In the end, Liu An left silently, heartbroken, but he was determined to stop Qi Yong.
The next day, Qi Yong arrived before dawn.
"Father-in-law, aren't these the wild beasts from yesterday? Why haven't they left yet?"
"As long as they don't attack us, we should ignore them. The beasts of the Protector of the Nation's family, even if we don't care about the monks, we should at least care about the Buddha."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Before they even reached the gate, a furious shout rang out, "Qi Yong, I've finally waited for you, you damned eunuch!"
Luckily, I waited at the door all night, otherwise I would have missed it.
How insidious! They deliberately chose to visit when the person was sound asleep.
"Oh, I thought it was some dog that hadn't been leashed and was barking, but it turns out to be Grand Secretary Liu. My eyesight isn't good, please forgive me."
These infuriating words made Liu An want to bite someone.
"You eunuch, give up. With me here, I will never let your scheme succeed."
"Liu An, what's wrong with you so early in the morning?" Qi Yong looked at him like he was mentally challenged. "Go take your medicine if you're sick, don't delay my business."
After saying this, he gestured, and two people immediately stepped forward and pulled Liu An aside.
Upon hearing the words "castrated dog," I initially wanted to teach the man a lesson, but considering the trouble of having to knock on the door, I decided against it.
He was the most respected palace servant, how could he possibly argue with a mentally unstable old man?
"How dare you! How dare you!" Liu An kicked his legs but couldn't break free, so he cursed loudly, "How can I, a dignified Grand Secretary, tolerate being humiliated by you eunuchs and lackeys? Let go, let go of me!"
Mentally challenged!
Qi Yong couldn't help but curse inwardly.
He's already a prisoner and he still dares to be so arrogant. If we don't teach him a lesson, who will?
Sure enough, before he could give a signal, the two men holding him released their grip at the same time.
With a thud, Liu An fell straight to the ground.
The pain in his buttocks spread, and he couldn't help but grin, "You damned castrated dogs, I'll take your dog lives!"
"What arrogance," Qi Yong sneered. "Just because he's a Grand Secretary, he thinks he can just kill someone like that? Qu Fang, hang him from a tree and let him wake up."
After saying that, he raised his chin and left.
"Lord Liu, I apologize for my offense," Qu Fang said, cupping his hands in greeting. He immediately ordered, "Make your move!"
"Outrageous, utterly outrageous," Liu An said, his heart aching and incredulous. "You traitors and rebels will bring disaster upon yourselves sooner or later, I..."
They never learn their lesson!
"What are you standing there for?" Qu Fang said impatiently. "Hurry up and shut your mouth. Don't let these words offend your father-in-law's ears."
"Alright, come inside with me, we have important business to attend to!"
He really couldn't be bothered to deal with this old man whose head was full of mush.
Reading too much can make you dull and prone to applying the principles in books to your own life.
Don't you realize that reality is not the same as what's in books? If a sage truly had such ability, why didn't he unify the world back then?
Shaking his head, Qi Yong completely forgot about Liu An and strode away.
Liu An, who was being held up to the tree trunk, had his mouth gagged and could only whimper incessantly.
He couldn't help but secretly regret that if he had known Qi Yong was so arrogant, he should have brought a few more people with him.
On a hot May morning, the foot of the mountain was parched, while the mountain was still filled with a chill. Before long, dew covered his entire body, and he was so uncomfortable that he could only silently curse Qi Yong's ancestors.
This scene was clearly seen by the gatekeeper who had been hiding in the back.
He couldn't afford to offend either of them, so he didn't dare release them. After confirming that Liu An wouldn't cause any problems for the time being, he whispered a few words of reassurance and ran back to report.
Liu An: ...
If you've got the guts, put me down first!
The Huang family members are all used to getting up early. As soon as Qi Yong stepped into the courtyard, Huang Xiaosan rushed over and asked, "Eunuch Qi, you're here so early. Didn't you sleep all night?"
"It's only one night, I can endure it, but has the Lady Protector of the Nation woken up yet?"
"He's already awake and is waiting for you in the side hall."
"Lead the way."
His words still carried an air of superiority.
Huang Xiaosan sensed it, but didn't care; the other person certainly deserved it.
When Qi Yong saw Jiang Nuan, he handed her a box of land deeds before taking a sip of water. “I’ve bought all three nearby villages, a total of 1,280 mu. I don’t have much time, so you should go to the government office to get new land deeds when you have some free time.”
"Wow, so fast!"
Even though she knew Qi Yong wasn't as simple as he seemed, Jiang Nuan was still taken aback by his efficiency.
In just one night, the land of three villages has been acquired, which is even more efficient than the demolition and relocation in later generations!
This naturally aroused my curiosity: "What method did you use?"
"It's nothing much. I just moved them to the outskirts of the capital, compensated them with an equal area of land, exempted them from taxes for two years, and gave each household one person a place to go to school."
He's done this kind of thing countless times.
They know best how to achieve their goals as quickly as possible.
In short, it all boils down to profit. This is an invincible weapon, and no one with a breath can escape its influence.
"I see." After saying that, he suddenly remembered something, "By the way, how are my tenants doing?"
“They moved away together,” Qi Yong put down his cup and explained slowly, “The tenant farmers helped them register their households, and the others were also compensated. The deeds are kept with the land deeds; you can look for them, Madam.”
"That's very thoughtful."
Jiang Nuan couldn't help but smile.
I only realized today that Qi Yong is a real gem.
"Absolutely," Qi Yong said with a smirk. "I am here to serve His Majesty. If I am not careful in my duties, what will become of me?"
He couldn't let his master suffer even the slightest grievance.
"Are you going to send people over to farm the land?"
"Yes, they'll arrive the day after tomorrow. They're all experienced farmers from the imperial estate; they're definitely no worse than those tenant farmers."
"What if the people from the royal estate don't obey..."
“Those who disobey will be sold off; they are nothing but a bunch of lackeys.”
His nonchalant tone and casual attitude made it seem as if these people were nothing more than weeds, to be used when useful and discarded when not.
This greatly shocked Jiang Nuan, and her face darkened.
"Madam," Qi Yong continued to advise after noticing the abnormality, "Don't take my words lightly. If you are too lenient, they will only take advantage of you. These people are very cunning and cannot be indulged at all, let alone shown kindness. They are government slaves, and even if they have not done anything wrong, their elders have committed serious crimes."
Qi Yong sighed inwardly at the superfluous and unnecessary sympathy.
Having a kind heart is good, but you can't just send it out randomly.
Jiang Niangzi is too naive, but luckily she has great fortune!
With their master protecting them, even a pig can become a king, let alone a human.
Taking a deep breath, Qi Yong suppressed his jealousy and earnestly advised, "Madam Jiang, you are now the Lady Protector of the Nation, and your every move is under the scrutiny of the world. It would be best to think twice before you act!"
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