Dismantle the carriage?
"Listen, girl! That man is so rude and arrogant. He yells and shouts, and he wants to tear down our carriage if we don't agree with him!" Cuimei turned her head away, angrily.
Jiang Yushu held her breath, listened attentively, and said softly, "Hush, listen carefully. That person has a capital accent. He dares to speak, so he must have confidence."
"Ah?" Cuimei suppressed her anger, pondered for a moment, and asked hesitantly, "Oh, it's true! He ordered 'make way for the official'. Could the other party be a high-ranking official from the capital?"
Jiang Yushu made a quick decision, stood up and walked out, calmly answering, "No matter if they are high-ranking or low-ranking officials, they are stronger than us. They are powerful, but we are not local tyrants. Let's just give way and avoid complications."
"Slow down!" Cuimei hurriedly supported and opened the curtain.
At this time, Zhuang Song had no choice but to hurry to the front, bowed politely, and asked carefully: "I am the chief clerk of the Heqin County Court. I wonder what the name of this gentleman is? You——"
"Nonsense!"
"Stop talking nonsense!" In an instant, the official in black uniform who was blocking the road and ordering people to make way became very impatient. With a dark face, he shouted sternly:
"What are you still standing there for? I'll say it again, get out of the way immediately!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Yushu protected her stomach, bent over with difficulty, and slowly got out of the car. She replied apologetically, "Let us go, right away! I'm so sorry, we were busy transporting the official grain to the county government office and accidentally blocked the road."
The clerk in black uniform was stunned, staring at the beautiful pregnant woman. He listened to her sincere apology in the capital's accent. After listening, his expression softened a little, and he said in a gruff voice, "If you know what's good for you, get out of the way quickly and don't waste our time!"
"Yes." Jiang Yushu nodded, paused, and asked tentatively, "You can see that we have a lot of grain carts, and they are heavy. We can't move them all at once. If the grain carts pull over and the carriages immediately turn around and find a place to evade them, do you think it would be feasible?"
The official in black uniform surveyed the surroundings, thought for a moment, and replied, "These ox-carts and mule-carts must pull over as much as possible. If they collide with our carriages, you won't be able to bear the consequences."
"Do your best to move aside!" Jiang Yushu breathed a sigh of relief and advised Zhuang Song, "The other party looks quite powerful. Let's move aside and avoid a quarrel."
"Although I don't know them, I can tell they're not bandits." Zhuang Song sighed, "Let them go. These days, less trouble is worse than more."
Immediately, the two of them went their separate ways.
Jiang Yushu had already made plans and arranged: "Xiao Zou, wait until the mule cart next to you moves away, then turn around immediately and retreat to find a wider place to avoid it."
"Understood!" Zou Gui said decisively, holding the reins tightly to steady the horse.
Zhuang Song was running back and forth, shouting, "Pull over, everyone! Be careful, steady the animals, and don't upset the grain."
The villagers had just been scolded. Although they were dissatisfied, no one dared to complain anymore. They obeyed the orders and quickly moved the grain truck to the side of the road.
While they were busy dodging, it didn't take long before the other party's large group of vehicles and horses gradually turned out of the mountain bend, and the movements were clear.
Jiang Yushu and Cuimei stood by the roadside, looking out curiously: unlike the black uniforms of the clerks clearing the way, the large group of people coming towards them were all in neat military uniforms, all carrying swords, and marching in an orderly manner!
"Oh my?" Cuimei was startled and blurted out, "How impressive! They must be heading to the Heqin Garrison!"
After the official in black uniform led his men to clear the way, he also retreated to the side of the road. Upon hearing this, he glared at me and said unhappily, "Little girl, shut up and don't ask for trouble."
“…Oh.” Cuimei was angry but dared not say anything.
Then, Zou Gui tied the carriage in the nearby grass. First, he was worried, and second, the young man loved the hustle and bustle. He ran back, tiptoed and stretched his neck to look.
The clerk in black uniform shouted, "Everyone, step back and stand still. No moving, no noise, no whispering!"
The crowd did not dare to raise any objection and followed his orders one by one.
Jiang Yushu patiently asked her companions to move further back and whispered, "Stay back and be quiet." She turned her eyes quietly, observing the respectful demeanor of the clerk in uniform and his subordinates, and silently guessed the identity of the other party's leader.
