Jiang Shan smiled meaningfully.
The county magistrate, as if sensing something, stepped forward, crossed his arms, and said with a smile, "Please don't be offended, Your Highness. Life in Guyang County is much better than it was a few years ago. Ordinary people even have some spare money to eat cake. You see... hehe!"
Jiang Shan is perfectly aware of the importance of promoting economic development.
This is a good thing, and there's no need to make things so complicated.
"Your Excellency is overthinking this. This is my fiefdom. Only when you live well can I live well. Helping everyone live a good life is my duty, and I have no choice but to do it!"
The county magistrate smiled obsequiously and said, "Your Highness, what are you saying? Guyang County is such a tiny place, and its annual tax revenue is only a few taels of silver. How can it compare to Your Highness's income in the capital..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Shan shot him a sharp glare, which startled the magistrate so much that he quickly shut his mouth.
This woman is no longer just a county magistrate, but also a major financial backer!
He's also the emperor's sugar daddy!
But you can't just say these things carelessly; if you say them wrong, you could lose your head!
Jiang Shan gave a few brief instructions and then boarded the carriage.
The county magistrate, of course, insisted on following behind no matter what!
It doesn't matter if the country ignores him, there's still the Vice Minister!
This was the first ancestor he had to curry favor with!
Fortunately, this official had once been the magistrate of Guyang County, so he could at least establish some connection with him.
The carriage could not go any further when it reached the vicinity of Huaigu Village, and everyone had to get off.
When Jiang Shan saw that Huaigu Village was as dilapidated and shabby as ever, he couldn't help but frown.
This shouldn't be happening!
All along the way, there were well-maintained roads, and the entrances to other villages were clearly paved with gravel. Why is Huaigu Village in such a dilapidated state?
Jiang Shan took a few steps forward and saw villagers rushing over, with someone shouting something ahead.
When the villagers reached the village entrance, they all knelt down in the direction of Jiangshan, their hands on the ground and their foreheads pressed against the damp earth, looking like they were worshipping devoutly.
"What's going on!" Jiang Shan's voice was a little cold.
No one said a word.
The village head stepped forward tremblingly, and said with trepidation, "Your Highness, the villagers of Huaigu Village mistreated you and... They deserved it. There were instructions from above not to build roads and bridges for the villagers of Huaigu Village..."
"Enough!" Jiang Shan suddenly turned his head, his dark eyes staring intently at the village head.
"How the villagers of Huaigu Village treat me is my business. What business is it of yours? Do I need you to help us vent our anger?" With that, she angrily lifted her skirt and walked into the village.
Fu Qiyuan held Jiang Huai's hand and followed closely behind.
"Welcome, Your Highness!"
"Welcome, Your Highness!"
"Welcome, Your Highness!"
The villagers uttered cries of awe that seemed to make Jiang Shan's blood run cold.
She took a deep breath, looked at the people lying on the ground, and asked expressionlessly, "Who taught you to do this? The village head? Or the village chief? Get up! Stand up and answer me, do you hear me!"
As soon as Jiangshan got angry, the village chief quickly got up and waved for everyone to get up as well.
The villagers all hung their heads like quails, and one woman was even trembling.
Jiang Shan walked over to her and looked at her closely, then said, "Is this Aunt Qing?"
Aunt Qing was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost knelt down again.
Jiang Shan reached out and caught her.
Aunt Qing, her face deathly pale, slowly raised her head.
She was stunned when she saw it.
Is the fairy before me really that foolish Jiang Shan? Or that noblewoman who was granted the title of county princess by the emperor?
Look at the young man behind her, it's definitely Erlang! The second son of the Jiao family! I heard he's already a high-ranking official in front of the emperor!
And the boy beside him bears a striking resemblance to Jiao Tongchun of the Jiao family—that's… Sanlang! Jiao Sanlang! Studying with the princes and grandsons of the emperor!
The beautiful noblewoman he was supporting... was that widowed mother from the Jiao family...! No, this woman was a true heiress, the legitimate daughter of the emperor's tutor! How blind could she be to mistake that woman, so different from them all, for a vixen...!
And that child! The child being led by Jiao Erlang, the little boy who looks remarkably like Jiang Shan, is the "bastard" she mentioned, and is now a prince with a title!
Now, any one member of the Jiao family could crush her entire family with a flick of their finger!
A profound sense of despair overwhelmed Aunt Qing. Unable to bear the pressure any longer, she collapsed to the ground and began to cry weakly.
"Your Highness, please spare me! I was foolish, I deserve to die, I shouldn't have bullied you, I did all the bad things, I'll pay with my life, please spare my family! Erlang, Sanlang, Jiao's sister, I deserve to die, I've let you down, I'll die, I'll die right now!"
As she spoke, Aunt Qing scrambled and stumbled toward the riverbank.
Jiang Shan pointed to Fu Qichen, who was closest to Aunt Qing, and raised his chin.
Fu Qichen kicked Aunt Qing over, and was glared at fiercely by Jiang Shan.
"Old hag!" Fu Qichen cursed, and spat on the ground without any regard for his image.
Jiang Huai, however, was an obedient child. He raised his childish voice and looked up at Jiang Shan, asking, "Mother, has she ever bullied you?"
Jiang Shan was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.
To be honest, I didn't bully her; in fact, this woman really did cause me a lot of trouble back then!
If we're talking about bullying, this matter won't be let go today!
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Shan bent down and said softly, "It can't be called bullying. What she said is true. After all, no one knew that your father was your father back then. They thought that the child in your mother's belly was a wild child without a father..."
Jiang Huai narrowed his eyes, revealing an expression exactly like Jiang Shan's, and said with a light smile, "So that means she bullied me? Xiao Xiao, what are the charges for insulting the young master and bullying the county princess?"
Cui Xiaoxiao stepped forward, bowed her head and clasped her hands, saying, "Reporting to Your Highness, the severe punishment is thirty strokes of the cane, and the mild punishment is ten strokes!"
Jiang Huai waved his little hand and said with unparalleled domineering power, "Anyone who has bullied my mother and me in her belly, step forward!"
This is truly unbearable!
The village chief made a bitter gesture with his arm, and immediately some people stood up dejectedly, forming a line.
Of the more than twenty villagers present, only three did not stand up.
"Those who did minor offenses, stand over here; those who committed serious offenses, stand over there! Behave yourselves!"
Jianghuai continued with the order.
The villagers hesitated for a moment before choosing their own queue.
About 30% of people sided with the perpetrators.
"Guards, beat them! Ten strokes for the mildest offense, thirty strokes for the heaviest! From this day forward, our grudges with you are settled!"
After Jiang Huai finished speaking, he turned to Fu Li and whispered, "It must hurt a lot, right? Li Li, send someone to find a few doctors."
Fu Li nodded, then turned and ran away.
Jiang Shan laughed, a laugh as radiant as spring flowers.
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