However, apart from Lin Xiafeng, who was truly intelligent and considerate and wanted to help Prince Duan and try to come up with some meaningful and practical suggestions to present to the emperor, the other girls came here specifically to enjoy the scenery.
Therefore, the two eldest daughters of the Ming and Qi families did not plan to go to the fields with others. Instead, they went out for a walk early, and then decided to go to the mountains by themselves to appreciate the beauty of the mountains and forests.
Qin Qingyao took the flowers that Dugu Yu had just picked, placed them in a simple bamboo vase, and then took two pink flowers and placed them on the dining table.
Although breakfast only consists of porridge and pickles, eating at such a table not only makes you feel comfortable, but also adds a lot of flavor to the food.
Ling Jingxuan felt more and more that Qin Qingyao really had brilliant ideas that could give people unexpected surprises, but when she thought that this kind of unexpected surprise was something Dugu Yu enjoyed every day, her mood suddenly became a little not so good.
The three of them went out after breakfast. Just as they reached the gate of the courtyard where the girls lived, they saw a large group of people gathered together in the distance, arguing loudly and with a strong sense of tension. There were even faint sounds of crying.
Among those dozens of people were not only civilians, but also men and women who came out with them, so Ling Jingxuan hurried over to see the situation.
Dugu Yu and Qin Qingyao could only follow.
In the crowd were two girls surrounded by people, one was Ming Ruoxi and the other was Lin Xiafeng.
Qin Qingyao listened to the villagers talking in grief and anger for a long time before he finally understood what was going on.
It turned out that there were only four buffaloes in the entire village of more than 30 households, and they took turns to feed and use those four buffaloes.
Spring plowing is in full swing now, and these four cows work harder than humans, so everyone treasures them very much. It is stipulated that the cows must be grazed first thing in the morning, and they can only be put to work in the fields after they are full.
After using the cows at night, they must be fed before being taken to the cowshed.
Today it was the turn of a boy named Tugener. He got up early in the morning before dawn to graze the cattle. He only led the cattle home after the cattle were full and went to have breakfast himself.
At this time, his parents were preparing farm tools for working in the fields. When they were ready and went to the cowshed, they found that the cow had run away!
The buffalo didn't run away by itself. Ming Ruoxi saw that the buffalo was so scarred and skinny and looked so pitiful, so she was kind enough to let it go secretly!
After releasing the cow, she was still afraid that others would not know that she had done a great good deed. Seeing Tugen'er's family hurriedly calling on the villagers to go find the cow together, she jumped out by herself.
"Don't look for it anymore. If you can't find it, I'll have already let the cow go!"
When these words came out, the villagers present were dumbfounded. Let the cow go? Why did you let the cow go?
If you let the cows go, what will happen to our land? How can we grow crops if we can't till the soil? What will we eat if we can't grow crops? Without food, will we survive?
Ming Ruoxi shocked the entire village. They had never seen anyone release a farming buffalo, and they didn't know what to do for a moment.
After Tugen'er's mother came to her senses, she sat down on the ground, slapping her thigh and crying loudly.
Their four buffaloes are shared by eight families, and when the buffaloes are not needed on weekdays, each family takes turns for three days, being solely responsible for herding, feeding and cleaning the cowshed.
Now it is the busy farming season, and each family takes turns to work on the land. After all, everyone is anxious to cultivate the land.
The sun is shining brightly today, but the cow is missing. If they wait until the afternoon or evening to find it, their family will be left without a cow. This means they won't be able to use the cow for half a month. How can they turn over the paddy field with manpower alone?
Tugen'er's mother cried and screamed so loudly that it could be heard two miles away, and the news spread quickly!
The peasant woman had a strong personality and no matter how the people around her tried to dissuade her, they said that these were high-ranking officials and young ladies from Yulin City, and they should not be provoked.
She started cursing directly without naming anyone. She cursed God for being blind, and then cursed the King of Hell for bullying her and making her reborn into this unlucky family where she could not survive.
When had Ming Ruoxi, a well-educated and well-mannered girl, ever seen such a scene? After being scolded, not only did she not repent, she also argued with Tugen'er's mother.
"You want a live cow? Does that mean it doesn't want to live anymore? It works for you all day, and you abuse it. How can it work in the fields when it's beaten to pieces? If I hadn't let it go, you would have beaten it to death!"
Ming Ruoxi's words made the villagers take it more seriously than Tugen'er's mother's curses, because abusing oxen is a serious crime. Not only is it despised by the villagers, but in serious cases, the government will also hold you accountable!
When they heard that the cow was beaten to pieces, everyone turned their attention to the family who used the cow yesterday, a man called Li Big Nose in the villagers.
"Big Nose, you've abused the cow again, haven't you? How can you be so cruel? Do you really think we dare not report you to the police? If you hurt the cow, how can we use the rest of us?"
