Xu Yong and several others were asked to build a cement road. When they saw the flat cement road for the first time, their eyes widened.
This... is too magical.
The common people who worked with them acted as the master chef and proudly showed off, "This was also developed by the Princess of Qingping County. It was thanks to this achievement that the whole family was pardoned by the emperor."
Since the arrival of Princess Qingping, Liangcheng has undergone tremendous changes, and many poor people can now have a full meal.
Just using this cement to repair the city gates, roads, and houses solved a lot of manpower problems, and everyone was very grateful to the county lord.
Xu Yong and the others looked at each other with complicated expressions.
“How long will this take to repair?”
"The Princess of Qingping County said that if you want to get rich, you must build roads first. I think she meant to build cement roads all over Xiliang."
The main roads in the city and the official roads outside the city have been paved with cement, so they won’t be muddy on rainy days and are convenient for walking.
Xu Yong was so desperate. How long would it take to repair it?
I am busy from morning to night every day and have no time to rest. I am really tired and fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed every night.
But the food is okay, three meals a day are vegetable and meat buns and bone soup.
Moreover, it is very fulfilling to see the cement road being built bit by bit.
But Xu Yong has great ambitions. How could he be willing to spend his whole life building cement roads?
Half a month was already his limit, so he ran away with his companions.
When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, a few people sneaked out without anyone noticing and successfully ran several miles away. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
"That's great. I didn't expect it to go so smoothly."
“Actually, I think building cement roads is quite interesting.”
"Be a little more ambitious, okay? We are people who can do great things."
Ah Jin suddenly said, "If we steal the cement formula, are we still afraid that we won't be able to accomplish anything?"
Everyone was silent. Xu Yong sighed softly, "That makes sense. Unfortunately, the formula is in the hands of the Mu family."
The person in charge of the road construction was named Mu, and needless to say, he was a member of Mu Wanqing's clan.
Trying to get close to someone doesn't work.
Wu Ren shook his head and said, "Forget it, let's run first."
A voice suddenly sounded, "Where are you running to?"
“Go…” Wu Ren turned his head, scared out of his wits, “Ahhhh.”
A group of officials were standing not far away. "You run so slowly, slower than a turtle."
Everyone was in tears and was caught.
Some people tried to make a desperate effort, "Sir, we were going to the toilet... but it was too late to see the road clearly and we went in the wrong direction."
Even though they had walked several miles out of the camp, they still had to force themselves to tell lies.
"Yes, yes, that's it."
"Idiots." The officers were too lazy to waste words with them.
"Take them all away."
Several people kept crying out for justice, and the police were speechless. Without saying a word, they tied them to a tree and beat them severely.
After finishing the work, they threw them into the cement construction camp and left.
When the people knew that they had escaped, they looked incredulous, as if saying, how could there be such fools?
A few days later, the injuries of several people recovered and they began to organize their escape again.
However, they were stopped halfway, whipped again, and thrown back into the camp.
After repeating this process over and over again, Xu Yong and his team were finally completely defeated.
"I want to see the county lady."
The officer sneered, "Do you think you can see the county lady whenever you want?"
Xu Yong said firmly, "She will definitely meet us."
He said this with certainty, not taking their lives, but beating them again and again, which was more like a taming process.
Haven’t you seen that everyone was so ambitious at the beginning, but now they are all discouraged?
“Wait.”
They waited and waited for more than half a month, until everyone had grown desperate, and finally he was taken away.
This time, they bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, County Lady."
Mu Wanqing sat in the main seat and did not call out. She was flipping through a booklet in her hand. "Xu Yong, from the side branch of the Liangzhou Xu family. His family is wealthy, his parents are still alive, he has two brothers and a sister. Two years ago, he had a falling out with the main branch's children over a prostitute and was expelled from the family."
Xu Yong raised his head suddenly, his eyes full of surprise.
Mu Wanqing continued to read, "Wu Ren was born into a wealthy merchant family. When he was five years old, his father died unexpectedly, and his family fell into poverty and became a hooligan."
"Ah Jin, the son of □□, with an unlucky father, is a close friend of Wu Ren..."
As she spoke, Xu Yong and the others turned paler and paler in fear.
All their past backgrounds were dug up and investigated thoroughly.
Mu Wanqing exposed everyone's family background, "I'll give you a chance to tell the truth about what you have done in the past six months."
Gouzi's legs softened and he knelt down to her. "I...didn't do anything. I am being wronged."
Mu Wanqing's eyes were cold and she said, "Take him out and chop him up."
The police came over immediately to take the man away. Gou Zi was so scared that he hugged Xu Yong, who was closest to him, and refused to let go.
Xu Yong was being held too tightly and was about to die. "Please spare my life, County Lady. I will tell you right now. We are...trying to use public opinion to start a rebellion."
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene became unusually quiet, and his companions all looked over at him with expressions of disbelief.
How dare you tell the truth? Don't you want to live anymore?
However, Mu Wanqing was very calm, as if she had already guessed it, "Why did you choose Liangcheng?"
Xu Yong simply threw in the towel and went all out. "Du's army has gone to the front line, Liangcheng's defense is empty, and General Du has been seriously injured. There is no leader..."
Mu Wanqing shook her head slightly, "This reason is not enough and cannot convince me."
