Chapter 228 The Unjustly Accused Son
The old farmer sized him up and down: "This distinguished guest is not from our Great Wilderness region, is he? Those are soldiers collecting poll tax."
"Is the old man trying to scare me? Collecting taxes is one thing, but why are you arresting people?"
"Hey, you rich people wouldn't understand! This is because they couldn't pay the money and were conscripted into the army!"
"The tax in the Great Wilderness is only five hundred coins per person per year. I remember that the land here is fertile and there is never a shortage of food. How could they not be able to pay the tax?"
"What do you know?" the old farmer sighed to himself. "Heaven is blind! Our Pingning region has suffered from drought for years, and last year there was a complete crop failure. This year, the court is really killing people. All taxes have more than doubled, and many families have sold their children. Those who can't pay the taxes are naturally conscripted into the army. Sigh, being conscripted is good, at least they have food to eat. My second and third sons are both in the army. I don't know when they'll be back." As he spoke, he rubbed his back, picked up his water bag, took a sip, and left without paying any attention to the emperor.
"Doubling the taxes? Conscription? Drought? Has Ma Zhanshan's tenure as Governor-General of the Great Wilderness come to an end? Is he planning a rebellion?!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. How could Ma Zhanshan possibly have such ability?" Wang Yong was also seething with hatred, his white beard trembling.
"Yes, yes. What a regent! How dare he?"
The emperor trembled with rage, his fingertips turning slightly white from the force he exerted. In a daze, he couldn't catch his breath, and his face turned bright red.
The divine physician, Magpie, also noticed something was wrong and immediately rushed over to help calm him down: "Your Majesty, please calm down."
The next second, however, the emperor in front of him suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Then, as if all her strength had been released, she collapsed to the ground, but fortunately, the people around her caught her.
The skilled physician, Magpie, was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. He immediately took the patient's pulse: "Oh no, the poison has flared up again."
Then he immediately took out silver needles and quickly sealed several of his major meridians.
"The only solution now is to seal the Emperor's heart meridian. Quickly, hurry on our journey; if we don't arrive within three days, we may face dire consequences."
"Sanqi, go and investigate quickly. If you find Doctor Jiang, be sure to bring him to us and let's get there as quickly as possible. We must be fast."
"Yes." Sanqi nodded solemnly.
Without saying a word, he swung himself onto his horse. However, he hadn't gone far when he heard a cold shout: "Watch out, there's an ambush."
Almost simultaneously with the sound, an arrow struck the leg of the galloping horse, causing it to stumble and fall. Sanqi fell directly off the horse, almost being thrown off, and rolled several times.
When he came to his senses, the surroundings were in chaos.
"Sanqi, don't worry about us, quickly find Doctor Jiang, and send many people to protect this person's life. Make sure he holds on until we arrive!"
Almost in the blink of an eye, Sanqi understood the key to it.
If even the Emperor can be assassinated, then the only physician who can cure him, Physician Jiang, is likely in grave danger. After all, killing Physician Jiang would solve the problem once and for all, wouldn't it?
Thinking this, he frantically seized a horse, quickly broke through the encirclement, and galloped away.
...
"Can you buy me this? I like it."
Inside the jewelry shop, Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and showed the hairpin to the shop assistant.
Xiao Er nodded his little head frantically: "Okay, it will look good on A Nuan."
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and handed the silver to the shopkeeper: "This one will do."
This is a plain silver hairpin with auspicious cloud patterns, a classic design. Without any jingling tassels, it's simple and elegant, easy to match with other items, and Jiang Nuanzhi quite liked it. She handed it to the waiter as soon as she received it: "Here, put this on for me."
When the waiter put the hairpin on Jiang Nuanzhi, her eyes sparkled.
Jiang Nuanzhi squatted down to look at Xiao Er and couldn't help but smile: "This is the first time I've received a gift. Thank you, my darling."
Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but tug at his little face.
"Does Anuan like receiving gifts?"
Jiang Nuanzhi nodded: "Of course, I love it."
As they were talking, Jiang Nuanzhi led the waiter out the door.
The waiter glanced back at the shop and said, "Anuan, wait for me. When I earn money in the future, I'll buy you that jade one as a gift."
Jiang Nuanzhi looked at him closely: "The shopkeeper just said it would cost fifty taels of silver, are you willing to spend that much?"
"I'm willing to spend the money. I'll definitely be able to buy it for Anuan later. But Anuan, don't rush, wait a little while."
"No rush, I already have a gift and I'm very happy."
Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but reach out and touch her head; this was truly the first gift she had ever received in the strictest sense.
Of course, this excludes the fruits, snacks, and other treats sent by friends, as well as holiday gifts.
"Come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious."
Xiao Er shook his head this time: "No, Ah Nuan's cooking is better than theirs."
Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but laugh: "You, is there anything you want to play?"
The waiter shook his head.
"Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
The waiter tilted his head and thought for a moment: "How about we go to the pharmacy? I've never seen many of the medicines listed in my brochure before. I'd like to take a look."
Jiang Nuanzhi raised an eyebrow and glanced at the waiter. This little rascal had really grown up, making Jiang Nuanzhi feel a bit uncomfortable. "Okay, then after we finish shopping at the market, we'll go find your brother Lü. He has all the medicinal herbs at home."
"Okay!"
After saying this, Xiao Er secretly looked at her: "Anuan, you really just brought me out to have fun, and you didn't mean to scold me, right?"
Jiang Nuanzhi found it amusing: "Why would I scold you?"
"Because I said the wrong thing during the day, that I wanted to ride on someone like Little Tiger."
Jiang Nuanzhi: "Then can you ride on someone else's back?"
Xiao Er: "No, no, no, definitely not. I would never be as annoying as Xiao Hu."
Jiang Nuanzhi: "Then that's settled."
Xiao Er: "But Father scolded me."
Jiang Nuanzhi raised an eyebrow at him: "What's wrong? Are you feeling wronged?"
Xiao Er shook his head: "Father treats me much better than my brother. If my brother had said that, Father would have definitely hit me. I'm glad I didn't get beaten, hehe."
Jiang Nuanzhi chuckled and rubbed his little head: "So what are you thinking about with that little head of yours?"
The waiter smiled and said, "Ah Nuan, I was thinking that if someone helps you with the work in the future, you'll have an easier time."
"Why are you so well-behaved?" Jiang Nuanzhi said with a smile.
"Of course." Xiao Er patted his little chest. "Anuan, I also want to ask you, how should I get along with them? If I ask them to help me with the fire, will Father scold me?"
Jiang Nuanzhi: "Fusheng and the others are here to work for us. You can call them if you need anything. But Xiao Er, treat people with kindness. If nothing unexpected happens, the two of them will be with us for many years. I hope you can get along well with them and not treat them just as servants."
Xiao Er clapped his hands as he listened: "I'm so happy to have someone help me with the work from now on. Don't worry, Ah Nuan, I won't bully them. I'll definitely get along well with them!"
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and nodded, "However, if you really can't get along, don't make things difficult for yourself. Just tell me."
Actually, Jiang Nuanzhi wasn't worried about Xiao Er bullying people; she was more worried about her silly son being scammed. After all, he was the ultimate simp and sucker in this book, providing the female lead with manpower, money, and effort without expecting anything in return, hoping only that she would have a better life.
Looking at his silly grin, Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but smile. She really didn't know what to say. Let's take it slow.
Goodnight, my darlings
(End of this chapter)
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