The old man's eyes were firm, and his fists were clenched tightly.
"But, sir, what about the Crown Prince..."
The Crown Prince's maternal family was already powerful, and in recent years they have amassed even more influence.
There are now more people in the army who support the Crown Prince than the Emperor, so it is almost impossible to remove the Crown Prince's power.
It's only because the crown prince didn't harbor any evil intentions to depose the emperor that the throne...
"I don't think the young master intends to go back. Besides, the young master's face and legs..."
Xiao Du looked worried. Emperors throughout history have demanded perfection; putting aside other considerations, at the very least, there could be no obvious scars on their faces or any physical disabilities.
But now, Han Yuchen walks with a limp. Although it's not very noticeable, and it might not matter to an ordinary person, it's a serious matter for an emperor...
And that ugly scar on his face, it's a story that's been told to everyone.
He'll be alright!
He couldn't believe his son had survived being hunted by so many people; he couldn't believe he had lost all will to fight.
Besides, isn't General Wu behind him? If the old general could let go so easily, the emperor was still somewhat puzzled.
"Han Qiang, Han Luoxue, you two heartless people, hurry up and give me back my food!"
As dusk approached, no one expected that the people from Lijiazhuang would come again.
There was a loud banging on the door, and Han Luoxue's anger flared up the moment she heard it.
He was about to go out and open the door, but Han Yuchen grabbed his hand and said, "I'll go!"
"You think you can argue with an old woman?"
Han Luoxue glanced at Han Yuchen; of course, he was the one to deal with women.
Although that's what he said, Han Yuchen was still uneasy, so of course he had to go out with Han Luoxue.
"Didn't we sign the agreement back then? How dare they still come?"
Han Mingyuan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), wanting to go out and ask. But everyone wouldn't let him get off; his leg injury was still minor and he needed to rest.
"You just stay home and wait patiently. I'll go out with Xue'er to take a look."
The family went out and opened the front door. When they saw the crowd at the door, they were all taken aback.
"So that's who gave you your confidence. It turns out it's Magistrate Zhu."
Han Luoxue sneered. She thought to herself, how dare an old hag like her cause trouble at this time?
"Miss Han, someone has come to report a crime, and I can't just ignore it, can I?"
"Magistrate Zhu, you're really dedicated, not even taking a break on New Year's Eve." Han Luoxue sneered.
Magistrate Zhu smiled innocently on his chubby face: "I have no choice. Someone came to report a case, so naturally I have to deal with it."
"I am in a position to fulfill my duties, and I hope Miss Han will forgive me."
"I wouldn't dare to apologize, but when are you going to send me the grain we talked about last time?"
This county magistrate still owes me a lot of grain.
Speaking of grain, Magistrate Zhu gritted his teeth in anger. Last time, Han Luoxue had humiliated him beyond measure. Yet, he still couldn't bear to send the grain back. He had already found a buyer and planned to sell the grain first at a high price, and then deal with it next year.
But who could have imagined that after the price was agreed upon, the two rooms of the government office's warehouse would mysteriously disappear the day before the grain was to be picked up?
Without anyone noticing, he had people investigate for several days without any news, and they even had to compensate the other party for the deposit, three times the amount.
This back and forth not only offended people, but also cost a lot of money, without gaining any advantage at all.
Given Han Ruoxue's stingy nature, whether she can even get the seeds this year is another matter entirely; Magistrate Zhu is already having a terrible headache.
Suddenly, he received a report from the old woman of the Li family. When he heard about the missing grain, he felt that it looked very similar to his own grain. Magistrate Zhu was just worried about not having a chance to deal with Han Luoxue, and the opportunity came knocking on his door.
Even though the old woman from the Li family didn't have any direct evidence, he still came over.
He'd lose too much grain going back and forth like this. Didn't Han Luoxue have plenty of grain? He wanted to make this woman give some back.
If he doesn't receive it, he'll have to shut down his farm.
That land still belongs to Wuling Town.
If Magistrate Wen were still alive, he certainly wouldn't have allowed him to do that. Unfortunately, that man has already resigned, and the current Magistrate Zhu is just doing whatever he pleases.
"Miss Han, didn't we agree to do it together next time?"
Magistrate Zhu chuckled, feeling he still had some face to lose. He couldn't very well give Han Luoxue the same treatment to other counties while ignoring his own, could he?
"Who made any agreement with you? I'm telling you right now, if you don't deliver the grain last time, you won't get any seeds next time."
Han Luoxue's words were quite cunning. She only said that she had never delivered grain and had no seeds, but she did not say that delivering grain necessarily meant having seeds.
Magistrate Zhu is such an unethical person. If the officials in Wuling Town aren't replaced, she's not going to continue helping them.
"You? Miss Han, are you settling a personal score while on duty? Don't you care about the lives of the villagers in our town?"
Magistrate Zhu still wanted to use this to control her, but unfortunately Han Luoxue wouldn't listen to him at all: "They didn't abide by the conditions we agreed on, so what good are they to me?"
"Alright, let's leave that aside for now. I've come here today to discuss the matter of the missing grain from Old Lady Li's house."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and two constables led Han Qiang in.
Although they weren't being escorted, the fact that they were closely following each other on the left and right made it clear that they were up to no good.
Han Luoxue's pupils contracted sharply, and her gaze toward Magistrate Zhu became colder.
"Han Qiang, the old woman from the Li family said that the grain she lost was taken by you."
Magistrate Zhu snorted coldly and asked in a righteous and indignant tone.
When did we take it?
Han Qiang felt a little guilty after saying this, and he even secretly glanced at Han Luoxue.
He was actually shocked when he learned that the old woman from the Li family had lost her grain. But later, remembering what Han Luoxue had said—that the grain had only passed through the Li family's hands—he suddenly understood what was going on.
He had absolutely no idea how Han Luoxue and the others had managed to do it.
At this moment, Magistrate Zhu arrived. He thought that Han Luoxue's actions had been discovered and was worried.
If he is discovered, he is prepared to confess himself.
This matter had nothing to do with Han Luoxue in the first place; it was I who dragged Han Luoxue into it.
"Heh, shouldn't I be asking you this?"
Magistrate Zhu sneered: "The Li family said that it was you and Han Luoxue who did it."
"Hehe, Magistrate Zhu is joking. They say you catch a thief red-handed and an adulterer caught red-handed. You say we took it, but where's the evidence?"
"If anyone can be convicted based on a single statement, then I could also accuse you of embezzlement, Magistrate Zhu. Should I then go to the capital to file a complaint with the Emperor?"
Seeing Han Qiang's nervous expression, Han Luoxue gave him a reassuring look and sneered.
"You...you're talking nonsense. When have I ever embezzled?"
"No? But I think you're being greedy."
Han Luoxue asked with a puzzled look, "If you didn't embezzle, then what about the grain you promised me?"
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