Chapter 219 Are you dazzled?
When he returned to Muzhou, the landlord seemed much the same as before Zhong Min left. The streets were still lined with shops, and the people were still living their normal lives. The war didn't seem to have changed them much.
Perhaps it is because the people here have lived in the border for many years and have long been accustomed to the chaos of fighting and killing, or perhaps it is because Xiao Mingzheng is strict in military discipline. Even though the rebels are now enemies of the court, it has not affected the lives of the people too much. In short, this place does not look much different from before, and there is no terror and depression brought about by the war.
In fact, the calm faces of the people made it clear that while Muzhou City might sound like the most dangerous place at the moment, it was actually, precisely because of this, the city's defenses were the most rigorous. As long as it remained unconquered, it would be the safest place, the ideal place for the people to live and work in peace. Even if the imperial army were to capture Muzhou City, the imperial court would not resort to massacres or attacks on the common people.
Therefore, no matter from which aspect, this place is not much of a danger for the people. Moreover, over the years, thanks to Xiao Mingzheng's governance, the people of Muzhou have indeed benefited a lot. They no longer have to worry about being harassed by foreign enemies, no longer have to live the same kind of displaced life as before, and no longer have to cling to poverty as before.
It was Xiao Mingzheng's arrival that changed their original lives and allowed them to live a good life. For the people, as long as it can make them live a good life, they will support it. Therefore, the people here are extremely supportive of King Mu and Xiao Mingzheng. Even if King Mu is forced to rebel now, they will still follow him loyally.
Zhong Min was very impressed by the fact that Xiao Mingzheng had such great prestige. As a prince and not very old, he must have suffered a lot when he first came to this cold and bitter place. As the saying goes, hard work pays off. Without huge efforts, it would be impossible for him to gain the support of so many people today.
Back when they were at Prince Mu's mansion, Zhong Min had seen it all. Xiao Mingzheng was always busy, with very little free time. Even when he occasionally invited Luo Jiaxing to play Go, it was always while they talked about business. He was often away, whether it was the military camp or other towns under Muzhou, always too busy to keep up, sometimes not returning to the palace for days at a time.
On the one hand, he had to guard the border to prevent the covetous Western Rong from taking advantage of him, and on the other hand, he had to govern the people on the border so that they could live and work in peace. At the same time, he had to be wary of the court at all times and guard against assassinations and frame-ups by other forces. This road was full of thorns, and few people could understand the hardships along the way.
As soon as he sent Zhong Min to Muzhou City, Xiao Mingzheng had to rush to the military camp. This time, he left so suddenly, leaving behind too many things that needed to be dealt with immediately, without a moment's delay. Zhong Min saw it all and felt really sorry for Xiao Mingzheng. He had shouldered too much along the way.
Seeing him repeatedly instructing Xiaowu, Xiaoliu and the others to safely escort her back to Prince Mu's Mansion and to protect her safety, Zhong Min gave him a reassuring smile: "Okay, go and do your thing. Now that we're here, nothing will happen. Don't worry about it anymore."
Seeing this, Xiao Mingzheng didn't want to say anything more. He didn't repeat himself in front of so many people, but he still smiled back at Zhong Min and continued, "Okay, I'll go take care of something first. I'll be back as soon as I'm done. You stay home for now. If you need anything, you can talk to the housekeeper or Uncle Li. Got it?"
"I know! You should leave now!" Zhong Min's heart was filled with joy. Xiao Mingzheng had just mentioned a single word, a word that made her incredibly happy – home. She had heard it clearly. He hadn't mentioned the mansion, or anything else, but rather told her to stay home. This feeling was truly, truly wonderful.
After sending Xiao Mingzheng off, Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, and the others prepared to escort Zhong Min back to the palace. Riding a horse for so many days was too tiring, and seeing that Prince Mu's palace wasn't far away, Zhong Min decided to walk, firstly to explore Muzhou City, and secondly to take a break.
Xiaowu and Xiaoliu did not object. Once they arrived here, they had entered their own territory. Besides, they were following behind them, so there was no possibility of any other danger. Therefore, they followed Zhong Min's wishes.
Xier was the same. She had been almost dizzy from riding horses these days, but now she could walk on her own. She was even happier than Zhong Min. She held Zhong Min's arm, looked left and right, and talked as she walked. She was like a bird released from a cage, talking and laughing, and was very excited.
Seeing this, Zhong Min couldn't help but smile and shook her head. When passing by the entrance of an alley, she suddenly stopped and exclaimed in surprise.
