Amazing Pastoral World: Unparalleled Medical Queen

Lu Ke'er frowned slightly.

She suddenly had a bad feeling: these two siblings would be trouble.

Is it too late to take back what she just said?

Qin Fang was straightforward. He immediately brought the brother and sister to the backyard and thoughtfully prepared a room for Lu Keer. He repeatedly emphasized and assured: "Miss Lu, don't worry, no one will come to disturb you here."

Lu Keer: ...

When there were only three people left in the room, Shi Chenxing told Lu Ke'er: "We are from Xiushui County, Pingzhou. My family is a well-known local gentry, and we own thousands of acres of fertile land. My father is kind and generous, my mother is gentle and virtuous, and we have a group of servants at home, but unexpectedly..."

At this point, Shi Chenxing's voice became hoarse and low, with tears welling up in his eyes.

It turned out that the Shi family was quite famous in the local area, and Shi Chenxing's father Shi Songlian had passed the imperial examination twice, and then became an official of some importance in the Ministry of Revenue. Later, because he was dissatisfied with the power struggles and unscrupulous infighting in the officialdom, he resigned and returned to his hometown, focusing on managing his ancestral business, and expanded the original 300 acres of good land to 1,000 acres. Half a year ago, the prefect of Pingzhou suddenly announced a so-called good land tax. Families with land in their families would increase the tax of 4 cents per acre on the basis of the original tax. After all the calculations, many farmers spent almost half of their annual harvest on taxes.

For a time, people in Pingzhou were in an uproar and complaining.

Shi Songlian had worked in the Ministry of Revenue and was well aware of the difficulties of people's livelihood. Although he also rented out his own thousand acres of fertile land to tenants for cultivation, he usually treated the tenants very well and paid the highest rent to them in the local area. He was kind-hearted and, relying on the thin face he had gained from working in the officialdom, he personally went to the Pingzhou government office to argue with the prefect. Later, not only did he fail to petition for the people, but he was framed for offending the prefect, and his home was soon raided by the government. In the chaos, his father was beaten to death, and his mother hanged herself in grief and anger. The family's servants were dismissed and sold, and the family was broken up in an instant.

"How did you escape?" Lu Ke'er didn't believe that the Pingzhou prefect would let the descendants of the Shi family go.

"Thanks to our loyal servant, Shi Bo, who risked his life to save us, my sister and I were able to escape. But on the way, we were attacked by refugees fleeing famine, and we were separated from the butler."

"Refugees? How could there be refugees?"

"Yes, they are refugees." Shi Chenxing looked sad. "Since last year, Chongzhou has suffered from a severe drought, and many fields have no harvest. Many local people have eaten up all their stored food and can no longer survive. Countless people have starved to death. The people were displaced and forced to flee far away from their hometowns. Many villages were empty. What we met on the road was a group of refugees who had escaped from Chongzhou."

Lu Ke'er was shocked.

"What about the local officials? What about the imperial court?" She asked a series of questions. "Are there no disaster relief? Are there no warehouses opened to release grain to help the victims? Are there no proper resettlement for the refugees?"

"Chongzhou and Pingzhou are both fiefs of Prince Chen." Shi Chenxing replied, "I heard from my father that when the drought started, Prince Chen clearly had stored grain, but he still asked the emperor for money for disaster relief. At that time, the emperor approved a lot of disaster relief money despite the opposition of some court officials. But..."

At this point, Shi Chenxing's face was full of anger: "But King Chen withheld the silver, not only that, but also increased taxes on the people of Chongzhou. When the people fled Chongzhou, King Chen not only did not comfort the victims, but instead issued an order to set up many checkpoints along the way to prevent the refugees from passing smoothly, and the prefectures and counties also strengthened their vigilance to prohibit the refugees from entering."

"Is Prince Chen mentally ill?" Lu Ke'er was stunned.

Even if he doesn't love the people like his own children, he should at least let the people live. Otherwise, how can the people support him?

"My father said..." Shi Chenxing hesitated for a moment and said, "My father said that King Chen might have a big plan."

Lu Ke'er was shocked.

Prince Chen has messed up his own fiefdom. If he is not out of his mind, then he must have other motives.

What is his purpose?

They intercepted silver, collected grain, increased taxes regardless of disaster years, and allowed refugees to become homeless, without any regard... This was the rhythm of causing chaos in the fiefdom.

What can he gain if the fiefdom becomes chaotic?

Lu Ke'er's heart was beating like a drum.

A vague idea loomed in my mind.

"Where do you live now?" She calmed herself down and asked Shi Chenxing.

"There is an abandoned old house near the stone bridge in the west of the town. We will stay there temporarily."

Next to the stone bridge in the west of the town?

Lu Ke'er thought of Zhang Ada, the dermatologist she met at Ruyitang. He said at the time that he also lived there.

"I'll come to see you when I have time." Lu Ke'er thought for a moment and said to them, "Don't reveal your background to anyone else."

Shi Chenxing nodded solemnly.

He was not mistaken, the girl in front of him was trustworthy.

"My name is Lu Ke'er, and I live in Lingxia Village." Lu Ke'er introduced herself to him, "If you can trust me, then you and your sister should take good care of yourselves these days and wait for my news."

She took out a tael of silver and handed it to Shi Chenxing: "Take this little bit of silver and buy some rice, flour and clothes."

"No, no." Shi Chenxing quickly refused.

"Just take it if I tell you to." Lu Ke'er's pretty face turned serious. "I'm asking you to take it for free. Do you know any other beggars in this town?"

"Yes, I know him." Shi Chenxing nodded. "There are ten homeless people living in that shabby house, including me and my sister."

He didn't tell Lu Ke'er that he was still the leader of the ten.

"So much?" Lu Ke'er took out another ounce of silver and handed it to him along with the previous ounce. "Take it. I'll tell you what to do later."

Shi Chenxing took the silver and felt that it was heavy and hot, so hot that his heart felt hot. The heat rushed straight to his eyes and forced out tears.

On the way of wandering, they were separated from the old housekeeper who loved them wholeheartedly, but he did not cry; he did not cry when the only silver and food he had on him were robbed by the refugees; he did not cry when he was bitten by vicious dogs and bled in unbearable pain; he did not cry when he was insulted and beaten... But at this moment, holding the silver and looking at the girl who was looking at him indifferently, he cried.

He pulled his sister over, and they both knelt down in front of Lu Ke'er and kowtowed heavily.

"Miss Lu, we brothers and sisters will remember your kindness in our hearts. From now on, you will be our master. We will work like slaves to repay your kindness."

Lu Ke'er hurriedly pulled them up.

"What are you doing? I don't need you to work like slaves. I just need you to be human beings, people who stand upright in the world."

These words were so powerful that Shi Chenxing felt his heart boiling with pride and a surge of pride in his chest.

"My brother and I swear to follow the young lady till death!"