Lord Zhao was in the middle of solving the case. Suddenly, a bailiff rushed in and whispered something into his ear.
Lord Zhao's expression changed. He did not care that the case was halfway through and shouted, "Leave!" He ordered all the officials to follow him into the inner court and left.
"My lord, did something big happen?" A courageous official asked carefully.
Lord Zhao's face darkened. He threw a letter in front of him and said, "Take a look. It's a good thing in Guilin!"
The official scanned through the letter and was so shocked that he fell back into his chair, "The people, the people are revolting?"
Lord Zhao said in a low voice, "Where is the magistrate of Guilin Prefecture?"
An official who was trembling like a quail stood up, "My, my lord, I am …"
Lord Zhao laughed coldly, "The people under your rule started from Yongfu County in Guilin Prefecture and spread all the way to Guilin and even Guang Xi. Yet, the magistrate of Guilin still has the time to flatter me. Tell me, what do you think is your punishment? "
Yongfu County! The magistrate of Guilin suddenly remembered that he had taken the money and sent Gui Zhixing over to Yongfu County …
Ha! Old Gui, you've caused a lot of trouble!
The magistrate of Guilin knelt down, "My lord! My lord! I am guilty! "
Lord Zhao stood up and said calmly, "Forget it. I was ordered to patrol the southwest. Now that I've reached this place, I've encountered such a thing. Come to think of it, it's time for me to serve the High Emperor. Now, I don't need you to 'beg for forgiveness'. Keep your hat on and report the situation in Yongfu County to me. After I settle the people's revolt, I'll settle the score with you. "
After Lord Zhao left, the other magistrates saw that the magistrate of Guilin was still crying. A few of them who were close to him comforted him, "Old Deng, Lord Zhao is magnanimous. Since he has spoken, there's still hope for you to atone for your crimes."
Official Deng wiped his face and cried, "Gentlemen, please forgive me! Although this Lord Zhao was a kind person, he was famous for being an upright and upright official. What he hated the most in his life was those who paid exorbitant taxes, accepted bribes, and bullied the people. Otherwise, why would the Saint send him to patrol the southwest? It wasn't easy for us to coax him to stay in the provincial government and solve a few cases that were related to morality and ethics. This time, because of this mass uprising, he had to go down to the county below! I'm not afraid of being demoted, but I'm afraid that those bastards under me will go too far. I'm afraid they'll be in big trouble! "
When everyone thought of this, their faces immediately turned pale. Someone closed the door and cautiously gestured to Lord Deng, "How about … this?" He wiped his neck.
Official Deng quickly stopped him, "Brother, don't even think about it! I live in Guilin, so I know a little more than you. This lord had been ordered to patrol the Southwest and had obtained a warrant to mobilize the Southwest's military strength! You see, he is a civil official, yet he is always accompanied by military officers. Don't you understand that this person cannot be touched? "
What should he do? It was said that three years of being an honest magistrate was worth a hundred thousand silver. Not to mention such a major event as a mass uprising, just this Lord Zhao's iron face alone was enough to make them suffer.
For a moment, all the officials were grief-stricken. They all cursed that damned Yongfu county magistrate, Gui Zhixing.
Just as the officials were talking about Lord Zhao, Daiyu also said excitedly, "Sanjie, I heard that Lord Zhao came from Guangxi. He was ordered to patrol the south and arrived in Guilin!"
"Who is that?"
"It's a great righteous official that I knew before!" Lin Daiyu said with a smile.
Sanjie held the bamboo pole in her hand and frowned, "Great righteous official? Is there really a great righteous official like Bao Gong in this world? "
"Although there are people like Gui Zhixing in this world, there is also a great official like Lord Zhao." As Daiyu said, she remembered her experience in South Zhejiang. She thought that if the local government was Lord Zhao, Du Er would not have been forced into such a situation.
As she said that, Lin Daiyu carefully looked at Sanjie's expression. Seeing that she did not seem to be surprised, she could not help but feel disappointed.
Official Gui took bribes and helped Family Zhang absorb too much of the farmer's blood and sweat. He fabricated all kinds of non-existent taxes and collected almost 100% of the rent.
Soon, many people in Yongfu became homeless and there was a man-made famine. Many people starved to death.
Liu Sanjie and her family lived in Yongfu county and saw all of this with their own eyes. Not long ago, the old fisherman who took in Sanjie was killed on the spot by Family Zhang's henchmen.
