“We want to go too. With several masters there, they will definitely protect us.” Zhou Erfu quickly seized the opportunity; he was eager to explore the deep mountains.
“The masters are going to gather herbs, not to play. Don’t hold them back,” Zhao Guihua objected without hesitation.
“If the five brothers Fu want to go, we can take them along,” Zhu Lin said calmly.
“I think it’s good to let the children see the world. I also believe in the abilities of the masters. A real man needs to experience more things. Too much comfort will make him a useless person.” Zhou Laoda’s idea was different from Zhao Guihua’s.
Since both the young master and her husband had spoken, Zhao Guihua couldn't refuse both of them at the same time. Although she was still a little worried, she eventually agreed to her sons' decision to go into the deep mountains with her.
After waking up from her afternoon nap, Zhao Guihua was sitting under the eaves making clothes with needle and thread and cloth, while drying rice. The sun was strong these past two days, so she didn't have to worry about rain. She just had to keep watch to prevent the birds from disturbing her.
Xingxing had just come out of the kitchen after drinking honey water when she heard someone knocking on the door. The little girl ran quickly towards the gate, but instead of opening it, she called out, "Who's out there? What do you want?"
“Young lady, our Lord Zheng has come to visit. Please open the door.” It was Zheng Yue who replied, his usually stern face now softened with gentleness.
Xingxing has a good memory and naturally recognized Zheng Yue's voice. The other party said that Lord Zheng was also here. What is Zheng Qingshu here for? Could it be that he wants to collect taxes? The rice has just been harvested and hasn't been dried yet.
What should I do if I don't want to open the door for him?
Zhao Guihua also heard Zheng Yue's words. Seeing Xingxing standing there motionless, seemingly struggling with something, she had no choice but to put down her work and open the door. Zheng Qingshu was the county magistrate; how could he block someone from entering?
As soon as the door opened, Zhao Guihua was about to bow when Zheng Qingshu quickly used his folding fan to support her wrist, indicating that she didn't need to be so polite.
"Please come in, Lord Zheng. Our master is still taking a nap. I'll go and wake him up right away." Zhao Guihua led Zheng Qingshu and Zheng Yue into the courtyard.
The courtyard was filled with drying rice. Zheng Qingshu and Zheng Yue walked along the edge without stepping on the rice.
Zhao Guihua walked very fast, stepping directly onto the rice stalks and entering the house. By this time, Zhou Laoda had already woken up and was about to ask who had come to the house.
"Hurry up, sir! The magistrate is here!" Zhao Guihua said before he could even speak.
"Here you are again. What brings you here?"
Old Master Zhou couldn't think of anything at home that would warrant the county magistrate's personal visit. The pumpkin seeds had already been handed in, but getting seeds for the second half of the year wouldn't be quick; they'd have to wait another two months. The corn cobs were growing well, but they weren't ripe yet.
"How would I know? They're already inside, you should go and greet them."
Zhao Guihua muttered in a low voice. She used to be quite afraid of the county magistrate, but after seeing him more often, she no longer felt nervous. After all, she had even met the prefect and the governor, so she had seen a lot of the world.
After getting dressed, Zhou Laoda went to the main room. Zhao Guihua turned around and went to the kitchen to boil water. Xingxing wandered around the yard aimlessly for a while, and then turned and went to the main room to hear what the county magistrate's purpose was.
"I would like to meet that young master Zhu. I wonder where he is now?" Zheng Qingshu asked very politely.
This politeness was different from the superficial politeness of the past; it now seemed to carry a hint of sincerity. Zheng Qingshu looked up and saw the stars, and his smile became even more gentle.
Previously, in order to hunt down the remnants of Prince Gong's faction, and because some children of displaced people had been arrested, Zheng Qingshu and the prefect personally went to Pingzhou Prefecture. They cooperated with the prefect of Pingzhou Prefecture to settle dozens of children and at the same time dismantle Prince Gong's power in Pingzhou Prefecture.
The governor brought up a matter concerning the princess, and Zheng Qingshu and the prefect were summoned to the governor's study for a secret conversation that lasted for an hour.
The gist of it is that the Zhou family's adopted daughter is likely the real princess, while the one in the palace might be a fake. Of course, this is the governor's judgment, which is biased. After all, his great-grandfather was from Xianwu Island, and the young master of Xianwu Island said that Zhou Xingxing was a princess. The governor said he would investigate, but said he wouldn't believe it without evidence.
But deep down he believed it 70%. If someone else told him that someone was a princess, he definitely wouldn't believe it and would even arrest that person and beat them up.
However, he needed to think carefully about what the young master of Xianwu Island said, and he had been secretly sending people to investigate. Now that the Zhou family had returned to Yegou Village, the governor and the prefect of Nanyang Prefecture had a good relationship, and the governor also had a good relationship with Zheng Qingshu, so he thought of entrusting the task of protecting the princess to the two of them.
Upon hearing the governor's words, the prefect and Zheng Qingshu were both surprised, but they also knew that the governor must have been more than 50% certain to say such a thing, so they naturally had to take it seriously.
"Does the Emperor know about this?" the prefect asked with a grave expression.
"I need solid evidence. We cannot be careless. I suspect this is also a conspiracy by Prince Gong. Prince Gong must know the princess's identity, otherwise why would he send so many assassins to hunt her down?" The governor said, revealing his suspicions.
The three of them analyzed the situation carefully for more than half an hour, connecting all the facts, and finally came to a common conclusion: the one in the capital was probably a fake princess, and the real princess was still farming in the countryside.
This is why Zheng Qingshu suddenly sought out the Zhou family again. He wanted to get some clues from the Zhou family members and the people from Zhuxian Island. He had no choice but to come in such a hurry.
The Emperor issued an edict ordering him to take up the post of Prefect of Quanshui Prefecture next month. The promotion was a joyous occasion, but the Emperor's grace was boundless and he felt unworthy of the honor. He could only hope to do his best for the Emperor.
Moreover, since it concerns the royal bloodline, we must act with even greater caution.
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