After a while, a large group of carriages and horses approached.
The majestic guards in military uniforms led the way, vigilantly examining the people on the roadside, their hands always gripping the hilts of their swords.
Following closely behind were carts covered in oilcloth, piled high with cargo, and it was unclear what they carried. But the sound of the wheels and the ruts of the wheels revealed their heavy loads.
After hundreds of carriages passed, a spacious carriage with a red roof came. The roof was decorated with round beads and the curtains had silk tassels. It was guarded by many strong and sturdy men on all sides.
Zhu Gai?
Jiang Yushu was startled, then suddenly realized and thought to herself: According to the court etiquette, only princes and officials of the third rank and above are qualified to ride in a red-covered carriage.
Therefore, the person in that carriage must be at least a third-rank official. No wonder he had a dedicated escort and numerous guards. If he passed through a local market, the government would often close the road. In the wilderness, it was impossible to avoid him, so they asked us to retreat to the side of the road.
At the same time, next to the red-covered carriage, dozens of highly skilled guards in uniform surrounded a young man, like stars surrounding the moon.
The young man is not yet an adult, he is handsome and fair-skinned, and his eyes and brows reveal not only a heroic air, but also a noble air.
As he rode by, out of curiosity, he tilted his head to look at the various grain carts and the pale-faced and skinny common people on the roadside... Finally, he asked:
"Are these common people also escorting government grain to the Heqin County Government?"
"Yes." The clerk in black uniform who was in charge of clearing the way hurried forward to answer.
The convoy couldn't move fast due to its heavy load, so the young man could only follow it at a leisurely pace. Confused, he asked, "These past few days, I've frequently encountered common people handing in grain to the government. Each convoy has dozens or even hundreds of loaded carts. When I asked, they all said it was a good harvest. It's strange. If the harvest is good, why are the common people so pale and thin?"
"I find it strange too, but I don't know why." The clerk in black uniform bowed respectfully.
The young man frowned, scanning the ragged, thin villagers, and speculated, "Could it be that the local government is exploiting the common people? To amass wealth, the government forces the people to hand over most of their food, leaving them starving to this pale and emaciated state."
"This... is not impossible." The clerk in black uniform replied.
The young man sympathized with the villagers and said seriously, "If it's really the government doing wrong, how can we just turn a blind eye? We should investigate. If it's true, the county magistrate must be severely punished!"
"Yes," the trusted attendant replied, "I will investigate once I'm done with my duties."
The young man nodded with satisfaction, "I'll check it out carefully."
No, you misunderstood!
As the chief official of Heqin County, Lord Pan is upright, diligent, and loves the people. He is also considered to be incorruptible and is definitely not a corrupt official who exploits the people.
The county magistrate was busy in the yamen, but disaster struck him. If he was punished hastily, wouldn't it be unfair?
Jiang Yushu had originally lowered her head, but she couldn't help but look up, and her eyes met the young man's -
The young man looked down and was surprised to see two women among the villagers who were dressed simply but neatly, so he took a few more glances.
Unexpectedly, after a quick look, he suddenly had an idea and froze. He couldn't help but rein in his horse, exclaimed "Huh", and asked in surprise:
"Y-you—look familiar."
Jiang Yushu was also stunned, wanting to say something but stopping herself, swallowing the words: "But you don't look familiar to me at all." Instead, she answered doubtfully: "Huh?"
The young man was born with an excellent memory. He studied Jiang Yushu's face, thought carefully, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He asked firmly, "You are from the Jingyang Marquis' Mansion that was confiscated, right?"
Jiang Yushu was stunned and confused. "Yes, I am. Who are you?"
The next moment, Zou Gui, who had already recognized the other party's identity, felt his legs weaken and he fell to his knees, saying in shock: "Nine, nine——"
The guard immediately interrupted and shouted, "Shut up! Don't interrupt me unless I ask you!"
"Yes, yes." Zou Gui knelt down and lowered his head, feeling extremely terrified.
When Jiang Yushu saw Zou Gui's expression, she immediately understood: It seems that he knows Hong Lei, and his family background is noble, but I don't recognize him.
