The lunch prepared consisted of the best food available in the countryside. Yin only ate a few bites, which put the village chief in a difficult position. The village was very poor, and solving their basic needs was a good thing.
"You don't need to worry, I have agreed to your request." After finishing his meal, Yin inquired in detail about the dam.
The village chief and his entourage were in high spirits. They knew the village's population well, and many of the disaster victims from outside the village lived there. They did not intend to treat these people kindly.
Everyone looks out for themselves!
"We will find those outsiders!" The village chief was already embarrassed. They had asked the innkeeper of Yuelai Inn several times, and the innkeeper was very kind, but he couldn't make a decision on a large quantity of grain, so he couldn't fulfill their wish.
It seems these two must be the managers of the Yuelai Inn. It is said that the owner of the Yuelai Inn has connections with the royal family.
"Hmm, village chief, this embankment should be repaired, right?" Yin had been carefully observing the condition of the embankment as he walked over, putting on a good show.
The village chief and the others looked at Qingyan nervously. This....
The dikes were a taboo subject for them, and before Kangxi's arrival, the county magistrate specifically sent someone from the prefectural government to give him instructions.
"I'll trade grain for this answer!" Yin and Qingyan exchanged a glance, and Qingyan agreed. "Now it's time to speak!"
"We need to discuss this!" Faced with such a huge temptation—grain...it was the hope of the entire village!
The village chief led a few elderly people out, and Qingyan sidled up to Yin, leaning down to look at him.
"Will they really agree?" Qingyan worried. They had personally delivered the grain, but the information they received was not the truth.
"Probably. Twenty thousand taels of silver worth of grain would be a lifesaver for this village. Any problems with the dike would be irrelevant to them." Yin Ge smiled. The village chief said he was just discussing it with the others, but he only wanted them to increase the amount of grain they were given.
Qingyan felt her little head was in a knot. Yin Ju had come over in such a high and mighty manner, with the utmost sincerity.
"I will give you the silver when we get back to the manor!" Yin whispered to Qingyan.
Qingyan quickly refused, considering the silver for the grain as a donation from her.
Why?
Yin didn't want Xiao Guai to shoulder these responsibilities. There were always endless matters to deal with in the court, and it was already quite good that Xiao Guai could allocate grain for him.
"Little darling, this is official business!"
"No need, consider it a gift from the mansion!"
"That's enough!"
Yin used his sleeve as a shield and gently squeezed the little girl's hand.
Half an hour later, the village chief and several others came in, their brows furrowed. The amount of grain they needed was enormous, tens of thousands of taels, which was definitely not a small sum.
They're so young, can they really accomplish that with just a word?
"Can you really do it?" The village chief was chosen by the group to represent them, and he looked at Yin and Qingyan and asked.
"Um!"
Seeing the certainty in Yin's words, the village chief simply stated the amount needed by the village. Yin smiled and said that even for an average family, this amount was enormous; Xiao Guai's annual dividend was several times that amount.
"Su Peisheng, have the manager prepare the food." Yin nodded; Yuelai Inn could afford it.
"Yes!" Su Peisheng's voice was much rougher, and Qingyan looked at him suspiciously.
The village chief couldn't believe that their long-awaited request had been granted so quickly.
In short!
The village chief and his companions thought to themselves that these two must hold very high positions.
However, the servants' voices sounded a bit off, but they were all preoccupied with the food and didn't think much of it.
"Village chief, can you tell me about the problem with the dike?" Yin did not deny that he had sent the grain so quickly because he hoped to get an answer as soon as possible.
Every day, he would write a secret report to his father at midnight, recording all the news he heard so that his father could compile the information.
"Um..." The village chief's heart pounded. Yin had suddenly appeared, and they couldn't be sure if he had anything to do with the government. What if they were sent by the county magistrate? If they told him, wouldn't they be asking for death?
Qingyan noticed that the village chief and the others still had reservations, so he quickly tugged at Yin's belt to get him to make another promise.
"Apart from the few people in the room, you won't let anyone else know what you're saying!" Yin glanced at Erlu and ordered him to surround the entire room. Seeing how assertive this person was, the village chief was finally completely relieved.
"This dam was only repaired this year, probably in the hope of showing off when the emperor comes!" The village chief thought for a moment and decided to be frank.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yin frowned. It had just been completed this year, so it must not have been built before.
In previous years, the Emperor had never been here. He would usually stay in Hangzhou for a few days and then leave. Nowadays, it is common for these people to try to hide things from others.
"Wasn't this the case before?" Yin wasn't sure just how bold these people really were.
The person in charge of this dam is Li Xu. No wonder he had to send women to solve the problem.
The Emperor's pillow talk isn't that effective. Only after Mother passed away did Li Xu's scheme succeed.
"yes!"
After they had spoken their minds, they felt relieved.
They felt it was worth it to save the lives of the entire village by sacrificing their own.
Yin frowned, his left hand stroking his chin in deep thought. The dam was built in a rush, so the quality probably isn't good.
"Moreover, the project wasn't guided by anyone from the Ministry of Works; it was all guided by experienced elders." The village's veteran workers are the village's treasures. Whenever the village encounters a thorny issue, these clan elders hold meetings to decide on important matters. The scale of this dam was determined by these veteran workers.
What?!
Yin and Qingyan exchanged a glance. Without anyone from the Ministry of Works coming over, could this dam really be used?
"After Lord Li took the people from the Ministry of Works away, they never came back. If it weren't for the donations from Yuelai Inn, this dam probably wouldn't have been built." The old man's words stung Yin.
The officials in the imperial court had all been bribed by Li Xu, and the silver they brought was divided among them.
“Donations!” Qingyan interjected.
"Yes, young mistress, you are wise. The materials used were mostly collected from the mountains, which do not meet the requirements for building a dam at all." The village chief carefully recalled the construction process.
Qingyan sat there feeling very awkward. Her donations were clearly aiding and abetting evil. She glanced at Yin out of the corner of her eye. This concerned the court, and there was no point in her saying anything more.
"Little darling, let's talk about it when we get back!" Yin nodded and patted her little hand.
The village chief and the others became even more convinced that the identities of these two people were definitely not so simple.
"Su Peisheng, leave the silver behind!" Yin realized the truth of his situation.
The two got up and left, and the village chief finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, on the way back, Yin's mood soured.
"Go back and have someone stop distributing the donations!" Yin ordered directly. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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