Datang: Longevity for Thousands of Years, Exposed by Xiao Sizi

"As long as you tell me, I will make sure Xiao Qin knows."

The old man sat down next to her.

Princess Changle looked at the old butler with a kind face and moved her lips.

"Old man, is this...really okay? My little girl..."

"Your Highness Changle, wait a moment. I will go get the pen."

When the old man came back again, he had pen, ink, paper and inkstone in his hands.

There were even servants carrying tables over.

Extremely grand and important.

"Okay, Your Highness Changle, go ahead."

The old man laughed.

Seeing this situation, for some reason, Princess Changle felt at ease.

half an hour.

She took a deep breath, made up her mind, and told him everything that happened today. Not satisfied, she also told him what happened yesterday.

The old butler has recorded everything.

He clapped his hands.

Suddenly, a person who looked like a man and a woman, wearing white Confucian clothing and a bamboo hat, walked over.

Holding a paper fan.

"Shangguan Wan'er, I pay my respects to Her Royal Highness Princess Changle."

Shangguan Wan'er bowed to Princess Changle, then looked at the old man next to her and asked, "Old senior, what may I ask?"

"Shangguan, there is an urgent matter that needs to be dealt with. Please come over."

"You take this letter to His Highness. One hundred thousand. Urgent."

The old man handed the sealed letter in his hand to Shangguan Wan'er.

Shangguan Wan'er's eyes flickered.

One hundred thousand, urgent...
How long.

It's been a long time since I heard this attitude.

She took a deep breath and said seriously, "I understand."

Shangguan Wan'er came over and turned to leave.

However, she did not go out, but went back into the yard.

Princess Changle was a little confused.

If you are delivering a letter, don't you have to go outside?
Why did you go back?!
"Your Highness Changle, this is the way we at Wangyun Inn send messages. Don't worry."

"Don't worry, Xiao Qin and that person will definitely take care of this matter. They will not allow His Highness Xiao Sizi to lose any important people. You can go back and rest in peace."

The old man explained with a smile.

But he didn't say much.

Princess Changle nodded blankly.

Although she was still very confused.

By the way, that person, Shangguan Wan'er?
It seems... that I have never seen it before.

But since the old man came out as soon as he was shouted, he must be nearby.

It was nearby, and Li Junxian and others had not discovered it before.

This... is another master.

And since the old man said so, she had to believe it even if she didn't want to.

maybe.

Anyway, I have no other choice.

I can only... rely on Master Qin.

….……….…….
the other side.

Li Yan, who was arranged by Li Shimin to go to Chuhe Village, has arrived near the border of Chuhe Village.

Li Yan was riding on his horse, looking at the scenery outside, and couldn't help but let the tears flow down his eyes.

awful!
It's too awful! !

There were hungry people everywhere along the way.

Why is this happening?

The court has distributed so much grain, so how could there still be victims of the disaster?

Li Yan investigated.

Later I learned that all this was because of the aristocratic family.

The grain distributed by the imperial court was deducted at various levels, and by the time it reached the hands of the people far away from the city of Chang'an, only a tiny amount was left.

The sky is high and the emperor is far away.

These local officials are all taking advantage of the situation and hiding all the food.

This has led to the fact that there are still so many victims in the north.

"General Li, this is despicable! This is too despicable! Why are these noble families so arrogant? They even dare to take away the relief food!!"

The guards accompanying him were extremely angry.

Li Yan's eyes flickered, and he sighed, "This is why your majesty regards the Five Surnames and Seven Families as thorns in his side. What's more terrifying is that the news of the countless victims here...cannot reach your majesty's ears."

"This means that the local officials here are all biased towards the aristocratic families!!"

"Your Majesty, he has absolutely no control over this place."

The guard looked angry and asked, "Will we inform His Majesty when we return?"

Li Yan smiled bitterly and said, "The notification will definitely be made, it's just a matter of how to solve it..."

There is something unclear in these words.

Will Your Majesty take action against those officials from the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocratic Clan?
Li Yan wasn't sure.

after all,

A single move can affect the entire body, the impact is too complicated.

"Hey... let's keep walking."

Li Yan sighed and rode on again.

The road ahead was filled with refugees.

