The wooden wheels pressed against the soft yellow soil, making ruts.
A train of horses came from a distance, passed the inspection of the gatekeepers of Lone Bamboo Manor, and slowly marched into the manor.
A beautiful girl with a face like a silver plate was leaning against the car window, looking at the fertile fields not far away and the busy farmers on them with an incomprehensible expression.
"It's such a shame about this manor." She pouted slightly and complained to the girl in the car, "I'm afraid I won't be able to go on safari anymore."
The girl in the car was dressed in plain linen clothes and seemed to be observing her filial piety. Only the crotch between her fingers occasionally exposed outside her sleeves revealed her true nature.
"Humph." She snorted coldly, with a trace of sternness on her face with sunken cheeks.
Gongsun Xuan's originally flamboyant and beautiful face was still lightly powdered and painted with slender and raised eyebrows, but in just half a month, he had lost weight and looked unattractive.
That day, she was anxiously waiting for news about Lone Bamboo, but she heard her father deliver a gorgeously decorated box.
She originally thought that her father had obtained some luxurious jewelry, and when she opened it with anticipation, she found that it was the head of a close relative and a guest at the wedding.
Half of it is intact, with eyes slightly closed, just like when they close their eyes to rest after having fun.
The other half was a mixture of deep and light reds and whites, like flesh and bones minced and kneaded into meatballs, with a round eye scrawled on it.
Gongsun Xuan didn't remember what happened after that. She only knew that from then on, that person would appear in her dreams every night.
Sometimes he would question and curse her, and sometimes he would press on her and force her to have sex with her.
Even if she later found out that it was just a painted wooden sculpture, the head lying on the gorgeous silk had already become a nightmare in her heart.
Even if Qingtian Bairi thought about it now, it still frightened her.
All thanks to her good niece.
Gongsun Yan!
Gongsun Xuan gritted his teeth, wishing he could grind these three words into small pieces and swallow them.
With her domineering temperament, she wouldn't let it go.
But the box was delivered by her father in person. She knew that her actions had aroused his dissatisfaction, so she got this warning.
She also knew that her domineering power came entirely from her father's connivance. If she fell into disgrace again and was abandoned by her father, she would not be happy with her father's abandonment. The huge Gongsun family would be short of a daughter for her, so she would have to wait and see.
It's just a lucky remnant.
Gongsun Xuan was full of evil words, but he couldn't say them out in front of the person in front of him. This girl was not only her close friend, but also her future sister-in-law Ye Yun.
"Don't mention that disappointing thing." Gongsun Xuan pulled off the curtain, and the broken jade pieces hanging under the curtain collided with each other and made a clattering sound.
"Okay, okay." Ye Yun nodded with a smile and coaxed indulgently.
The Ye family in eastern Liaoning and the Gongsun family in western Liaoning have been friends for generations. Due to the official place of origin avoidance policy of the three mutual laws, her father once served as an official in western Liaoning.
Although Gongsun Xuan was born as a concubine, he was extremely favored by the head of the Gongsun family. A girl who was favored was not so important as a concubine.
She had known Gongsun Xuan since she was a child, and they were close friends. The two often invited each other to go hunting and play.
Later, Gongsun Xuan got engaged to her second brother, and their relationship became even closer.
In previous years, Gongsun Xuan would come to this Zhuangzi to play, and occasionally he would invite her and other friends. This Zhuangzi has become a paradise for them to play and play.
Now that the owner of Zhuangzi has changed, they are afraid that they will never be able to find such a secret place again.
Ye Yun felt regretful in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face.
Last month, Ah Xuan wrote in a letter saying that he would be the new owner of this manor. Now that his big words have come to nothing, he must feel very sad.
"Okay, if you don't mention it, don't mention it." Ye Yun put her arms around Gongsun Xuan's shoulders and shook her gently, "I came here with my third brother to express my condolences, and I also looked for an opportunity to see you."
For this reason, they deliberately set off from Liaodong early and took some detours to Lingzhi first.
"It's been several months since I last saw you. Seeing you like this this time makes me feel really sad."
Although Ye Yun's words were a bit exaggerated, they were generally true. When she saw Gongsun Xuan again, she was shocked by how thin he looked.
"It's all thanks to my good niece." Gongsun Xuan said bitterly. Ye Yun asked carefully, but she kept her mouth shut and refused to reveal another word.
She knew in her heart that Gongsun Xuan must have suffered because of her niece Gongsun Yan.
Ye Yun was already hostile to the unmasked Gongsun Yan in her heart, and she decided to take a closer look at what kind of unfilial and disloyal person this Gongsun Zan's daughter was.
It's unspeakable that my aunt, Xuan, could suffer such a big loss.
