Chapter 208 Who dares to answer
The village chief, Lao Qian, is always well-informed. He rushed to Gu Xixi's house and said that something big had happened in Qingtian County.
Everyone in the room looked at each other.
Aunt Zhang went out immediately and asked Lao Qian to come in and talk.
Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Uncle Qian, don't worry. Sit down and rest for a while. It's so hot. Look how sweaty you are from running."
She then said to Shitou, "Do you still have the plum honey tea? Go get a bowl to help the village chief cool down."
Shitou stood up obediently, drank the remaining sip in his bowl, and said with a smile:
"I'll have another bowl, too."
Qing'er buried her little face in the bowl and gulped down the drink. She raised her hand hastily, "Brother Shitou, wait for Qing'er. Qing'er hasn't had enough."
As children, it is inevitable that they will crave sour, sweet, and cold things in summer.
But the adults have no appetite at this moment.
Especially He Jinglan, An Qinghe and Madam Meng, the three people who knew the truth, all looked a little heavy.
Gu Xixi was surprisingly calm, and even had a faint smile on her face.
Especially at such moments, she, as the head of the family, must not lose her composure.
Old Qian took a deep breath, took the wet towel from Aunt Zhang and wiped his face twice, then said,
"Qingtian County was under martial law, the city gates were closed, and the people saw many soldiers stationed outside and inside the city."
The old doctor pondered and said, "With so many soldiers being mobilized, it seems like a war is about to begin."
Aunt Zhang was shocked and asked, "Haven't we already beaten the Beili people away? Why are you fighting again?"
"And Qingtian County is the closest to us, so aren't we in danger?"
Gu Xixi held Aunt Zhang's hand and patted it comfortingly, "Don't panic, listen to Uncle Qian first."
Old Qian continued, "The entire Northwest is guarded by the Northwest Army. It's not uncommon to see the flag of the Northwest Army. But the problem is that everyone can see that next to the flag, there is another flag with the word Huo hanging brightly."
"Three generations of military commanders of the Huo family have guarded the northwest for decades, and this Huo-character flag has never appeared before."
Although he was talking in the house, Lao Qian still lowered his voice carefully.
"So many people are speculating whether General Huo is going to lead the Northwest Army to rebel?"
Although Gu Xixi already knew what was going on, she still acted surprised.
"If this is true, wouldn't the world be in chaos?"
Old Qian sighed, "That's what I mean, niece. You always see things further than most people. What do you think about this?"
Gu Xixi asked back, "If the speculation is true, Uncle Qian, you have been watching over this land longer than I have, and have seen more people and things. What do you think of General Huo's move?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room looked at Gu Xixi.
Even asking this question would be a great treason to the current court.
If there was any hint of sympathy or appreciation in Lao Qian's answer, even just a little bit, it would be considered as supporting the serious crime of treason and the extermination of nine generations of the family!
Old Qian also looked at Gu Xixi with a complicated expression and did not speak for a long time.
The door curtain was lifted, and Shitou came in holding a bowl of plum honey tea, followed by Qing'er.
They were unaware of the unusual atmosphere in the room.
Shitou said with a smile, "We drank half a bowl each in the kitchen, and we held back and left some for everyone."
"Sister Xixi didn't let us go to the well. I saw that the water in the water tank was cool, so I scooped some water and soaked the jar in the vegetable basin to prevent it from getting warm and unpalatable."
As Shitou spoke, he walked up to Lao Qian and handed him the bowl of soup with both hands.
"Grandpa Village Chief, this is the sweet soup made by my sister Xixi. It's so refreshing and delicious."
"Hurry up and drink some to get rid of the heat in your body."
Old Qian looked at the child's eager eyes, took the bowl with a smile, and said, "Thank you."
He took two big gulps, his brows suddenly relaxed, "Mm, delicious! Very satisfying!"
Qing Er said innocently, "It would be nice if I could just not eat and drink the sweet soup."
I have to say that the children came back just in time. Everyone laughed and the atmosphere relaxed.
An Qinghe felt that Village Chief Qian might be hesitant to talk to Xixi in his presence, so he made an excuse to take the two children to play in the yard.
Just when everyone thought that Lao Qian would no longer answer Gu Xixi's questions.
He suddenly smiled and looked at Gu Xixi, saying, "I dislike the Northwest these past two years even less than I did two years ago."
"I am just an ordinary citizen, so naturally I will side with whoever makes my life better."
The answer is clear enough.
Gu Xixi didn't mean to set a trap for Lao Qian.
Although she has her own judgment on the local people's livelihood, she still lacks comparison between the previous and next few years.
The locals from the old money generation are the village chiefs and the people who know the most about the people’s livelihood in the surrounding areas.
Gu Xixi just wanted to hear what local people like Lao Qian thought.
Fortunately, after some hesitation, Lao Qian chose to trust Gu Xixi.
Gu Xixi said solemnly, "Uncle Qian and I have the same idea."
The Northwest Army had two biggest advantages in restoring order.
First, the public support.
The previous emperor died suddenly, and after the young emperor ascended the throne, he issued one decree after another that disregarded the people's livelihood and sentiments.
Not to mention faraway places, even in Qingtian County, where Huachidu Village is located, the commerce and agriculture industries are obviously not as prosperous as before.
Every spring, the price of food would rise, but the money in the pockets of ordinary people and the grain in their warehouses would decrease instead of increase.
As Lao Qian just said, whoever cares about people's livelihood will be supported by the people.
Second, the name is not right and the words are not reasonable.
The ruler was young and the country was in doubt. Although the empress dowager accompanied the young ruler in ruling the country from behind the curtain, she knew nothing about state affairs.
The real power actually lies in the family of her in-laws behind her.
The young emperor was just a puppet of his grandfather and uncles.
There are even rumors that the late emperor died suddenly without any warning because the empress dowager conspired with his father and brother to kill the emperor.
Otherwise, how could the late emperor's close confidants and ministers die or be demoted overnight?
At this time, Gu Xixi had more confidence in Mu Nanzhao and the others.
She calmed herself down and asked, "If something is unavoidable, what we should consider now is how our village will cope and how to protect itself?"
Old Qian nodded, "My niece knows me. This is the main reason why I came here."
Gu Xixi said, "Uncle Qian knows that I have dealings with people from the Northwest Army."
"From what I understand, the general is strict in military discipline and cares for the people. With him around, no matter what the army does, they will at least ensure the safety of the people."
"Except for some initial travel inconvenience, other daily life should not be affected too much."
"Besides, we are in the Northwest. As long as the Northwest Army wins, outsiders can't get in. We are safe."
Old Qian groaned and said, "That makes sense. I believe what you said."
The imperial court allowed local governments to appropriately increase taxes on the people.
But General Huo never did that.
Thinking that life in the village would go on as usual in the future, Lao Qian had a slight smile on his face.
Gu Xixi changed the subject and said, "But we can't just sit back and relax."
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