flstandardbreds Chapter 113 Hell Mode
Chapter 113 Hell Mode
Zhongli County.
The morning glow shines on the dilapidated ancient city, awakening this quiet little town.
County Magistrate Gu Bingxiu, wearing a faded official uniform, was flipping through case files in the hall with a focused expression.
Suddenly, a bailiff rushed in, breaking the silence.
"Sir!" the yamen runner Xiao Du shouted breathlessly.
"Aunt Amber from Princess Zhongli's side came to report that the Princess's motorcade will be arriving soon.
Let us go out of the city to pick them up? There is a high risk of banditry at the border between the two counties. It would be bad if the princess got hurt! "
Upon hearing this, Gu Bingxiu frowned and put down the case file in his hand.
He knew that Princess Zhongli would arrive soon, and he also knew that he would have to deal with this person in the future, but he did not want to curry favor with the powerful.
Back then, Gu Bingxiu refused Prime Minister Wang's proposal to marry him. Even though he had won the third place in the imperial examination, he would have been transferred to a wealthy place. However, he was later forced to become the governor of the smallest and poorest county in history.
He looks like a county governor, but in reality he is almost the same as a county magistrate.
This place is extremely small, not much bigger than a county town, and it is barren, not producing much food. There are also constant disasters, both large and small, making it a place even dogs would hate.
He didn't want to go to greet her, but when he heard that the princess might be in danger on this trip, he quickly summoned his men to go out of the city and bring the princess back.
By the afternoon, the princess and her entourage had passed Dingyuan County. After walking for another hour or so, they would reach Zhongli County.
At this time, a small group of soldiers came from Zhongli. There were about ten of them, with pale faces. The leader was a man in plain clothes.
Although he was dressed poorly, he exuded a noble air.
This kind of dignity is not cultivated by wealthy aristocrats, but is created by the unyielding pride and refusal to be tainted by the world.
After the two teams met up, Gu Bingxiu greeted Princess Zhongli in a serious manner, and without saying much, he rode an old horse in front to lead the way.
When Su Yue saw him for the first time, she almost called him Senior Brother Gu, but after looking carefully, she realized that they just looked similar.
But this resemblance alone was enough to make her heart vibrate.
Su Yuejian collected his thoughts and remained silent.
With the deterrence of officials, ordinary bandits would not dare to attack again.
Finally, amid everyone's anticipation, the princess's convoy slowly drove into Zhongli.
The three aunts, Amber, Pearl and Jade, along with a group of people, stood respectfully in front of the city gate of Zhongli County, waiting for the arrival of the princess. Their eager eyes filled with tears expressed their grievance as to why the princess came so late.
Su Yuejian was riding her Xiaobai. Although her face looked a little tired, her eyes were sparkling with excitement.
She looked at her three aunts, smiled and nodded.
She is here. She is the first princess in history to be granted a title of princess. She has jurisdiction!
This land will be under her control from now on!
There were two large, dusty characters "Zhongli" on the city gate.
The city wall looked to be only one person tall, and the top of the wall was narrow.
Battlements? Alas, there are no battlements!
This city wall has absolutely no defensive power at all!
No wonder it is said to be the poorest place in history, it is the poorest county.
This county was probably only as big as a county town. The road surface was bumpy and the carriage was extremely bumpy. Su Yuejian once again began to think about building a road.
The mountains in the distance are withered and yellow, as if there is no life at all.
The crops in the fields are sparse and look bleak.
The terrain is rugged, arable land is scarce, and dust flies wherever the carriage passes.
It gives people a feeling of desolation and sadness.
Going further, we saw thatched huts in groups of three or four. The grass on the roofs had been blown all over the place, as if it would collapse at any time. It was lunch time, but there was no smoke rising from the kitchen.
Aunt Amber whispered that people in the outer city here only eat one porridge meal a day.
There were ragged children hiding near the thatched houses, watching the arrival of strangers with caution.
The dust covered the ankles, and the people were numb, dull, hard-working but simple.
Su Yuejian sighed, no wonder such a piece of land was given to her!
After walking for an hour, we finally entered the inner city.
Why do I say that? Because you can see rows of earthen houses.
Aunt Amber explained that the people in the inner city were considered well-fed, at least they didn't have to suffer from the cold when sleeping and could have two meals a day.
It is obvious here that there are more people than land.
There are more people here than in the outer cities, but they all have sallow complexions, thin bodies, prominent cheekbones, tattered clothes with patches on them, and eyes full of helplessness and resignation towards life.
It is rare to see gentry, bureaucrats, and merchants dressed well.
Seeing a carriage approaching, he quickly made way and looked at this noble man with curiosity to see where he came from.
There were also pedestrians walking in the streets in twos and threes, none of them looked wealthy. In this place, even if one had some money, he couldn't spend it, and there were not many people doing business.
Are all the rich people hiding?
It is hard to imagine that such a group of people lived in the same era as those in the capital.
This new game is hell mode!
I don’t know how the three aunts from the palace managed to stay in this damn place.
In an instant, Su Yuejian understood the meaning of their eyes when they first met.
Su Yuejian felt as if she had been thrown forward a thousand years.
This Emperor Jing must have deliberately tricked her. No wonder he was so happy to give her such a shabby place!
For such a small piece of land, not only can we not collect taxes, but we also have to spend a lot of relief money.
After walking for a while, they arrived at the dilapidated government office of the county magistrate.
He rode his old horse towards the princess, "I won't see you off any longer. This inner city is very safe. After the princess and her party have a short rest, I will go to visit the princess."
The government office faces south and has worn stone steps. The two stone lions at the door are in disrepair. The door frame is covered with peeling red paint, revealing the mottled original wood.
At first glance, Su Yuejian found that the government office exuded an air of dilapidatedness everywhere.
It is like a forgotten guardian, quietly guarding this land, waiting for the day when a wise man can bring it back to life.
Su Yuejian felt that Gu Bingxiu disliked her, and she was curious about him and wanted to explore his ideas.