Sister Liu had a fiery temper to begin with. In her fury, she sang folk songs along the river to protest the rent.
Mountain song was a village slang. Most of those Family Zhang's people and bailiffs did not understand and could not sing. But those farmers and poor people at the bottom who watched their families starve to death and were about to starve to death could open their mouths and respond.
The song spread farther and farther. The villagers gradually gathered together in this common language. They said that they wanted Sanjie to spread the song. But at the gathering to spread the song, what was sung the most was their own family's suffering and their tears.
More and more anger gathered.
Thus, a vigorous protest against the rent began.
The anger began to not only target Official Gui and Family Zhang's family, but also spread to all the unspeakable suffering.
Sanjie's song drifted past the bones of the poor children who starved to death, past the white-haired old slaves who worked for the rich all their lives as cattle and horses, past the sick families who only had straw huts to shelter them from the wind and were treated as cattle and horses, past the broken ribs, past the hearts of the people who lived their lives in blood and tears.
Wherever the song passed, the crowd became angry. They burned down the local tyrant's warehouse, refused to pay the rent, joined the crowd to beat up the hired thugs who came to collect the rent, burned down the yamen's station.
The villagers came and went to the fields in the mountains all year round, so they were nimble. When they hid in the mountains, they were like birds in the forest, and no one could find them.
But the soldiers and Family Zhang's people who came to arrest people could only hear the sound of mountain song from one mountain to another. And in the underbrush, along with the song, one figure after another disappeared.
The mountain song was a signal, the mountain song was an order, and the mountain song was a common symbol among the people who resisted the rent.
Daiyu witnessed with her own eyes what it meant by "a song is sharper than a steel knife."
She did not know why, but she gradually became worried. Until, until one day.
It was early morning at the end of autumn. She did not know who revealed Liu Sanjie's location, but a pair of brothers came to the door.
The brothers' surname was Qi. The older brother was called Qi Gouzi, while the younger brother's name was elegant, called Qi Daojun.
The one in charge of the brothers was Qi Gouzi. He looked like a small landlord who owned several acres of land. He was used to having an expression of disdain to talk to women.
Instead, it was his younger brother, Qi Daojun, who was babbling.
This Qi Daojun was especially strange. It was not only his speech and behavior, but also his expression.
He was especially excited when he saw Sanjie. When he saw Lin Daiyu standing not far from Sanjie, wearing coarse linen clothes and a black face, he became even more excited and enthusiastic. He stammered and gesticulated. "Ah, goddess! Idol! "
Liu Sanjie frowned. "What 'goddess', 'idol'? I'm not a clay Buddha in a temple. If you have something to say, just say it!"
Qi Gouzi also glared at his younger brother.
After being reprimanded by Sanjie, Qi Daojun finally calmed down and hurriedly said, "Don't, don't chase me away! Goddess … Oh, Miss Liu, I'm here to save you! "
"Save me?"
Qi Daojun's accent was very strange. He hurriedly poured out beans. "Miss Liu, do you know Lord Zhao? You, you mustn't sing blindly anymore. It's causing a riot! Lord Zhao is here. If you have any grievances, that hateful Family Zhang and Master Gui will be dealt with. We'll complain to Sister-in-law Huang for you. You, you mustn't stubbornly continue singing. Tell everyone to stop singing. Lord Zhao is here. Everything will be fine … "
His words were incoherent. No one knew what he was trying to say. Like Daiyu, he also mentioned Lord Zhao.
Sanjie and Daiyu's expressions changed. "Sister-in-law Huang! What's wrong with Sister-in-law Huang! "
Qi Daojun was stunned. As if he realized something, he scratched his head and smiled. "No, nothing."
Qi Daojun refused to say anything more about "Sister-in-law Huang". Over and over again, all he did was tell Third Sister to stop singing and that everything would be decided by Lord Zhao.
Sanjie understood what he meant. She sneered and said, "Sorry, I have no choice but to sing! I can't ask everyone to stop singing! I'm just the singer. The ones who really want to sing this' song 'are the villagers who have suffered enough. "
At this moment, Liu Sidi walked over from not far away. He obviously heard it too. His bitter face showed surprise. "Really? Is it really a righteous lord who has come? "
He raised his voice. Many people heard it. When Qi Daojun heard this, he patted his chest and promised, "Yes, Lord Zhao is the kind of person who will be remembered in the future … but he's so honest that the future will definitely write a legend about him. He's a righteous lord!"
