In the inn hall, there were many people crowded together, all of them were in ragged clothes and their faces were gray, as if covered with a layer of sand and dust. Jiang Huaiyang stood in front of them with his hands folded, which was particularly eye-catching.
The few guards accompanying him were outstanding, which allowed these people to live in peace.
Ruan Yuyi wore a snow-green skirt, a silver hairpin with a carved butterfly in her hair, and walked down from the dark place upstairs on a handrail. The sunlight fell on her body, and the butterfly on the hairpin swayed as if it was about to fly.
She glanced around, deliberately passed by the guards, and called out, "Husband." She forced the two guards along the way to put down their swords.
She hugged his arm, leaning on him with most of her weight like a boneless body, while she was thinking about something secretly, with a look of awe in her lowered eyes.
Jiang Huaiyang looked sideways at her, "Didn't I tell you to stay up there?" He couldn't let her get hurt anymore.
The first-class citizen below couldn't help but ask, "Do you really mean what you just said?" The light in his eyes was full of distrust.
They came from a city in northern Xinjiang, wandering all the way, dragging their families here. However, the officials in the city were driving away the refugees who broke into the city. They took shelter in the ruined temple for two days. When they couldn't stand it any longer, they rushed in. Come to the nearby inn.
"It's true." Jiang Huaiyang said quietly.
But the refugee who seemed to be the leader did not waver in the slightest. Instead, he sneered, "You said you would provide rice, food, and shelter. Do you think we are so stupid? It's just an excuse to drive us back!"
His suppressed voice revealed the hardship he had endured in the past few days, as well as his hostility towards the man in brocade in front of him.
They had heard such words too much, and every time they passed by, they were driven away with both soft and hard tactics. But why? Aren't the people in the nearby city just ordinary people?
On one side, a five- or six-year-old child was frightened by his father's tone of voice and crawled straight into his mother's arms. His low cry was especially loud at this time.
The woman hugged her child tightly, her body slightly arched, and she stared at the person in front of her in a completely defensive posture. She was silent for a while and wanted to get up.
The guard next to her was startled and held his sword in front of her. The woman was scared after all, and her hands holding the child were trembling slightly.
Ruan Yuyi's throat froze and she blurted out, "What are you doing? You haven't put down your sword yet."
After all, the guards were people used by the new emperor. After listening to her instructions, they just hesitated and did not take back their raised hands.
"Are you deaf?" Jiang Huaiyang said slowly.
The scornful tone fell into the guard's ears, but it made him shudder. He understood that the new emperor was echoing Concubine Jin, and hurriedly sheathed his sword. The remaining guards hesitated for a moment, and also sheathed the cold blade.
Only then did the tense atmosphere in the hall subside a lot.
Ruan Yuyi took her hand away from Jiang Huaiyang and took out a clean handkerchief. She originally wanted to wipe the child's tears directly, but after a pause, she handed it to the woman. "Don't be afraid, it's okay." She said warmly.
The woman shrank and stared at the beautifully dressed woman in front of her without answering.
She sighed and tried to make the woman take off her guard, "He didn't coax you."
The woman pursed her lips and asked, "Why do you say that?" She heard such words often, and although she would not believe them easily, there was still hope in her tone.
Who would be willing to leave their hometown if they really could still live?
"Can you tell me where you are going?" Ruan Yuyi said as softly as possible, not wanting to scare her again.
Seeing that she was kind, the woman was willing to say a few more words, "in order to file a complaint." In order to bring down the corrupt official and get back the right to live.
Hearing this, she was startled and looked back subconsciously.
He was tall and tall, with slender eyebrows and handsome eyes. Especially when he was wearing casual clothes, he looked more like an ordinary nobleman. No one would have thought that the person they were looking for was standing there, but they didn't know it.
Xu Shi, the leader of the refugees, still harbored a glimmer of hope, hoping that he would actually do as he said. He asked again, "Why do you want us to believe that you will fulfill your promise?"
Jiang Huaiyang raised his lips and asked, "Didn't you say you want to file a lawsuit? Do you know what the consequences will be?" Generally, there will be a grievance drum in front of the government office, and it is not easy to file a lawsuit against a parent official.
The man's eyes were stoic, and he spoke word by word through gritted teeth, "If the people complain to the officials, like a son who kills his father, he should first be flogged for fifty years. Even if he wins, he will be sentenced to move two thousand miles."
His voice was sonorous and powerful, like a big drum, echoing in the inn hall.
He knew that being flogged for fifty years was tantamount to killing someone, but he was forced into a desperate situation and had to try the last resort.
"Now that you know it, you still want to sue?"
"tell!"
Jiang Huaiyang suddenly laughed, and it took him a long time to suppress his smile, then he raised his eyelids and said, "Well, leave it alone." He was born in the palace since he was a child. Although his biological mother was from a humble background, he was often bullied, but fortunately he was protected by the concubine, so he would not be in trouble.
Lack of food and clothing, he has never experienced the suffering of these people.
If the people can make such a determination, then the local magistrate cannot be retained.
It's just that he doesn't know how many things he doesn't know.
Seeing the dim look in his eyes, Wen Zhi, who was standing by his side, withdrew his gaze. It seemed that another bloody storm was inevitable in the court, and the good days of those who colluded with corruption were probably coming to an end.
The leader opened his lips, "What do you mean?" He remembered that the new emperor had only been on the throne for a few months, and he was a young man in his late teens and early 20s.
He slowly opened his eyes, and Mr. Xuanyi in front of him was still looking at him.
When he realized what he was doing, he bowed his head, but something seemed to be choking in his throat, and he suddenly couldn't say a word.
The woman and Ruan Yuyi looked at each other. Ruan Yuyi took the child in her hands, patted his back gently and coaxed him, while wiping away his tears. There was a lot of wind and dust on his face, so he changed into two handkerchiefs.
It's much fairer.
The woman also bowed her head, shouted "Long live" several times, and then enumerated the official's crimes one by one for her husband. At this time, all the fellow villagers and clansmen who were traveling with him covered their mouths and sobbed.
In fact, this matter had long been noticed. When these refugees went eastward, the official who increased taxes had been demoted and exiled, and a new official took over.
But their trip is not in vain.
Jiang Huaiyang's eyes were dark and he whispered "Yes".
The woman seemed to have had a heavy burden lifted from her body, and almost fell to the ground crying. After all, her child was still young and ignorant. Seeing her mother like this, she felt uneasy and cried to find her.
Ruan Yuyi really couldn't hold him anymore, so Mu Xiang took over again.
.
As soon as this matter was over, Wen Zhi and his people settled these people, and soon sent carriages and horses back to the city where they came from. Those who did not want to leave were moved here to live in peace. But Ruan Yuyi did not know this arrangement.
After daybreak, the group of them also set off back to Beijing.
Inside the carriage, the scent of the incense balls floated out, lingering in her breath. She was silent for a while and asked, "Do those people really want to be dealt with according to what that person said?"
His expression remained unchanged, and he followed her words, "Dawu's laws have been like this throughout the ages -"
"I just don't understand where those people went wrong." Even though this has been the case throughout the ages, there has never been anything wrong.