"Sir, it's all those Xichang eunuchs who killed a thousand swordsmen!" the old man said, sobbing.
West Factory?
Chen and others looked at each other and turned to Lu Yun.
Lu Yun remained silent, his eyes like a deep pool.
The father-in-law continued: "The little old man's family was originally attached to a large family, helping them farm and take care of their property, and their life was pretty good."
"Then what?" Hong Kui was impatient and asked before his father-in-law finished speaking.
"Then those eunuchs from the West Factory came and said they had to pay extra taxes. The amount was so huge that it was staggering!"
The father-in-law burst into tears when he said this: "The master's family can no longer survive under such cruel exploitation, so they can only send us away."
"But we have been farmers for generations, so what can we do if we go out? Ahem..."
When Mrs. Chen heard this, she returned to the carriage and took out some dry food, delivered it to her father-in-law, and ordered the guard to get a pot of water.
"Don't be anxious, old man. Speak slowly."
The old man drank some water and ate some food, and then under Chen's encouraging eyes, he distributed all these things to the people behind him.
"Come on, eat slowly and don't choke."
The women in the team patiently ground the dry food into powder by hand, mixed it with water and gave it to the children.
The old man calmed down for a while, and then said: "The young man at home couldn't bear this anger, so he went to argue with them, but... he was beaten to death by them!"
Woo woo woo...
At this point, the women and children behind him began to cry.
"The injuries on the children were also caused by the minions of the Xichang castrate during the escape!" The old man looked at the confused little girl, and the pain on his face was beyond words.
"My father-in-law, why don't you go and seek refuge with other wealthy families?" Lu Yun asked puzzledly.
Qingzhou is a major agricultural state with countless cultivated fields. It stands to reason that this family would not have reached this point.
"Young master, you don't know something! Those Xichang eunuchs are greedy. They are targeting even the slightly wealthy families. Except for those with a good background, no one else can escape!"
The old man said, beating his chest and stamping his feet.
Lu Yun took a deep breath. He understood that there were huge problems in Qingzhou territory, especially in the eastern part of Qingzhou. What on earth would the third prince do?
This is true even for wealthy families, let alone poor farmers.
Those with some background will definitely pass on these costs. This scene has happened countless times in the vast history of previous lives.
Lu Yun gave some money to his father-in-law, and treated the injured child's wounds a little before saying goodbye to the family.
Along the way, everyone in the motorcade was silent.
As Tianchen Villa got closer and closer, Mrs. Chen's eyes became more and more anxious.
On the one hand, I am more timid about being close to my hometown, and on the other hand, I am worried about the current situation of Tianchen Villa.
A few days later, Tianchen Villa was finally in sight.
Although it is said to be a village, it can actually be called a small town.
"Madam, we are almost there!" Hong Kui looked into the distance, whipped up his whip and laughed.
"Um."
Mrs. Chen nodded heavily. At this moment, the joy in her eyes still outweighed the worry.
"Mother! Are we about to arrive?" Wu Xian and Wu Yu rushed out of the carriage.
After receiving a positive answer, they burst into tears of joy.
"It's finally over!"
"I have lived enough of this life, and I will never live like this again after my death!"
The two Wu brothers jumped out of the car excitedly. Seeing that hope was ahead, their hearts were filled with excitement.
The convoy slowly began to approach the city.
When he was still a few hundred meters away from Tianchen Villa, Lu Yun saw the scenery ahead from a distance. On the wide flat land, there were evenly distributed farmland.
The official road became wider and wider, and the road surface gradually turned into thick stone paving.
There are trees of unknown species planted in proportion on both sides. The shade of the trees hangs down, allowing many passers-by to stop and enjoy the shade.
Looking at the clothes of the passers-by, Lu Yun's eyes gradually narrowed.
With his pale face and beardless appearance, who could he be if he wasn't a factory worker from the West Factory?
"I've met Captain Lu."
Seeing Lu Yun and others approaching, the factory workers waiting outside the city gate stood up one after another and bowed their hands.
Lu Yun walked over without squinting and left the factory workers aside.
"Miss is back!"
The guards on duty at the city gate saw Chen coming and shouted happily, and one of them immediately went back to report.
"Thank you all for your hard work." Mrs. Chen greeted these people with a smile.
Lu Yun and others entered the city smoothly.
He took a deep breath and smelled the increased moisture in the air, with a hint of saltiness in it.
On the flat land on both sides, more and more buildings gradually began to appear. Most of the houses were residential buildings, and most of the buildings were inns and restaurants.
But many of them are closed, and the few that are open on a limited basis are empty.
As the distance gets closer, the surrounding roads converge together, forming a thoroughfare for four horses to walk side by side.
"How did Tianchen Villa become like this?" Mrs. Chen murmured.
In her impression, Tianchen had always been lively and bustling, but now that it has turned into this situation, those workers in the West Factory have "indispensable contributions"!
"Xiaoyunzi."
Thinking of this, Chen held Lu Yun's hand tightly.
"Don't worry, madam." Lu Yun held the back of her hand and gave her an affirmative look.
Mrs. Chen was relieved now.
"Sister, you are back." A large group of people came from the end of the official road, and the guard at the city gate was among them.
"Third brother!"
Seeing her relatives, Chen's eyes suddenly turned red and she hurried forward.
"Where's eldest brother? Why isn't eldest brother here?" Chen looked left and right in the crowd, but couldn't find any familiar figure.
"My eldest brother has gone to personally supervise the fishing on the beach. There is nothing we can do. They want too much."
The third brother of the Chen family is named Chen Changze. He has a simple and honest face, and his rich appearance cannot be concealed even if he wears a robe made of brocade silk and satin.
Having said this, Chen Changze looked around twice to make sure no one was following him before he felt relieved.
"Second sister, didn't my brother-in-law come back with you?" Chen Changze asked.
"He is busy with official duties and cannot spare any time. Besides, as a member of the imperial court, it is not easy for him to intervene rashly in the affairs of the West Factory, in case it arouses the suspicion of the Holy Emperor. You should also understand this." Chen said earnestly.
After saying that, she glanced at Lu Yun.
As one of the people talking at Tianchen Villa, Chen Changze quickly realized something. He quickly raised his hands and asked in a humble manner: "Who is this?"
Mrs. Chen answered before Lu Yun could: "This is the school captain of Xichang, Mr. Lu Yun."