A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Village elder Qian, always well-informed, rushed to Gu Xixi's house and told her that something big had happened in Qingtian County.

The people inside the room looked at each other in bewilderment.

Aunt Zhang immediately went out and invited Old Qian into the house to talk.

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Uncle Qian, don't rush. Sit down and rest for a while. Look how sweaty you are on this hot day."

As she spoke, she said to Shi Tou, "Is there still plum honey tea? Go and get a bowl for the village chief to cool off."

Stone obediently stood up, downed the last drop in his bowl in one gulp, and laughed:

"I'll have another bowl too."

Qing'er buried her face in the bowl and drank it down in a big gulp, while hurriedly raising her hand, "Brother Stone, wait for Qing'er, Qing'er hasn't had enough to drink yet."

Kids inevitably crave sweet, sour, and icy treats in the summer.

But the adults didn't have much of an appetite at that moment.

He Jinglan, An Qinghe, and Madam Meng, the three people in the know, all looked rather somber.

Gu Xixi, however, remained surprisingly calm, even sporting a faint smile.

Especially in times like these, as the head of the family, she must not lose her composure.

Old Qian caught his breath, took the wet towel from Aunt Zhang, wiped his face a couple of times, and then said,

"Martial law has been imposed in Qingtian County. The city gates are closed, and the people have seen many soldiers stationed both inside and outside the city."

The old doctor pondered, "With so many soldiers being mobilized, it seems we're about to go to war."

Aunt Zhang exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't we already drive the Beili people away? Why are we fighting them again?"

"Besides, Qingtian County is the closest to us, wouldn't we be in great danger?"

Gu Xixi held Aunt Zhang's hand and patted it reassuringly, "Don't panic, let Uncle Qian finish speaking first."

Old Qian continued, "The entire Northwest is guarded by the Northwest Army, so it's not surprising to see the Northwest Army's flag. But the problem is that everyone can see that next to the flag, there is another flag with the character 'Huo' hanging brightly."

"The Huo family has been guarding the Northwest for three generations of military generals for decades. This Huo-character flag has never appeared before."

Even though they were talking inside the house, Lao Qian still carefully lowered his voice.

"Therefore, many people are speculating whether General Huo is about to lead the Northwest Army in a rebellion?"

Although Gu Xixi already knew what was going on, she still pretended to be surprised.

"If that were truly the case, wouldn't the world descend into chaos?"

Old Qian sighed, "That's right, my dear niece, you've always seen further than most people. What's your take on this?"

Gu Xixi countered, "If the rumors are true, Uncle Qian, you have been looking after this land longer than I have, and you have seen more people and things. What do you think of General Huo's actions?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room looked at Gu Xixi.

Even just asking this question is a grave act of treason against the current imperial court.

If Lao Qian's answer contains even the slightest hint of sympathy or appreciation, it would be considered a grave crime of supporting treason and punishing the entire family!

Old Qian also looked at Gu Xixi with a complicated expression, and remained silent for a long time.

The curtain was lifted, and Shi Tou came in carrying a bowl of plum honey tea, followed by Qing'er's little tail.

Neither of them noticed the unusual atmosphere in the room.

Shi Tou chuckled and said, "We each drank half a bowl in the kitchen, but we managed to save some for everyone."

“Sister Xixi wouldn’t let us go to the well. I saw that the water in the water tank was quite cool, so I scooped some water and soaked the jar in the vegetable washing basin to prevent it from getting warm and not tasting good.”

As he spoke, Shi Tou walked up to Lao Qian and handed him the soup bowl with both hands.

"Grandpa Village Chief, this is my sister Xixi's secret recipe sweet soup. It's refreshing and delicious."

"Hurry up and drink some to cool down."

Looking at the child's eager eyes, Old Qian smiled and accepted the bowl, saying, "Thank you."

He took two big gulps, his eyes widening in delight. "Mmm, delicious! So satisfying!"

Qing'er said innocently, "If only I could skip eating and just drink sweet soup."

It has to be said that the children's return was just in time; everyone smiled, and the atmosphere relaxed.

An Qinghe felt that with him present, Village Chief Qian might have reservations about speaking to Xixi, so he made an excuse to take the two children to play in the yard.

Just when everyone thought that Lao Qian would no longer answer Gu Xixi's questions...

He suddenly smiled and looked at Gu Xixi, saying, "Compared to two years ago, I dislike the Northwest even more these past two years."

"As an ordinary citizen, I naturally side with whoever makes my life better."

The answer is clear enough.

Gu Xixi did not intend to set a trap for Lao Qian.

Although she has her own judgment on the local people's livelihood, she still lacks comparisons between the past and present years.

The older generation of locals, who are village chiefs, are also the people who know the most about the lives of people in the surrounding area.

Gu Xixi just wanted to hear what local people like Lao Qian really thought.

Fortunately, after hesitating, Lao Qian chose to trust Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi said solemnly, "I think the same way as Uncle Qian."

The Northwest Army had two major advantages in restoring order after the chaos.

First, the will of the people.

After the late emperor died suddenly and the young emperor ascended the throne, a series of decrees were issued to the localities, disregarding the people's livelihood and feelings.

Even in Qingtian County, where Huachidu Village is located, commerce and agriculture are clearly not as prosperous as they used to be.

Every spring, grain prices rise, but the money in people's pockets and the grain in their granaries decrease instead of increasing.

As Lao Qian just said, whoever cares about people's livelihood, the people will side with them.

Secondly, if the name is not correct, the words will not be proper.

The country was in turmoil due to the young emperor's inexperience. Although the Empress Dowager accompanied the young emperor and ruled from behind a screen, she was completely ignorant of politics.

The real power actually lies with her maternal relatives.

The young emperor was nothing more than a puppet of his maternal grandfather and uncles.

There are even rumors that the late emperor's sudden and unexpected death was a conspiracy between the Empress Dowager and her father and brothers to assassinate him.

Otherwise, how could the late emperor's confidants and close ministers have died or been demoted overnight?

At this moment, Gu Xixi had more confidence in Mu Nanzhao and his group.

She steadied herself and asked, "If some things are unavoidable, what we should be considering now is how our village will cope and protect itself?"

Old Qian nodded, "My niece knows me well; this is the main reason I came."

Gu Xixi said, "Uncle Qian knows that I have dealings with people from the Northwest Army."

"From what I know, the general is strict in disciplining his troops and cares for the people. With him around, no matter what the army does, the safety of the people will be guaranteed."

"Aside from some initial travel inconveniences, other aspects of daily life should not be greatly affected."

"Furthermore, we are located in the Northwest. As long as the Northwest Army wins consecutive victories and outsiders cannot invade, we will be safe."

Old Qian pondered for a moment and said, "That makes sense, I believe you."

The imperial court allowed local authorities to appropriately increase taxes on the people.

But General Huo never did that.

Thinking that life in the village would continue as before, Old Qian smiled slightly.

Gu Xixi then changed the subject, "But we can't rest easy just yet."