Princess Yongning ordered her maid to wipe away the tears on the child's face. Then, she said in a soft voice, "Don't be so anxious. Just tell me everything you've seen and the whole story. If there's really injustice in your father's case, as a princess, I will surely uphold justice for you."
Li Ying comforted the child gently for a while. Only then did she find out that the child's name was Ye'er. She was the daughter of a fisherman in Jiangcheng. Her father had received an urgent order to collect a sufficient amount of "goose - neck barnacles" within one night. Otherwise, he would be in big trouble.
Ye'er's father was a well - known foreman among the fishermen in Jiangcheng. He pleaded with the prefect of Jiangcheng repeatedly, saying that the goose - neck barnacles were hard to find and it was impossible to collect the required amount within just one night. He asked the prefect to give him more time.
However, since the prefect of Jiangcheng was determined to curry favor with the emperor and get a reward, how could he take Ye'er's father's words to heart?
Ye'er's father had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
He led the familiar fishermen in the village to the mud - stone beach at night and worked under the lanterns. But as dawn was breaking, they had only managed to collect a little more than half a bucket, which was far from the amount the prefect required.
To fulfill the task, Ye'er's father had no other option. He gritted his teeth and bravely entered the reef cave alone.
But once he went in, he never came out even when the tide rose.
The fishermen waiting outside the cave were helpless. They pleaded with the petty official in Jiangcheng to find a way to save Ye'er's father.
However, the prefect of Jiangcheng just sneered contemptuously.
"It's just a worthless life. If word spreads and disturbs the emperor's pleasure during his southern tour, which of these commoners can bear the blame?"
"Moreover, these goose - neck barnacles are for the emperor. Dying to relieve the emperor's worries is a blessing that many people can't even dream of. Just give some reward money and don't make a fuss about this!"
He had been the prefect for a long time and had great power in Jiangcheng.
With his order, the common people didn't dare to say anything more. They were angry but dared not speak out.
Ye'er was just an innocent little girl. She didn't understand what it meant to offend the emperor. She only knew that when she was picking up shells and gravels nearby, she saw the sea water pour into the cave where her father was. If her father wasn't rescued in time, he would die!
Ye'er had lost her father!
The little girl cried and became a tearful mess.
Li Ying was also a mother. She couldn't bear to see such a heart - rending scene. For a moment, she felt quite sympathetic.
Princess Yongning, after listening to Ye'er's sobbing story, looked at Li Ying with her bright eyes and said in a deep voice, "I can't tolerate any injustice. The prefect of Jiangcheng is so bold. I will surely report this to my father. I hope Miss Li can be a witness."
She didn't have many capable people around her. Naturally, she had to rely on others to salvage Ye'er's father.
No one was more suitable for this task than Lu Xunguang.
Li Ying whispered softly, gently stroking Ye'er's yellow and dry hair like withered grass, and said, "Ye'er, don't cry. Sister will go to find your father for you. We'll take him home."
The little girl had been scared out of her wits by the fierce guards around the prefect of Jiangcheng. Now, being comforted so gently by Li Ying, the tears that she had just managed to hold back started to flow again involuntarily.
Lu Xunguang got the news. Soon, he rushed over with a group of Lu family servants in a hurry and surrounded the reef cave tightly.
The prefect of Jiangcheng came after hearing the news. Seeing Lu Xunguang looking angry, he forced a smile and said, "My lord Lu, I've always kept a distance from you. Why do you make things difficult for me?"
Lu Xunguang looked at the several fishermen standing nervously beside them. They looked haggard and emaciated, even more so than the villagers in the fishing village like Granny Sun. Without much thought, he could guess that this prefect of Jiangcheng must be another corrupt official who exploited the common people for his own gain.
He didn't want to talk to such a scoundrel. He waved his hand and ordered the salvage.
The prefect of Jiangcheng secretly thought something was wrong.