This had already changed the subject and Ming Ruoxi had nothing to do with it, but she still jumped out unwillingly.
"How dare you criticize him? The cow is so badly injured, and all you can think about is plowing the land! Haven't you ever beaten a cow before? How are you any better than him?"
Ming Ruoxi thought that she was radiating the holy aura of the Virgin Mary, and that she was doing good deeds every day and accumulating virtue, and that even Buddha should reward her.
But she didn't know how stupid her actions seemed to the villagers!
Li Big Nose was originally a well-known ruffian in the village, and he was also shameless. People called him Big Nose not because his nose was really big, but because he especially liked to go to other people's homes to eat for free.
He could smell whoever's meal was ready and what dishes were cooked from two miles away, so everyone called him Big Nose.
He almost became the target of public criticism just now, and he was afraid. Now that Ming Ruoxi jumped out to act as a shield for him, how could he not take over?
"You are so unreasonable, young lady. Who plows their buffalo without whipping them? I was whipping it from a distance, just to make the sound to urge it forward. I didn't hit it at all!"
"You didn't care about the lives of the villagers and released our cows without permission. You even lied to me and framed me. How can you be so cruel even though you look like a symbol? You have to compensate us for our cows!"
After being called upon by Big Nose Li, the villagers who came, except for those who went to look for the cows, surrounded Ming Ruoxi and shouted angrily, "Compensate for our cows!"
They roared and surrounded her, as if they were going to tear her apart alive.
Ming Ruoxi, who had been standing straight and confident just now, was frightened and burst into tears.
Fortunately, Lin Xiafeng and the others also heard the noise at this time, and hurried over to see what was happening. Then they went to Ming Ruoxi in a protective manner and held her in their arms.
Not to mention, Lin Xiafeng's halo as the heroine is really of high quality. The villagers were so excited that they almost lost control and tore Ming Ruoxi, the silly young lady who only knew how to cry, into pieces.
But as soon as she came, those people immediately retreated. Although they still cursed them very harshly and pointed fingers at them, no one dared to really get close to them or touch them.
Then came the scene Qin Qingyao and the others saw: Ming Ruoxi and Lin Xiafeng were surrounded by villagers, who cursed and demanded compensation, with saliva spraying all over their heads and faces.
Ling Jingxuan was really angry. What kind of weirdo would let someone else's cows go during the busy farming season?
If he hadn't confirmed that the person was the daughter of the Left Censor-in-Chief of the current Censorate, he would definitely have thought that Ming Ruoxi had an irreconcilable feud with the people in this village, so she deliberately tricked them!
"That's enough, stop arguing! What's going on? Talk properly!"
When Ming Ruoxi saw Prince Duan, it was as if she had seen a savior, and she cried like a pear blossom in the rain.
What's even more bizarre is that she still doesn't think she did anything wrong, so not only does she not reflect on herself or apologize, but she complained to Prince Duan right away!
She felt that these unruly people were extremely despicable. Not only did they abuse the oxen, but they even wanted to attack her. They were simply courting death!
She felt that the government should arrest all these unruly people who spoke ill of others and beat them with sticks to teach them how to write wrong words!
Qin Qingyao held his forehead weakly. It was really unlucky for the people in this village to encounter such a rich girl who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and wanted power and money!
When the villagers heard Ming Ruoxi calling Ling Jingxuan "Prince", they were already frightened. At first they only knew that this man was a high-ranking official, but who knew he was also a royal relative!
But after hearing Ming Ruoxi's complaint, everyone became even more upset. They were the ones who suffered the loss, so why should they be convicted?
They could have swallowed their anger for the sake of the prince, but they can't bear it this time. They are willing to bear the loss and endure it, but the eldest lady is still unwilling to give in and wants to punish them. Where in the world can such a good thing happen?
As the saying goes, if the emperor breaks the law, he is subject to the same punishment as the common people. At most, he can go to see the authorities. It was she who released their cattle without permission, and they didn't even touch her!
Ling Jingxuan really hadn't been trembling with anger like this for a long time.
I haven't done anything for the people on this trip, and haven't figured out what to report to the emperor after returning to court, but I've caused such a big mess.
If the prince's men reported him to the emperor, would he be at a disadvantage?
Fortunately, Lin Xiafeng stopped Ming Ruoxi in time when she was about to continue to offer suggestions and advice on how to punish these "troublemakers".
"Your Highness, Ruoxi is still young and doesn't go out often, so she's a little naive. Please don't be angry with her."
"The most important thing now is to quickly find the lost cow. If we can't find it... why don't we find a way to buy them a cow and return it to them to ensure they can work normally? What do you think?"
"Hmph," Big Nose Li snorted coldly, "This young lady is really talking without thinking. It's the busy farming season now, and you want to buy a cow just like that? Who will sell it to you?"
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