Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance.

Su An then pushed Fu Zhun inside, only to see Lu Ming storming out of the courtyard, shouting, "That arrogant old man, he dared to call himself a master craftsman after ambushing someone! He has no shame! I'm going to teach him a lesson!"

"Your Highness, Miss Su, you've come at the right time! Where is that old bastard who attacked me? Have you caught him yet?!"

Lu Ming's eyes were so wide they looked like they could shoot sparks; he looked truly furious.

Su An had to admire his strong physique; even after being hit by a hammer, he still looked as fierce and powerful as ever when he woke up.

She said with some concern, "Uncle Lu Ming, your head is injured. Calm down and rest before you talk."

"Su girl, if you still call me uncle, then take me to get revenge. I can't swallow this!" Lu Ming clenched his fists and grabbed Su An, ready to leave.

Su An's eyelids twitched wildly, and she had no choice but to quickly explain the matter of Yujia Village to him.

Finally, she smiled and flattered him, saying, "You are a descendant of the famous Lu Ban lineage, why bother arguing with that old man and hurting your status? He is far inferior to you!"

Lu Ming's initially furious expression suddenly turned complicated and he fell silent as he listened to her explanation.

Upon hearing this, he burst into hearty laughter: "You're right, girl! What you said makes sense!"

"Sigh! If there was any inside story, why didn't that old bastard say so earlier? He just took action with his self-important old face. He deserved it!"

Lu Ming cursed irritably, but his eyes looked heavy.

He looked at Fu Zhun, hesitated, and moved his lips slightly: "Your Highness, in the end, they did stupid things just to fill their stomachs. Nowadays, people's lives are difficult, and we are not in any serious danger. Why don't we just give them a lenient punishment?"

Hearing this, Su An chuckled and blinked, saying, "So Uncle is actually all bark and no bite."

Fu Zhun smiled silently, "The people from Yujia Village are only being given a slight punishment, being forced into the road construction team. You can rest assured."

"Thank goodness, at least we can eat!" Lu Ming's tense beard relaxed, and he felt much relieved.

"Your Highness is magnanimous and benevolent; he is truly a blessing to the people."

He looked at Fu Zhun with admiration in his eyes, then remained silent for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, I'd like to mention something in passing, and please don't blame me for speaking without thinking, but His Majesty knew about the big commotion in Fuyou County when I set off."

"I think His Majesty is not very satisfied with the Prince's reforms and is following the old tradition of opposing large-scale construction projects... If the Prince wants to fully implement cement in the future, I'm afraid it will be hindered."

These words caused the atmosphere in the courtyard to freeze momentarily.

Lu Ming originally did not want to make irresponsible remarks about the affairs of the court and state, so as not to get involved in disputes.

But now that he has personally witnessed the benefits of cement, he can't bear to see the project stop at Fuyou County.

This is also a way of reminding Fu Zhun, hoping that he will be prepared.

After a moment of silence, Fu Zhun raised his hand to rub his temples and slowly sighed, "Very well, His Majesty has grown up and should rule on his own."

His brows were furrowed, and his dark eyes betrayed his weariness.

Seeing his reaction, Su An silently pursed her lips and remained silent.

It's the common people who suffer.

Su An returned home with a sigh, but not long after, Jian San returned with news of the pursuit.

"Your Highness, I've followed Little Fish to Old Fish's hiding place. They're hiding in a cave halfway up the mountain, but there are still some elderly people and children being held hostage inside. The situation isn't good!"

Upon hearing this, Su An slammed his fist on the table, his anger rising, but then he thought of the Yu family's predicament, and his anger turned into a headache.

She sighed and had no choice but to get up and rush out to tell Lin Yong about it.

When Lin Yong heard that Lao Yu had taken hostages, his face turned ashen with rage, and he immediately gathered his men to rush over.

Su An pondered for a moment and said, "Old Yu probably doesn't know that the villagers have joined in the road construction. He's afraid of being arrested, so he kidnapped people. Why don't we try to persuade the old village chief first? If that doesn't work, then we can resort to force."

"That's right, that's right, it was I who was too impatient!" Lin Yongsong exclaimed and hurriedly went to inform the old village chief.

Since the matter was caused by him, Su An followed along out of concern.

Led by Jian San, the group went up the mountain and soon found a hidden cave concealed by bushes.

"It's terrible! The government officials are here!"

Upon seeing this, a villager who was guarding outside the cave shouted and ran inside.

In an instant, a commotion erupted from inside the cave, along with Old Fish's furious curses: "Listen up, you corrupt officials outside! I have hostages! Get out of our way and let us go! Otherwise..."

Before he could finish speaking, the old village chief, his face flushed red with anger, leaned on his cane and shouted, "You scoundrel, get out here and admit your mistake!"

"father?!"

Upon hearing the noise, Lao Yu rushed out, followed by dozens of burly men, as well as dozens of elderly people and children.

Su An looked closely and saw that the women and children were all fine and did not seem to be threatened. On the contrary, they glared at the officials with a sense of shared hatred.

Judging from their clothes and appearance, they should also be villagers from Yujia Village.

Harmful--

So they were willingly playing along!

Su An rolled her eyes almost imperceptibly.

Old Yu glared at her fiercely and said angrily, "Father, did these corrupt officials torture you?"

The old village chief was both angry and frightened. He stepped forward and slammed his cane down on the man, yelling, "You scoundrel! We've solved our livelihood problems. Stop acting tough in front of the county magistrate and Miss Su. We should be thanking them!"

Old Yu ignored the pain, and even the villagers behind him were stunned.

The old village chief struck them a few more times with the stick, making a show of beating and scolding in front of Lin Yong, before finally revealing his plan to deal with them.

It was a relief measure, but it truly solved their basic needs, and the people who heard it almost cried tears of joy.

"And Miss Su, you caused trouble at their place, and not only did Miss Su not hold it against you, she also provided all the food for our family. Hurry up and thank Miss Su!"

Old Yu snapped out of his daze, swallowed hard, and felt a burning sensation on his face, which was not young anymore.

Remembering what he had done, he gritted his teeth and knelt down before Su An: "Miss Su, it was my fault. I never expected you to repay evil with kindness and forgive past grievances. I... I am truly ashamed!"

"We, the Yu family, will forever remember this great kindness!"

"Hey, no—" Su An was startled and waved her hands repeatedly.

This old man was so arrogant before, but he's actually so flexible and knelt down without hesitation.

Unexpectedly, the villagers behind Lao Yu had tears in their eyes and knelt down to thank her.

“Miss Su, you and the county magistrate are our benefactors in Yujia Village. Please accept our bow!”

"What have we done to deserve such kindness from a just and benevolent official? It's truly a blessing from our ancestors!"

"We will definitely work hard and live up to this kindness!"