Pei Han led the way, riding his horse while recalling Min Yueqing's graceful and fluid mounting technique, marveling at it inwardly. He had no idea his wife could ride a horse, and was quite skilled at it.
When they were in the capital, they always traveled by carriage when they went out together, so Pei Han never thought to ask his wife if she could ride a horse.
Min Yueqing was unaware of Pei Han's thoughts. She hadn't intended to hide her riding skills anyway; even if Pei Han asked directly, she could explain that she had learned them in the last two years. She rode the Whirlwind at a leisurely pace at the very back, making it easier to keep an eye on the two children.
Speaking of whirlwinds, something interesting happened today.
Whether it was the natural hierarchy among animals or not, the moment Min Yueqing approached Whirlwind carrying Xiao Wei, Whirlwind inexplicably became agitated. If it weren't for the servant pulling it back, Whirlwind might have already fled in panic.
Min Yueqing walked to Xuanfeng's side and soothingly stroked its mane. Xuanfeng stared at Min Yueqing with its two big, wet eyes, its gaze almost showing a hint of pity.
Min Yueqing looked back at Xuanfeng calmly. She lifted the little Wei in her hand so that Xuanfeng could see the little guy clearly, and comforted him, "It's okay, look how small it is, it's not dangerous."
Whether it was calmed down by Min Yueqing's peaceful and composed attitude or felt safer seeing a familiar person, the whirlwind gradually calmed down, and Min Yueqing then mounted her horse with peace of mind.
Now, Min Yueqing held the fluffy little Wei in her left hand and pulled the reins with her right hand. In front of her were two children riding horses happily, and the melodious chirping of birds could be heard from time to time.
In the gentle spring breeze, Min Yueqing contentedly squinted her eyes slightly.
Pei Han chose a place not far from the patrol office. Pei Ji felt that he hadn't gotten close enough to A Yao before they arrived at their destination.
Hundreds of bandits, their hands and feet bound with thick ropes, were strung together like dumplings in a dozen or so strings. The ropes were tied around their waists, with a certain length left between each pair of bandits. This way, they wouldn't be hindered from working, and it would be convenient for the jailer to supervise them. It was a win-win situation.
Min Yueqing observed carefully for a while and found that the bandits' hands and feet were tied in a very clever way. The ends of the bindings should be tied in a tight knot, but a certain distance was left in the middle to allow their hands and feet to move within a small range.
Looking at the bandits who were dejectedly tidying up the ground in front of her, Min Yueqing felt that this plan was brilliant and couldn't help but give Pei Han an approving look.
Pei Han happened to be looking at Min Yueqing, and upon receiving that look, he felt immediately relieved. He walked to Min Yueqing's side and said gently, "Although these people are not virtuous, they are quite strong. They have been here for two days, and the soil on this plot of land has been loosened to a near-complete degree. They are now clearing away stones, weeds, and other debris."
Min Yueqing almost burst out laughing when she heard Pei Han's nonchalant tone.
It's important to know that the "land" Pei Han was referring to wasn't just a small piece, but a whole large area on the hillside.
Fortunately, the bandits were numerous and all in their prime; otherwise, let alone two days, even if a normal family were to do it themselves, it might take at least a month to finish.
Min Yueqing walked into the loosened soil, picked up a twig and stuck it into the ground to test it, but frowned upon doing so.
Pei Han's gaze had been following Min Yueqing. Noticing her unusual expression, he asked, "What's wrong? Is this piece of land bad?"
This area was specifically chosen by Pei Han through his local subordinates who were familiar with the local geology. He had emphasized Min Yueqing's three requirements to his subordinates: sufficient sunlight, loose soil, and good drainage. In theory, there shouldn't be any problems.
Min Yueqing shook her head and said, "The location here is good, and the soil looks quite fertile. However, the foreign merchant specifically mentioned that these potatoes are somewhat similar to sweet potatoes, as the fruit grows underground. Therefore, the soil needs to be tilled deeper, and the current depth may not be sufficient."
Upon hearing that it was merely a matter of tilling depth, Pei Han breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "That's easy. I'll give the instructions right away. How much deeper would be appropriate?"
Min Yueqing glanced casually at the bandits in the distance and replied without hesitation, "Twice as deep."
Pei Han didn't see anything wrong with it, agreed, and went to tell the overseer, the jailer.
The bandits were forced to do farm work for two days, and they were so exhausted that they looked like wilted eggplants. They felt like their hands and feet didn't belong to them anymore. At this moment, they were still picking up stones, branches and weeds, completely unaware of the sudden disaster that was about to happen to them.
Several people who were nearby heard several horses stop not far away and immediately became itchy to look up and see what was going on, but they were too afraid of the whip in the jailer's hand, so they only dared to eavesdrop and not dare to look.
The group couldn't help but secretly resent that the newcomer's voice was too soft, causing them to hear nothing after listening for so long.
The whips in the jailers' hands hurt terribly. A couple of days ago, someone was looking around while working and was immediately caught by two jailers and beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding.
Even worse, the man was beaten half to death, but he couldn't rest and had to keep working, otherwise the jailers would beat him again.
The other bandits trembled at the sight of the guards, feeling that they were even more vicious than the bandits themselves, and dared not slack off or cause any trouble.
Before long, the jailers learned that the soil hadn't been dug deep enough and needed to be dug twice as deep. Having all seen that Lord Pei was personally inspecting the area that day, the jailers secretly resented the bandits for slacking off, causing them to lose face under Lord Pei's very nose.
Without a word, the jailers went to the bandits under their jurisdiction, lashing each of them with their whips while shouting, "Haven't you eaten? Hurry up and pick up your hoes and dig! The soil is too shallow, double the depth! If you slack off again, you'll go hungry all day!"
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