"Stop! Who is so bold as to pick a fight openly on the street?"
A powerful shout came from behind the crowd. The villagers all turned their heads in the direction of the voice. All they saw was a middle - aged man in official robes sitting on a tall red - maned horse. His face exuded an air of natural authority.
The onlookers began to whisper to each other. Only then did Lian Ji finally remember her status as the mistress of the household and reluctantly withdrew her hand.
"Greetings, Prefect! Why... Why have you come so quickly?"
The county magistrate rushed over in a hurry. As soon as he recognized the man on the horse, he immediately knelt down respectfully, wishing he could use his back as a footstool for the prefect to dismount.
The prefect frowned slightly and ignored his obsequious gesture. He neatly dismounted and looked around. His eyes swept across Lian Ji's charming face and finally landed on Li Ying.
"Is it you who discovered the potatoes and sweet potatoes?"
Before Li Ying could open her mouth, the county magistrate beside her eagerly flattered and replied first, "Yes, yes! Lady Li is my like - minded right - hand assistant!"
Li Ying raised her eyebrows imperceptibly. This county magistrate was really a person eager for quick success and instant benefits, so eager to show himself off.
The prefect ignored his words and instead turned to look at Li Ying.
"The letter sent with the potatoes said that this crop has a very high yield. Is this true?"
Li Ying had already reached an agreement with the other farmers in the neighboring town. Hearing the prefect's words, she smiled confidently, bowed slightly and said, "My lord, please follow me."
Watching the group of people ride away in a cloud of dust, Lian Ji was left there like a buffoon.
When had she ever suffered such humiliation? She glared at their backs with gritted teeth. After a long while, she stamped her foot angrily and said, "Prepare the carriage. Take me to the north of the town!"
"Old Zheng, what on earth is going on? Why was the prefect riding the red - maned horse? And why was the red - maned horse in Li Ying's hands? You must give me an explanation today!"
She remembered clearly that it was the blood - sweating horse that the old master had painstakingly tamed years ago. He had given it to the young master as a birthday gift when the latter came of age.
The horse was quite spirited and loyal to its master. On the night of the rain - filled assassination, it carried its unconscious master and jumped off the cliff.
According to the bandits' report, there was a rapid current under the cliff. They only found the blood - stained saddle and bridle. Presumably, both the man and the horse had died in the dangerous rapids.
At that time, Lian Ji had secretly sighed over this fine horse for some time. Who would have thought that she would see it again today!
"Old Zheng, don't tell me you know nothing about the red - maned horse! Under the whole sky, only you can tame such a spirited horse!"
"How dare you betray me and become Li Ying's helper?"
She had long suspected that Old Zheng Ji was acting in a duplicitous way towards her. She had deliberately sent a few good riders with them. But how could ordinary horses be a match for this blood - sweating treasure horse that could travel a thousand miles a day?
No wonder that little wench surnamed Li had gotten there first!
Zheng Ji squinted his eyes, rubbed the tobacco pipe and carefully put it into his bosom. Then he slowly raised his eyes and sneered contemptuously at the furious Lian Ji.
"Yes, I did release the red - maned horse."
"Lian Ji, the master is old. He has been with you for several years and has entrusted you with the management of all his property. You hold all his weaknesses in your hands. If he leaves you, he will be left without support in his old age. Why do you have to worry that he will fall in love with a young beauty again?"
"Instead of wasting your time on such things, you'd better think about how to deal with it if the young master returns from the underworld and publicly accuses you of being the murderer."
Lian Ji subconsciously retorted, "It's impossible. With such a rapid current and all the young master's injuries, there's no way he could have survived!"
But halfway through her words, she seemed to be stabbed by something sharp. Her blood - red lips began to tremble uncontrollably.
If the red - maned horse had "come back to life", then the young master...
Seeing her face turn pale, Old Zheng said calmly, "Yes, I deliberately released the horse today because I suspected that the young master was still alive. I wanted to test it out."
Alarm bells immediately rang in Lian Ji's mind.
No!
Although the old master and the young master had never been very close, they were still father and son after all. She had finally secured her position as the mistress of the household. She could not allow any accidents to happen!
"Thank you for your reminder. I will investigate this matter carefully!"
Lian Ji left behind the potato business and the Qin family. She didn't want to waste any more time. After walking a few steps, she turned around and warned, "Do your own job well. You're no longer the head rider of the horse gang. If I find out that you have any ulterior motives..."
Zheng Ji ignored her threat at all. He rubbed the tobacco rod in his bosom, his expression solemn.
At this moment, the prefect had also visited the potato fields in the mountains and tasted a few potato dishes cooked by Li Ying herself. The faint suspicion and aloofness on his face had disappeared, replaced by an expression of ecstasy.
"Boss Li, these potatoes are truly wonderful! I will immediately report this crop to the emperor to relieve the people's food shortage! You can ask for any reward you want. Just speak up!"
Li Ying smiled and just waved her hand.
"My lord, I have no other requests. I just dare to ask for a favor from you."
"These potatoes originally grew in the sandy land at the foot of the mountain. The tenant farmers of the Qin family nearby are more familiar with them. I was thinking that the experimental fields for planting potatoes might as well be handed over to them. But their tenant status should be abolished. They only need to pay the tax for the public fields and no longer be exploited by their masters."
The prefect had also heard about the Qin family's neglect of the public fields and evasion of grain taxes.
However, it would require the government to intervene to free their tenant farmers...
Seeing the prefect looking hesitant, Li Ying calmly added, "My lord, I have seen with my own eyes that these tenant farmers are thin and haggard. Their lives are obviously very difficult. If they can gain their freedom now, they will be extremely grateful and will not know how to repay the kindness."
"They will surely cultivate the land carefully and achieve a good potato harvest as soon as possible to repay the emperor's grace. My lord, if you show concern for the people's livelihood, you will win the hearts of the people and gain a great achievement to present to the emperor. It's a win - win strategy. Why not do it?"
The prefect put down the potato vine in his hand and asked calmly, "Taking this opportunity, you can also avenge the Qin family's harsh treatment of you. Boss Li has such a clever mind."
Without the tenant farmers and with their private fields taken back, the Qin family would have to be diligent in paying the grain tax for the small amount of public fields they had left. Having been used to extravagance, they would surely find it difficult to make ends meet after such a sudden disaster.
Having her thoughts seen through, Li Ying didn't try to hide it. She looked at the prefect openly.
"The Qin family's act of drowning the baby girl was truly shocking. You have suffered injustice. I will grant your request. Qin Jin is quite talented in poetry and literature. I just hope that after this incident, he can put away his wild thoughts and turn back from the wrong path."
Li Ying bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, my lord."
After the prefect had arranged everything, he went to the post - station to rest.
Li Ying also returned to the fishing village. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw a majestic red - maned horse standing beside Wuzhui. It was clearly the prefect's mount.
She was about to lead the horse to the post - station, but the horse stubbornly turned its head to the side and wouldn't let her grab the reins.
"Taiyun, don't be naughty!"
Lu Xunguang's voice rang out from behind in good time.