"Yes, could it be that your hometown is in Danyang County?" When Jian Ning heard her ask this, he suspected that they were from Danyang County.
This was a coincidence. After staying in Yancheng Inn for a few days, she also asked other people in the inn. Most people knew about Danyang County, but no one had been there. They only knew that it was remote and far away, a poor place with no one living there.
"Isn't it?" Cao clapped her hands on her thighs. "This is truly fate. My family lives in the east end of the county, less than two miles away from the government office. We rented this house from the owner of the shop in front. My son found a job as a bodyguard in Yancheng, so he brought me and his wife here."
Cao was overjoyed and continued happily, "To be honest, if I hadn't met you two benefactors this time, I would have planned to collect my son's body and then take him home with my daughter-in-law and her daughter."
"Auntie, do you know how many households there are in Danyang County now?"
Before his mother could speak, Xu Dali took over and said, "There aren't many people there. Probably fewer than 400 households, less than 3,000 people. The position of county magistrate has been vacant for over a year. There's only the county magistrate and the chief clerk, and not even a few yamen runners. It's extremely cold and miserable there. Why would Lord Ding be sent there?"
Jian Ning smiled and said, "Someone has to go. Since it's designated as a county town, the population must have been at least 10,000. How come it's dropped to less than 3,000? Has there been a major disaster?"
Cao sighed. "Who says it isn't? There were good times in the early years. I was born and raised in Danyang County. When I was little, the streets were bustling with people during the New Year holidays. Then, for some reason, there were ice disasters every year, and it got colder every year. The wealthy families all moved away, and with the deaths of people freezing to death or starving to death, the population gradually dwindled. Alas."
"Mother, don't sigh." Xu Dali said, "Since the court has sent the princess and Lord Ding, I believe that in a few years we will be able to see the prosperity of the past that you once talked about. They are all very capable people!"
"That's right, my son is right." Cao was delighted again and smiled at Jian Ning, "I'm afraid I've become confused and have forgotten that both of you are great benefactors. With great benefactors like you in Danyang, there's no need to worry about whether our future will be better!"
"I heard that Lord Ding has come up with some method to harvest more grain. The government hasn't said what it is yet. I said earlier that Lord Yang was also a person who didn't do his job properly. I think he must be in some trouble. I really wronged him!"
Jian Ning said, "It's hybrid grain. The imperial court will promote it to various prefectures and counties at the grand banquet. Someone will definitely come here to promote it in a while, so don't worry."
After bidding farewell to the Cao family, Jian Ning was thinking all the way back, what exactly caused the sudden drop in climate in Danyang and the annual ice disasters?
After the decree came down to send Ding Youtian to the north, Jian Ning asked King Pingnan about it. King Pingnan led his army mainly in the southeastern part of the north and had never been to Danyang. According to King Pingnan, the temperature in the southeast was slightly lower than that in the capital. She had not heard anyone talk about any ice disasters in Yancheng during the past few days.
Is it true that only Danyang has ice disasters?
Jian Ning couldn't figure it out, so he went back and asked Ding Youtian. He also didn't understand, so after thinking for a while he said, "Don't think about it for now. Since there are still hundreds of families who can survive, we can survive as well if we go there. As long as we can survive, there are ways to think of a way. Let's talk about it when we get there."
"That's fine. It's only August when we get there, so it's still early in winter. We'll see what the situation is like there and then figure out a solution. We can't let a living person die from holding their urine."
Ding Youtian smiled and lightly scratched her nose with his finger, "Be more elegant."
"Hate it! You're so elegant, if you have the guts, don't pee." Jian Ning rolled her eyes at him and was about to go to the inner room when Sanniu came running over, "Mom, I need to pee."
Jian Ning burst out laughing and said, "Your father just said we should be more polite and not say 'pee.' Lord Ding." She turned to Ding Youtian and asked, "How should we say it in a more polite way from now on?"
"I know." Erniu came over and said seriously, "If you want to have a small bowel movement, Sister A'man said so. I want to go too, and I'll have a big bowel movement too."
"Okay, Mom will take you to go to the toilet, let's go." Jane Ning couldn't help laughing, and she took one of them in each hand and led them downstairs.
Jian Ning led them downstairs and ran into Ding Zhu. She was uneasy because the person who had poisoned Ding Zhu hadn't come looking for her in the past few days. Then, in one of her rare moments of clarity, she realized that the person who had poisoned her knew her background, but she didn't know the true relationship between Ding Youtian and Jian Ning. So, she suspected that the person was someone from the government office.
However, the people she suspected were those around Lord Yang, because she knew that Ding Youtian and Jian Ning were her "brother and sister-in-law". Apart from the maids and old women who served her, there were also people in the wife's courtyard.
But the lady's courtyard was full of maids and old women, and it was two men who kidnapped her and poisoned her that day. After thinking about it, she suspected the attendants around Lord Yang.
"You go up and wait first, we'll come up." Jian Ning brought Erniu and Sanniu to the toilet and sent them to the next door to hand them over to Tong Bajin and the others. When he returned to the house, he heard Ding Zhu say, "Uncle, I'm going back now."
"Aunt, I'm leaving." She knelt down again and bowed to Jian Ning.
"What's wrong with her? She looked sad when she came, but now she looks happy again. What did you say to her? Why did she come here?" Jian Ning asked after Ding Zhu left.
"She still doesn't know who gave her the medicine. She said no one has come to see her these past few days, and she suspects it was someone close to Lord Yang. I just told her it wasn't them, and told her not to worry about it. If they don't come to see her, then they don't need her and can't count on her."
Jian Ning frowned slightly. The Second Young Master Jiang had been tortured with acupuncture needles. There was no reason for Judge Jiang to let him go. What was the point of him holding back? She raised her eyes and looked at Ding Youtian. "Since he can't use Ding Zhu, does he want to do it himself?"
Ding Youtian nodded. "I'm sure he's planning to attack us on the way to Danyang. So, we better be careful."
On the second day, after breakfast, Jian Ning checked out of the inn. Tong Bajin drove the carriage to the provincial government office first. Ding Youtian was going to Danyang to take up his post, so naturally he needed to pay a visit to the prefectural governor.
When he saw him take out the official appointment documents, Lord Yang did not show any surprise. He had heard the rumor that Princess An Ning and the new top scholar had arrived in Yancheng, and the first people he thought of were Jian Ning and Ding Youtian.
Princess An Ning was able to even cure the smallpox, and Lord Yang became more and more confident in the medicine she gave him. Because Jian Ning and the others were still outside in the carriage, Ding Youtian did not exchange many greetings with him, and left after going through the formalities.
"The magistrate is recuperating at home due to illness. Please be careful on the road!" Lord Yang warned him with a double meaning.
"Thank you, sir. I will definitely arrive in Danyang safely." Ding Youtian bowed, turned around and strode away.
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