The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

With a pillar of support, the people outside were no longer panicked. Those with strength joined Lord Xu's group. Lord Xu also felt more confident. Since the prince had given a final solution, there was still room for maneuver. Until then, he could only hope that God would have mercy and stop the rain.

It seemed that Heaven heard Lord Xu's thoughts, for the rain gradually subsided in the latter half of the night and had stopped by dawn. However, experienced elders knew that the rainy season was not yet over, and this might just be a respite from the elements; who knew what would happen next?

The King of Chu stayed awake all night in his tent. As the rain outside gradually subsided and the joyful voices of the people began to rise, the King of Chu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He got up and led Xiao Yi out of the tent, where he saw the shimmering surface of the lake and felt the joy of surviving a calamity in the air.

However, Xiao Jingchen did not relax. He looked at the water level, which had risen to almost the same level as the dam, and his brows never relaxed.

“Your Highness, in my opinion, now is not the time to relax. At this time, I will take men to dig open the place we discussed earlier to release the floodwater. If it rains again this afternoon or evening, this place will definitely not be able to hold.”

"Lord Xu is right. With me here, Lord Xu, please go ahead. If you encounter any difficulties, just send someone to fetch me, and I will certainly stand up for you!"

The King of Chu took Xiao Yi to the prefectural government office. He needed to write a letter to the emperor to inform him of the situation there. Moreover, his purpose for this trip was not only to deal with the flood, but also to go to the Western Hills to take a look. This time, he was going openly and honestly. What tricks did those bedbugs hiding in the dark and damp places have up their sleeves?

"Xiao Yi, has anyone heard anything from Xiao Jia?"

Xiao Yi frowned. "Your Highness, the last time Xiao Jia delivered a message was when we left the capital. Perhaps because of the floods, the message is arriving a little slower now."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchen felt a sense of unease. Xiao Jia was his most capable bodyguard, excelling in martial arts, reconnaissance, and communication. The fact that no news had come out for so long could only mean one thing: something might have happened to him.

"Have Xiao Wu take the others to Xishan first. Remember not to reveal their whereabouts. Their mission this time is to find Xiao Jia and the others, and to send back information about the situation there as soon as possible."

"Yes."

Under Lord Xu's leadership, the excavation work progressed quickly. Indeed, many people were unwilling to give up their houses and land, and kept saying that even if the prince killed them, they would never move out.

"Uncle Tian, ​​please move away. It's not like the government won't compensate you. Besides, Lord Xu said that a new area will be designated to build a new village for everyone. Isn't that great? Please move away," the village chief pleaded.

The area drawn by the King of Chu happened to be a village where the residents had lived for generations. Asking them to move away would be a very difficult task. At first, everyone was united and unwilling. Why should they be sacrificed? Couldn't other villages be sacrificed instead?

But when they heard that the imperial court was going to give them compensation, and that the amount was more than they could earn from farming for many years, why wouldn't they move? The houses they were currently living in were old and dilapidated, with serious problems like rain leaking in and out when it rained heavily outside. With this money, it wouldn't be impossible to rebuild a new one.

After discussing it, everyone followed the village chief and pressed their fingerprints to agree to move. The young and strong were also prepared to stay and work as laborers. It was a joke, because they could get paid every day to work as laborers here. As long as it could help with household expenses, these simple folks would do anything, let alone just provide physical labor. These farmers had plenty of strength to spare.

Everyone took out their valuables, and the elderly, children, and women were all taken away and resettled. However, there was a tofu seller who refused to move, no matter how the village chief tried to persuade him.

When Lord Xu learned of this, he rushed over and saw that the old man was sitting on the stone mill at the door, smoking a pipe with his head down and not saying a word. Instead, a couple was arguing with the village chief in front of him.

"Lord Xu, you've finally arrived! This is the only family left. What do you think?" The village chief was as if he had seen Lord Xu for the first time. Tian Dazhuang was like a stubborn piece of meat, refusing to move no matter what he was told.

"Do you have any concerns?" Lord Xu asked.

Tian Dazhuang was just a farmer after all. Just because he could challenge the village chief didn't mean he dared to talk back to officials. He glanced at the woman in red floral dress leaning against the door. The woman glared at him, and he immediately turned back to her.

"I'm not moving. I have no concerns, I just don't want to move!"

After pondering for a while, Lord Xu said, "If you have any difficulties, speak them now while I am here. If you are unwilling to speak them now, none of your requests will be fulfilled after I leave."

"But you can't just bully people because you're in a higher position. We're just ordinary people, and we're reluctant to give up our village, which is our livelihood. Is that wrong?"

"Hey Tian Dazhuang, come on! You're reluctant to part with the village you live in? Why weren't you reluctant when you sold your land?" The people around started to jeer.

