Su Muxi brought a group of officials from Fukang County out of the prison. Looking at the group of people kneeling on the ground trembling, Su Muxi smashed the teacup next to her on the ground.
"Bang!"
Teacup shards scattered everywhere, and hot tea splashed onto the hands of the officials in front, but they only trembled and did not make a sound.
Do you know your crime?
Upon hearing this, the officials kowtowed and confessed their crimes.
"This humble official admits his guilt!"
"This humble official is guilty! I beg Your Highness for mercy!"
"Please, Your Highness, spare my life!"
…
They had actually regretted it long ago, but once they got on Jia Ren's pirate ship, they couldn't get out.
Now that the ship has capsized, they can only struggle desperately, hoping for a chance to survive.
After Bai Zhi served Su Muxi another cup of tea, Su Muxi took a sip and slowly said, "Seeing through your sincerity, I, the Princess Consort, will give you a chance to redeem yourselves."
Upon hearing this, the officials were instantly invigorated, each patting their chests and promising to make amends for their mistakes.
"Over the years in Fukang County, you must have plundered a lot of the people's wealth."
Su Muxi simply said one sentence, but the officials kneeling on the ground were already having a lot of thoughts going on in their minds.
"This humble official is willing to hand over all his private property and leave it to the Princess to dispose of as she sees fit!"
"So it is for me too!"
"And this humble official!"
…
Jia Ren committed such a serious crime, and as accomplices, they might end up with their property confiscated and exiled, and their accumulated wealth would still be confiscated.
It would be better to take everything out now and try to find a way out.
But then Su Muxi said, "I don't have the time to deal with your money. You just need to come up with 250,000 taels."
Today, the people of the city came to the yamen demanding money. Their emotions were running high, and I, the princess, had no choice but to agree.
The medicines and grains delivered this time cost me a total of 250,000 taels. Now, asking all of you to contribute only 250,000 taels together shouldn't be too much, right?
The officials were sweating bullets.
Two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver was not much for the Su family, but it was a considerable sum for minor officials like them.
But fearing that Su Muxi might change her mind, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and agree.
With so many of them, they should be able to put together enough.
Then Su Muxi continued, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. With so much silver, how are the people supposed to divide it? I doubt they can figure it out in a short time. Even if they do manage to divide it, I'm afraid they won't get many taels of silver."
Since you are here to atone for your sins, you should find a way to make Fukang County prosper again.
Whether it's running their own businesses or doing business with outsiders, with a capital of 250,000 taels of silver, the people of Fukang County should be able to make a fortune.
County Magistrate Li Xian hesitated before asking, "Could Your Highness offer some guidance?"
In Li Xian's opinion, Su Muxi probably wanted them to use the 250,000 taels of silver to do business with the Su family, since it's better to keep the good stuff within the family.
Moreover, Su Muxi had just deliberately mentioned that the grain and medicine cost 250,000 taels.
In this case, it seems that Su Muxi wanted to get the 250,000 taels of silver back, but was too embarrassed to ask directly, so she said this to find a legitimate reason.
Su Muxi could easily see through Li Xian's thoughts.
She sneered and bluntly stated, "Ha! Does Magistrate Li think that I, the Princess Consort, want money but are too embarrassed to ask?"
"This humble official dares not!"
Li Xian hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed to Su Muxi.
But Su Muxi said coldly, "Don't try to think about me with your filthy thoughts! Besides, I'm not as stupid as you! The matter in Fukang County has just been resolved, and the Su family has already gotten involved. Aren't they just giving us ammunition?"
The officials in charge of Fukang County are not me, the princess! Making Fukang County prosperous is your responsibility, not mine!
If you have any conscience left, do everything in your power to make amends to the people of Fukang County!
…
On the other side, Shao Jie walked to the kitchen door, looked at Tang Yan who was busy inside, and softly called out, "Miss Yan'er."
Su Muxi planned to set off early the next morning to return to Jinzhou City. There were no towns along the way, only two or three villages, so she needed to bring some dry food. Therefore, Tang Yan and Aunt Zhong, along with several other women, started preparing in advance in the kitchen.
When she heard Shao Jie call her name, Tang Yan looked up and blushed as she looked at Shao Jie, appearing quite charming.
Then Shao Jie said softly, "Miss Yan'er, could you come out for a moment? I have something I want to say to you."
Upon hearing this, Tang Yan's face turned even redder.
Aunt Zhong nudged Tang Yan's arm and reminded her with a smile, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go, don't keep General Shao waiting!"
The tone of his voice and the smile on his face were undisguisedly ambiguous.
Tang Yan blushed, wiped her flour-covered hands haphazardly on her apron, and walked up to Shao Jie with her head down.
"General Shao, what do you want to say to me?"
Shao Jie glanced at the people in the kitchen who were curiously looking at them, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Does Miss Yan'er want me to say this here?"
Someone in the kitchen couldn't help but laugh, which made Tang Yan lower her head even further.
He hurriedly walked out of the courtyard.
Perhaps out of shyness, or perhaps because I was walking too hastily, I didn't pay attention to my footing and tripped over a pebble.
Just as Tang Yan thought she was about to fall, a strong hand grabbed her arm and helped her regain her balance.
However, Shao Jie quickly let go, without taking the opportunity to pull the person into his arms or trying to take advantage of him.
"Miss Yan'er, let's talk under the corridor over there."
After Shao Jie finished speaking, he stretched out his arm and gestured for him to proceed.
Tang Yan blushed and walked toward the place Shao Jie had indicated.
But the blush on her face slowly faded, and her gaze gradually calmed down.
The corridor was quiet, and there was no one nearby.
Tang Yan lowered her head and didn't speak. Although she looked much the same as before when she was shy, Shao Jie keenly sensed that something was wrong.
"Miss Yan'er, what's wrong with you?"
Tang Yan shook her head. "I'm fine. What does General Shao want to say to me?"
His voice was flat, giving off a feeling of keeping people at arm's length.
After speaking, Tang Yan finally raised her head, and her gaze towards Shao Jie was devoid of any shyness.
Seeing this, Shao Jie felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He already knew the answer in his heart, but he was unwilling to let go like this.
So he slightly tugged at the corners of his mouth, looked down at Tang Yan, and asked solemnly, "Miss Yan'er, I am willing to marry you with all the proper betrothal gifts and formalities. I wonder if you are willing?"
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