My lord, spare his life!

Is she a snake?

Every now and then, a piece of skin is shed and given away?

Guan Si felt like he had been tricked again.

He kept his promise and risked his life here in the Dongfan Mountains, and she, on the other hand, turned around and gave away the human skin! Guan Si's face grew darker and darker as he thought about it, almost dripping with water. The woman wisely kept silent, but she had already guessed that this man knew the whereabouts of this human skin.

Ha, this is really—

It’s not a waste of time to break through the iron shoes.

After a few breaths, noticing that Guan Si's breathing had stabilized, the woman spoke softly, "General, do you still want me to shed my human skin?"

Guan Si simply pursed his lips and glared at her.

The woman sensed his anger and embarrassment, and smiled inwardly, but dared not add fuel to the fire: "Since General Yuan Yi is an old friend, he naturally cannot be my enemy. Please do me a favor."

Guan Si replied indifferently, "I'm not familiar with her."

The implication is that you shouldn't try to get close to them.

Du Guan is a good prefectural magistrate, but that's irrelevant to him. He and his Hundred Ghost Guards are only interested in those Eastern Bandits.

The woman asked in surprise, "If you don't know Yuan Yi, then why...?"

She paused for a moment as she spoke.

In an instant, I understood where the misunderstanding was.

While the human skin he was using was indeed a gift from Du Guan, it didn't mean it belonged to Du Guan. It was highly likely that someone else had used Du Guan to deliver it to him. The bandit leader in front of him also had two such skins, and their owner might be the rightful owner.

She certainly wouldn't give up.

"May I ask who that person is?"

"Hmph, go ask Du Yuanyi."

Guan Si was in a bad mood and didn't want to talk to the person in front of him.

The woman, though displeased, did not show it. She simply smiled and cupped her hands in greeting: "In that case, I will trouble the general to send someone to escort me. Once I have met Yuan Yi, I can then ask her for advice."

Guan Si sneered, "I didn't say you could leave."

The manager almost lost his temper and demanded an explanation.

How could this scoundrel go back on his word?

Didn't he say to tell the parents to ask the Chief Minister?

The woman stopped the manager's movement first, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye to signal him not to be hasty. Guan Si noticed their subtle exchange: "However, letting you go isn't impossible. Leave your human skin behind, and I won't make things difficult for you otherwise."

In Guan Si's view, this was already extremely compassionate.

"Young master, this is so unreasonable! You call this not difficult? My master didn't bring a spare human skin. Once he loses this human skin, how can he see the Minister of Justice alive?" The steward couldn't hold back any longer and stepped in front of the woman, looking like he was ready to die.

Guan Si scoffed, "Why isn't there any spare human skin?"

He pointed at the manager: "Aren't you one?"

As he spoke, he threw out a dagger.

"It's your bad luck to have run into me when I'm in a bad mood. I'll give you two choices: either you take off this human skin and find someone else's skin, or you put on the skin of the person next to you. What will you choose?"

The manager's face turned ashen. He opened his mouth to curse, but found his throat blocked by something, unable to utter a single syllable. If he forced himself to speak, a terrifying feeling of suffocation would follow.

Woman: "I won't choose either one."

She bent down, picked up the dagger, and placed it back in front of Guan Si.

"Not choosing either?"

"Though I am a ghost who cherishes my life, I am not without humanity. If I were to kill even my own brother who grew up with me just to protect myself, how would I be any different from a ghost? The general likes this human skin, and it is not impossible for me to give it to you, but could you make an exception for a few days so that I can see Yuan Yi?"

What if I say no?

"Observing the troops under your command, General, their discipline is impeccable, and their movements are measured and orderly, without the slightest sign of slackness or negligence. This clearly demonstrates that you, General, are skilled in military administration and command with strict discipline, far surpassing the mediocre and incompetent men of the world. If there were no underlying cause, you would not easily make things difficult for others. May I ask, what has caused your displeasure, General? Is it related to the war or something else?"

Guan Si became somewhat interested upon hearing this.

"Neither."

Actually, they are all the same.

Guan Si was overwhelmed by the remnants of the Eastern Barbarian bandits who had united together. He was keeping track of the time and was determined not to be underestimated by Zhang Yang or looked down upon by You Zheng. How could he not defeat such a rabble?

