"Killing just one county magistrate won't solve the problem."
It's the whole team that's being cared for, not just one person.
Aunt Chen had no idea about the intricacies of the situation. She said, "It's getting late, Madam Qin should get some rest."
She got up to leave, but Qin Su stopped her and said, "Aunt Chen, would you be willing to help me collect evidence?"
Aunt Chen turned her head and stared at her, dumbfounded. "What...what do you mean?"
Qin Su smiled slightly, "I'm actually not here to find my relatives."
Aunt Chen was clearly aware of this as well.
"Then who are you? What do you want?"
"Sit down and talk."
Aunt Chen hesitated for a moment, but thinking about how several villages under Huang County had become like that, she gritted her teeth and sat down.
This sitting down signified that she had largely wavered.
"My name is indeed Qin Su, and I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness."
Aunt Chen's mind was almost unable to think.
As the wife of a village official, Aunt Chen knew a little about the hierarchy of noble titles. A Marquis was second only to a Duke, and wielded considerable power.
"Can the Marquis defeat the magistrate of Huang County?" She was completely unaware that Qin Su was the daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, but not the Marquis himself.
Qin Su nodded, "Besides, I'm also Princess Wei'an. I have another identity... perhaps Aunt Chen would be more familiar with it."
"W-what?" He has an identity?
These two identities had already made her dizzy, and she couldn't even see Qin Su clearly anymore.
"The Princess Consort of Prince Chen, the sister-in-law of Emperor Mingyang, and the daughter-in-law of the current Empress Dowager."
Qin Su thought that revealing her identity would gain her trust, but to her surprise, Aunt Chen rolled her eyes and fainted.
Qin Su: ? ? ?
"Aunt Chen?" She quickly pinched her philtrum.
Fortunately, the situation was not serious, and Aunt Chen woke up soon.
"What did you just say? Princess Consort Chen? The wife of that Prince Chen, who has already achieved great military exploits at such a young age?"
Qin Su nodded.
Seeing that Aunt Chen was about to faint again, Qin Su quickly said, "Don't faint, let's get down to business."
Aunt Chen rubbed her head and quickly distanced herself from Qin Su, looking both respectful and fearful. "If I have offended Your Highness in any way, please forgive me."
Qin Su shook her head, "They're all minor matters. But I hope Aunt Chen can help me conceal my identity as the Princess Consort of Chen."
"Okay. Definitely."
"Can you tell me more about the situation in Huang County now?"
Aunt Chen's eyes reddened; they had not been abandoned by the imperial court.
She recounted in detail to Qin Su the events that had occurred in Huang County over the years, and the county magistrate's misdeeds were almost too numerous to recount.
Huangxian was not wealthy in the past, but not to the point that so many people starved to death.
As she spoke, she wiped away her tears, and some of her words were even a bit incoherent, but Qin Su could still understand.
“The kidney beans we grow now can feed everyone, but that corrupt official Song Chengwei makes us pay a lot of grain, leaving us with nothing to eat. This year, many children in Liujia Village have starved to death.”
“Some families are even forced to sell their children, even as slaves, as long as they can survive.”
Qin Su expressed her understanding, saying that nothing is more important than being alive.
As she spoke, Aunt Chen almost broke down in tears, "My family kept our food shortage a secret from us so as not to be a burden on us, until my poor nephew starved to death. How could I not hate them? How could I not hate them?"
But no matter how much she hated before, it was all in vain and meaningless.
Things are different now; they have someone to back them up.
Qin Su patted her shoulder and said, "I'll write a petition. You should try to get people who are willing to sign it to leave their names on it. If not, leave their fingerprints."
"I'll go with you and make sure you're safe. Try to find someone you can trust who keeps their mouth shut."
"good!"
She didn't know Qin Su's specific plans, nor did she intend to ask. She just wanted to follow her instructions and do what she could.
"Let's wait a bit. I'll bring a few people with me tomorrow."
Qin Su was still worried about Village Chief Liu's family, fearing they might get hurt.
"Don't let any word get out."
Aunt Chen readily agreed.
The next day, Qin Su returned to Shacheng, wrote a letter to the capital, and took several secret guards with him.
While things were progressing rapidly here, Xue Huai'an was also making his own plans.
He had heard about the situation in Huang County, but he didn't care.
What's wrong with sacrificing a few people to achieve his hegemony?
There will always be sacrifices required; that's inevitable.
Qin Su was too busy to go see Xue Huai'an, so she secretly thwarted his plans.
The number of handprints on the petition far exceeded her expectations, and some even bore traces of tears—tears shed involuntarily by the victims.
Qin Su will take the petition back to the capital and also escort the Lord of Shacheng back to the capital.
Time flies, and the end of the year is fast approaching. Kyoto may be decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, or everyone may be busy preparing for the New Year, but Liujia Village in Shacheng is quiet.
That night, a commotion came from outside the door, carrying with it a murderous aura.
Qin Su quickly got up and reached for her soft whip. She hurried to Aunt Chen's house and knocked on the door.
Aunt Chen had been very busy these past few days and was sleeping soundly, so Qin Su had to barge in and lift her up.
"What's wrong?"
Qin Su gestured for her to lower her voice and whispered to her, "Wake Liu Bai and your parents up, and don't let them wander around."
Aunt Chen and Liu Dazhu realized something was wrong, and while feeling nervous, they subconsciously listened to Qin Su's words.
Before long, they gathered together.
"lady?"
The speaker's voice was familiar; it was Xieyang, who had rushed over to protect her not long ago.
"Leave two alive," Qin Su told him.
Xie Yang led a few guards out, and the sounds of swords clashing outside were particularly crisp and piercing. The Liu family members trembled with fear.
This might be the first time they've faced death up close. If Qin Su hadn't come to call them, would they all have been killed?
In the darkness, no one broke into the lobby room, but the smell of blood was almost everywhere.
The two elders were so frightened that their faces turned deathly pale, and they could barely stand.
Qin Su always held the soft whip in her hand, ready to save people in case of danger.
The setting sun came in.
"Madam, everything is resolved."
Qin Su nodded, telling them to deal with the body, and then said to Aunt Chen, "It's alright, go and rest."
After what happened, how could they possibly sleep? They wanted to ask something, but they didn't know how.
"Rest first, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
Qin Su's words had a calming effect, and even though they were full of doubts and fears, they had to suppress them.
After they left, two survivors were brought in. Qin Su sat down and said, "Tell me, whose people are you?"
The two turned their heads away and remained silent.
"Use it, gag her."
The setting sun stuffed the cloth into their mouths, drew a knife and slashed the man's calf, cutting deep enough to expose the bone, but then held them down with one hand to prevent them from moving or struggling.
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