"I heard that the prefect has stockpiled a lot of food, is that right?" Shangguan Wanning smiled sweetly and played with her fingers nonchalantly.
The prefect didn't take Shangguan Wan Ning seriously at all. Even though he was pinned down and couldn't get up, he still raised his head and glared at her angrily.
"So what? Girl, do you think your father is still the prime minister? He is just a rat crossing the street who can't protect himself. This is my territory. If you dare to touch a hair on my head... Humph, you will never get out alive."
Shangguan Wanning suddenly discovered that this prefect did not seem to have the weakness and integrity of a scholar at all, but rather a ruffian air.
"Please rest assured, sir. Even if it is for the sake of the court's reputation, I will not embarrass you too much."
Shangguan Wanning hooked her finger at the follower, and the follower leaned over. She whispered a few words to him, and he turned and left.
About two cups of tea later, the attendant came in carrying a large wooden barrel. When he opened the lid, he found a barrel full of white rice.
"The prefect has hoarded so much food and is selling it at a high price. He must have a big appetite. If you finish this bucket of rice, I will let you go."
When the prefect saw it, his expression changed instantly.
"What? You don't want to eat?" Shangguan Wanning's smile was still sweet, "It's not up to you."
"you……"
"Just eat it."
The attendant became impatient and pressed the prefect's face into the rice.
"Watch him finish eating. If he doesn't die from overeating, let him go. If he dies from overeating accidentally... then we can only blame his bad luck."
Shangguan Wanning suppressed her smile, stood up and walked out of the room.
She went to the prefect's study and looked through some recent official documents issued by the court, most of which were related to the war.
One of the documents, dated the day before yesterday, caught Shangguan Wanning's attention.
The imperial court ordered the prefect to draw reserve grain from the government granary and send it to the troops fighting against the imperial rebels nearby.
The rebels the court was referring to were Xiao Yujue's men.
Shangguan Wanning secretly speculated which team was confronting the imperial court nearby. But no matter what, she got important information from it.
She burned the official documents and ordered her men to arrest the prefect's brother-in-law and his family and force them to reveal where the stockpiled grain was.
When Shangguan Wanning and his men found the food, they couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
There are starving people everywhere outside, and here... some of the food is moldy.
She immediately ordered her men to go to the streets to beat drums and gongs, shouting that they should meet at the city gate street to distribute food for free.
When the people heard the noise, they came out of their homes one after another. Shangguan Wanning asked the people to select a few prestigious gentry to help distribute rice.
"Miss..." The follower ran towards Shangguan Wanning.
He was holding a long sword, his hair was a little messy, and his arm was still bleeding.
"What happened?"
"That prefect... a bastard. His brother-in-law brought people to rescue him and took him away. Miss, this is someone else's territory after all. We are outnumbered and may not be at a good advantage. Let my subordinates escort you away first."
As soon as the follower finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves was heard.
Shangguan Wanning looked back and saw the prefect and a group of yamen runners rushing towards the crowd distributing rice.
He pointed at Shangguan Wanning and the others and shouted, "You daring rebels, how dare you dare to tamper with the Taisui Lord. Come, kill them!"
The scene suddenly became quiet, and the yamen runners holding steel knives surrounded Shangguan Wanning.
Shangguan Wanning had a total of eight followers, who stood on her left, right, front and back, protecting her in a safe area.
"Hmph, Shangguan Wanning, Princess An Ning." The prefect got off his horse. "You don't want to be a good queen, but you want to follow Xiao Yujue in rebellion. Even if I kill you today, the emperor can't blame me."
The prefect felt aggrieved when he thought about being forced to eat so much white rice.
He has been an official here for many years, and abusing his power has long been a habit for him. When has he ever suffered such humiliation?
“Kill them!”
"ah!"
As soon as the prefect finished speaking, his runners heard a scream behind them before they could take any action.
The last yamen runner in the line was lying on the ground with blood all over his head, and next to him was a strong man holding a carrying pole high.
Everyone was stunned.
"Fellow villagers, what are you waiting for? Haven't you been bullied enough by this corrupt official over the years? I don't care who this girl is. Anyway, she is a good person as long as she can stand up and give us rice."
"That's right, we can't let them kill us."
As he spoke, the people who were queuing up to receive rice became angry and picked up any objects they could get their hands on and attacked the yamen runners.
The yamen runners had not received any special training and usually relied on the support of the government to bully the people.
Now, faced with the excited people, they can only flee in fear.
"Catch the leader first."
Shangguan Wanning gave an order, and the four followers around her immediately rushed towards the prefect.
Upon seeing this, the prefect turned around and tried to run away.
"Kill." Shangguan Wanning gave the order without hesitation.
When the attendant heard this, he drew his sword and beheaded the prefect.
The yamen runners were soon beaten and fled in all directions, but Shangguan Wanning quickly restored order.
After a whole day, the hungry people finally brought back food.
At dusk, Shangguan Wanning invited local wealthy businessmen and gentry, as well as rice merchants designated by the court, hoping to resume daily operations and allow the people to live a normal life.
"Girl, we also hope to be like before. But..."
These people had met in advance before coming, and the gentry representatives raised common concerns among everyone.
"Now, we have become accomplices in the killing of imperial officials. The imperial court will definitely not let us go. Moreover, I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's troops are coming soon, so we..."
"Everyone, the court is corrupt, the officials are incompetent, and even the current emperor has an illegitimate succession to the throne. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the true emperor. If you are willing to stand on his side, I am willing to meet with the general leading the team before the team arrives."
"I can assure you that we will never let them attack the city, and we will never hurt a hair on the civilians' heads."
"With the girl's words, we feel relieved."
Everyone raised their glasses to toast Shangguan Wanning.
Shangguan Wanning didn't expect that she could capture a city while waiting for her father.
The next morning, she selected two followers and went out of the city to join the attacking team.
The three of them rode their horses at full speed, and by the evening, they finally found the team.
Shangguan Wanning stood on the hillside, looking at the camp not far away.
The sun sets, the afterglow fades, and smoke rises.
An inexplicable sadness welled up in her heart.
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