Inside the governor's backyard.
Zhen Wanwan looked at Prefect Fang, who was cautiously smiling in the living room, and chuckled inwardly. She never expected that the dignified prefect would be so henpecked.
He was all smiles as he served Madam Fang tea and massaged her back.
Siqin, meanwhile, complained bitterly, criticizing the guards who had just arrested them and thrown them into jail.
"Master, you have no idea how arrogant they are. They probably think Leling Prefecture is their own home. If we don't teach them a lesson, they might cause a huge uproar in the future!"
"If it weren't for Chief Fang and the others fighting with their lives, Madam would probably have been bullied by them."
The courtyard outside was filled with kneeling people, the very same soldiers who had been looking down at people with their chins at the city gate.
Sweat beaded on their foreheads, and they were furious as Siqin exaggerated her words.
This girl is full of nonsense!
They were just a bit rough around the edges; it was nothing like what she said, that they put a big knife to their necks.
Isn't this just asking them to be punished by adults?
Some people, unable to contain their anger, let out a wail and tried to speak out for their innocence.
"My lord, we officials absolutely did not do such a thing..."
Suddenly, with a loud bang, Prefect Fang's teacup was thrown into the courtyard, and the shards of the cup first hit the soldiers who had spoken.
The servants were so shocked that they all knelt down.
When Zhen Wanwan saw the cup being thrown, she had already covered her baby's ears and wasn't frightened.
She secretly rejoiced that Old Lady Li had taken Tianbao to the guest room to rest early.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed! Can't you see the boy is asleep?"
Madam Fang twisted Prefect Fang's ear and angrily cursed.
"Madam, I was wrong, I was wrong..."
Siqin looked helplessly at her master. Whenever it came to his wife's affairs, whether they were big or small, he was prone to losing his temper.
Even newborn sons were ranked outside of the wife's rank.
Prefect Fang felt he had lost face, so he left the house with a stern face and angrily rebuked the soldiers.
"Men, lock them up in jail first, and we'll interrogate them later!"
"yes!"
Once the courtyard was empty, Zhen Wanwan guessed that the prefect was going to question them.
As expected, the newly seated Prefect Fang sized them up and then asked the most robust man a question.
"Come here and talk to me."
Old Tie looked around and, seeing that Prefect Fang was pointing at him, asked incredulously, "You're asking me?"
Seeing his foolish appearance, Prefect Fang nodded with a smirk: "It's you. Tell me the truth about what happened outside the city gate."
Although he had already heard Siqin's words once, the soldiers at the East Gate were backed by the Liang family.
He couldn't just listen to one maid's side of the story, so he naturally had to ask other people for their opinions first.
If this matter isn't handled properly, the Liang family might cause trouble, and then...
Prefect Fang didn't continue to speculate and could only wait with wide eyes for his friend's reply.
Normally, when it comes to communicating with people, it's Lin the镖头 (bodyguard) who takes the lead. This is the first time Lao Tie has encountered such a situation, so he can't help but feel a little nervous.
He stared longingly at his boss, but no one paid him any attention, so he had no choice but to step forward.
"Well...we started from...and then those soldiers did this, and then that..."
Through Lao Tie's vivid and engaging performance, Prefect Fang finally understood what had happened and was furious.
He never expected that the Liang family, who controlled the East Gate, would do this right under his nose.
It must be said that they were quite good at covering their tracks; the daily supplies for the refugees outside the city were not reduced at all, and they did a good job of putting on a good show.
However, in private, they maliciously detained villagers with assets and grain on trumped-up charges to satisfy their own selfish desires.
To fill their own granaries.
The most important thing is that they are still using his name to do things!
This is utterly lawless; if the imperial court finds out, he will likely face severe consequences.
Regardless of whether they're from the Liang, Wang, or Li families, if they dare to make him take the blame, even if they're royalty, we'll skin them alive!
"Don't worry, whatever they swallowed, I'll make them spit it out twice as much."
Prefect Fang reassured the villagers present and then had them all accommodated in guest rooms.
However, the Zhen family's courtyard was personally arranged by Madam Fang, so they wouldn't have to squeeze into a room with other people.
Looking at the elegantly decorated guest room, Zhen Wanwan gained a general understanding of the prefect's personality.
He shouldn't be the kind of corrupt official who exploits the people.
However, after thinking about Madam Fang's generosity, she realized that she was overthinking things. There's some truth to the saying that birds of a feather flock together.
Standing next to Zhen Wanwan, Old Mrs. Li exclaimed, "My goodness, I never imagined that Madam Fang's status was so noble."
"This yard is so beautiful..."
The rest of the Zhen family also relaxed after being tense when facing Prefect Fang.
"This is the first time in my life I've ever seen such a beautiful house," Wang Cuihua said longingly.
Although the men of the Zhen family did not speak, a hint of amazement could be seen in their eyes.
After all the hardships and wandering along the way, Zhen Wanwan was getting tired of it all and her desire for stability grew stronger.
She then gestured to her family, describing a large, enclosed courtyard, saying, "Once we find Auntie, we'll build a courtyard like this too, so the whole family can live happily together..."
Even Grandma Li, who always loved to hear her make grand promises, didn't believe it this time: "Be careful not to hurt your back if you talk too much."
Zhen Wanwan pouted and went to her room to put her things away with a grin.
Only the little one she was carrying in her arms showed a determined look in his eyes. From now on, he would be the one to protect his mother's big house!
When he grows up, he will definitely build his mother a house even bigger than this.
Sweetie blinked, watching her mother's back, and secretly made a decision: when she grows up, she will buy her mother a big house.
And then live with your family forever!
Zhen Wanwan was busy looking at houses and had no idea that her son and daughter, who couldn't even hold their pee, were making empty promises to her.
After an hour of fussing, Zhen Wanwan and the others were finally able to eat a hot meal.
Leling Prefecture truly lives up to its reputation as a prosperous prefecture. On the dining table, in addition to the usual bowl of porridge, there was even a plate of fresh cabbage.
However, upon reflection, the heat in their hearts dissipated considerably after they arrived in Leling Prefecture, which she guessed was probably due to the more humid climate there.
The Zhen family sat at the dining table, quietly waiting for Grandma Li to serve the food, just as they had done all along the way.
Although the younger children were drooling with hunger, they did not start a fight to snatch the food.
"Cough cough..."
As per custom, Old Lady Li first served porridge and vegetables to Old Master Zhen and his two brothers.
"The eldest and second eldest are working the hardest pushing the cart, so they should eat more..."
He then gave Zhen Wanwan a full bowl of porridge and a few bites of cabbage.
She glanced at Wang Cuihua beside her casually, hesitated for two seconds, then added half a spoonful of porridge and a few wild vegetables to her bowl.
"Elder sister, please eat more too."
Wang Cuihua stared at Old Lady Li in shock. She never expected her mother to share cabbage with her, especially since fresh cabbage was much more expensive than meat during the famine.
However, she still happily accepted it: "Thank you, Mother."
After dividing the porridge among the whole family, Grandma Li picked up her bowl and chopsticks to eat the leftover porridge.
Zhen Wanwan deliberately left half of the dish uneaten and gave it to Old Lady Li under the pretense of giving it to her.
"I think you're so lucky that you don't even know to ask for it," Old Mrs. Li scolded Zhen Wanwan in an annoyed tone.
After a satisfying meal, Zhen Wanwan and the others lay down comfortably on the soft bed and went to sleep.
She had no idea that someone was losing sleep again because of her.
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