Just when I was feeling annoyed, I discovered that Zhang Yang was involved in the wholesale of human skin.

When he gets angry, women unfortunately become his punching bags.

Guan Si thought that if this "Painted Skin Ghost" were to skin her attendant and put the skin on herself to save her own life, he would kill her when she was at her most triumphant, as a surprise. If she willingly peeled off the skin, that would be best.

As a result, the other party didn't choose either option.

They even looked like they wanted to negotiate with me.

Upon hearing this, the woman sighed and said, "In that case, we, master and servant, will have to trouble the general to stay here for a while."

Guan Si: "..."

The woman had a helpless expression on her face: "When the general is in a better mood, he can let us leave in peace, or allow me to write a letter to Yuan Yi and ask her to find a way to redeem me."

If you have to choose between two options if you choose to leave, then you might as well not leave at all.

Staying here won't bankrupt me.

"Writing to Yuan Yi is the safest option, and I can also ask her to bring me a new skin so I can take off this old one and give it to the general."

Choose one of the two options.

Guan Si: "..."

A hint of annoyance appeared on his cold, hard face.

While the butler trembled with fear, Guan Si refrained from unleashing a massacre, merely waving his hand dismissively: "Get out of here, the farther the better!"

Guan Si felt that he had suffered because he was not good at cursing.

The woman cupped her hands in thanks: "Thank you, General."

Stepping out of the tent, he said to the right adjutant, "I trouble you, Your Majesty."

Looking at the fresh heads on the barricades, it's clear these people are fighting someone; their stronghold's location can't be easily exposed. Just as their master and servants came blindfolded, they'll leave blindfolded as well.

The right deputy looked at her, then turned to ask Guan Si for instructions.

She came out shortly after.

"The general said he can let you leave, but if you see that swindler named Zhang Yang, remember to tell her two things—"

Upon hearing the name Zhang Yang, the woman perked up.

"Please speak."

The right deputy cleared his throat: "Liar!"

He added, "Wash your neck clean and wait to die."

The woman smiled and replied, "I understand."

The Right Vice-Commander personally escorted the two down the mountain and returned their carriages and horses. He also sent two Hundred Ghost Guards to accompany them, warning them, "Since you're going to seek refuge with an old friend, then go obediently and don't do anything unplanned on the way. If you do, we'll catch up with you and eliminate you completely, which will only take the general a short while."

The woman solemnly agreed.

Before setting off again, he thanked the two demon guards.

"Thank you both for showing us the way."

The right deputy hadn't gone far and could hear clearly.

He thought to himself, "This man looks unremarkable, frail and weak, but he seems to know how to get along with people, and he speaks very pleasantly."

This little incident only took up half a day of the woman's time.

Upon truly entering Tianyue County, the steward shivered, feeling as if the temperature had plummeted after he crossed some invisible line. The temperature difference was so great that the steward thought winter had arrived in an instant.

Further in, we saw snow that had not yet completely melted.

The manager was momentarily stunned, then shivered from the cold.

"Parents, this is...?"

"It should be a disorder of the four seasons."

Tianyue County has long lost the protection of the stars.

Natural disasters of this scale are not unexpected.

Unfortunately, she hadn't prepared in advance, and most of the clothes in her trunk were thin and inadequate.

The manager, filled with remorse and self-reproach, lamented, "What should I do?"

The painted skin ghost's skin is very fragile. Even if it uses star power to make its body surface immune to heat and cold, the skin is not included. The skin will still decompose faster due to environmental degradation.

The woman got out of the car and scooped up a handful of snow.

The manager hurriedly tried to stop him.

The woman said, "It's alright, look—"

She showed her palm and the back of her hand.

Her hands were fair and delicate, showing no signs of frostbite or redness, even though she had just rubbed the snow vigorously, her skin remained unchanged.

The steward exclaimed in astonishment, "This human skin is amazing!"

It works just as well as the skin of a newborn child that parents have ripped off.

The desire to see the Chief Minister became even stronger.

When a woman has nothing to do, she can focus on other things and have the energy to care about them.

