Village Chief Gu looked at Mu Ruxue's insistent expression and could only nod in agreement. "Yes, old man, remember this. If Fangcao's family still refuses to repent and refuses to change their ways, the Xiao family will definitely not be held responsible for this."
Yun Ruoxi: "Now that we have concluded the matter, please ask the clerk to help us send Village Chief Gu off."
Looking at the cold attitude of the Xiao family, Village Chief Gu knew that the Xiao family was not satisfied with the way Fangcao's family handled the matter.
But now that things have come to this, it's too late to say anything, and I can only leave with Huaer and Xianger helplessly.
Before leaving, Huaer stood there, seeming to want to say something but hesitant, and finally followed the back of the ancient village chief and left.
On the contrary, Xiang'er, after watching Village Chief Gu and Hua'er leave, turned to Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue and said, "I didn't know why Grandfather came to the Xiao family at first. I thought he was here to ease relations with the Xiao family, but I didn't expect he was here to test the Xiao family's intentions. If I had known this was the case, I definitely wouldn't have followed Grandfather."
Yun Ruoxi chuckled, "It's okay, I know you won't target the Xiao family, just follow your grandfather back."
Xiang'er saw that Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue had indeed not misunderstood her, so she hurriedly ran out of the Xiao family.
After everyone left, Mu Ruxue said, "In the entire Taohua Village, only Xiang'er is pretty good. The rest of them have their own little thoughts."
Yun Ruoxi: "If a person doesn't care about himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. It's a normal thing!"
After he finished speaking, he turned to the clerk and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on the villagers of Taohua Village, especially Fangcao's family."
"Yes, Madam."
Seeing this, Mu Ruxue asked curiously, "Do you suspect that the Fangcao family will really cause trouble?"
Yun Ruoxi nodded. "It would be easy to deal with at any other time, but now the refugees have started to cause chaos in the surrounding villages. If Fangcao and her family want to return to Taohua Village, they will naturally not let us, their great enemy, go. They might even reveal the Xiao family's affairs to the refugees outside. At a time like this, all refugees will have a hatred of the rich. We just built such a large yard. Do you think the refugees will think we have a lot of food in the yard? To survive, everyone will naturally take risks. It is not impossible for them to attack our two families."
Mu Ruxue: "Since there's a drought, why don't the court send people down to provide disaster relief? It's only been three months, and the drought has already spread to Lingnan."
Yun Ruoxi's fingertips traced the exquisite winding branches on the window lattice. Looking at Xiang'er's retreating figure, a cold look appeared in her eyes: "The court is probably too busy to take care of itself."
Before he finished speaking, the sound of hurried horse hooves suddenly came from afar, and a guard jumped off his horse, with dark red bloodstains on his waist.
"Madam! Thick smoke is rising from the direction of Taohua Village, and there seems to be sounds of fighting!"
The guard knelt on one knee, his breath smelling of rust. "While on patrol, we discovered several refugees with suspicious behavior. We captured one and interrogated him. He confessed that he was the refugee brought here by Fangcao's son-in-law. They threatened to massacre the Xiao family and steal their food to save their lives!"
It turned out that three months later, Fangcao had already gotten married in another village. This was really fast.
Mu Ruxue stood up suddenly, and the teacup shattered. "Just as you expected! These wicked and heartless people!"
She clenched the soft sword at her waist, but saw Yun Ruoxi raised her hand to signal for peace of mind, her phoenix eyes fixed on the black clouds rolling in the sky - that direction was Taohua Village.
"Pass the order down, all guards, strictly guard the gates and transfer the grain to the hidden warehouse."
Yun Ruoxi took off the silver bracelet on her wrist, revealing the hidden button on the inside. "Send someone to the government office to report that Taohua Village was plundered by refugees and request support."
Her tone was calm, but her fingertips were white from exerting force—the defensive mechanism she had meticulously laid out three months ago was finally going to be used.
Fortunately, the guards from the Duke of Ying's Mansion were there, otherwise, if Fangcao had dared to bring refugees to rob the Xiao family, it would have been difficult to resolve.
Taohua Village Ancient Ancestral Hall
"Old man! You drove my father-in-law and his family away. Do you know you were wrong now?"
Fangcao's son-in-law stepped on the hunched back of the ancient village chief, and the torch in his hand illuminated his distorted face.
He brought the torch close to the trembling shoulders of the ancient village chief, and the flames ignited the corners of the old man's coarse clothes. "As long as you take us to the Xiao family, I will give you half of the food!"
The choking smoke forced tears from the ancient village chief's eyes, and his cloudy eyes stared at the mottled plaque "Virtue and Grace Lasting" on the lintel of the ancestral hall.
It was written by his grandfather, but now it was groaning under the heat.
He suddenly struggled violently, his calloused hands drawing blood on the rough ground. "You bunch of beasts! The Xiao family's food is also earned through blood and sweat. You have brought shame upon Taohua Village!"
It turned out that the ancient village chief, with Hua'er and Xiang'er, encountered refugees on the road before he could even return home, and was taken directly to the ancestral hall.
In the ancestral hall, Xiang'er protected Hua'er tightly behind her.
In addition to them, there were many elders in the ancestral hall, all waiting for the village chief to bring back news, but they were blocked at the door.
The girl's thin back was pressed against the wooden door of the ancestral hall, her messy hair stuck to her tear-stained face.
She looked at the ancestral tablets shaking on the altar. The candlelight flickered in the violent shaking, and the names of the ancestors on the tablets seemed to be distorted in the flames.
"Don't be afraid, flower."
Xiang'er's voice was filled with tears, but she hugged her sister tighter, digging her nails deep into Hua'er's sleeves, "They don't dare to hurt us!"
Before he finished speaking, the door of the ancestral hall burst open.
Several refugees rushed in holding sticks. The iron hook of one of them gleamed coldly in the firelight. It was a tool used for fishing in daily life, but now it became a weapon.
“Get out of the way!”
The leading refugee swung his fist at Xiang'er, "If you don't accept my toast, you two sisters won't have an easy time!"
Xiang'er staggered backward, her lower back hitting the altar, causing the incense burner to fall over and the incense ash to fall like fine snow, covering the bloodstains that were spreading under their feet.
Yun Ruoxi and Mu Ruxue hid in the dark and watched. They could ignore the safety of other people in Taohua Village, but they could not ignore Huaer and Xianger.
Mu Ruxue asked helplessly: "Xixi, what do you say now? Save him or not?"
Yun Ruoxi saw the person inside about to touch Xiang'er and said without hesitation, "Save her."
She was also a bit cruel and didn't care about the life and death of the people in Taohua Village, but when she saw someone injured with her own eyes, she couldn't help but want to take action.
Following Yun Ruoxi's order, all the people who had just been brought out rushed in with pistols in hand.
With the participation of the Xiao family, the village chief's family was quickly rescued.
Yun Ruoxi: "Clerk, heal the ancient village chief, and the rest of you, subdue the refugees."
"Yes, Miss!"
All the guards answered in unison, shocking all the villagers of Taohua Village in the ancestral hall.
Hua'er asked softly, "Sister Xiang'er, are these guards all from the Duke of Ying's mansion?"
Xiang'er nodded, "They call you Sister Noble and Miss. They must be from the Duke of Ying's Mansion."
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