Chapter 51: A Glimpse of the New Heaven

While the group was having breakfast, the young man Azhu went back to the village and called some villagers who were not working in the fields, and led a large group to the palace.

In the procession, the elderly carried basins, cloths, and sickles, the children held homemade brooms, and a few strong young men carried bamboo ladders. As they walked along the winding country roads, someone couldn't help but mutter, "Will that woman really give so much money?"

Ah Zhu thought about what they were wearing and said, "Of course. The palace has been locked for so many years, so no one can enter casually. Besides, I've seen that even the fabrics worn by their servants are better than ours."

With these words, the villagers of Hedong Village felt more at ease. When they arrived at their destination and actually stepped through the gate, everyone behaved well. Even the teenagers stopped playing around and lowered their heads, not daring to look around. Until they were led to the main hall by Azhu and saw the six people standing in front of the steps, they were completely convinced.

Just by looking at the clothes of Qingwu and the other six people, one could tell that they were of extraordinary status, not to mention the looks of the two young men in the middle. They had never seen anyone more handsome than them in their lives, but their looks were so stunning that sometimes people dared not look at them for too long. What's more, the young man sitting in the wheelchair who looked like an immortal seemed to be in a bad mood and was looking at them expressionlessly.

Qingwu glanced around and counted the number of people. There were eighteen in total, half of whom were women and children, and there were three or four young and strong men, and a few elderly people who were not too old. He was quite satisfied, so he went straight to the point and repeated the wages he had just discussed with Azhu. Since these had been mentioned in advance, all the villagers had no objection and their hearts were relieved.

"Let me tell you the cleaning rules first." Qing Wu's face turned serious. Although she felt that most villagers were simple and honest, there were also some unreasonable and naughty ones. "Within a day, all the weeds on the floor tiles, walls and roof ridges of the entire palace must be removed, and all the dust must be swept away. The dust on the beams must also be simply swept with a ladder."

She paid such a high price, so she should get the corresponding quality. But Qingwu thought her face was not ugly, so why were the people below so terrified? So he softened his expression and said softly, "Don't be afraid. If you get hurt, you can come find me."

This statement gave the villagers an extra layer of assurance. They all smiled. Without Qingwu saying anything, one of the elders stood up and supported the distribution, saying, "Since the master has said so, let's get to work quickly. The men will go up to the wall, the women and children will do the work on the ground, and the old folks will do the heavy work on the ground."

The villagers responded in unison and left with their belongings. After a while, the once dilapidated and deserted palace was as lively as a market.

The old people cut grass with sickles, the children followed behind them and carried grass, the women cleaned the palace with brooms, the young and strong men and half-grown boys climbed up to the roof with bamboo ladders, and in the dust falling between the tiles, there was unprecedented hope.

Xiao Ji just sat in his wheelchair and watched. The coldness in his eyes was slowly melted away by this scene. Qing Wu originally wanted to push him under the eaves to prevent the sun from burning his fair skin, but Xiao Ji waved his hand and said, "I want to see for myself."

Qingwu ignored her, as she still had to supervise the work. As for Yuzhu and Fugui, they boarded an oxcart in the village to go to town to buy some necessary things. Baozhu was even more restless, having already ordered people to clean the two wells in the palace. She supervised the work everywhere, directing the villagers to do it more carefully.

The girl was wearing a valuable dress and expensive brocade shoes, but she was walking in the weeds. There was no look of disgust on her face, nor did she act reserved because of her status. However, she still maintained the demeanor of a noble lady in the capital, walking slowly and calmly.

"If there are spots on the wall, just knock them off with a stick. It doesn't matter, it will not fall off again in the future."

"You'll have to pull up the grass in the cracks between the bricks over there, but forget about that wild rose; it's in full bloom."

This scene was completely seen by the master and servant. Although Xiao Ji was pushed around by Zhao Tong, if one looked closely, one would find that they had never left Qingwu a hundred steps away, and Qingwu was always in their sight.

Zhao Tong couldn't help but praise, "Madam, you are so wonderful! No wonder you have become famous in the capital at the age of thirteen. You are truly a person carefully nurtured by the Xi family. You know how to advance and retreat, and you are calm and composed."

Xiao Ji, who was sitting in a wheelchair, nodded slightly and looked at the figure. There was an indescribable warmth in his peach blossom eyes.

But he was not only looking at her, he was also observing this group of people. Even though these people were born in the capital, their clothes were inevitably patched. Although they were not pale and thin, they were also pale and dull. Based on this reasoning, there were who knows how many people in the world were living a worse life.

His teacher once told him privately that while the world may appear peaceful and prosperous, it has long harbored many pests. His Majesty was quite wise in his youth, but as he aged, he has become self-willed and indulged in pleasure.

He said that taxes and corvee labor were imposed at every level, corrupt officials enriched themselves, and if there were droughts or floods, there would be heavy casualties.

Xiao Ji's heart tightened when he heard this. He wanted to go to his father to ask for advice, but his teacher held him back firmly. "It's useless, it's useless. Your father won't believe it. He has been a 'wise ruler' for so many years. How could he allow others to say that his country is hiding huge problems?"

Yao Chongchun was naturally not a reckless person as he had experienced three dynasties. He was also old and not as courageous as before. He only wanted to make up for it in the court, and then wait for the emperor to pass on the throne to the prince safely, and then carry out drastic reforms.

He believed in the students he personally trained. His students were trained very well by him. They were both civil and military, able to distinguish right from wrong, responsible, courageous, and had good character. They were simply the model of the crown prince in his mind.

The only downside was that His Majesty was too strict. The prince was unable to see the real world, but Yao Chongchun felt that the prince was still young and there was still time. Perhaps when he grew up, His Majesty would be willing to let this legitimate son go out.

But he never expected that His Majesty would "allow" it so quickly and so decisively.

He too was convicted and nearly sentenced to death.

In fact, Xiao Ji did not completely believe what his teacher said at first, but now after seeing only a corner of the capital, he knew that many memorials in the court were trying to whitewash the situation.

His eyes swept across Azhu's dark and rough skin, looked at the straw sandals on the villagers' feet, and their foreheads dripping with sweat in the sunlight, and his hands could not help but tightly grasp the handrails, with his fingertips tensed.

He had once been trapped in the Eastern Palace, where all he saw was the feasting and drinking of the rich. Now he knew that even at the emperor's feet, such was the reality. If he were further away, how could it not be just as the teacher had described?

Xiao Ji couldn't help but stare at his legs. After an unknown amount of time, he slowly relaxed his hands.

Don't be impatient.

He can only take it step by step.