Tianyue County is experiencing a chaotic cycle of seasons, and it's the harshest winter yet, likely resulting in countless deaths and injuries. In such extreme circumstances, the line between humans and ghosts blurs. The group was mentally prepared to encounter a hellish Tianyue County, but nothing happened?

The newly reclaimed wasteland is neat and orderly, with a well-organized layout.

Occasionally, you can see figures busily working on the ridges between the fields, diligently tending to the land they rely on to support their families, their clothes not particularly clean, but they look quite warm and thick. The strangest thing is that these people don't all speak the same dialect…

Woman: "Go and find out."

The manager accepted the order.

They returned shortly afterward.

"When we went home, these families said they were all refugees from elsewhere, so their accents are naturally different," the steward said, muttering to himself in bewilderment, "Even if they were refugees, shouldn't they have fled elsewhere?"

The destructive power of a harsh winter is no less than that of war.

While the ravages of war can be escaped on foot, the bitter cold is ever-present. Disrupted seasons ruin a year's harvest, making famine almost inevitable. How much belongings can refugees carrying when they flee?

This little bit of wealth won't last long.

The manager's doubts were quickly resolved.

They stopped to rest in a nearby village. At first, they thought it was the estate of a local tycoon, but upon inquiring, they learned it was just an ordinary village. The steward, sensing something amiss, worried it might be a trap: "Master, are these people bandits?"

They robbed and killed the original owner, and now they're trying to fool passersby?

Woman: "What do you mean?"

"These houses are all new, only built a month or two ago." The steward's suspicion was not without reason. It is not unusual for a village to have a few new houses, and even the poorest village can produce a rich farmer, but it is quite alarming that there are hundreds of new houses in the village.

Do you have a new house and a large tract of farmland?

Let alone Tianyue, a rural area, even the farmers outside the former capital city were not this wealthy.

The only explanation is that this place was originally the estate of a wealthy landowner.

The woman took a sip of water and shook her head in denial.

"Ask around some more, don't just guess."

The woman wasn't particularly surprised.

Not to mention Du Guan is here, the headmaster's only son, Fan You, is also present. Both of them are chivalrous men with a strong sense of ancient chivalry and moral standards far higher than those of people like them. It's impossible for them to remain indifferent to Tian Yue's predicament; they will always do something within their power. Du Guan is constrained by the local powerful families due to his background, but with Fan You as an outsider, who knows what he might do.

How much can a group of ordinary people know?

No matter how the steward inquired, all he could find out was that their peaceful lives were entirely thanks to the newly appointed prefect, who was said to be exceptionally kind. Many villagers had never seen the prefect's face, but those who had heard of him spoke of him as the most compassionate man imaginable.

Steward: "Is the new prefect surnamed Fan?"

"No, my surname is Zhang."

Women can guess who someone is just by hearing their surname.

It was Zhang Boyuan again, the man Xie Shu had described as having a rather unconventional way of doing things, and also the person Guan Si had asked her to deliver a message to. The woman's intuition told her that the person she truly wanted to see might not be Du Guan, but this man!

This idea grew wildly, like weeds.

The group planned to head straight to the prefectural capital, only to learn midway that the prefectural seat had been moved to Weiyin County, where Du Guan, the prefectural magistrate, was also located.

The closer you get to Weiyin County, the more orderly things become.

The farmers' spirits and appearances became increasingly high, showing no signs of being troubled by poverty and hunger. With a woman's discerning eye, she could naturally tell that these farmers should have been thin and weak, but recently they had been eating better, their faces had become a little fuller, and even the children were healthy.

By this time, most of the snow had melted.

The bare farmland had become soft under the farmers' deep and meticulous work. People were mixing the soil along the field ridges, spreading the mixed soil evenly across the field, and finally covering it with a simple blanket. The foreman had some knowledge of farming, but he didn't know what was going on.

When asked, the farmers all avoided the topic.

Only when the manager took out some loose silver did someone agree to speak up.

but--

This farmer wants yuan coins.

I don't want these cheap, hard-to-find pieces of silver.

Manager: "..."

Yuan Yuan Coin?

What is that thing?

This question didn't bother me for long.

Upon learning that the Yuanyuan coin was a new type of currency issued by the prefectural government, the steward was speechless, his jaw dropping as he inwardly cursed the treacherous officials. Was a prefectural governor truly authorized to issue such a new currency?

