Rebirth of a Lost Nation: Princess, Please Respect Yourself

Ning Yunxiao answered in a serious tone, "We are from the capital. We learned that some corrupt officials here have embezzled military funds intended for the families of fallen soldiers, so we have come to investigate."

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the old lady not only did not say anything, but also pushed the two of them out like a madman.

"That's not true! Stop talking nonsense! Go away! You are not welcome here!"

Jiang Lige staggered when the old lady pushed him, and he immediately grabbed her hand and started to sing the red-faced song.

"Since you were willing to persuade us to leave, you must have a good heart. You want to help us, and we want to help more people. Our goals are the same."

"Help?" The old lady seemed to have heard a great joke. "The imperial court always sends high-ranking officials to inspect, but what's the point? The only reason you say such high-sounding words now is because you haven't received the benefits from the government yet. Once the real money comes into your hands, who will still care about us powerless people? We are just ordinary people, our bodies are like duckweed, our lives are worthless. How can we be a stumbling block to the officials' promotion?"

Seeing that the old lady was so prejudiced against the officials, Jiang Lige suddenly panicked. He was considering how to persuade the old lady when he heard Ning Yunxiao speak from the side.

"Shengling was once a small nation, controlled by a larger nation and subjected to constant bullying. It was the blood of countless soldiers who forged our present glory and allowed the people of Shengling to stand tall. Soldiers are the backbone of Shengling. They defended our homeland, and we should protect their families. If you don't believe me, I, Ning Yunxiao, swear here that I will not return until I eliminate the corrupt officials!"

Jiang Lige loosened his grip on the old lady's hand and patiently advised:

"Just as he said, when the strong once dominated the weak, the soldiers didn't retreat because of a slim hope. Now, we won't give in to the power of corrupt officials. Auntie, I know that there may have been some power-hungry officials who stole your hope. But if we become afraid of the battlefield because of defeat, how can we have peace in the world now?"

The two men's emotional and logical words did indeed make the old lady a little shaken, but when she thought of her young grandson, she really didn't dare to take the risk.

Ning Yunxiao had been carefully observing the old lady's expression. Seeing her looking hesitantly towards the inner room, he had a guess in his mind.

Then he tilted his head slightly and motioned Jiang Lige to look at the rattle on the table. The two exchanged glances and had a plan.

Ning Yunxiao sighed softly, walked a few steps away as if discouraged, and said no more.

Jiang Lige once again played the good guy and negotiated with the old lady in a soft voice.

"Auntie, I know you have many concerns, but don't worry, we only need to know the true situation in Fengle Village. We don't need you to testify, and we won't reveal your identity. This way, you and your family will be safe no matter what. As for how to get rid of the corrupt officials, we will find a way to restore peace to Fengle Village. I promise you."

After Jiang Lige said this, the old lady finally gave in and nodded.

The old lady said that just as the imperial court had promised, the families of soldiers who died in battle would receive a large sum of pension silver after being registered in Fengle Village. In addition, there would be an additional rice subsidy every month.

Although these benefits will be distributed to the villagers, the government also has plenty of ways to make the villagers hand over the pension money.

On the one hand, most of the villagers who came to register were illiterate, so from the very beginning the officials would trick the villagers into signing unequal contracts, including many different types of "taxes".

On the other hand, all the fields, shopping shops, private schools, etc. in the village belong to the county, and the county government has absolute "pricing power".

Rice that costs half a tael of silver per stone outside is doubled in price in Fengle Village. The prices of land leasing and crop seeds are even more outrageous. This means that the amount of silver needed for villagers' lives is much higher than outside the village.

In this way, the money in the hands of the villagers can be turned into the private property of the corrupt officials without any effort, and they are so "willing" that no one can blame them.

Hearing this, Jiang Lige couldn't help but be puzzled, "Don't you want to leave Fengle Village?"

"To prevent this from being exposed, the contract we signed at the beginning clearly stipulated that villagers must have official documents to leave the village. Otherwise, they will be considered deserters and will be punished regardless of their lives if caught."

After the old lady said this, Ning Yunxiao seemed to have thought of something and spoke.

"Indeed, many years ago, the county government that governs Fengle Village submitted a letter stating that spies from a neighboring country had infiltrated to avenge the death of their general and massacred the villagers. We petitioned the late emperor to block all entrances and exits unless necessary, and to deploy additional personnel along essential routes to protect the villagers."

Jiang Lige was shocked. "The late emperor? That happened decades ago."

"Yes, Fengle Village has been in this state for decades." The woman said this, looking toward the mottled wooden door, as if recalling some unpleasant memories. "Some people, despite their fate, took money and tried to escape in the middle of the night, only to be discovered by officials. They were beaten to a bloody pulp and hung from a tree at the entrance of the village, wailing for three days and three nights before finally dying. No one dared to greet them when they were alive, and no one dared to collect their bodies after they died. In the end, the yamen's vicious dogs devoured them until not even a bone remained."

Jiang Lige was horrified by the cruelty of the means and sighed, "Officials have changed countless times over the past few decades, but such bad habits have been passed down from generation to generation..."

Ning Yunxiao regained his sanity faster than Jiang Lige, and analyzed.

"This only shows that this matter has formed a complete chain of interests. From the county government to the imperial court, I'm afraid someone is involved."

Jiang Lige naturally reacted quickly after hearing this. The moment he and Ning Yunxiao's eyes met, they both saw a heavy look in each other's eyes.

After learning the truth, Ning Yunxiao and Jiang Lige did not dare to stay any longer, for fear of being seen and implicating the old lady for no reason.

After sitting for a while and confirming that there was no one around, the two of them quietly left through the back door and went straight back to the inn.

At that time, Gu Fan and Song Yue were sitting in front of the chessboard staring at each other. If they were not putting on a show for the people watching outside, they would probably be running around the room in anxiety.

Seeing the two people enter the room, they breathed a sigh of relief, extinguished the oil lamp, and the four of them sat around the table.

Song Yue asked anxiously, "Princess, Prince, have you investigated the matter thoroughly?"

Jiang Lige nodded and whispered a summary of the findings of tonight's investigation as concisely as possible.

If he hadn't been afraid of the people outside, Gu Fan would have jumped up in anger. He suppressed his anger and cursed, then asked:

"Then what should we do? According to the rules, we should leave the city tomorrow after distributing the porridge. If we force ourselves to stay here, it will definitely arouse suspicion."