the debris and rushed forward, anxiously trying to help the person up.

But Xiao Baocong was faster. He swept the girl up in his arms and said coldly, "Caidie, pack up all your princess's things here. We're going back to the capital immediately."

Cai Die stared at the swift and decisive action, and at the person in his arms with their eyes closed and no consciousness, and froze on the spot. "Young Master Xiao, what... what exactly did you do to our princess? Why did the princess suddenly faint!"

"You can rest assured, I care about Qingcheng more than you do. I just want Qingcheng to get a good night's sleep." The young man held Jun Qingcheng and gave her a cold glance.

"I'm doing this for your own good. A great flood is coming. If anything happens to Qingcheng, you might not have enough heads to cut off!"

Cai Die's heart skipped a beat. Thinking of what she had experienced in Shanghe Village these past few days, she hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Please wait a moment, Young Master Xiao. I still need to go to the village to take care of some things."

"Okay, hurry back." Xiao Baocong nodded, picked up the person and put them into the carriage, where everything had already been packed.

Butterfly left the house and headed towards the east end of the village.

Xiao Baocong glanced at it only once, then waved his hand at Qingfeng, "Withdraw the guards stationed at the Xiao family residence. Xiao Zhong's wife and children are too weak to even kill a chicken; just leave one person behind."

"Yes," Qingfeng replied, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

After a short while, Cai Die returned, her face slightly pale, and the group left Shanghe Village in a grand procession.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed, and the villagers in the fields looked up at the mountain path following the sound. They only glanced at it and then paid no more attention. To them, these young masters were far less important than the crops in the fields.

However, Su Chengde had a change of heart and called his grandson home to take a look.

A moment later, the little guy came running back excitedly and said, "Grandpa, they're all gone! All of them are gone! Princess Mingzhu and Young Master Xiao's things are gone."

Moreover, a silver ingot was left on the table.

While speaking in a low voice, he quietly handed the silver ingot he was holding in his palm to the old man.

The old village chief stared at the large, gleaming silver ingot, somewhat puzzled. "Didn't we agree on two taels of silver for rent per month? How come she only paid ten taels! She only stayed for a little over a month."

"Isn't it common for wealthy families to give rewards? Maybe the extra money is for us!"

The village elder's wife smiled and said, "Let's put the silver ingots aside for now. We need to harvest all the rice today. Before it rains, we should thresh the grains and let them air out. Then we won't have to worry about this year's harvest."

The old village chief's lips twitched.

They had experienced firsthand how difficult Princess Mingzhu and her servant were. Given the snakes they had encountered at home these past few days, and the chicken and duck feathers they had found in their soup, it would be a miracle if they hadn't been beaten. How could they possibly give them a reward?

But that Second Young Master Xiao, so gentle and refined, was probably left behind by him.

However, money doesn't bite, so since he had been given the reward, he happily accepted it. The sky had been dark and frighteningly gloomy, and he didn't know how the flood would come about. He was afraid that he would have to spend a lot of money this year!

When Xiao Jinhan received the news, he was leading his men to dig ditches along the Qingshui River.

Yu Yu smiled, her baby face beaming, her eyes sparkling. "Master, now that Princess Mingzhu is gone, can we ask the guards from the Prince of Yan's manor who are drinking tea at the suburban estate to leave?"

The Buddha he had sneaked back to was finally gone.

If the timing weren't so bad, I'd love to buy two strings of firecrackers to celebrate.

Xiao Jinhan paused for a moment, then pondered, "No rush. Send someone to follow the Xiao family's caravan until they leave Tangshan Prefecture before releasing them."

"Yes, I'll go right away," Yu Yu replied with a grin.

Time seemed to slow down. With everyone in Qingshui County working together, the county's rice harvest was almost complete in three days and three nights. Those who were quick even took advantage of the hot weather to thresh the rice ears and dry them in the sun.

Tangshan Prefectural Government Office.

Prefect Liu sat in his armchair, watching the dark clouds gradually dissipate in the sky, in high spirits. "Tsk! What did the Princess of Le'an say again? A great flood is coming?! Today is already the fourth day, and these dark clouds that blot out the sky are about to disappear without a trace, but where is the flood? I can't see it at all!"