The other two village heads nodded in agreement, tugging at the village chief's sleeve and pleading in a joking manner.
"Brother, the master trusts you the most. He has entrusted almost everything about Broken Gold Beach to you. Has the master not revealed any information to you?"
"Yes, brother, please say a few words to us."
The village chief remained vague, saying, "It's nothing serious. We ordinary people have always lived honestly, so what's there to be afraid of?"
Uncle Zhao, however, had a bad temper and blurted out something.
"What's the point of asking? It's so obvious. The Empress Dowager is dead, the Consort is in the Cold Palace, the Crown Prince has chosen his consort, the Princess has married, so who's left in the palace?"
Jing Lizheng and the others were stunned for a moment, then their expressions changed.
Who in the palace is still safe and sound?
Of course it's the Emperor!
The group gasped, shut their mouths tightly, and dared not ask any more questions.
The village chief glared at Uncle Zhao and desperately tried to make amends.
"Oh dear, Old Zhao has had too much to drink and he's just talking nonsense. Tianwu is a peaceful and prosperous country, life is good."
"Yes, yes, the country is prosperous and the people are at peace."
"Yes, yes, we are just ordinary people. We always work hard to farm and make a living."
Jing Lizheng and the others quickly chimed in, calling out to pour more wine and chatting about everyday matters.
As the sun began to set, the village chief and Old Zhao, still tipsy, got into the car and bid farewell to everyone.
After the carriage had gone far away, Jingli and the other two gathered together to discuss things, and then hurriedly returned to their respective villages.
Regardless of whether it's true or false, regardless of what changes are happening in the city, just keep up with the pace of the new village and you'll definitely be right.
Soon enough, the villagers in all three villages received the news that their villages were under lockdown!
No entry or exit allowed.
Every single person in the village, young and old, stayed quietly in the village.
If you have nothing else to do, go fetch water; one bucket of water can revive several crops.
Tired from carrying water, they would sleep, naturally having no other thoughts...
The village chief and Old Zhao lay on the horse-drawn cart, ignoring everything, letting the old horse pull them home.
Looking at the setting sun on the horizon, Old Zhao couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Brother, our boat should have sailed quite far by now, right?"
"Yes, it's probably over two hundred li away," the village chief said with a wry smile. "My wife is probably cursing me!"
Old Zhao laughed and replied, "Your wife usually seems to have a good temper, that's because she doesn't hold grudges against you. But this time she's probably really angry. You'll get what's coming to you next time you see her!"
The village chief sighed, "If we ever meet again, I'll accept whatever she does."
The two large ships heading south were currently docked at the pier of a small county town, waiting for their family's cargo ships to arrive and join them.
There were many checkpoints heading south, and the two ships carried no cargo, only a few hundred elderly people, women, and children, which was too conspicuous.
However, it would be reasonable to have several cargo ships from the family accompany them, thus dispersing the manpower among them.
Because everyone left in a hurry, and their family's cargo ship needed to be loaded, they were a day behind and will not be able to join the group until noon tomorrow.
Jia'an, Maoge'er, Zhimin, Xiujie, and Guo Wenhao were all busy helping the Hou Mansion guards patrol the two boats, preventing outsiders from spying on them, or any little kids who didn't know any better from running off the boat.
Jia Huan took over the back warehouse, taking charge of purchasing and preparing three meals a day for everyone.
Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), and his men boarded a small boat and floated outside, waiting to pick up their family's cargo ship.
Mr. Jiang continued to teach the students, and his teaching was not rigid; he never simply read from the textbook.
At times like this, he would point to the county town outside the boat and explain its history to the children, what notable figures it produced, and what its specialties were...
In the shade behind the boat, Tao Hongying, Wan'er, and other women were doing needlework and chatting.
Aunt Wu looked unwell the whole time. She had clearly discussed with the old man that she wanted to stay in the village, and the old man had agreed. She never expected that he would lie to her!
Tao Hongying noticed that Aunt Wu's breathing had become even heavier, and quickly exchanged a glance with her niece-in-law.
Wan'er understood, so she picked up the needle and thread in her hand and asked Aunt Wu, "Auntie, look, the bib I embroidered for Yuanyuan, why does this bird look more and more like a duck as I embroider it?"
Aunt Wu was skilled at embroidery and loved embroidery. She looked down and immediately replied, "The color scheme of your embroidery thread is wrong, and you've embroidered too much along the edges."
After saying that, she took it and helped make some changes.
Wan'er smiled and praised from the side, "Auntie is really amazing! I've always envied Aunt Hui Niang. Most of the clothes for her twins were sewn by Auntie, and they are all exquisite."
"However, Aunt Huiniang has been in Quanzhou with the children for quite some time now. The two children must have grown a lot by now, and their old clothes probably don't fit anymore."
Tao Hongying immediately chimed in, "What does it matter? We'll be there in a few days. With Auntie by our side, how could the two children lack new clothes?"
“Hui Niang said she missed her aunt almost every day. She was overjoyed to suddenly see her aunt.”
Sure enough, when Aunt Wu thought of her goddaughter and grandchildren, her expression improved considerably.
"The soil and water in the south are very fertile. The two children must have grown quite a bit, right? I wonder if they still remember their maternal grandmother?"
Tao Hongying quickly replied, "Of course they remember! Children are the smartest. They'll be close to whoever treats them well. You know, I raised them since they were little, how could I forget!"
The other women also shared some interesting stories about raising children, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.
Tao Hongying secretly breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her head to do her needlework.
She wasn't good at it to begin with, and with her family on her mind, she sewed the half-skirt she was holding into a mess.
Wan'er silently took the needle and thread, then placed her son in her aunt's arms...
Life is unpredictable; no one knows what the next moment will bring.
It's simply a matter of dealing with whatever comes our way.
Do what you can, and calmly face what you cannot do...
Under the same sky, different people are busy.
In the southwestern border region, in the center of the city, stands the largest and most magnificent mansion.
The mansion was inhabited by the Lu family, young and old, who had guarded the border for generations. General Lu, who was not of the same surname, was granted the title of king, which was enough to show his outstanding military achievements and unwavering loyalty.
Even though he was nearly fifty years old, he still dressed in full armor every day and led his men to patrol the border, working diligently and never slacking off.
This is why the people of the entire southwestern border region hold him in high esteem and trust.
It can be said that here, some people may be disrespectful to the imperial court, but absolutely no one will be disrespectful to General Lu!
As the sun began to set, General Lu rode up to the gate, dismounted, tossed his whip and reins to his guards, and called out, "Where is our honored guest?"
The steward who had just come out to greet them immediately said, "General, the distinguished guest has been invited to the study, where Military Advisor Shen is having tea with him."
The old general nodded, then strode to the backyard, washed off the dust and sand, changed into casual clothes, and went to his study.
When the guards standing at the door saw their master coming, they quickly pushed the door open.
The old general strode in and saw two people sitting in the room: one was his most trusted strategist and his lifelong friend, and the other was a young gentleman.
The young man appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in a moon-white robe with silver thread and dark floral patterns. His black hair was tied up with a mutton-fat jade hairpin, which softened his slightly thin face.
If it weren't for his tanned skin, he would definitely be worthy of the description "a gentleman as handsome as jade" if he walked out like this.
Today's update is here!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com