They come in groups just to find a place to have a full meal.

They were all thin and weak, with green light in their eyes due to hunger.

The word "miserable" is no longer enough to describe the victims.

They are miserable.

Terribly tragic!!
Those local officials did not give the people any chance to survive!!

Li Yan looked at them in a daze. He really couldn't believe that the scene before him was real.

The further north you go, the more victims you see.

Moreover, they did not flee to Chang'an, but to a place further north.

Why go there?

To die? To join the Turks in the north?

Or... is there another world over there?!
"General, there is a farm ahead, do you want to go take a look?!"

At this time, the guard next to him spoke.

"it is good!"

Li Yan nodded and agreed.

He rode his horse slowly into the village the guard had mentioned.

He looked at the withered village, and then at the road in front of the village that was already littered with fallen leaves and dead branches.

No one has lived here for a long time.

I think the owner of this place fled during the famine this year.

Li Yan found a house and knocked on the door, but no one was there.

Feeling unwilling to give up, Li Yan knocked on several doors one after another, but they were all closed and no one was seen.

Is this an uninhabited village?

He didn't give up.

Just as I was about to continue knocking, a sound came from the side.

"Stop knocking."

"Young men, who are you looking for? Everyone here has fled, and I, an old man, am the only one left."

At this time, an old man walked out from the yard next to him.

He was hunched over, holding a stick in his hand.

His hair is grey and his beard is white.

His eyes are cloudy, he must be very old.

“Father-in-law!!”

Li Yan hurried over and supported him. "Where are our people here? If I remember correctly, the locust plague in Chang'an has been resolved, and the court has also distributed a lot of food. Why are there still so many victims along the way?"

The old man sighed, shook his head and said, "Natural disasters and man-made disasters can be solved, but human nature... is difficult."

"Before hearing that the imperial court was distributing food, many people returned to the village. However, as time went by, the imperial court distributed food, but no food reached our village. After the disaster, the ground was devastated and there was no place to eat. No one could bear it, so they had to leave."

"Let alone this village, the villages around it are all in the same situation. Those who can run have all run away."

"The only ones left are us old people without children. Where can we go? We can only stay here and wait to die."

The father-in-law choked with sobs.

Hearing this, Li Yan felt a blockage in his throat and clenched his hands tightly, glowing red.

"Well, old man, you... you haven't found the reason? The imperial court's food will not disappear out of thin air."

Li Yan asked again.

The old man smiled bitterly and said, "What else could it be? Many people know the reason. It was that the local officials withheld the money. Someone from another manor went to Chang'an to report it, but the official who listened to it was also an official from an aristocratic family. The person who reported it died that night."

"After so many times, who dares to report it?"

Li Yan's eyes widened, he gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it! Lawless! These officials from aristocratic families...are really lawless!!"

He had inquired about this kind of thing a lot along the way. Every time he asked the same question, he got almost the same answer. His ears were so tired of hearing it.

But still have to ask!
And every time I hear it, I can’t stop getting angry!!

The old man waved his hands helplessly and said, "There's nothing we can do. This is how it is. Our discussion will only increase our powerless anger. There's no need to talk about it any more."

"By the way, you look like southerners, so energetic and well-dressed. I don't know why you came here to suffer. If you don't mind and don't have a place to stay, why don't you come to my house and have a seat? I'm an old man and I haven't spoken to you in days."

"Before I die, I can chat with you and answer your questions. This will help me to rest in peace."

The father-in-law said.

Li Yan quickly helped him in.

The yard at home was cracked into small pieces.

They sat down at the foot of the wall, where it was somewhat shaded.

"Old man, can you tell me in detail about the government here?"

Li Yan asked again.

Several guards also looked at the old man instantly.

"The government here? Hehe, they are in charge of our life and death. At the beginning, the food distribution from the court was delayed. Some of us asked the county master, but the county master said that the relief food from the court has not yet been distributed. Come down, there is no food to relieve the disaster."

"How ridiculous! How ridiculous! The county government's granary is clearly filled to the brim with grain!!"

The father-in-law shook his head and sighed.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan frowned tightly.

"Is there such a situation?" Li Yan was furious.

