At this point, the leading officer became emotional and pleaded humbly.
"Cough cough, Princess Chang Le, we...we were just following orders. Please, Your Highness, have mercy and spare our lives. Prefect Luo and Lord Luo, they are the real culprits!"
Sheng Lingwei narrowed her eyes. "Oh? They both have the surname Luo. Is there any relationship between them?"
The leading officer's face stiffened, and he thought about it seriously.
"Your Highness, there is no relationship between Prefect Luo and Lord Luo, but that's only on the surface. After some observation, I've learned that Prefect Luo treats Lord Luo with great intimacy, and their faces bear a striking resemblance, therefore..."
He hesitated to say what came next, since he wasn't entirely sure about the matter himself.
Sheng Lingwei's eyes narrowed. "So you suspect they are related by blood, and even have a very close father-son relationship?"
The leading officer nodded, his eyes gleaming with gossip.
"Yes, Princess, you may not know this, but the Prefect's wife's family is very powerful. Prefect Luo was able to hold his position as Prefect because of the support of the Prefect's wife's family."
However, after the new emperor ascended the throne, the governor's wife's family was arrested and imprisoned for crimes such as embezzlement and bribery. Without the support of her family, Governor Luo naturally did not take the governor's wife seriously.
Furthermore, they openly brought Lord Luo to live permanently in their residence, and treated him with utmost care, truly spoiling him rotten.
Tsk tsk, officials really know how to have fun.
Especially someone like Magistrate Luo, a man from a humble background who rose from poverty, is exceptionally ruthless. Once he gains power, he will definitely take revenge for all the past oppression he suffered.
Sheng Lingwei exhaled a breath of stale air, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"So, that old beast Luo sent you to burn the people of Gancao County alive in order to clean up the mess left by his illegitimate son."
But the people weren't infected with the plague, they were poisoned. How did they get poisoned? Could it be the work of that little beast Luo?
Luo, you old beast?
Luo the Beast?
The leading officer's lips twitched a few times. The title of Princess Chang Le was indeed fitting; the prefect and his son were nothing but beasts!
What is a beast if not someone who would kill an entire city's inhabitants for their own selfish gain?
Okay! He's a beast too!
After all, in order to get promoted, he had shamelessly flattered Prefect Luo, doing all sorts of dirty things for him, and his hands were already stained with blood.
Oh no! Given Princess Chang Le's temperament, he probably won't survive.
Seeing that the leading officer was on the verge of tears and remained silent, the bearded man couldn't hold back any longer and slapped him across the face.
"Smack!"
"The princess is asking you a question, and you dare to daydream? Have you had enough of living?"
"Hiss~~"
The leading soldier grimaced in pain, spitting out another mouthful of broken teeth. If it were in his usual temperament, he would have definitely taught this bearded man a lesson.
But now, he neither has the ability nor the courage to resist.
He glanced cautiously at Sheng Lingwei's cold face, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "Your Highness, I had no idea that the poisoning of the people of Gancao County was the work of that...that little beast Luo."
But I overheard their conversation, they talked about salt mines, and they mentioned someone's name. Afraid of being discovered, I didn't dare listen any further.
"Salt mine?"
Sheng Lingwei's eyes darkened, and she looked up at Gancao County.
The spiritual power instantly enveloped the entire county town, and in no time, a salt mine was discovered more than 300 meters underground.
Furthermore, in one of the houses, a small path had been dug underground, and there were various tools for refining salt ore in the house.
Ah, wealth has always been a powerful motivator.
The Luo family father and son are quite ambitious; they even want to seize the salt mines in Gancao County without permission. It's likely that someone is backing them up.
I just don't know who that person is.
But it doesn't matter, these things can't be rushed. Now that she's come to Gancao County, she'll definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. She never does anything without a clear purpose.
Sheng Lingwei pondered for a moment, then looked meaningfully at the leading soldier, her red lips parting slightly, "Do you want to live, or do you want to die?"
The leading soldier's eyes flashed with anxiety, and he hurriedly shouted, "I want to live! I want to live! Princess Chang Le, I'm still young, I don't want to die so soon! Please have mercy on me!"
Sheng Lingwei curled her lips into a cold smile, "If you want to live, do as I tell you, otherwise..."
The leading soldier felt his scalp tingle and his whole body go cold, but for the sake of his own life, he had no choice but to obey Princess Chang Le's orders.
He nodded hastily, "I'm willing, I'm willing, please speak freely, Your Highness."
...
After giving some instructions, the leading officer, amidst the envy of the other officers and soldiers, endured the physical pain, grimaced, and rode away on horseback.
The other officers and soldiers watched helplessly as the figure gradually disappeared into the distance, reaching out Er Kang's hand and shedding a few tears of sadness and envy.
Sheng Lingwei gave a cold snort, and the soldiers immediately shivered, kneeling obediently on the ground, not daring to say a word.
"Do you want to live, or do you want to die?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the officers and soldiers nodded eagerly, indicating that they wanted to live and begged Princess Chang Le to give them a chance to live.
Sheng Lingwei smiled gently.
But to the officers and soldiers, her smile was like a demon from hell coming to claim their lives, and coupled with her red dress, it made them even more terrified.
Fear, anxiety, trepidation...
Soon, they understood why they felt that way.
Waaah... Father and Mother, your son wants to go home. Princess Chang Le is truly not human; she is a demon who came here specifically to torment them.
Not only were they denied medicine, they were also denied food. Yet, they were required to work as diligently as oxen, cleaning up Gancao County as quickly as possible within the allotted time.
After cleaning up, it wasn't over yet.
They also had to rebuild the burned-down houses, find the building materials themselves, and make furniture for the people...
What drove them to the brink of despair was that they had to shout slogans while working:
“We are not human, we are beasts, we deserve to be punished. To atone for our sins, we must work tirelessly, like oxen, working and working…”
Whenever their voices became hoarse from shouting, Sheng Lingwei would cheer them on in a unique way.
"Haven't you eaten? All of you, raise your voices! Anyone who dares to slack off today will not get a drink of water, let alone a meal."
The officers and soldiers: "..." They really hadn't eaten!
Of course, Sheng Lingwei is not a ruthless exploiter.
These officers and soldiers are still useful, so of course she won't let them fall so quickly, except for letting them go hungry on the first day.
In the days that followed, they had medicine, food, and water to drink.
At the same time, several officers and soldiers who performed well were specifically commended every day, and they were rewarded with a dish, or half a chicken or half a duck, etc.
In this way, the person who is praised is both happy and gets to enjoy a delicious meal, while the person who is not praised is so envious that tears well up in their eyes, and they secretly vow to perform well.
As a result, their fighting spirit reached a climax.
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