Xiajia Village is quite far from the county, and the road into the village is not easy to travel. Even though Ye Moxun and his group of young men walked as fast as they could, it still took them an hour and a half to get there. Although Ye Moxun did not show it on his face, he was really exhausted.

Dinner was ready, still porridge with cured pork. Ye Moxun and Song Tantan ate a little and then went back to their room together. Everyone in the courtyard exchanged glances, but of course, they dared not gossip.

Actually, after catching the ghost last night, the two of them separated into different rooms and stopped sleeping in the same room. The reason they went into Song Tantan's room together now was naturally to eat something delicious.

"Chicken soup, roasted rabbit, shrimp, and stir-fried vegetables—all your favorites. Eat up, you must be starving after traveling so long." She ate some herself.

After finishing the meal, Song Tantan put the empty bowls into her spatial storage. Then she took out a basin of hot water from her spatial storage for Ye Moxun to soak his feet. "How about we get a bucket of water for a bath?"

"No need, what if you peek?" Ye Moxun raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Song Tantan clicked her tongue, "Take it or leave it. That's right, if you take a bath in my room, I'll definitely peek. Might as well take a look."

When Ye Moxun took off his shoes, she looked distressed and asked, "Why are your feet all blistered?" She hadn't been this bad when she traveled such a long distance from Songlin Village before. How did they get like this today?

"There's a particularly difficult stretch of road, full of small pebbles that really hurt your feet, but it's alright, just soak your feet and apply some medicine and it'll be fine." Ye Moxun didn't seem to care much.

"How is the situation? What have you found?" Song Tantan asked.

"The situation is quite bad. The government officials and soldiers are openly bullying people on the streets, and the people are having a very hard time. This place is only slightly better than Xifeng before."

There was no need to investigate. They were harassed from the city gates onwards, subjected to all sorts of fees and layers of exploitation, which practically peeled the skin off the common people until they were covered in blood and gore.

If a small town is like this, I heard that it's even worse in the county and the prefectural city. The county magistrate and the prefect are ruthless, levying all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies to squeeze every last drop of wealth from the people. The people are full of complaints, but they dare not speak out.

Song Tantan was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Do the county magistrate and the prefect have a lot of money in their households?"

There must be a lot, but why does this girl have that look on her face like she's planning to rip someone off?

"I have already sent a message to Liu Chengyu by carrier pigeon. I believe he will send someone to deal with the officials of Guang'an Prefecture soon. At that time, new officials will take their place, and the corrupt officials' wealth will be added to the national treasury," Ye Moxun explained.

Song Tantan pursed her lips. "Can't we at least hide a little bit? Before the people from the capital arrive, they can quietly store a little bit in their spatial storage. Who will notice?"

"Let's go to the county together tomorrow, but with so many people, we definitely can't all go in. The guards at the gate will surely stop us. We can only take four people in at most, and I'll go in again tonight..."

After hearing this, Song Tantan's pouting lips finally curved into a smile, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "Then it's settled. You can't let us down."

"Yes, my little money-grubber." Ye Moxun shook his head as if helpless, but a closer look would reveal that his peach blossom eyes were full of doting affection.

Lin Yu felt very heavy-hearted after learning that he would be leaving the next day. He had not yet confessed his feelings to Xia He, and he was afraid that he would miss this opportunity. He was very unwilling to accept it.

Sigh, he's made up his mind. This time he's determined to bring Miss Xia back as his wife. He can't just leave like that. It's rare to meet someone who suits his taste. How can he let go so easily?

So he quietly came to Ye Moxun and the other two to explain the situation, "Master Ye, Miss Song wants to stay in Xiajia Village for a few more days. You can go ahead first, I will catch up with you as soon as possible. Right now I have an important matter to deal with, so I can't travel together."

"What's the big deal? You've just taken a fancy to Xia He. The problem is, you've taken a fancy to her, but has she taken a fancy to you? You don't even know if she likes you, yet you're already pestering her. Are you planning to abduct her?" Song Tantan teased.

"Miss Song, please stop teasing me. I swear I'm serious this time. I truly like Xia He. The moment I saw her, I knew she was the one I'd been searching for."

"You've got to be kidding me. You think you can change your playboy image by saying a few cheesy, sweet words? I've heard that you went to brothels several times when you were in Xifeng."

"You think you can just buy a courtesan just because you have a little money? You think that girl will have a good life if she marries you? You've probably squandered all the money you've saved over the past two years."

Speaking of the brothels in Fengcheng, Song Tantan felt it was a complicated matter. The reason was that the brothels were actually opened by Zhuyu and Liumei. These two were now in their twenties, which was not young in ancient times, but they were indeed quite beautiful and skilled in various ways.

Not long after arriving in Fengcheng, they made connections with several prominent families. In less than a year, these two former courtesans from the capital were thriving in Fengcheng, reportedly making a fortune and soon opening a brothel.

To be honest, Song Tantan originally wanted Ye Moxun to shut down the brothel and forbid anyone from opening a brothel in Xifeng. This ancient patriarchal system was really unacceptable. However, how could she possibly turn the tide on her own?

It's unclear where Zhuyu and Liumei heard that Song Tantan had the idea of ​​closing down the Flower Pavilion, but before they could even make a move, the two of them came to him crying and complaining.

Zhu Yu cried, her face streaked with tears, "Miss Song, please have pity on us. You've seen how long we've stayed in Songlin Village. Even when we wanted to marry, we were met with disdain. Besides, we're used to this kind of life. We really can't do farming for a living. We almost starved to death."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!