The girls in the car were chatting quietly, while a rider outside the car was looking at the manor carefully.
This young man wore pleated trousers because he was riding a horse and had a long sword on his waist, but at a glance it was clear that he was not a warrior.
A young man with a short beard on the chin and a long crown, has a very handsome face, is only over 20 years old, and has a clear temperament.
He is Ye Yao, the brother-in-law of the girl in the car, Ye Yun. He is a councilor in the Liaodong Prefecture and is considered young and promising.
This time I came south to meet the magistrate of Lulong County who took office two days ago.
Aduna had been entrenched in the Qian'an and Lulong areas for a long time. In this battle, he was destroyed at the hands of the captain named Zhao. It is unclear whether the situation on the border between western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning was good or bad.
Furthermore, like the Gongsun family in western Liaoning, the Ye family in eastern Liaodong also had some business dealings with Aduna, trading salt, wine, leather and materials. The demise of Aduna undoubtedly ended the Ye family's business.
He had to meet with the newly appointed Lulong County Magistrate, the Commander-in-Chief of Zhansai, to ask if the customs clearance trade route outside Lulong Sai could be preserved.
In addition, if his aunt had not died of illness last year, the Ye family would have been married to the Gongsun family. This time, he also came to express condolences to Gongsun Zan on behalf of the Ye family.
He is thoughtful, good at observation, has traveled across several states, and is quite knowledgeable. Some of the strange signs in Guzhu Manor immediately caught his attention.
Ye Yao was not too surprised by the capable soldiers guarding the wall. He heard that Tian Kai, the veteran general under Gongsun Zan, was living in the village at this time.
Tian Kai spent half of his life in the army and was once the governor of Qingzhou. It is natural that he would train villagers.
What really made Ye Yao suspicious was the farmers working in the fields.
The appearance of the farmers here is no different from those outside, but there is nothing different about them.
Ye Yao thought about it for a long time, and when he passed a farmer again, he was suddenly stunned.
He hurriedly pulled the reins, turned over and dismounted, stood on the edge of the field and called out: "This old man, I have something to ask, could you come over and talk to me?"
When Ye Yao stopped, his personal bodyguards, not knowing what was going on, also stopped the entire convoy.
The farmer who was bent over weeding straightened up and saw Ye Yao standing at the edge of the field, dressed in extraordinary clothes and followed by his attendants. He did not dare to be lazy and hurriedly came to the edge of the field barefoot.
"This old man, I see that although you are working hard, your face is full of joy. I wonder why?"
Ye Yao's call "old father-in-law" made the farmer stunned. Although he looked old, he was actually only 30 years old, so he didn't even dare to call him "old father-in-law".
Ye Yao didn't mean to care about this. He said a few polite words and asked again, "I wonder what happened to make you so happy."
This was the difference that Ye Yao noticed. He traveled to several states, and everything he saw and heard was filled with tears. It was rare to see such a look of joy on the faces of lower-class farmers.
The farmer was stunned for a moment. Why was his face so happy?
He grinned. He had lost several of his front teeth due to severe malnutrition, and now he smiled like an old man. "Because our Lady Yan has reduced the rent in the village this year."
When he mentioned this, he laughed happily. Madam Yan not only distributed new crop grain seeds for free, but more importantly, reduced the rent by 20%. If the new crop yield was not good, it would be reduced by another 20%.
In this way, as long as there is no major disaster this year, it will be a prosperous year.
"Ms. Yan also said that in a few days we can rent new farm tools and horses for free."
I heard that construction work has started in Xinfuku, and the conditions for recruiting workers are extremely favorable, with two square meals provided.
Thinking of this, the farmer smacked his lips and thought to himself that he would go back and ask the steward who managed this area if there was any land for construction nearby.
Rent reduction, new farm tools, livestock for farming, Ye Yao muttered a few words silently, and was suddenly a little surprised, what a kind manor owner.
This Lady Yan thought she was the youngest daughter of Gongsun Zan, but she didn't expect that she would have such a benevolent heart despite such a disaster.
He couldn't help but have a good impression of this Lady Yan, and when he was about to ask again, he heard the sound of horse hooves on the ground behind him.
Several knights wearing the same robes lined up in a line, riding horses and trotting along the field ridges.
Only then did Ye Yao notice that his carriage and horses were parked on the side of the road, blocking the road.
Ye Yao hurriedly asked the convoy to get out of the way, when he saw the leader, a tall warrior, riding directly towards him.
The opponent was tall, with a short beard, a serious complexion, and a dignified appearance. The black horse under his crotch was very handsome. Ye Yao didn't want to conflict with the opponent, so he held his hand in front of him. When he was about to explain, he heard the farmer next to him shout: "Zhao