"What's going on?" Xi'er asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"
Zhong Min didn't respond immediately. He looked over there again, and after a moment, he turned his gaze back to Xier and said, "Nothing. Maybe I'm dazzled."
Strangely enough, she seemed to have seen a woman passing through the alley over there just now, but the person was quite fast and disappeared in a moment. She didn't have time to take a closer look, so she couldn't be sure whether what she saw was it.
"Dazzled? What did you just see?" Xi'er was immediately alert. Perhaps because she had experienced so much in recent days, even she had become particularly sensitive to danger. When Zhong Min said she was dazzled, she immediately thought that someone might be secretly following them.
"Nothing, maybe you're tired. Go back and get some rest." Zhong Min didn't say much. Actually, when she glanced over there a moment ago, she seemed to see a woman. She looked very familiar, but she couldn't remember who she was. Besides, it was just a quick glance, so maybe she was just dazzled. She didn't want to dwell on it or say anything more, so as not to worry the others around her.
Seeing Zhong Min's words, Xi'er didn't ask any more questions. She simply glanced in that direction with a slight hesitation before continuing on her way. Xiaowu, who was following behind them, was more alert. He didn't interrupt Zhong Min and Xi'er, but simply gave Xiaoliu a quick look. Xiaoliu immediately understood and quietly left, heading towards the alley that Zhong Min had mentioned as confusing.
After returning to Prince Mu's mansion, the people inside seemed to have received the news in advance. Butler Liu actually brought many servants to greet them, all of whom looked very respectful. This made Zhong Min feel strange, and she quickly asked Butler Liu to stop being so. However, Butler Liu did not seem to intend to follow Zhong Min's advice. Instead, he replied to Zhong Min with even more respect, as if he dared not neglect her.
Seeing this, Zhong Min simply stopped talking. He thought it must be Xiao Mingzheng who ordered it. After all, it was ancient times, and the concept of hierarchy had taken root in these people's minds. Perhaps for them, his calm acceptance was the best affirmation of them.
Butler Liu still brought her to the courtyard where she used to live. When she went in, she saw that nothing inside had changed, just as Xier had said before, as if she had never left. For a moment, her heart was filled with emotion again. She didn't expect that after going around for so long, everything would return to the starting point, back to the moment when it first began.
Before she could recall her thoughts, Butler Liu had already brought someone back in, saying that they were sent to serve Zhong Min, and that if she was not satisfied, she would immediately arrange for new candidates for her to choose. She looked up and saw that it was Chu'er and Xiang'er, and for a moment she was very happy. There seemed to be a few more maids following behind the two girls, who looked familiar. She thought they must have been from Prince Mu's mansion before.
"Butler Liu, just leave Chu'er and Xiang'er here. The others are unnecessary. I don't have much to do here and don't need so many people. You should take them back and assign them to other places." Zhong Min smiled at Chu'er and Xiang'er, and signaled Butler Liu that he could take the rest of the people away.
Upon hearing this, Housekeeper Liu said with some embarrassment, "Miss Min'er, right now, we don't need anyone to serve in Prince Mu's Mansion except for you. The prince said that if you feel that something is not right, you can just send it out. However, we have already sent away most of the servants. If we send away a few maids as well, it would not be a good idea, right?"
Zhong Min didn't understand what Butler Liu meant at first. Seeing this, Chu'er immediately advised, "Young lady, why don't you leave Ru'er and the others behind? Xiang'er and I will serve closely inside. We still need people to run errands outside. There aren't many people working in the mansion right now. If you continue to reduce the staff, I'm afraid there won't be enough staff."
Seeing this, the maids also hurriedly followed suit and asked Zhong Min not to send them out of the house. They knew that once they left the house, they would never be able to find such a good job again. Their families were still counting on them to earn some monthly income to supplement the household expenses, and some of them had no relatives or friends. If they left, they didn't know what their future would be like.
Zhong Min didn't think much about it before, he just felt that he didn't need so many people to serve him. But after hearing what Chu'er and the others said, he suddenly realized that his decision seemed to be related to the future livelihood of those maids. So he naturally no longer insisted on his previous opinion, nodded and agreed to let those maids stay and serve outside in the future.
When everyone heard this, they breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed to express their gratitude with joy. At this moment, Zhong Min remembered what Xier had told her before. As early as a few months ago, Xiao Mingzheng had sent away all the women in the back garden of the palace.
PS: Thank you Xiaoyu for your tips these past two days. There will be another chapter this afternoon :)
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