Xu Yong took a deep breath. Who could have thought that he would fall into the hands of a woman.
"Someone asked us to come to Liangcheng, saying that Liangcheng is the capital of Xiliang, the political and military center, and has special significance. Taking over more small towns is not as meaningful as taking over Liangcheng."
Mu Wanqing frowned slightly, "He also said that he would help you take Liangcheng, right?"
Xu Yong was terrified. If he hadn't had some sense left, he would have suspected that Mu Wanqing was the mastermind behind this operation. How did she know everything? "...Yes."
Mu Wanqing shook her head slightly. They were just colluding with each other and using each other. "Who is that person?"
Xu Yong confessed honestly, since he couldn't hide it anyway, "The man was wearing a veil, and we didn't know where he came from."
Jiang Tongzhi, who was listening in, was very disappointed, but Mu Wanqing was very calm. Since he dared to reach out, he would catch that person sooner or later.
"For this, it would be a light punishment to punish you for treason."
Ah Jin was the first to howl, "Treason? Princess, we are innocent. We really didn't know they were foreigners."
"Do you really not know? Or are you pretending not to know?" Mu Wanqing's eyes were full of contempt. "During the national crisis, the Du family army rushed to the front line and fought bloody battles. Countless passionate men sacrificed their lives to prevent the enemy from entering the border. They guarded this country and the people of Qi, but you stabbed them in the back. If this isn't treason, what is it?"
"You all think you have great ambitions and dream of achieving great things, but you don't even have the most basic patriotism. You are just some greedy and ambitious people. Moreover, you are just a bunch of useless people who have ambitions but think too highly of themselves. You can't even survive a single move in my hands."
Xu Yong and the others were so shocked by what she said that they couldn't even raise their heads, their faces turning pale and blue.
Their plan was quite thorough, but, unfortunately, the opponent they chose was Mu Wanqing.
Liangcheng is Mu Wanqing's territory.
Mu Wanqing destroyed them the moment they made their move. "Those who treat the people as prey will eventually be punished by the people even if they succeed temporarily."
Several people were greatly shocked and trembling with fear. Was he going to settle accounts with them?
Xu Yong pinched his palm with his right hand, trying to calm himself down, "County Lady, I only ask for a chance to redeem myself and make meritorious contributions."
If I didn't want to use them, I would have dragged them out and chopped them up long ago.
This is their only chance.
Mu Wanqing didn't beat around the bush and gave the order directly, "You are very good at deceiving people, so go and attract all the refugees from other places."
"What?" Xu Yong suspected that there was something wrong with his ears.
"Bring all the refugees here, as many as possible. Liangcheng needs manpower for construction." What Mu Wanqing didn't say was that manpower is also needed to fight the war.
The State of Qi originally had a system of garrisoning troops. In times of peace, they were civilians, and in times of war, they were soldiers.
Xu Yong and his companions were stunned, with a look of doubt on their faces about life.
"So, we've been making such a fuss for you, just to give you our heads?"
They went through so much trouble just to help Mu Wanqing? Damn, reality is so cruel, I don't want to live anymore, woo woo.
Mu Wanqing looked at them coldly, "You're not that stupid."
Xu Yong was confused. "Since you are willing to take in refugees, why don't you make a public announcement? As long as there is food, refugees will flock to you."
"Hey." Mu Wanqing looked like, "Idiots, I don't even want to talk to you," "Lidong, tell them."
Lidong, who was standing behind her with his hands hanging down, was feeling excited but tried not to show it.
"First of all, there is a tacit agreement among the various localities not to interfere in the affairs of the other's jurisdiction."
Everyone knows this.
"Secondly, some things can be done quietly, but not publicly, as it will give people something to talk about."
The refugee issue is very sensitive, and there are many contradictions between accepting and not accepting.
"Secondly, the current situation is turbulent. If we make an announcement, people will question whether we have bad intentions."
Will they be suspected of having the intention of starting an independent uprising? This juncture is too sensitive.
Wu Ren hadn't reacted yet, "But, if we bring the refugees here, other places will know about it."
Li Dong looked puzzled. "You did it. What does it have to do with our county lady? What does it have to do with our Liangcheng government? We were forced to accept it because we were helping the court."
Xu Yong and his companions were dumbfounded. Damn, isn't this making them take the blame? They are restless and ambitious people, and Mu Wanqing is a good person who saves people from suffering?
Wu Ren was in a terrible state. "Even more shameless than us..."
Mu Wanqing glanced over coldly, "What did you say?"
Wu Ren shuddered and immediately changed his tone, "The county lady is wise and powerful. We admire you. We will work hard for you and serve you wholeheartedly."
Just agree to it first. Who will care what he does after he leaves this damn place? He is really smart.
He wanted to stay away from this devil and never wanted to see her again in his life.
Mu Wanqing saw through his thoughts at a glance and shook her head slightly. Want to get rid of her control? What kind of dream is this?
"Then remember your words. If you dare to do anything behind my back, I will make you regret being born into this world."
"The most difficult thing in this world is not wanting to die, but wanting to neither live nor die." Mu Wanqing raised the information in her hand, with a hint of murderous intent in her eyes, "And I have thousands of ways to punish you. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you can't escape from my palm."
Xu Yong and his companions were trembling, feeling desperate, helpless and weak.
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