Wujiabao was built two or three hundred years ago, and it stood here during the previous dynasty. Because there were many pirates nearby, the city walls here were reinforced again and again, and little by little, many close relatives from nearby villages and towns were absorbed in. Their archway was also built particularly majestically. From a distance, seeing the archway collapse, the strong militiamen on the city wall hurried down to investigate the situation.
Su Yao was not afraid that someone would come down to investigate, but he was afraid that these people would not come down.
Now that someone in charge had come down, she raised her eyebrows and revealed her identity, looking at them with a half-smile and asking, "Could it be that Wujiabao is no longer the imperial court's Wujiabao, so our imperial court people can't enter here?"
How can I hold up with this big hat on
The second master of the Wu family, who happened to be guarding here, hurriedly explained with a smile: "How could this happen? Your Majesty is of noble status, and the people below don't know your status, so they rashly started shouting and killing. I will have them dealt with when I get back!"
There is nothing to be afraid of if he is willing to save face. Su Yao stared at him seriously and said, "It's good that you said so. I am afraid that some people have been local emperors for too long and really think that they are the emperor and have the final say. Lead the way!"
The second master of the Wu family felt bitter in his mouth.
Su Yao revealed her identity as soon as she arrived, and she was accompanied by so many guards. If we stop her by force, it means that she has confirmed that she is planning a rebellion. Does this mean that Wujiabao will really have no place to stand in the future
Let her in...
The second master of the Wu family weighed the pros and cons, winked at the people below, hurriedly sent someone to report the news, and then diligently led Su Yao into the city.
Wujiabao was built solidly, so whenever pirates came here, they could not get into the fort most of the time. Once entering the city, they could see small stalls everywhere on the street. It was early in the morning, and many old men were selling vegetables, while some younger peddlers were walking around the streets carrying cheap jewelry. The city was very lively.
Mrs. Qin saw that Su Yao was looking at it seriously, so she explained to her softly, "There are a lot of people in Wujiabao. Most of the people here are surnamed Wu, and some are surnamed Bai. They are all local people. Some of them were introduced by someone, or they knew each other. They gathered together little by little and built Wujiabao. The ones who call the shots here are not the government, but some elders of Wujiabao. Here, the ancestral hall is more important than the court. No one dares to act wildly in the ancestral hall."
Su Yao narrowed his eyes.
The second master of the Wu family took Su Yao directly to the house of the head of the Wu family, which was also the ancestral home of the Wu family.
The Wu family's ancestral home is located in the center of the city. The house is so big that even Su Yao feels it is a bit exaggerated. Moreover, unlike ordinary square houses, the Wu family's ancestral home is round and built like a fortress. Once you enter it, you will find that it is also connected in all directions. It does not look like a house, but more like a small city.
The Wu family had already received the news and came out with people to greet Su Yao. When they saw Su Yao's carriage coming, they all rushed forward to salute and greet him.
Su Yao was helped down from the carriage by Jinping, and saw an old man with white hair and beard being escorted forward by a crowd. He nodded and said, "Are you the head of the Wu family?"
Old Master Wu was a serious person, and his expression was still calm at this moment. He walked forward with an arrogant look and bowed to Su Yao calmly: "Greetings, Crown Princess."
Su Yao didn't waste time talking to him. He walked past him and went up the stairs. He turned around and looked at the people from the Wu family. He asked in a deep voice, "I heard that you have captured many girls here?"
As expected, they came here for this. Everyone in the Wu family had different expressions on their faces.
Old Master Wu stroked his beard and asked directly, "I wonder what the Crown Princess means by asking this? We have always taken care of our own affairs here!"
Not to mention this kind of thing, even if there are things like theft or adultery in the clan, the clan can usually solve it and will not report it to the government, let alone let the government intervene. This is the old rule here.
Because of these rules, Wujiabao is actually not very welcoming to government officials.
This time it was because Su Yao's identity was too noble and they had no choice. Otherwise, if it was Lord Qin or anyone else who came, Wujiabao would not be afraid. After all, there were people in the Wu family who served as officials in the court.
These words were very impolite. Mrs. Qin was afraid of angering Su Yao, so she quickly raised her voice and said, "What do you mean, old man? What on earth did those girls do wrong? How could you resort to lynching? Besides, it wasn't just one or two people, it was more than two hundred people. You are really committing a sin!"
This is what Mrs. Qin is thinking now.
More than two hundred girls were burned to death without any reason. What Wujiabao did really angered the public.
When Mr. Wu heard this, his face immediately darkened. He refuted with a gloomy face and a perverse look: "There is no such thing as doing evil or not doing evil! This is the rule of our clan. Whose family has not experienced pirates? Over the years, women who have ruined their reputations, if they know how to bring honor to the family, will die first! Those who come back are all ruining the reputation of our ancestors, and we can't keep them!"
These words were too harsh to hear. Madam Qin was furious: "How can this be! If you say so, there will be no way for the women to survive! They were not abducted voluntarily. Now that they are back, if you don't take them in, we won't say anything. But you don't even leave them a chance to survive. That's crazy! If you have any conscience, you shouldn't treat human life like this!"
Under normal circumstances, Mrs. Qin, the wife of the county magistrate, would rarely speak so much.
But at this time, I really couldn't help it.
Her face turned red with anger, and Old Master Wu was also furious: "It has been the rule in our family for many years, and no one has ever said no! It is not the turn of outsiders to speak up and give instructions! Madam is the wife of the county magistrate, and your status is noble, but who are you to those girls? Their fathers and brothers have already agreed and have no objections, but you stand up instead, what is this?!"
There was no point in arguing like this. Su Yao coughed, and when Madam Qin stopped talking angrily, he looked at Old Man Wu and said, "Patriarch Wu, I heard that every year when there is strong wind and heavy rain in Wujiabao, it is easy to attract pirates?"
She changed the subject. Although Mr. Wu didn't know what she was trying to do, he was not as resistant as before. He hummed as if to admit it, and then said unwillingly: "It is precisely because of this that it is not easy for us. Every household has to send strong men to guard the city and the outside. Those pirates and those Japanese wanderers will kill anyone they see."