Li Xue looked at Li Guang, listening to him continue:
"When the bandits saw that I could read, they made me teach a few bandit leaders. I never expected that this decision by the bandits would allow me to survive, while batches of people who were captured by the bandits and forced to do hard labor on the mountain died."
Later, when Prefect Shen went up the mountain to suppress bandits, I was rescued and was prepared to be sent back to my hometown. This terrified me, so I had to lie and say that I had fled from the border and had long been separated from my parents.
At that time, Brother Zhao was helping Prefect Shen suppress bandits. When he saw that I had nowhere to go, he took me in.
After arriving at the Zhao family, in order to prevent others from knowing my true identity, I adopted the alias Li Guang and voluntarily worked as a farmer at Brother Zhao's house.
To be on the safe side, I even tanned myself, but my sister still recognized me immediately.
"I never imagined you'd endured so much hardship this past year. It seems that Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on someone, and it first tests their resolve and strengthens their body..."
"Sister, please stop making fun of me. It's already a miracle that I survived. Why would I ask for some great responsibility from heaven?"
"Brother Qing, is the Brother Zhao who took you in the village the scholar Zhao Xian?"
"Yes, it's him. Do you know him, sister?"
"What a coincidence! I came here today to ask him for help. I've already checked into his house and I'll probably stay for a few days."
“That’s great, this way I can spend a few days with my sister, but…” Li Guang hesitated.
"Qingdi, I'm relieved to know you're safe. When we get back, I won't know you, and of course, you won't know me either."
Li Guang smiled and looked at the wasteland beside him.
"Sister, did you see the wasteland ahead? It's over 300 acres. When I first came here, I said I really liked farming, so Brother Zhao bought this wasteland and hired more than 30 villagers and three family soldiers to help me."
The prefect rewarded him with four oxen, and later Brother Zhao bought two more. With so many oxen working in the fields, the land reclamation was much faster.
Over the years, our Great Northern Dynasty has suffered many disasters, and the most scarce resource is food. As a prince, I should share the burden of the country. Perhaps it is Heaven that has specially arranged for me to come here.
For the next few years, I will have no chance of advancement; I can only stay here, quietly farming, cultivating high-yield crops, promoting them, increasing grain production, and ensuring that the people no longer go hungry.
Li Guang's words brought tears to Li Xue's eyes, and she forced herself not to let them fall.
“Next, I plan to have Brother Zhao build a farm on the edge of the wasteland so he can focus on crop research. Living here, far from the village, should be safer,” Li Guang said.
"That's fine too. As Young Master Zhao's business grows bigger and bigger, more and more people will come to the village, and the relationship between the village and the outside world will become more complicated. Over time, you will inevitably expose your identity."
But if you want to build a farm here, will Young Master Zhao agree?
“Brother Zhao will agree. The arable land here will continue to expand in the future, and more and more people will be doing farm work here. A lot of farm tools will need to be stored, and so many cattle will need to be pensed. It is most suitable to build the cattle pens here on the farm.”
“How much does it cost to build a farm? You don’t need to pay for it, Young Master Zhao. I’ll take care of it for you,” Li Xue said.
"No need for that. Brother Zhao gives me ten taels of silver every month, and I already have more than twenty taels. That's enough to build a simple farm."
I doubt Brother Zhao will let me pay this money; it's probably not going to be of any use.
"I didn't expect you to get paid for doing farm work here. In such a short time, you've saved more than twenty taels of silver. It seems I'll have to follow you," Li Xue said with a smile.
Li Guang also laughed, and this time he laughed very happily; perhaps this was the first time he had laughed happily in more than a year.
"Don't worry, Qingdi. As long as the people here don't know your identity, you'll be safe. I'll come to see you often. The guards around me were selected from various places recently. They don't know you, so you can rest assured."
"I'll go back now. If I stay too long, the guards will come looking for me, and it won't be good if they see me."
"Okay, I'll head back first. I still have some farm work to do, and I'll go home after I finish it."
Li Xue waved to Li Guang and left, turning back every three steps.
Watching Li Xue's departing figure, Li Guang was filled with mixed emotions, recalling the unforgettable events of a year ago.
A year ago, an official in the imperial court was accused of treason. The eldest prince, Li Hui, went to search the official's home and found several letters that essentially confirmed the official's treason. Unexpectedly, during the search, they also found letters from the younger prince, Li Qing.
It was highly suspicious that the young prince's letter appeared in this official's home. This incident involved many officials, and all those involved were detained and tried, including the young prince.
When the emperor learned of this, he did not believe that Li Qing would collude with the enemy. However, when he searched Li Qing's house, he found Li Qing's letters, which at least showed that he had contact with this official.
The emperor had no choice but to imprison Li Qing for the time being, and then personally handle the matter and clear the young prince's name after some time.
Unexpectedly, Li Qing committed suicide while in custody, seemingly confirming the fact that he had colluded with the enemy.
Anyone with eyes could see that this was a scheme by the eldest prince to frame Li Qing, but the emperor did not believe it. In the emperor's eyes, the eldest prince was definitely a kind and benevolent elder brother.
After discovering Li Qing's letters, the eldest prince knelt before the emperor and wept bitterly. He said that Li Qing rarely even left the capital, so how could he possibly be colluding with the enemy? He even guaranteed with his own life that Li Qing would not collude with the enemy.
Unexpectedly, just a few days later, Li Qing committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Li Hui was so heartbroken that he fell ill.
The emperor even made a special trip to the eldest prince's residence to visit him. Seeing Li Hui's excessive grief, he was also moved by the deep brotherly affection between the two brothers.
After that incident, no one in the capital ever mentioned it again.
Li Xue was in a very good mood after returning. The guards were still worried and were preparing to go out to look for her if the princess did not return soon.
When they saw Li Xue return excitedly, the guards were a little puzzled, as they rarely saw the princess in such a state.
“The princess went out alone. Why didn’t she take any guards with her? It’s not safe,” Zhao Xian said.
“Young Master Zhao, there’s no need to worry. Even if I go to the enemy camp alone, they won’t dare to do anything to me,” Li Xue said with a smile.
"Then I'm relieved. But Princess, you should still be careful. Although there are no enemies here, there are poisonous snakes. Those things are more dangerous than enemies. You must not get bitten by them."
Upon hearing that there were poisonous snakes, Li Xue turned pale. Nowadays, no one is unafraid of snakes, especially girls.
Seeing that Li Xue was afraid of snakes, Zhao Xian couldn't help but laugh.
"Actually, there's no need to worry. Just be careful when you walk and don't step on it intentionally, and definitely don't reach out to grab it."
Li Xue nodded. It seems that next time she goes to the fields, she must keep a close eye on where she is.
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