Qi Gouzi looked at the villagers who had gathered and said, "Villagers, you mustn't listen to others' instigation. As long as we can deal with that dog of an official, Gui Zhixing, and tell Family Zhang to restrain himself, then we can peacefully farm. As long as we work hard, we won't have to worry about living a bad life. "
Liu Sidi nodded repeatedly.
For a moment, more people gathered around the Qi brothers.
Liu Sanjie saw this scene. She didn't go up to them. She just looked at Liu Sidi and muttered to herself, "You forgot. You forgot all about it. Father, Mother, Sister, Brother … "
"Sanjie?" Daiyu asked. "What they said seems to be reasonable …"
Liu Sanjie stopped muttering to herself. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "What reason? That's the twisted logic of those dogs, not mine!"
When Lin Daiyu heard her words, she wanted to say something but stopped. After a while, she sighed softly and said, "Sister, that Lord Zhao is indeed a righteous official, you …"
She didn't know where the Qi brothers got the news from. She didn't need to know who they were, let alone how they came. All she could see was that they knew about "Third Sister Liu" and came straight here. It was obvious that Sanjie's name had spread far and wide. She was in danger.
Sanjie had been running away from buyers for so many years. She relied on herself to gather firewood and herbs and deal with local ruffians. She knew what Daiyu wanted to say.
She was silent for a moment and suddenly smiled. "Sister, you should leave!"
Daiyu heard this and her eyes turned red. She sneered. "Leave? What kind of person do you think I am? Do I look like someone who's afraid of trouble? It's just that … "
Daiyu's eyes turned red. She really liked Sanjie and almost treated her as her own sister. Therefore, she suppressed her anger and tried to persuade her. "That Qi Ergou, the Qi brothers and Fourth Brother did have a point … Besides, Lord Zhao is here now. In the end, it's the Family Zhang and County Magistrate Gui's fault. They should complain to Lord Zhao and take care of the two main culprits. If the villagers continue to cause trouble and delay the farming, what will happen at the end of the year? You … What will you do? "
Liu Sanjie did not say anything. Hearing this, she stared at the girl who looked like a fairy flower in the fog for a long time and sighed. "Forget it!"
On this day, Lin Daiyu and Liu Sanjie parted on bad terms.
Since then, Sanjie rarely told Daiyu anything. She left early and returned late.
Not long after, someone came to Zhuang Village and said that someone was looking for Daiyu, the Han girl. "Sister, someone came to the village today and said that it was Sanjie who asked for you. It seems to be someone with the surname Lin … "
When they arrived at the village, there were a few tall men standing among the tattered clothes. They were all dressed in scholar's clothes. One of them was a middle-aged man, but he was still as handsome as a jade tree. Wasn't that Lin Ruoshan?
Daiyu cried tears of joy and shouted, "Uncle!" Her eyes were full of tears. She threw herself to her family and cried.
Lin Ruoshan's eyes also reddened when he saw that his niece had tanned and lost weight. He looked at her for a long time and smiled. "Good, good! Yu 'er looks more energetic! "
Everyone she knew these days came and they were all happy for Daiyu.
Sanjie was the only one who did not come.
Daiyu wiped her tears and asked around, but she could not find Sanjie.
Everyone only said that she went to row the boat and sing folk songs.
The only sentence she left was, "Sister, you should go!"
Daiyu insisted on waiting for Sanjie to come back. Lin Ruoshan could only let her accompany his niece in this village for five to six days.
Liu Sanjie did not come back. There seemed to be no news of her. However, there were always people who said that they heard Sanjie singing somewhere.
Therefore, Daiyu knew that Sanjie was really going to say goodbye to her.
That day, the sun shone through the willow tree.
Lin Daiyu changed into the young lady's clothes that she had not worn for a long time. She sat on the boat with her uncle and rowed the boat. Gradually, the village that she had lived in for a long time became blurry.
The water of Li River beside the boat was still as clear as a mirror and the water was still covered in fog.
After an unknown period of time, a song came from the white fog. "Birds return to their nests, foxes return to their nests. The cool breeze blows, not saying goodbye … "
In the white fog, there seemed to be a mysterious figure wearing heavily patched farmer's clothes. From afar, it disappeared into the thin fog.
One left on the boat and the other rowed the boat to send the song.
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