But she couldn't let these simple villagers die for her in vain. The soldiers brought by Lord Liang were all well-trained and wielded sharp knives. The villagers would only face certain death if they faced them.
She stepped forward, swallowing the turmoil in her heart, and said to the villagers, "Everyone, thank you, thank you for helping my family so much, but I can't watch you die for me. This is none of your business. Go back now and don't get into a conflict with these people."
The villagers immediately chimed in:
"Second sister-in-law, your affairs are our affairs, we will not go back!"
"Yes! We're going to fight these people to the death. We can't just stand by and watch your family be murdered."
"......"
Lord Liang's face darkened at the sight. He never expected that these cowardly villagers would actually take up weapons and confront his soldiers for the sake of Lady Hui.
"My lord, what should we do? This has angered the people, and we won't be able to handle the situation."
"A guard beside Lord Liang said."
Lord Liang snorted, "Things have come to this, and we can't back down now." He gave the order to his soldiers, "Prepare to suppress!"
"Swish, swish, swish!..."
The soldiers all drew their gleaming knives.
The villagers shrank back in fear for a moment, then immediately raised their hoes and shovels... and stood tall with unwavering resolve.
"I'm giving you one last chance! You bunch of unruly people, get out of here now!" Lord Liang roared angrily.
The villagers' eyes were resolute, showing no sign of backing down.
Lord Liang sneered, "Lady Hui, you're really not at a loss with so many people dying with you."
Song Anxin was extremely anxious, and no matter how she tried to persuade the villagers, they wouldn't listen.
At this moment, the Black Wolf brothers had quietly approached Lord Liang from not far behind, intending to take action together and capture him while he was in a panic. The villagers were fine, they couldn't be hurt, and Lady Hui was also fine, they had to protect her.
Song Anxin noticed the actions of Black Wolf and his men right across from Lord Liang. Now that there was no other way, she decided to have Qingshan and the others protect the villagers from injury once the fight broke out. She figured that once Black Wolf and his men captured Lord Liang, the soldiers wouldn't dare to make another move. Song Anxin had already devised a plan.
Lord Liang raised his hand, ready to give the order, while Qingshan, Heihu, and the others waited for their chance to act.
"Charge them!..."
"Let's go, everyone!"
The two sides were locked in a stalemate, on the verge of battle, when suddenly a loud shout rang out from afar:
"Wait! Wait!...Villagers, don't get agitated! Don't fight! Don't fight!"
Both groups immediately stopped their cars and looked in the direction of the sound.
Lin Erxi rode his horse toward them, with Lin Lizheng on the back. The shout came from Lin Lizheng.
Most importantly, there were more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages a short distance behind them.
As Lin Erxi ran towards them, he shouted, "Second Aunt, Second Aunt! The village head and I have brought the magistrate here! Don't be afraid."
The villagers were overjoyed.
"What! The magistrate is here! With the magistrate here, these people won't be allowed to bully us anymore, right?"
"Oh, good news! The magistrate is here! Quickly arrest this corrupt official!"
"....."
Song Anxin breathed a sigh of relief. Erxi really hadn't wasted his time practicing horseback riding with her. She never expected that it would come in handy. No wonder he always said he was the smartest person. He even knew to take the village head on horseback to find Magistrate Yan.
Lord Liang's face immediately turned extremely ugly. With Magistrate Yan's arrival, not only would he be unable to seize the potatoes, but he would also find it difficult to explain this situation.
"My lord, what should we do? Should we continue to suppress them?" asked the guard beside Lord Liang.
Lord Liang kicked him angrily: "Suppress? Suppress my ass! All you know how to do is ask me what to do. Can't you think for yourself, you pig-brain? How are we supposed to talk about this?!"
The guard immediately replied, "Oh, yes, I'll think of it right away."
Lord Liang was so angry that his heart ached. How could his wife and subordinates be so stupid!
Lin Erxi arrived quickly on horseback. Lin Li was shivering as Erxi helped him down from the horse. Ignoring his old bones that were about to break from the jolting, he immediately said:
"Everyone, put down your weapons! Don't be impulsive! The magistrate has arrived; he will take charge."
The carriages following closely behind, with the first carriage being the carriage of Magistrate Yan.
The magistrate of Yan County, dressed in his official robes, stepped out of the carriage. His eyes were serious. "Lord Liang, you've really made quite a scene. What, are you trying to cause trouble in my jurisdiction?"
Just as Lord Liang was about to speak, Magistrate Yan interrupted him with a cold face.
"You can talk about it later. There are more important things to do right now."
A pale-faced man dressed in palace attire alighted from one of the carriages behind, followed by several other pale-faced young men also dressed in palace attire.
Yan Shuping said to the man, "Eunuch Qi, this is Madam Hui."
He raised his hand and headed towards Song Anxin.
Eunuch Qi spotted Song Anxin standing in the crowd at a glance. Although she was dressed in coarse clothes, her face was calm and composed, which made her stand out from other peasant women. No wonder she was able to rise from a peasant woman to a lady and then quickly become a fifth-rank lady.
Even the Emperor greatly admired this woman. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but show some politeness on his face and performed a customary curtsy, saying:
"I have met Madam Hui. Madam Hui, I have long admired you."
Song Anxin asked, puzzled, "Who are you?"
Yan Shuping explained, "This is Eunuch Qi from the palace, who also serves the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Lord Liang's face turned extremely surprised. It was none other than Eunuch Qi, the Emperor's personal attendant! Why would Eunuch Qi be here? He immediately had a bad feeling.
Song Anxin already had a guess in her mind, and she greeted him politely, "Hello, Eunuch Qi."
Eunuch Qi announced, "Today I am here to read the imperial edict." A young eunuch behind him immediately handed the bright yellow imperial edict to Eunuch Qi.
"Lady Hui, please receive the imperial decree!"
Song Anxin immediately knelt down, and Lin Fengnian and Feng He beside her... a group of people naturally followed suit and knelt down as well. The villagers also knelt down in a flash. It was not appropriate for Lord Liang to stand, so he knelt down with his soldiers.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Throughout history, grain has always been the foundation of the nation and the vital livelihood of the people. However, the matter of grain has always depended on the will of Heaven; only with favorable weather can there be no worry… But the affairs of Heaven are unpredictable, and the grain harvest of our Great Yin Dynasty has often fallen short of expectations… However, a remarkable woman has invented a water-powered agricultural tool, the waterwheel, which irrigates the rice paddies without the need for a single person or animal, ensuring that this year's rice fields will no longer suffer from drought, and our Great Yin Dynasty will be able to enjoy a more bountiful harvest than in previous years…"
However, this extraordinary woman delighted me once again. The five counties of Ningdu, Heyang, and Qi'an in Liuzhou achieved the highest yield per mu (unit of land area) in the entire Yin Dynasty, and indeed, the highest yield in all of history, this autumn…
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