The prince is more stable

Chapter 389 The downtrodden prince
Enthusiastic villagers...

What a kind-hearted villager.

Zhao Xiaoqian was so confused by the word that he couldn't react for a moment, and stared at Zhao Xin blankly.

"Translate, translate, what the hell is this 'helpful villager'?"

Zhao Xin smiled mysteriously, his expression a little sneaky, and his look was unpleasant no matter how you looked at it.

Zhao Xiaoqian was no stranger to his subordinates and slapped them. Zhao Xin's abnormal look instantly healed.

"Outside the northern suburbs of Zhending City, there's a village called Henglingbao. Zhang Lan and more than a dozen of his generals have fled here..."

"It was snowing heavily at the time, and Zhang Lan only sought temporary refuge. However, a villager discovered something suspicious and drugged them, then sent someone to inform the Imperial City Division. This morning, I have arrested Zhang Lan and the others," Zhao Xin said honestly and obediently.

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned. "That fort... which villager is so powerful? And why would an ordinary villager have drugs that can knock someone out? ... Is this villager serious?"

Zhao Xin couldn't help but laugh again: "Too serious. Lord, guess who she is."

Zhao Xiaoqian also smiled, his palm turned into a knife, ready to take action.

"Do you want to guess? Should I guess?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a pleasant smile.

Zhao Xin chuckled innocently and leaned in closer, whispering, "This kindhearted villager is an old friend of yours. She came from Bian Jing. Her name was 'Niao Niao', but she's now called 'Zhao Niao Niao'. Does your Highness remember her?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned, and the memories of the dead began to attack him.

It was actually Niao Niao? Why did she move to this desolate and dangerous border village? And she also helped him capture Zhang Lan?

When he was in Bian Jing, all the past grievances and ambiguous scenes with Niao Niao came to his mind. The familiar eyebrows and style gradually awakened in Zhao Xiaoqian's dusty memory.

I originally thought that I would never have any contact with her in this life, but I didn't expect that after just a few months, the two of us would be bound together again in a foreign land. Could it be that God really forced us to do this, and this damn fate cannot be cut off by mortals?
Zhao Xiaoqian had a complicated expression and mixed feelings in his heart. He whispered, "Are you sure she is Niao Niao?"

Zhao Xin nodded resolutely. "I personally brought the Imperial City Division to fetch someone from her house. Although I didn't see her in person, she explained how she was captured while escorting Zhang Lan. He said that this girl and the Duke of the County were old friends. Duke of the County, I knew about your relationship with Niao Niao..."

As an official in charge of the Imperial City, Zhao Xin did know a lot.

When Zhao Xiaoqian planned to wipe out the Liao Kingdom's intelligence network in Bianliang, Zhao Xin also participated in it personally.

Even when Niao Niao was later invited to the Imperial City Bureau to hand over the list of all the personnel in the intelligence network, it was Wei Jie and Zhao Xin who personally interrogated her.

Therefore, Zhao Xin was not unfamiliar with Niao Niao at all, and he also vaguely noticed the ambiguous feelings between Zhao Xiaoqian and Niao Niao, which were both pretentious and annoying.

It's a very simple logic. In the intelligence network that the Liao Kingdom had set up in Bian Jing, Niaoniao was definitely an important criminal. However, Zhao Xiaoqian personally pleaded with the emperor for her, insisting on giving her a title of meritorious service while serving her sentence, and finally acquitted her.

If this man and woman did not have feelings for each other, Zhao Xin would rather gouge out their eyes on the spot.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's complicated expression at this moment, Zhao Xin became even more certain of this.

"My Lord, Zhao Niaoniao now lives in Hengling Fort in the northern suburbs of Zhending. Her mansion covers a large area and has several maids, servants and guards. She is the 'only' mistress and I heard that she is still unmarried..." Zhao Xin added quietly.

Zhao Xiaoqian turned his head and glanced at him, saying, "Behave yourself. You look like a brothel owner soliciting customers behind a half-closed door."

Then Zhao Xiaoqian said with a half-smile, "You think I won't hold you accountable for being so attentive to my personal affairs and for Zhang Lan escaping the surveillance of the Imperial City Bureau and absconding overnight? Oh! Naive."

Zhao Xin's old face turned bitter and his expression suddenly became dejected.

You've just been promoted, and you haven't even had time to warm your seat yet. Are you going to go back to being a clerk?

Why is my career so bumpy?

…………

It is better to meet someone than to miss him.

But Zhao Xiaoqian has no time to see Niao Niao now.

There was a big riot in Zhending City last night. Although all the people who should be arrested have been arrested, the cleanup and aftermath work is still very cumbersome.

The Imperial City Division urgently interrogated Liu Qianliang, Zhang Lan and other convicted officials, striving to obtain confessions in the shortest possible time.