"My lord Lu, you are leading private soldiers to interfere in the affairs of Jiangcheng without the emperor's order. I'm afraid it's not appropriate?"
Before Lu Xunguang could answer, Su Buchi coldly stopped him.
"I'm the deputy minister of the Supreme Court personally appointed by the emperor. With me here, my lord Lu can just search for the person!"
The commotion on the stone beach was so great that the emperor naturally got the news. There was a hint of anger on his face.
When the imperial carriage arrived, Lu Xunguang had already ordered people to widen the entrance of the cave and carried out Ye'er's father's body.
The originally dark - skinned fisherman's body had turned white after being soaked in the sea water, but his hand still tightly held a bunch of goose - neck barnacles that he had dug from the reef.
Ye'er let out a loud wail. She broke free from Li Ying's hand and threw herself on her father's body, crying loudly.
Empress Pei was soft - hearted. She couldn't bear to see such a scene of separation between the living and the dead. She turned away with a sad look.
Su Buchi had already reported to the emperor in detail how the prefect of Jiangcheng had treated human lives carelessly.
The emperor's face turned ashen with anger.
"Good! The people of Jiangcheng should have lived a peaceful life, but they have been exploited by a dog - like official like you, and the people are living in misery!"
The prefect of Jiangcheng looked as pale as death. He had hoped to please the emperor and get a promotion this time.
But looking at the current situation, it seemed that it would be difficult for him to even keep his life.
Ye'er's mother also got the news. Without even bothering to dress up, she rushed bare - footed, holding her newborn baby, to her husband's body. She cried so hard that she almost fainted.
The baby's heart - rending cries also made everyone present show expressions of pity.
The emperor was extremely angry. He ordered a grand burial for Ye'er's father and gave a generous amount of silver as a settlement for Ye'er's mother and the orphaned children.
The prefect of Jiangcheng had tried to gain an advantage but ended up suffering a loss. The people who had been deeply affected by him talked one after another, stating all his evil deeds of imposing heavy taxes over the years to the emperor.
The emperor was extremely angry. He strictly ordered that the prefect of Jiangcheng be imprisoned and beheaded in the busy market after autumn as a warning to others.
Such just and decisive actions naturally made the common people feel a great sense of relief. They all praised the emperor for his kindness and understanding of the people's sufferings.
Only Ye'er and her mother and brother stared blankly at the shiny silver in the red wooden tray that the emperor had bestowed.
It was a fortune that they could never have dreamed of. With this silver, they could live a well - off life without worrying about food and clothing in the future.
But the pillar of their family had collapsed overnight, and their once - happy family had fallen apart.
Princess Yongning suddenly said, "Mrs. Ye'er, I heard that you came from a far - away place to marry into Jiangcheng and have no relatives here?"
Mrs. Ye'er just nodded woodenly.
Princess Yongning continued, "Jiangcheng must have become a place of sorrow for you. I heard that Miss Li once set up a school in her hometown, and Lord Su also taught there."
She turned to look at Li Ying and said softly, "Miss Li, I'm taking advantage of this opportunity. Would you be willing to take in Miss Ye'er into your fishing - village girls' school? It would also be a good place for the three of them to leave Jiangcheng and settle down."
There was a great Confucian scholar, Mr. Yan Lianzhi, in the fishing - village school. If Ye'er and her younger brother could get some guidance from him, it would be a great fortune.
Li Ying had the same intention.
Although Mrs. Ye'er didn't know where this "girls' school" was, she regarded Princess Yongning and Li Ying, who had helped her husband get justice, as her saviors. Since it was their idea, she naturally had no objection.
Lu Xunguang personally arranged people to escort Ye'er's family on their journey to the fishing village.
The emperor, however, looked at Li Ying thoughtfully.
"You little girl, you can even befriend someone as extraordinary as Mr. Yan?"
He had always regarded Li Ying as a low - ranking maid, only good at cooking. He thought she was not fit for high - class occasions. But today, for the first time in his life, he really looked at the woman in front of him.