fake prince

Chapter 441

Prefect Yamen·Backyard

As soon as they arrived in Shun'an Mansion, the prefect's wife Qi Zhou who moved in was indeed an expert in managing the family. Because the previous prefect had bought another mansion, the yard behind the yamen had been used as a warehouse to store things, and the yard was also messy, even before they arrived. , the yamen servants have already cleaned up, but they are rarely popular.

However, after more than ten days of tidying up, the courtyard is well organized, and the landscape paintings painted by Qi Hongxin himself are hung in the main hall. Every detail has been taken care of. As soon as you enter, you can feel a kind of homely warmth .

But Qi Hongxin obviously didn't put his mind on it, walked back from the outside, and sat down on the armchair next to the square table in the main room, with tired eyes and brows.

He who was calm in front of people did not show any signs of depression until this moment.

Where can he get the money for killing locusts?

Not having tens of thousands of taels is obviously not enough, but the 10 taels that the water control yamen said they would pay back can't be paid out now... Hey, it's so difficult!

When he thought of the difficulty, he felt irritable, and an itchy feeling gushed out of his throat, and he covered his mouth and coughed.

"You!" Mrs. Qi Zhou came over at this time, and there were two servant girls carrying some dishes, and she put a small jade pot beside Qi Hongxin's hand, and put down a small wine glass.

Seeing that my husband was only in his fifties and his face was covered with wrinkles, I couldn't help but feel distressed. Seeing him coughing a few times and being full of wine, I could only snuggle up on the chair next to me and watch quietly.

Because it was past lunch, she and her son had eaten long ago. These dishes were specially warmed and prepared for her husband.

I didn't expect my husband to come back later today, and he can already use it with dinner.

Qi Hongxin was indeed hungry, he ate a few mouthfuls and couldn't help sighing.

"Why are you sighing again while eating? But you are still troubled by the locust plague?" Qi Zhou asked gently.

"The locust plague has already taken hold and it is difficult to eradicate it. Now we must concentrate all the forces in the county to strangle it, otherwise I am afraid that the responsibility will not be small." Qi Hongxin said with a sigh.

His wife can think about it, or has a reason to feel sorry for him, and comforted him: "Every time you went to a new place in the past, which one was not facing a crisis? This time it must pass smoothly, so there is no need to worry so much."

He said again: "Furthermore, your health has been getting worse and worse these past few years, and you are still coughing up blood, and you are so tired. What the magistrate is doing is really boring. This official, it doesn't matter!"

Qi Hongxin smiled wryly: "Yeah, this official is becoming more and more tasteless, but the plague of locusts is terrible. If it really becomes a disaster, it will really destroy thousands of families. How can we resign at this juncture? "

When Qi Zhou heard this, his heart felt sad and his eyes turned red.

My husband is a stubborn person. When it came to resigning, he was resolute in his refusal. He said he wanted to serve the emperor. Today, he mentioned it, but he didn’t say that. what?

But listening to Qi Hongxin's words: "But just to do something, you have to ask for money. The sad thing is that the county is empty and there is no money at all."

"Why don't you report it?" The wife felt distressed, thought for a while, and said connivingly.

Qi Hongxin shook his head, because he drank a few cups in a row, although he usually held a good amount of alcohol, he seemed a little drunk at this time: "How can it be so easy? When I betrayed the prince, I only thought that today would happen. Shangguan didn't believe me. Use me, but always be on guard... until now, I have dragged down the people of this side..."

Qi Zhou, who was always gentle, changed his color and interrupted him with a sharp voice.

"I don't like to hear your words. You go to the Prince's Mansion to serve, but you are only dispatched by the Ministry of Officials, and you are not the Prince's private minister!"

"At that time, the crown prince had fallen, and a catastrophe was imminent. You had a mother to take care of you. If you didn't leave the crown prince, you might not even be able to support the crown prince, and your whole family might be condemned."

"And you didn't report it. It was just for the sake of protecting the family. It was just a joint signature. With or without you, the result is the same. How can you be blamed?"

"At that time, the emperor killed hundreds of people in one go, and even dozens of families were involved. Could it be that just because the Ministry of Officials sent you, you have to be buried with your whole family?"

"Even if it's me, I don't accept it, not to mention I was pregnant at the time."

Qi Hongxin smiled wryly.

"It's not like that in the officialdom. As a courtier, loyalty comes first. I am favored by the prince..." Qi Hongxin wanted to say something later, his voice was choked with grief, and his tears flowed down silently.

Seeing that he was crying, his wife, who had been with him for many years, was so painful that her heart ached, she hugged her, and cried too.

"I don't know what you men are like, but you haven't forgotten him for so many years, I feel jealous in my heart, you have paid for your sins for 20 years, enough, enough!"

No, how could it be possible?

People like the crown prince died so unjustly and aggrievedly, and I, the former courtier, not only did not repay him with death, but lingered on, living to this day, it is really painful every time I think about it.

But he was also afraid to go down, how to face the prince, and he didn't even dare to die, so he could only live like this, devoting his mind to the people's livelihood.

I only hope that my old life, which is still alive, can do more things to atone for the past betrayal.

But this was his own idea, but it dragged down his wife and son. Now that he heard his wife crying, he felt even more uncomfortable. He patted his wife's thin back lightly, and he also didn't know what to say.

At this moment, someone knocked on the door, and it was very urgent, interrupting the sadness of the two of them. The two quickly separated and wiped their tears. Qi Zhou quickly took the towel and wiped it for him before opening the door. .

The person who came in was Qi Zhuang, a member of his own clan and a long time follower. Seeing the expressions of the two of them, he knew that they had cried. Swarms of locusts have already appeared, and some people are still making trouble, saying that they will lead the people to sacrifice to the locust god and demolish the original water temple!"

Qi Hongxin took the towel away, his tired face full of melancholy disappeared, and he regained his majesty and composure. He straightened up and said to his wife, "I'll come back as soon as I go. You stay at the mansion, don't worry about me!"

Qi Hongxin walked out quickly, and a gust of wind rushed towards his face. Without hesitation, he sternly said, "Prepare my oil coat and horse, and immediately call all the servants in the yamen, take up their weapons, and follow me."

"Also, use my seal to immediately order the county lieutenant to order troops, and follow up within half an hour. I need at least three hundred army soldiers to fight. Don't fool me with box soldiers, or I will dismiss him from his post." .”

"Yes!" Qi Zhuang replied loudly, with a serious look on his face.

The county lieutenant of Shun'an Mansion is from the official rank of the sixth rank to the chief of the county soldiers of a county, and he is in charge of [-] county soldiers.

This is stationed in the big camp outside the prefectural city, and there are county lieutenants in each county, who generally command hundreds of county soldiers, and they are all stationed near the county seat.

The county soldiers are of the same origin as the elite soldiers stationed in the capital. They are all regular troops of the past dynasties, and they are the main force of the war. Although they are not as well-equipped and well-trained as the imperial army, they are also the greatest force to protect the county government.

Once there is a rebellion, it is usually the county soldiers who are dispatched.

(End of this chapter)