From nothing to something, from a place where anyone could step on it, to a place where no one dares to touch it even when holding a treasure bowl, it can be said that the Marquis deserves most of the credit.
It is the Marquis who is deterring the villains, it is the Marquis who is standing up for everyone!
Now that the Marquis has sent people over, why would the villagers object?
Besides, the people hate the most are the barbarians!
Not to mention being chased by barbarians, fleeing famine and leaving their homes, just consider that terrifying incident at the dock, where almost everyone in the village was injured and the entire village was almost wiped out.
These soldiers killed the barbarians to avenge them; they are heroes!
How could they refuse to accept them, or turn away their benefactor and hero?!
The young men, in particular, were practically jumping for joy.
They wanted to go to the city, visit Luo'an, take a big ship to see the sea, and see the blond-haired, red-eyed barbarians...
But their family always said that there was no one to do the work in the village, and they wouldn't let them leave.
Now that we have enough manpower, there's no reason for anyone to stop them from taking flight!
Li Laosi found an opportunity to talk to Wei Erniu about asking for his things back.
Wei Erniu was honest and kind, but not stupid.
This time, his family had truly broken his heart. Without hesitation, he said directly, "Brother Li, I agree to ask for the jewelry and fabric back. It's not that I'm unfilial; it's just that all the wages and rewards I've earned have been given to my family, which is enough to repay their kindness in raising me."
"But Xiao Cui'er... I've never bought her a single piece of cloth. Instead, she's suffered so much at home because of me. Now that she's married to me, she hasn't received anything in return. I feel guilty!"
“Those fabrics and jewelry were given to Xiao Cui by the old lady, the princess, and Sister-in-law Dayong. They should belong to Xiao Cui. It's my fault for being powerless. When I saw my mother trying to cheat me and threatening to hang herself, I had no choice…”
"It would be best if the old lady could send someone to retrieve it. Even if she can't, I will still kowtow to the old lady to express my gratitude."
Li Laosi patted him and comforted him, saying, "Don't be sad. No five fingers are the same length. We are away from home all year round and can't be by our parents' side to fulfill our filial duties. Our parents will almost always be biased."
“These past few days I’ve noticed that the brothers aren’t very happy. It’s probably a similar situation for every family. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have begged the Marquis to settle down here.”
"Don't overthink it. From now on, it'll be more lively for us brothers to live together. When we go out, we can also look after each other at home."
Wei Erniu turned his head, wiped his eyes, and nodded emphatically...
The next day, as the village began its grand-scale procurement of timber to build the second village, Wei Erniu and several of his brothers escorted the Li family's carriage and set off.
Inside the carriage sat Granny He and Shui Ling, beginning their "debt collection journey."
Not to mention how busy and bustling the Broken Gold Beach is.
In the new capital, at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the young master, still waking from a hangover, yawned and had dark circles under his eyes as he staggered to the main courtyard to pay his respects to his father and mother.
The Duke of Zhenguo couldn't stand his son's nonchalant attitude and immediately lost his temper, "You've already finished breakfast and you're only now coming to pay your respects? Whose rule is this? Where did you wander around last night?"
"You're over twenty years old, good for nothing, good for nothing! Tell me, what can a good-for-nothing like you do in the future?"
The prince was so tired of hearing these words that he didn't care at all.
He picked at his ear and replied with a forced smile, "Of course, I'm waiting to become a Duke!"
"You unfilial son, are you hoping I'll die sooner?" The Duke of Zhenguo was so angry that he glared at his son and was about to find something to beat him.
As expected, the Duchess stopped him again, saying, "Alright, alright! It's a sign of filial piety for the child to come and pay his respects. You don't even offer a few words of praise, but instead you scold him from head to toe. No wonder the child doesn't want to come!"
After saying that, she called her son over and asked him about his well-being.
The young master looked a little impatient, but he still coaxed his mother a few times before finally asking, "Mother, did you visit the Marquis of Jiangning's residence? Did you see Miss Bilian?"
The Duchess was in a difficult position and made an excuse, saying, "I've had a headache these past few days and haven't gone yet. In a few days... in a few days when the chrysanthemums bloom, we'll hold a flower-viewing banquet at home. I'll send an invitation to the Marquis's wife to come over and ask her a few questions..."
"Mother!" The young master was furious and immediately started making a scene. "You said the same thing last time! When are you going to the Marquis's mansion to propose marriage? I will marry no one but Miss Bilian in this lifetime, or I will make sure the Duke's mansion is childless!"
That's really harsh!
The Duke's family had always struggled to produce offspring. The Duke had one wife and five concubines, and it was only when he reached the age of forty that he finally had this one son.
Now his son actually said he wants to have no descendants?!
The Duke could no longer contain himself and shouted to the steward, "Bring me the whip!"
The butler hesitated, too afraid to go.
But the prince wasn't afraid at all. Instead, he mocked, "Father, stop making a fuss. Can you even wield a whip? Be careful not to hurt your back!"
The Duke was so angry he could hardly breathe and almost rolled his eyes back, prompting the Duchess to rush over to him.
She felt sorry for her son but couldn't bear to leave her husband, so she could only urge her son on, "Go away now, you can go wherever you want, don't stay at home and annoy people."
The young master was truly heartless; he didn't even glance at his parents before turning and leaving.
His two attendants and servants quickly followed behind, smiling and offering their master suggestions on where to go for fun that day.
Unfortunately, the prince's mind was filled with the girl he loved but couldn't have, and he couldn't muster any interest in anything else.
As soon as the three stepped out of the mansion, they were met by seven or eight officials from the Prefect of the Capital.
The moment the two sides met, the official asked, "Are you Qinian, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo?"
The young master is used to being arrogant and domineering outside, and everyone who sees him calls him "Young Master".
He was still a little unaccustomed to hearing people call his name.
He was stunned for a moment, then glared at them, "You have some nerve, daring to call me by my name!"
He wanted to speak again, but the officers suddenly stepped forward, some breaking his arms, others tying him up with ropes, and in the blink of an eye, they dragged him away like a pig.
The servants were startled and tried to rush forward to grab the person, but were kicked to the ground by the officers.
Fortunately, they weren't completely stupid; they quickly scrambled back to report to their master.
In the backyard, the Duke had just caught his breath and was still figuring out how to discipline his son when he suddenly heard that his son had been arrested by the officials of the Prefect of the Capital. He was still somewhat incredulous.
"What exactly happened? What did Nian-ge do wrong?" He stood up immediately, ignoring his illness.
This time, it was the Duchess's turn to faint. She was woken up by having her philtrum pinched, and her first words were, "My son, how did you get arrested! This is going to kill me..."
The Duke's mind was buzzing. He smashed his teacup to stop his wife's crying and then instructed, "I'm going to see the Prefect of the Capital. You stay home and wait for news."
The Duchess, realizing that if the Duke collapsed again, no one would be there to save her son, quickly nodded.
The Duke mustered his strength and hurriedly went to the Jingzhao Prefecture Office to submit a petition requesting an audience with the Prefect.
Unfortunately, it took a long time after the invitation was submitted before the Prefect's trusted advisor came out to say that the Prefect was too busy to entertain the Duke.
Even a fool would realize something's wrong by now.
The Duke personally pulled the clerk aside, stuffed two hundred taels of silver into his hand, and finally learned the reason why his son had been arrested.
He was so shocked he refused to believe it. "Impossible! Wasn't the case already closed?"
Served at midnight~~
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