Zhao Xiaoqian was busy writing a memorial to report the matter to Zhao Xu in Bian Jing.

At the same time, Zhao Xiaoqian hadn't forgotten that Liu Qianliang and Zhang Lan had backers in the Bianjing court. This matter wouldn't be completely resolved until their backers fell. Therefore, he had to obtain the confession as soon as possible. Before the Bianjing court reacted, Zhao Xu had to seize control of the situation. More importantly, after a busy night, Zhao Xiaoqian had to gain something.

The harvest is not determined by how many people are arrested, but by how much property of the criminal officials is confiscated.

Zhending Prefecture had been governed by this group of evil people to the point where the people were living in misery. Many poor people were forced to lose their livelihoods. Many farmers who lost their land had to leave their homes with their families, and the whole family became refugees.

Many people are still oppressed by heavy taxes and levies, struggling to make ends meet and burdened with huge debts from the government.

There are also many pieces of land where, due to collusion between officials and landlords, farmers' land has become the private property of officials and landlords. These problems also need to be urgently resolved.

After the chaos last night, Zhao Xiaoqian brought Chen Shou and others back to the government office.

The government office was empty, and almost all officials and runners were temporarily dismissed. After the Imperial City Bureau investigated the matter thoroughly, only those who were innocent would be reinstated.

Last night, there was a big fire in the backyard of the government office. Several houses in the yard were burned to charcoal, leaving only a few skeletons of houses. There was still wisp of green smoke rising from the ruins, and an unpleasant smell at the scene hit the nose.

After Zhao Xiaoqian returned to the government office, he took just one look and immediately decided to leave.

This place is uninhabitable, let alone suitable for office use. It has to be demolished and rebuilt, which will cost a huge amount of money for materials and labor...

At this time, Zhao Xiaoqian was very short of money. Many things could only be solved with money, so where he lived became secondary.

"Chen Shou, please rent me a small courtyard with two entrances next to the government office." Zhao Xiaoqian sighed.

Chen Shou was stunned and suddenly felt astonished: "Rent?"

"That's right, rent it," Zhao Xiaoqian sighed. "Find someone with good eloquence to help bargain. The cheaper the better."

Chen Shou's eyes were red.

When has the Prince of Chu, who lives a life of luxury and enjoys a life of luxury, ever used the word "rent"?

You are in such a state of disgrace, prince!

Chen Shou felt very uncomfortable. Scholars used to say "When the lord worries, the minister is humiliated" and "When the lord is humiliated, the minister dies." Now Chen Shou finally felt the weight of this sentence firsthand.

"Sir, why is it like this?" Chen Shou said sadly, "Your Highness has been generous over the years, and we brothers have saved up a lot of spare money. If you are short of money, we brothers are willing to raise funds for you. No matter what, you must not suffer any injustice!"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned and looked at Chen Shou's expression, becoming more and more confused.

I just want to spend my money wisely. What does that expression of yours, like you're about to go bankrupt and liquidate, mean?
How unlucky.

"How much money can you help me raise?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked with interest.

Chen Shou puffed out his chest and said proudly, "I can't say how much more it is, but for the two hundred or so Imperial Guards, each of them can easily pay ten taels of silver."

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "Ten taels per person, two hundred people would be two thousand taels. If I want to buy a large mansion with four entrances, I'm afraid it won't be enough..."

Chen Shou's eyelids twitched.

He did say just now that the prince cannot be wronged, but the moment you open your mouth you mention a huge mansion with four entrances. Isn't that too unfair?
"Uh, Prince, how about...we consider renting one?" Chen Shou suggested cautiously.

Zhao Xiaoqian squinted at him and said, "Didn't you just say that I shouldn't be wronged? I can't get used to living in this rented house. Cough."

"Prince, I was wrong. My brothers can't afford a house with four courtyards even if they sell themselves..." Chen Shou said dejectedly.

Zhao Xiaoqian patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Next time, just agree to whatever I say. Don't make any stupid suggestions, and don't try to be sentimental. If you do it at the wrong time, won't you be embarrassed?"

"By the way, I forgot to tell you that I'm not at the end of my rope yet. This time when I left Beijing, I brought more than 200,000 taels of silver, and I haven't spent it yet." Zhao Xiaoqian said slowly.

"Also, the properties of those criminal officials captured last night have been confiscated by the Imperial City Administration, which is another huge income. I, your son, am not poor, I just suddenly want to live a more frugal life."

Chen Shou opened his mouth in astonishment, trying to express something, but no words came out.

If you looked in the mirror right now, would you find yourself looking like a clown?

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and added, "But you just mentioned asking the brothers to sell themselves. I quite agree with this idea... I'm curious, how do you plan to sell them? If you insist on generating income for me, I don't object."

(End of this chapter)