"What do you know! What nonsense are you spouting!" The woman leaning against the door couldn't stand it anymore and ran out, pointing at the gossiping people outside and starting to curse with her hands on her hips: "You bunch of rootless bastards, you're even willing to abandon the place where your ancestors lived, aren't you afraid that your ancestors will come down from the bottom of the earth tonight and give you a piece of their mind!"

“Dazhuang’s wife, you’re wrong. You’re an outsider, so you may not know, but our Tianjiazhuang is a place we came from when we were fleeing famine. Even if we knew our ancestors’ roots, they wouldn’t be here.”

"That's right. If we don't move, let alone whether we're afraid of our ancestors coming up to ask us questions, we're afraid we'll all drown and have our ancestors tell us how we've lost our lineage."

"Oh, why say so much? Da Zhuang's wife, all you want is more money, right? The government has already been generous enough. If you think it's not enough, let your husband stay and work as a laborer. You'll be paid daily. It's more than what you make selling tofu."

"What are you bastards saying? Even if we want more money, is that wrong? My family has always sold tofu here. Tell me honestly, who hasn't eaten our tofu? Our business is so good. If we move away, who will make up for what we lose!"

Some unmarried men in the crowd leered at Tian Dazhuang's wife and said, "Indeed, we've all eaten your tofu before, and it was really tender and white."

"Hahahaha." Laughter erupted from the crowd, a rare moment of relaxation for everyone after the past few days.

Tian Dazhuang and his son were both honest and kind-hearted people, but for some reason, their wives dressed up extravagantly every day, captivating the men in the village.

"Alright, I understand to some extent now. You're dissatisfied with the subsidies provided by the government, are you? Then what do you want?"

Tian Dazhuang's wife shifted uncomfortably, touching her hair and looking away as she said, "This was your suggestion, sir, it has nothing to do with us."

"It's alright, please speak."

“We’re not greedy. We’re not asking for mountains of gold or silver. You see, we run a small business. We don’t have any land, so we can’t use the resettlement houses in the new village. So, how about we move to the county town? It would be best if you could also give us a shop. That would be much better.”

"Oh, Da Zhuang's wife, you're shameless! Bah!" An older woman spat on the ground.

"How am I shameless! Are my demands excessive! If you keep swearing, I'll tear your mouth apart!"

"Oh, let's fight! Who's afraid of who? I've wanted to beat you up for a long time, you little slut! You never live a proper life and all you do is seduce other people's men. I'll beat you to death!" As she spoke, the aunt was about to step forward to deal with her, which frightened Tian Dazhuang's wife into taking two steps back.

Seeing this, Lord Xu knew that he could not delay any longer. He looked at the sky and thought that God had given them a chance, and they could not waste it.

"I understand what you've said. You have elders in your family, so it seems you can't make decisions alone. What are your thoughts, elders?"

Old Man Tian glanced up at Lord Xu, then lowered his head without saying a word. Tian Dazhuang, the coward, squatted down next to Old Man Tian's legs.

The woman was very pleased with herself. In this family, her word was law, and the two men would never object. The villagers disliked her because they thought they were doing well and could be in charge.

Lord Xu nodded. "Alright then."

The woman thought the official before her had given in; she hadn't expected her request to be granted, which meant she could live a comfortable life without having to struggle for most of her life. But what the official said next almost drenched her heart.

“Your family cannot be treated differently from others. If I grant your request, it would be unfair to others.”

"That's right, that's right," the crowd echoed.

"Since you are unwilling to move, I have no way to force you to move. I have said everything I need to say and done everything I can for everyone's benefit. So, as Your Highness has instructed, if you are unwilling to move, stay at home and wait to be washed away by the flood."

After speaking to the Tian family, Lord Xu turned to everyone and said, "I am very grateful for everyone's cooperation. If anyone in your family is buried here, I will petition the court to compensate you according to the number of people buried. So now, those who are alive must unite and get through this disaster together. Only by surviving can we have a good life."

When Old Man Tian heard that this was a done deal, and he didn't even realize that the incense had gone out, he quickly pulled his mentally challenged son to his feet. When he saw that Lord Xu was about to leave, he immediately slapped his daughter-in-law.

"You ignorant fool, can't you speak properly!" Old Man Tian tucked his pipe into his waistband and, without even putting on his shoes properly, hurriedly caught up with Lord Xu, saying, "Sir, my family and I didn't mean that, we didn't mean that."

"I have other matters to attend to. Elderly, please discuss your concerns with the village chief. If you are willing to move, then move with everyone else. If you are not willing, I will stand by my previous statement and will not force you."

Everyone secretly laughed at Old Man Tian and his family for their failed attempt to outsmart them. Meanwhile, Da Zhuang's wife, whose mouth was bleeding from Old Man Tian's slap and who was covered in mud, was pushed into a mud pit by the woman, leaving her in a very disheveled state.