Chapter 1137 This is a tough one!
ng thought about his two sons and felt resentful as well.After dinner, my son ran off to play. Only my niece remembered to make them some honey water…Li Lao San remembered that even Jia, his wife at h...Zhimin and Xiujie were tidying up in the house. When Guo Wenhao came in, they didn't look too sad; instead, there was a hint of ease in their expressions.
Xiu Jie couldn't help but ask, "Wen Hao, do you really want to leave home"
Guo Wenhao shook his head and replied, "No, I don't want to leave. But I'm happy, I also have someone looking after me."
Xiujie still didn't understand, but Zhimín understood. She pulled her younger brother's sleeve and urged, "Hurry up and get ready. Don't take too much stuff, it'll be inconvenient on the road."
Soon, everyone was ready.
Li Laosan patted each of the boys on the shoulder, carefully instructed them a few times, and then handed them over to Zheng He, going directly to find Zheng Feng.
And he went to the dining hall, joining the villagers as they returned to Suijin Beach.
Luoan Town was built relying on Luoan Academy, and most of its residents were the families and servants of students.
Just now, the death knell rang out in Xindu, and news of an early holiday spread through the academy. Everyone was anxious.
Some were busy taking their students out, while others were preparing their vehicles and planning to drive home at dawn.
Thus, the Li family's carriages left the small town and did not seem particularly eye-catching.
Again, Jia Yin followed Mu Xu out from a slightly dilapidated corner near the city north wall. They made their way to Suijin Beach, taking only half an hour.
At the checkpoint of Ercu Bridgehead, two veteran soldiers on duty were startled to see the County Princess return under the cover of darkness.
Jia Yin didn't say much, she only instructed them to ask the heads of each household to come to the old house to talk.
The veterans didn't dare to delay, they quickly dispersed to notify others.
When Jia Yin reached the village entrance, Uncle Zhao was chatting with patrolling villagers under a big tree.
It was hot weather, and no one could stomach their food. Only one person sat holding a gourd and drinking water sip by sip.
The village head couldn't sleep at home either, so he came over to join the commotion with his hands behind his back.
He had no sooner sat down than Jia Yin and Mu Xu returned.
"This... This is..." The village head was momentarily stunned, not knowing what to say.
Jia Yin told Mu Xu to knock on the doors and also asked the patrolling villagers to invite each household's head of family to come and talk.
Uncle Zhao and the others all changed color, suddenly remembering the relocation many years ago...
Soon, the front courtyard of Li's house was lit with torches, illuminating everything like daylight.
More and more villagers arrived, soon filling the courtyard.
Perhaps sensing that something major was about to happen, everyone looked anxious but no one dared speak out of turn.
Jia Yin has been thinking, it's a difficult situation. How can we address this southward migration without causing panic, but also not take it lightly
Even if it's difficult, we have to say it!
Now that everyone is here, she said, "My fellow countrymen, the northern campaign is about to end. This is a crucial time, as you all know.
But some wicked people are jealous of the Marquis and my father's achievements, and have been plotting in secret, trying to steal credit. Now they've set their sights on our village head.
"Our village moved here from the north, always diligent and honest, life was relatively peaceful and prosperous. However, in terms of power, we remained low-ranking and powerless. Over the years, our population grew larger and larger. One careless move could easily lead us to be exploited by villains and threatened."
"So, after some deliberation at home, we decided to take advantage of the fleet's return and send our loved ones south for a while to experience a different scenery. It will be two or three months at the shortest, up to half a year at most. Once the northern campaign is successful and things improve in the new capital, the fleet will bring everyone back."
Of course, you all heard the funeral bells just now. The Empress has passed away. It's easy to be seen as disrespectful if we go out at this time, so please be careful when coming and going.
He hurriedly packed his belongings that night, taking only gold and silver, hoping to set sail before daybreak.
In the courtyard, there was a deathly silence. Everyone could hear it, but their minds couldn't process it.
Mingming was living a comfortable and carefree life. Why would he suddenly decide to head south
Even if someone were plotting against the Marquis and the Fourth Master, trying to steal their military glory and looking for dirt on them, it wouldn't threaten the entire village, would it
This is a few hundred people of all ages!
A home I've lived in for over a decade, how could I just abandon it
The village head and Zhao Shu, Liu Biaotou, and others who knew the inside story naturally guessed more.
The situation must be very urgent, otherwise the princess wouldn't have rushed back overnight and urged everyone to relocate!
The village head cautiously inquired, “My lady, must you leave Will everyone in the village be departing too With so many people gone suddenly, wouldn't it attract more suspicion”
Uncle Zhao also agreed, “That’s right, County Princess. The fields still need watering, and there are workshops in the second village. We can’t just leave everything behind.”
As soon as the two spoke, it was like flipping a switch. The villagers began clamoring.
"My lady, my son's wedding is in half a month. We... can't just leave now!"
"Besides, there's my own family. My daughter is getting married in a month. All the dowry has been prepared. There's no way to change the date."
How will children continue their studies, and for how many months will classes be suspended
The fruit on the mountain, if you throw it down for a few days, the weeds will grow as high as your waist.
"What about the business at the workshop What are we going to do"
Jia Yin bit back her irritation and said, "The orchard, the fields, and the business are all worldly possessions. Right now, safety is the most important thing. We can rebuild everything else on Broken Gold Beach, just as we could in Quanzhou!"
"When it comes to marriage, if you can postpone the date, do so. If it cannot be postponed, then break the engagement. What is more important than life!"
"Enough talk, all the children must head south! As for the rest, we'll decide who stays in the village to look after things after I discuss it with the village elder."
Everyone was surprised to see Jia Yin so stern, and they all fell silent, afraid to speak another word.
But they all looked to the village head, hoping he would come up with a solution.
The village head pondered for a moment, then beckoned Jia Yin into the house.
Jia Yin couldn't hide anything from the village head, so she told him everything about Jiang Bei.
The village chief was so angry that his teeth were grinding, and he almost crushed the tobacco pipe in his hand.
But at this time, there was no time to vent anger.
He pondered for a moment then said, “My lady, I understand you want to protect the villagers and have them all move south for safety. But the truth of this matter cannot be known by everyone at the moment, so it's even more difficult to arrange.”
Since everyone has lived in Suijintang for so long, it's already become our hometown. How could we just leave it casually
Perhaps young people are okay, but those of us my age and Lao Zhao's age probably wouldn't want to go through all that trouble again.
"You can't just abandon the villages on either side, leaving them empty and deserted. You need to keep up appearances for outsiders."
"Why don't I just say something Whoever wants to stay, you shouldn't stop them. Of course, the children will have to leave."
Jia Yin also knew this was the best outcome, so she could only nod.
Then, the village chief stepped out first and addressed the crowd in a loud voice.
"This time it was truly dangerous, if we stayed, there would be a risk to our lives. So anyone who could move, should listen to the arrangements and take their children south as quickly as possible."
The old master had lived in Quanzhou for many years, buying estates and land, doing business. When he arrived there, he would definitely make sure everyone was taken care of.
"But if there are any who are fearless and truly unwilling to move, then stay with this old man to guard the house. Of course, if there is real danger later, don't blame me. This is your decision."
"Hurry back home and discuss with your family, and get the children's luggage ready. Gather at the village entrance in half an hour!"alf an hour, someone from Shoukang Palace came to invite her."Princess, County Lady, an imperial concubine has come to the palace to pay respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Her Majesty wishe...