She thought again: His family background is more noble than the Marquis's Mansion, could he be a member of the royal family?
The young man wasn't angry at all. Instead, he looked very interested and asked with a smile, "You actually recognize me? When and where did you meet?"
Zou Gui lowered his brows and explained, "That year, I was hunting with the Second Young Master on Baiyue Mountain outside the capital. It rained heavily at noon, and many people took shelter at the same farm. That's why I had the honor of meeting you."
"Oh!" the young man understood, "So you are Guo Honglei's servant!"
Zou Gui answered respectfully, "Yes."
The young man turned away from the Guo family servant and looked at Jiang Yushu, sighing, "On the day the Guo family was exiled and paraded through the streets, I happened to pass by and saw you and Guo Honglei leading your family out of the city. I never thought I'd run into you here."
Recalling the first day of exile, Jiang Yushu was overwhelmed with emotions. Concerned about the other party's identity, she took the initiative to change her name and lowered her head to answer: "I am a criminal farming here."
"Guo Honglei must be in Heqinwei?"
"yes."
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"Are you escorting official grain?"
Jiang Yushu shook her head and explained briefly, "I'm going to Liangang Town to do some farm work."
The young man's eyes showed pity, and he was about to speak, but a guard rode up and whispered, "Your Highness invites you."
"...I understand." The young man had to stop and turned his horse to rush towards the red-covered carriage. When he turned around, he glanced at the bulging belly of the fugitive.
Jiang Yushu bowed and said, "Take care."
Then, the large group of carriages and horses continued to move forward. It was a full quarter of an hour before the armored guards at the rear went away.
The crowd that had been retreating to the roadside finally dared to move. They rushed forward and asked in unison, "Zou Gui, who are they?"
"Little brother, can you tell me about it?"
"Wow, quite impressive! He must be a high-ranking official, right? But he looks a little too young."
"What do you know? The real high official is in the carriage. That young man is probably his confidant."
…
Zou Gui waved his hands, shook his head vigorously, and said with a bitter face: "Everyone, I'm sorry, even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare to say anything nonsense. You just need to know that he is a nobleman in the capital." After speaking, he trotted away swiftly and shouted:
"Don't ask any more questions, don't embarrass me. I'm going to drive the carriage!"
Everyone worked together to move the grain cart back to the road. They were all curious and asked or pressed questions as they hurried on. However, Zou Gui just laughed it off and kept his mouth shut.
It was not until they reached the foot of Liangang Town that he quietly informed her, "Madam, the young man I met on the official road today was His Royal Highness the Ninth Prince. As for the man in the carriage, I have no idea who he was."
"Ah?" Cuimei gasped, her eyes widening. "Oh my god, it's actually a prince? His Royal Highness?"
"Yes!" Zou Gui clapped his hands excitedly and said excitedly, "Back then, I followed the young master to Baiyue Mountain to hunt and ran into the Ninth Prince. It was then that I learned that the young master had known the Ninth Prince for a long time. They were chatting and laughing."
Jiang Yushu was stunned for a moment, lost in thought before she said solemnly, "He's indeed a member of the royal family! But I never imagined it would be the Ninth Prince. So, what's in their cart is most likely military rations."
"It seems that a war between Da Gan and Bei Xie is imminent."
"Well, that's probably the case." Zou Gui sighed. "Look, the food and fodder have arrived, and the army has ordered us to prepare ginger and gold wound medicine before the snow falls. I'm afraid we'll have to fight a decisive battle with the enemy soon."
The three of them looked at each other, all worried about the safety of Guo Honglei and others.
Jiang Yushu was worried and anxious while busy with the autumn harvest. By the end of the month, thousands of acres of potatoes had been harvested.
That afternoon, the table was piled with accounts from the villages of the two towns. The abacus beads made a crisp "crackling" sound as two old accountants were busy calculating the total ledger.
Jiang Yushu was apprehensive, pacing around the table, her heart pounding as she nervously muttered, "Haven't you figured it out yet? I don't even know what the total is."
Zhuang Song was a man with nothing to worry about. He was so anxious that he simply moved a stool closer to the old accountant and asked anxiously, "Quick, calculate it quickly. How much is it? Is it 15 million catties?"
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