That's incredibly audacious! But in order to extract the secret from the people, the manager had to find a way to exchange for a few Yuan Yuan coins, which were given to him by the two Hundred Ghost Guards who were following him.

Manager: "..."

Good heavens, this gang of bandits really has connections with the government!

If there were no secret dealings, would a group of bandits use this new currency?

Fortunately, all that effort wasn't in vain.

"Parents, these farmers say this is special fertilizer issued by the government, which can easily double or even multiply the yield per acre and turn bad land into good land... Don't you think this is just bluffing? Where in the world can you find such fertile fertilizer?" The manager was so angry that his face was contorted.

In the manager's opinion, this was an outrageous scam!

They should all be arrested and thrown in jail!

However, the manager could only swallow his anger and resentment at the thought that the person who should be arrested was in cahoots with the people who were judging him—he had just tried to persuade the farmer to come to his senses and almost got slapped by them.

"Farm fertilizer? Issued by the government?"

"It's said to be the unique skill of that Lord Zhang."

The woman murmured, "It's her again?"

New currencies are often difficult for the market to accept, but the group of women found that the new currencies had a very wide range of uses. Whether it was a peddler or a slightly larger merchant, everyone recognized the new currency, and the purchasing power of the new currency was much higher than that of the old currency.

Not only is it high-value, but its value is also very stable.

The woman silently noted this detail.

Finally, they arrived at the county seat before the city gates were locked.

Even someone as composed as the manager couldn't hold back his emotions several times.

"ah--"

The woman couldn't resist lifting the carriage curtain.

"What's wrong?"

The steward had lived in the capital; what place in the world could she possibly make shout like that? With this thought in mind, the woman looked in the direction the steward was pointing, and then—she fell silent.

She had seen people perform for money and sell their bodies, but she had never seen a tiger pretending to be dead on the spot while a bunch of chickens and ducks sold eggs!

These chickens and ducks were quite large, and each of them had a bag of something hanging around its neck; judging from the clattering sound, it probably contained several yuan coins.

They wandered around in a circle.

As it walked, it made chirping and clattering noises.

The woman took a closer look and made another discovery.

Next to the feigning dead worm stood a wooden sign with several large characters indicating the prices of chicken and duck eggs, as well as the buyback price for raising the eggs after hatching. Chicken and duck feathers were sold separately from chicken and duck meat, and the prices were not low.

If that's all there is to it, it's at most just a novelty.

What surprised the woman most was the reaction of the onlookers.

Some looked at the chickens and ducks, some looked at the insects, but most squinted and pointed at the wooden sign to read the words on it.

Although the content on the wooden signs was not complicated and the handwriting was not messy, it was a group of ordinary people, not a specific few individuals, who were able to decipher them. The signs even included rather complex addition and subtraction calculations. The woman stood by and listened for a while, and found that these people not only did not misread the words, but also did not make any calculation mistakes. Some of them even gathered together to calculate the return on investment for raising the animals.

If you raise these chickens and ducks and the market offers a high price, you can sell them to the market; if you're not comfortable with that, you can sell them to the government, which will buy them back and guarantee the price.

After calculating for a while, many people nodded repeatedly, showing great interest.

When they pay for chicken and duck eggs, the chickens and ducks will swarm over, and the buyers only need to put the coins into the cloth bags around their necks. The big insect that's pretending to be dead will open one eye and close the other, only closing it again when it's sure it hasn't been cheated out of its money.

The steward clapped his hands: "What a magnificent sight!"

??(?_?)

These past few days, not only have I had the flu, but I've also encountered a terrible thing: I've had insomnia for three days in a row, and being sick has only made things worse.

This is actually a bit embarrassing _(:3」∠)_

Those who follow gold may know this.

Shiitake mushrooms were forced to receive a daily subsistence allowance of 500 yuan.

PS: I didn't actually lose money; all things considered, I actually made a profit of over 11%. I withdrew the initial investment when I broke even (I also made a profit on the physical gold jewelry I bought last year). I think I still have about seven or eight thousand in my account. Sigh, I'll withdraw it slowly, and I'll still rely on the daily minimum allowance of 500 as long as they don't run away with the money. When will I ever finish receiving that...?