The mistress is not a cannon fodder, the cold prince falls in love with her every night

In front of the shed, the noisy scene suddenly became quiet.

Everyone looked at Pei Shijie intently.

Some of them are laborers on the dam, and more of them are people from the surrounding area.

Needless to say, the laborers were with Pei Shijie every day.

Watching him working busily on the dam, he almost ate and slept with them.

Most of the common people had also seen Pei Shijie. For the past two years, he had visited almost every village on both sides of the strait, surveying and investigating, often traveling alone with an old servant. He had no airs at all, eating whatever was available at home and sometimes even working in the fields with the common people, asking about the harvest.

They have always believed that Pei Shijie is a rare good official.

But who would have known that the dam he had worked so hard to build would become the culprit that destroyed their homes!

"Snapped!"

A lump of mud was thrown out from the crowd and hit Pei Shijie directly.

Someone shouted:

"You bastard! You don't need to play the victim here! Are you as miserable as us? Did someone die in your family, or is your home gone?"

"That's right! My father, mother, and wife were all washed away by the flood. I only survived by hanging on a big tree! Oh, father, mother! You watched helplessly as the flood swept away before my eyes, and I couldn't do anything! And my wife was five months pregnant! I could have become a father this year! Now... now, ah, I'm the only one left..."

"That's right! The crooked officials are blameless. It's us poor people who are suffering! Fellow villagers, think about our dead relatives, our pigs, our chickens, our ducks, our houses and our fertile fields. It's all the crooked officials' fault that we've been left homeless!"

"kill him!"

"kill him!"

The crowd surged forward, and the clerks and river soldiers could no longer stop them. Pei Xin had no choice but to turn around and hug his father, holding him tightly under him.

Pei Shijie slumped on the ground, looking haggard.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

Suddenly, a group of soldiers rushed out from behind the crowd. The first one was riding a tall horse, wearing an official robe, and looked fat and bloated. It was Qian Wuyong.

The officers and soldiers pushed through the crowd and beat anyone they saw with sticks.

The originally noisy and uncontrollable scene finally calmed down under the sticks of the officers and soldiers.

"Get down! Put your hands on your head and be quiet!"

The people were held on both sides. Qian Wuyong was helped off his horse. He walked to Pei Shijie holding his official robe and angrily said to the people:

"What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel? Behave yourself! If you dare to cause trouble again, I will arrest you all!"

Faced with the fully armed officers and soldiers, the people on the shore dared not speak out and could only huddle aside with their heads in their hands.

Qian Wuyong saw that no one dared to make trouble, so he turned around and helped Pei Shijie up. When he saw Pei Shijie for the first time, he was obviously stunned for a moment, and his eyes were a little red.

"Brother Pei, my dear father-in-law, it's only been a few days since we last met, how come things have turned out like this? Blame me! It's all my fault! I'm late!"

Pei Shijie stood up shakily, and without paying any attention to Qian Wuyong, he pointed at the crowds of people outside and said:

"Master Qian, what are you doing? Let them go!"

Qian Wuyong's face trembled with anger and he said angrily:

"These are all unruly people. Brother Pei, you're just too soft-hearted! You have to use an iron fist to deal with unruly people! They all deserve a beating. A good beating will make them obey!"

Pei Shijie frowned and turned to Qian Wuyong and said:

"Master Qian, you are confused! The people are the foundation of the country. As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. How can you suppress them with violence? Quick, let them go!"

Qian Wuyong sighed deeply, turned around, waved his hand and shouted:

"Alright, let them all go."

Seeing the officers and soldiers gradually releasing the people, Qian Wuyong shouted harsh words again:

"I've set up a porridge stall up ahead. Everyone, go line up and get some food! After you've finished eating, do whatever you need to do! If you dare to come and cause trouble with Master Pei again, I'll put you in jail!"

When the people heard that there was food to eat, they all looked happy and gathered together to disperse.

Pei Shijie looked at Qian Wuyong helplessly and said:

"Master Qian, Brother Qian, how come these kind words have changed their meaning when they come into your mouth?"

Qian Wuyong snorted and said:

"Brother Pei, don't be skeptical. To deal with this group of unruly people, we must use methods like mine. If we treat them too well, they will all turn against us. They are all cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong!"

Qian Wuyong was born into the richest family in Lin'an and never knew the suffering of ordinary people. In his eyes, these people were all unruly people who would do anything for a bite of food.

"Don't worry, I've brought enough food and soldiers this time. If they behave well, I'll give them a bite to eat. If they disobey and dare to cause trouble, we'll see who has the stronger fist!"

As he said this, he personally helped Pei Shijie into the shed.

The shed was extremely simple, with nothing but a wooden bed. The floor was covered in mud, damp and dirty. Qian Wuyong lifted his sheepskin-soled boots, which were covered in mud, and couldn't help frowning.

"Brother Pei, this is not a place for people to live. Come on, come back with me."

As he said that, he asked someone to help Pei Shijie.

Pei Shijie waved his hand and said, "I'm not leaving! I'll stay here as long as the disaster victims are not properly resettled. Even if I die, I'll die on the dam."

"Confused!"

Qian Wuyong stomped his feet in anger, splashing mud and water all over his feet.

"Brother Pei, do you not trust me or the imperial court? Do you need to threaten disaster relief with death? Besides, if you die, the people will lose a good official. Aren't you afraid that I will pocket the money and withhold their disaster relief food? Brother Pei, you have to stay alive and supervise us!"

"Not only must you supervise us, but you must also regroup and rebuild the levees one day, so that those who misunderstood and wronged you will see that your flood control strategy is effective."

"Effective? Haha..."

Pei Shijie sneered at himself, and unable to support himself, he helped Pei Xin sit on the bed.

"I thought it would be successful, not only to control the river's frequent flooding but also to benefit the people on both sides. But what happened? The facts proved that it was all just my arrogance!"

"Brother Pei, it doesn't matter if you're wrong. As a man, you can just start over. It's just building a dike and a dam. If the court doesn't allocate funds for you, I can give it to you!"

Although building a dam was a huge expense, Qian Wuyong thought about it and decided that his family could afford it. He considered it a good deed.

Qian Wuyong was very rich, and Pei Shijie was left in a state of confusion as to whether to laugh or cry.

However, fortunately, after he made such a fuss, his depressed mood finally eased a little.

Qian Wuyong said again:

"Brother Pei, if you don't think about yourself, think about Pei Xin too. Every day you stay here, she will suffer with you. It doesn't matter to you, a rough man, but how can she, a young girl, live in a shack forever?"

"You saw what happened today. If it happens again, distant water cannot quench a nearby fire. I'm afraid I won't be able to save you a second time."

Pei Xin immediately responded:

"Dad, I won't leave unless you do! I'll stay with you even if I die!"