"Yes, those grains are stored grain, but they won't give them to us civilians."

"If you want it, it's easy. You just go and buy it. But the price is so high. What else can people do if they don't run away?"

The father-in-law said.

"Aren't they afraid of being held accountable by the court?" The guards nearby were also furious.

"Hold the accountable? Who will hold the accountable? It's hard to say who will hold the accountable, just like the people who went to Chang'an City to report the incident. The official is their relative, so there's nothing we can do about it."

My father-in-law is in despair.

His whole body was shaking as he spoke.

But in the end, he sighed heavily, as if he had given up fighting and accepted everything.

Li Yan clenched his hands.

"Yes."

Li Yan nodded and said, "The aristocratic families are like towering trees. They provide shade for their descendants. This tree is getting bigger and bigger, and its root system is getting more and more developed, embedding itself firmly under the land of the Central Plains. There is nothing we can do about it. There is nothing we can do about it."

Li Yan went from being angry to being melancholy.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Have you eaten yet? I'm... um, sorry, I'm out of rice at home today, so I can't treat you guys to a meal. Please forgive me."

The father-in-law patted the back of Li Yan's hand, his voice sounding embarrassed.

"No, no need! Po, go get some food!"

Li Yan gave orders immediately.

One of the guards hurriedly took half a bag of food from his horse.

"Father, take it. It's been so many days. I believe the imperial court will send relief grain soon."

Li Yan put the food into his father-in-law's hands.

"No, no, no, this is too expensive, too expensive!!"

"There is nothing left at home. I have no money to give you."

The father-in-law was a little excited.

"No money, take it, father-in-law. We are young and strong, we won't starve."

Li Yan stood up.

The old man clutched the bag of grain tightly and struggled to get up, but he was old after all. When he got up, Li Yan and others were already about to walk out the door.

The father-in-law couldn't keep up, so he could only kneel down and kowtow several times.

Li Yan and his companions quickened their pace.

Once we got on the horses, the atmosphere became a little solemn.

"General, where are you going?"

A guard asked.

"Continue to the north. I'm going to see what so many disaster victims are doing there."

"And... the Chuhe Village that Your Majesty mentioned is also further north."

Li Yan said.

I couldn’t stop thinking, could it be that... these disaster victims are related to Chuhe Village?

Random thoughts are a big taboo for military generals.

He immediately shook his head, and the few of them rode on their horses again.

On the road.

Li Yan swallowed hard, his throat aching. Looking at the bleak windows around him, he even felt uncomfortable breathing.

Maer rode out of the village.

All the way north.

On the way, they also passed through several villages.

The situation is pretty much the same.

We even passed through several counties.

In the city, I can finally see some figures.

These are people who have a little money and can buy enough food.

But as we continued walking, there were fewer and fewer people in the county town.

At the same time, there are fewer and fewer disaster victims on the road.

"General, where have all the disaster victims gone? Something is wrong. Could it be that they have all run away? Have they defected to the Turks?"

A guard asked doubtfully.

"Yes, General, as we walked over here, there were fewer and fewer victims. Is there no one left here?"

Another guard scratched his head, also not understanding.

"General, look ahead! There are a bunch of people ahead!!"

At this moment, the voice of the guard in front suddenly came.

Li Yan and his companions immediately looked over.

as predicted.

There was a large group of people in front, but they didn't move. It seemed that someone in the middle was telling them something.

“Go and take a look!!”

Li Yan gave the order immediately.

This bunch of people...
The complexion looks much better.

A guess suddenly occurred to him.

"Faster, faster!!"

After getting on the horse, Li Yan urged again.

They came to the crowd.

Li Yan and his men dismounted.

Several guards immediately pushed through the crowd and brought Li Yan to the front.

In the middle of the crowd, there was indeed a person giving an excited speech.

"Don't hesitate, really don't hesitate!!"

"When you get there, you will know that Chuhe Village is the real fairyland in the north. We can have enough food there, and the village chief will give us land and help us build our home."

"Also, the head of Chuhe Village has many guards who will be responsible for our safety. Now, outside Chuhe Village, there are already refugees everywhere. If you don't go now, there may really be no room left behind. After all, it's just a village."

(End of this chapter)