When Du Qi saw Meng Fu's bitter smile, he roughly understood what was going on.
He understood the reason behind it.
They were just a bunch of lazy people.
To be honest, farming was encouraged in Xia Xia. As long as one was willing to work hard, it was not difficult to have enough to eat and wear. Even if they were not wealthy, they could at least live well. In addition, factories had been set up all over Xia Xia, and there were many industries being promoted. Many people were required to build bridges, pave roads, dig ditches, and dig canals.
As long as one was willing to work hard, it would not be a problem to earn money to support one's family.
Du Qi shook his head and did not say anything else.
Meng Fu could only sit awkwardly at the side. He looked at Mordor's burly body and regretted it at that moment. Previously, he thought that he had a chance even when he saw Mordor because he had more people on his side. Hence, he launched an attack. He did not expect that in the end, it would turn out to be so miserable.
Time passed bit by bit. After about an hour, a group of people came on the official road in front.
The leader was an old man.
Du Qi took a look and could roughly guess that this was the village elder that Meng Fu mentioned. Although there were a lot of people behind the old man, they were all women and children. All of them were rushing over in a hurry.
Not long after, the crowd arrived.
The group of women and children chattered. Their faces were full of reverence and worry. When they looked at Du Qi, there was a hint of anger in their eyes. It did not matter who was right or wrong. The family members of the villagers who were threatened because of Meng Fu would be filled with resentment towards Du Qi because of their own standpoints.
The village elder of Danshan Village was called Meng Qingshan.
He was over sixty years old and was the oldest person in the village. He had seen too many things and was the most experienced.
Meng Qingshan stepped forward and walked in front of Du Qi. He bowed and said, "Young Master, the villagers of Danshan Village were rude this time. We made a mistake and offended you. Hence, when you asked for ten strings of coins, we gave you ten strings of coins. "
He waved his hand and someone carried a box up.
That was the ten strings of coins he had collected.
In fact, the people in the village were not that poor. After all, they had been collecting tolls on this road for a long time. After one or two years, they had already saved up a lot of money. And this time, it was the families that had to chip in. But even so, there were disputes when it came to collecting money. Some villagers were not willing to pay.
Meng Qingshan decided to raise the money because Meng Qingshan believed that as long as there were people, there would be no problems.
Du Qi didn't even look at the money. He asked, "How should I address you?"
Meng Qingshan said, "My name is Meng Qingshan."
Du Qi said, "I'll take the ten strings of coins. These ordinary villagers can leave. As for the leader, Meng Fu, I will not execute him. I will hand him over to the authorities. Alright, all of you can leave. "
When Meng Qingshan heard this, the expression on his old face changed drastically. The wrinkles on his face were all squeezed together, forming ravines, making him appear incomparably old. He leaned on his walking stick, his back slightly hunched, and said in a trembling voice, "Young Master, you can report anyone who came with Meng Fu to the authorities, but not Meng Fu."
Du Qi laughed and said in disdain, "Why can others do it but not him?"
Meng Qingshan said, "Young Master, although Meng Fu and the others collected tolls and broke the law and didn't deserve sympathy. After all, this kind of forceful buying and selling is not honorable. Moreover, since it landed in Young Master's hands, we had no choice but to give him 10 strings of coins. But Meng Fu's conduct is open and aboveboard. All of us admire him. Meng Fu can't leave. Once he leaves, the twenty or so elderly in the village will have no one to rely on. "
Du Qi said, "Why do you say that?"
He was a little curious about how Meng Fu was open and aboveboard. Of course, based on Meng Fu's figure alone, she had the stamina and was of a suitable age. Working outside to earn money was enough to support her family. Yet, she was collecting tolls.
Could there be something fishy about this?
Meng Qingshan explained, "Young Master, when Meng Fu was young, he was very brave and once served in the army. Back then, the Central Plains was still under the Great Sui Dynasty, and Yi Province belonged to the Great Sui Dynasty. Meng Fu and some others served the Great Sui Dynasty in the army. "
"Later on, the Great Sui Dynasty disappeared, and Yi Province was in chaos. Coincidentally, the Turks invaded Yi Province, and Meng Fu fought with a group of soldiers. In the end, only a few people survived."
"Meng Fu was one of them."
"Many of Meng Fu's comrades died on the battlefield. Among his comrades, many of them were only children. When these comrades died, their parents were left alone and without anyone to rely on. "
Meng Qingshan coughed and continued, "It's fine if they were younger, but it's not easy to deal with those who are old and weak. With no one to take care of them, it's very tragic."
"Meng Fu couldn't bear to see the parents of his comrades suffer alone, so he brought these lonely elders to Danshan Village and supported them all by himself. In the beginning, no one in the village collected tolls. Later on, the villagers persuaded Meng Fu, who was unwilling to go, to bring people over. "
"Speaking of which, every family earned money from collecting tolls, but Meng Fu's money was used to support these elders. He's a good person and shouldn't be sent to the authorities. Please, Young Master, for the sake of Meng Fuxin's kindness, give him a chance. "
Meng Qingshan said, "We'll pay for it, and we won't collect tolls anymore. Please let Meng Fu go. If you want to beat or scold them, you can do whatever you want with them. "
Meng Qingshan's words showed that he was protecting Meng Fu. Meng Qingshan watched Meng Fu grow up, so he couldn't be sent to the authorities. Otherwise, Meng Fu would be crippled.
Du Qi looked at Meng Fu in surprise. He was a person with a story and a good heart.
Unfortunately, he had done the wrong thing.
Du Qi was a meticulous person, so he had a plan. He ordered, "Mordor, release the whistling arrow and get the people behind to follow."
"Yes!"
Mordor took out the whistling arrow and released it.
Whoosh!
The whistling arrow flew up and exploded in the air.
After the whistling arrow exploded in the air, the sound of horse hooves could be heard from the official road behind. Every horse was nailed to the hooves, and the sound of the hooves stomping on the concrete road was extremely urgent. In the blink of an eye, more than fifty Imperial Army soldiers appeared. Every Imperial Army soldier was clad in armor and gave off an oppressive aura.
This scene shocked Meng Qingshan, Meng Fu, and the rest of the villagers.
Especially since Meng Fu was in the army, he could tell that this cavalry wasn't ordinary.
Mordor said, "Young Master, they're all here."
Du Qi looked at Guan Zhilan and ordered, "Guan Zhilan, bring ten cavalrymen and let Second Brother Meng lead the way to the village. Let's see if Meng Qingshan's words are true."
"Yes!"
Guan Zhilan replied immediately.
He waved his hand and went forward, letting Second Brother Meng lead the way to Danshan Village.
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