Chapter 285: Chapter 277: So Once They Start Fighting, It’s All Out War

As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers’ expressions changed!

Someone couldn’t help but speak up: "Sir, what do you mean by this? Are you saying that the things we’ve painstakingly grown are to be donated under your name for others to eat? What about our village?"

"Exactly, sir, you haven’t even honored your promise to have your subordinates help us! Last time, you personally said that whatever official rank must be given to Miss Ruan, but Miss Ruan..."

"Audacious ruffians! How dare you speak such nonsense!! Without my generous tolerance, how would you even have had the chance to grow any grain?"

"I am thinking of all the Wuheng people, it’s not like I’m making you feed just me. You are so petty and calculating, yet..." Before he could finish, Shaoxi, unable to bear his face any longer, kicked a stone at his mouth!

"Ouch!" Immediately, pain twisted his face, and he yelled out: "You... you all are reckless! Don’t think you can threaten my life like last time! There are so many people here today, if any of you dare disrespect me or want my life, you’ll pay dearly for it!!"

Quite a few government officers came with him, and naturally, they were on his side, each wanting to get grain without labor.

So if they started an argument now, it would be a fierce one.

Ruan Mian looked at the seventh-rank official calmly, intending to take action when suddenly noticing the unusual behavior of birds and beasts.

Yun Xiu quickly came to her side and whispered, "Sister Mianmian, the Commandery Princess has arrived."

Upon hearing that Princess Jiaceng was here, Ruan Mian speculated about something, glanced at Shaoxi, her face changed suddenly, and she fainted.

Shaoxi and Cui Zhu exchanged a look and ran over, shouting in perfect unison.

"Miss! Miss, don’t scare us!! Miss, please wake up!!"

Saying this, Cui Zhu pointed at the seventh-rank official accusingly: "Sir, how could you upset our Miss to this extent? Our Miss has been toiling day and night to grow food, exhausted beyond her limits. If anything happens to her, then... then what would we do, boohoo..."

"Miss! Quick, quick, go get our master to come save the Miss!"

Shaoxi shouted angrily, and the villagers, seeing this and believing it, immediately panicked and rushed to Ruan Mian’s house to get her father to come and treat her.

However, Princess Jiaceng, who arrived at the scene, just happened to witness this. Seeing Ruan Mian faint, she angrily got off the carriage immediately.

She reprimanded the seventh-rank official: "How dare you! You think waving your chicken-feather military orders makes you the largest in Wuheng?!"

The seventh-rank official, hearing her voice, shivered, immediately putting on a fawning smile and heading towards the Commandery Princess: "Commandery Princess? Why are you here?"

Princess Jiaceng kicked him away, full of disdain: "Wasn’t I here? If I wasn’t here, wouldn’t you have driven Miss Ruan to death?!"

He Shun hesitated, laughing awkwardly, not knowing since when this Commandery Princess had such a good relationship with Ruan Mian?

Just as he was about to speak, the Commandery Princess looked worriedly at her maid, urging her to prompt Mr. Ruan.

Ruan Mian was of great use to her and must not have any problems at this time.

So when Ruan Mian slowly opened her eyes, the Commandery Princess stood unconditionally on her side.

Seeing that He Shun wanted to speak, the Commandery Princess’s gaze darkened, pointing at him: "Since it’s Miss Ruan’s grain, how it is to be handled is for her to decide!"

"If you say another word, I’ll have the Prince from the fiefdom settle this."

Even though Chen Bozong was gone, she had the title of Commandery Princess, granted by the late Emperor himself; how could He Shun, a seventh-rank official, dare to act rashly?

He humbly bowed and repeatedly agreed: "Yes, yes, what the Commandery Princess said is right, then... let Miss Ruan handle her own grain. We’ll just..."

Before finishing, he was about to leave but was stopped by Ruan Mian.

"Lord He seems to have forgotten to fulfill... what he promised me."

The Commandery Princess, hearing this, first satisfied Ruan Mian before speaking.

So she dragged He Shun in front of her and questioned: "What else did you promise Miss Ruan?"

The villagers hurriedly added: "Last time this Lord He wanted to destroy our greenhouse and wouldn’t let us grow grain. Miss Ruan pleaded with him, saying if we couldn’t grow anything, it would be left to his disposal. It was then he agreed."

"At the time, Lord He looked down on us and said if we could grow it, Miss Ruan could wear his official hat, and his subordinates could be dispatched by Miss Ruan as laborers to help grow grain." The villagers’ words almost angered He Shun to death.

However, upon hearing this, the Commandery Princess chuckled: "Is that so? Lord He, they say a gentleman’s word is as good as gold. You are an official who can speak such words; how can you not fulfill them?"

He Shun hurriedly joked with a smile: "In a moment of anger, how could it be taken seriously?"

But the Commandery Princess suddenly changed her expression: "Now you say it was a moment of anger! Would you have let them go if Miss Ruan hadn’t grown anything?!"

"No one’s interested in your hat, but the promise made to Miss Ruan can’t be annulled with just a few angry words."

He Shun naturally understood the Commandery Princess’s meaning, and at this time, he felt as if he had swallowed bitter herbs, feeling awful all over.

But with the position of the Commandery Princess, there was no room for him to rebut!

He had no choice but to ingratiatingly comply with the Commandery Princess: "The Commandery Princess is right! Even for the sake of our Wuheng people, I temporarily hand my commanding token over to Miss Ruan for a few days and have my subordinates help with the grain-growing effort!"

The Commandery Princess took the token, weighed it a few times, and handed it to Ruan Mian, not forgetting to speak to He Shun.

"As the parental official of Wuheng, I think Lord He would certainly also join the other officers to share the same fate. Why not help grow grain when you’re free these days? Only then can you demonstrate your determination as an official."

Upon hearing this, He Shun’s entire face changed!

He, grow grain?!!

The Commandery Princess sneered: "Is there anything wrong with that?"

Upon hearing this, He Shun shook his head like a rattle: "No, no, not at all, not at all."

Filled with anger, He Shun left with his men, crestfallen, while Ruan Mian now had the token, suddenly gaining plenty of labor.

The whole village was overjoyed.

However, she also knew, Commandery Princess Jiaceng coming here today was as they say, coming to the temple for no idle reason.

Just by guessing, it was apparent she was here for the relief silver.

She would never have thought that the silver had long been pillaged by Ruan Mian and returned to the people.

Sure enough, after He Shun and his group had left, Commandery Princess Jiaceng and Ruan Mian returned to the house together.

In the warm house, she stated her purpose.

It was indeed about the relief silver.

However, what she told Ruan Mian was merely Chen Bozong’s private stash.

"Miss Ruan, these assets are mine and Chen Bozong’s jointly, no, should be more accurately called my dowry. He brought it over from the fief to settle down here."

"Now that he’s done these things, naturally, I want it back! You are resourceful and must have a way to figure out where these assets went, right?"

She looked at Ruan Mian with hope, having just done her a favor, and Ruan Mian couldn’t brush her off with a few words.

But at this moment, Ruan Mian already had a plan in mind.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com