As they walked along the road, Yun Ruoxi was very curious, "Husband, I wonder where these exiled prisoners sent to Lingnan live?"
Xiao Jingrui: "I know about this matter. I will be a military household in the surrounding military households. I will be a military household in my spare time and go to the battlefield in wartime."
Yun Ruoxi: "Don't they live in the surrounding villages?"
Xiao Jingrui shook his head. "In order not to affect the lives of ordinary people, all exiled prisoners will be handed over to the military household management. This is also to ensure that the exiled prisoners are not idle. I heard that in the exile areas in the northwest, exiled prisoners are forced to work in coal mines."
Mu Ruxue asked curiously, "I just don't know where the military guards are around here."
Yun Ruoxi: "After we settle down in Taohua Village, we will have plenty of time to inquire about it. There is no rush now."
Half an hour later...
The carriage finally stopped and everyone got off one after another. Yun Ruoxi looked around the entire Taohua Village.
The salty sea breeze, carrying the smell of seaweed, blew in Yun Ruoxi's face. She raised her hand to shield her eyes, which were squinted by the bright sunlight.
The Taohua Village in front of us is nestled against the mountains and by the sea. Low bluestone houses are scattered in an orderly manner on the winding sandy road. Layers of gray-black fishing nets are pressed on the roofs, which contrast with the silver-scaled dried fish drying on the bamboo racks.
Faded red cloth strips hung between the branches of the old banyan tree at the east end of the village. Under the tree, several old women were gathered, mending fishing nets. The bamboo baskets were filled with crabs just caught from the sea. The crab claws were paddling in the baskets in vain, splashing tiny drops of water.
In the salt drying field west of the village, piles of white salt shone with crystal light in the sun. Several dark-skinned men were turning the salt fields with wooden rakes. The raised salt grains reflected colorful halos in the wind.
Dozens of fishing boats are anchored in the bay in the distance. Their hulls have been worn and mottled by years of sea breeze and waves, and the coarse cloth clothes hanging on the masts are rustling in the wind.
On the beach after the tide receded, several children carrying small bamboo baskets were chasing and jumping in the shallows, startling a group of egrets flying close to the water. Their snow-white wings skimmed across the oily sea, creating strings of pearl-like ripples.
The big yellow dog lying on the stone pier at the entrance of the village raised its eyelids lazily, then put its chin back on its front paws and continued to nap.
Seeing this scene, Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue both looked forward to their future life.
Grandmother also seemed to be in a good mood. She took Zhao's hand and said, "This Taohua Village looks really nice. It can be a good place to stay in the future."
Zhao also said with emotion: "Yes, after a bumpy journey, we finally arrived at our destination. After we settle down, life will definitely get better and better."
Lord Wang looked at the Wu'an Marquis family and found that they did not feel any resentment towards the court because their property was confiscated and they were exiled. Instead, they were still full of longing for life.
"The blue brick and tile house in front is the home of the ancient village chief of Taohua Village. Let's go to the village chief's house to take over."
Xiao Jing: "Thank you, Lord Wang, for leading the way!"
In fact, bringing the Wu'an Marquis family to Taohua Village to settle down is just a small matter. He could just send the police to do it quickly, but Lord Wang did it himself in order to show off in front of the Xiao family.
"It's okay, Master Xiao, please come in with me."
Xiao Jing hurriedly explained, "Master Wang, you are too polite. I am no longer an official. I am just an ordinary citizen. I am not worthy of being called Master."
Lord Wang didn't argue and quickly changed the subject, "Then I will call you Brother Xiao from now on."
Seeing that Xiao Jing was about to refuse, Lord Wang insisted, "This matter is settled. It's just a title. Although the Wu'an Marquis's mansion has been confiscated and he has been exiled, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. I believe Brother Xiao must have some connections in the capital. I may need to rely on Brother Xiao in the future. Now is the time for me to contribute. Please don't refuse."
No one expected that Lord Wang would speak so directly, although everyone knew in their hearts that Lord Wang must be treating the people of Wu'an Marquis Mansion differently for the sake of the Duke of England's Mansion.
But the fact that he could express his inner desires so directly, without any embarrassment and with grace and grace, shows that Lord Wang is a person worth making friends with.
Xiao Jing stopped arguing and said, "In that case, I will respectfully obey your command."
Lord Wang smiled and said, "This is as it should be. Most of the people who come to Qiongzhou, as long as they are officials, have offended someone in the capital. Everyone is forced to do this, which is understandable. But as the old saying goes, as long as the green mountains remain, there will be no fear of running out of firewood. From now on, we should help each other."
Xiao Jing nodded, "Of course!"
In fact, everyone had just arrived in Qiongzhou and was unfamiliar with the place. Although the Duke of Ying wrote a letter to the county magistrate in advance, after all, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake, so it would be good to have someone to help from behind.
Since the county magistrate went straight to Lord Wang to take over the letter after receiving it, it means that the Wu'an Marquisate is still willing to help them. As long as they are not the hostile party, everything will be fine.
Lord Wang took Xiao Jing and walked into the village chief's house first. Village chief Gu, who heard the noise, hurried out to greet them.
"This old man greets Lord Wang!"
Only Lord Wang and Xiao Jing entered the courtyard of the ancient village chief's house, while everyone else and their carriages were waiting outside the courtyard.
So many carriages entered Taohua Village and headed straight for the village chief's house. Many idle people at home gathered around out of curiosity.
Groups of people quickly gathered on the stone road of Taohua Village. An old man carrying a fish basket stood on tiptoe to look into the yard of the village chief's house, and the pipe in his hand emitted a few sparks as he moved.
The woman holding the child came to the hitching post, covered her mouth with her sleeve and whispered to the aunt next door. The baby in her arms was amused by the tassels hanging from the carriage and kept stretching out her hands.
"Whose carriage is this magnificent? The curtains are made of lake blue satin embroidered with lotus flowers!"
Aunt Zhang pinched the coarse linen at the corner of her clothes, staring at the box on the frame with shining eyes.
She had just patched three pieces of her youngest son's old shorts yesterday, and now she saw that the silk wrapped around the carriage railings was brighter than the hairbands her family had only bought for the New Year.
"Hush—look at that brass bell on the shaft of the cart. It's the same one the county magistrate rode when he came to our village last year!"
Uncle Li tapped his pipe on the ground, his missing front tooth letting out a breath of air. "Could it be some high-ranking official visiting relatives? I saw the young woman who just got off the car. The pearl pendant on her hair is brighter than the salt pile at Old Wang's house at the west end of our village."
Several young men squatting at the foot of the wall were whispering to each other. Among them, Hu Wa, who was wearing a coarse cloth shorts, nudged his companion and said, "Brother, the boxes they brought are bigger than the pork counter of Liu the butcher at the village entrance. Maybe they are filled with gold ingots!"
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