The wind blew a little hard, and Qiao Xiyin gently closed her eyes.
He still smelled of sandalwood and pine. The last time he smelled this smell, he almost had his neck broken.
This time he knew to slow down his strength and didn't strangle her so tightly.
This seems good.
She was hugged by him, as well-behaved as a cat, and even her voice was soft when she spoke.
"Chaochao."
With the warm and fragrant nephrite in his arms, He Yunchao was distracted for a moment. Being called so softly, he felt his throat tightening and he couldn't help but want to glance at those cherry lips.
I had only touched my face once before, and it was full of softness. I don’t know what kind of fragrance it would be if we kissed her.
He responded absently and almost stopped pulling on the reins.
Qiao Xiyin hurriedly shrank into his arms and then continued, "How do you want to deal with the famine in Ezhou?"
He Yunzhao went to the battle in person, fearing that the famine, the Four Treasures, and the Dragon's Breath Sword were all prepared to accomplish anything in Ezhou.
She knew him well. He had this temperament in every world.
He raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "Although there is a natural disaster this year, the farmland has harvested and there is surplus food in the warehouse. No matter how much food should be enough, the victims will not be so hungry."
There was a hint of coldness in his voice, "Have you noticed that there are two worlds outside the city? This has something to do with the powerful. I'm afraid it's man-made."
No matter how the regent changes officials, it will only be the central government that makes the changes, and the local governments will not care. These local officials are working for the tiger, and it is not just a day or two.
"Ezhou and the capital are nearly a thousand miles apart. Compared to the Jiangnan region, this is not too far away. They probably think that the central government cannot control it."
He spoke lightly, but the chill in his eyes never dissipated.
Qiao Xiyin probably guessed what he wanted to do.
"I have sent people to make arrangements to bring in food from Ganzhou and Xiangzhou for disaster relief first, and then deal with the destroyed houses and farmland." He pulled the reins and turned the horse's head, "Now let's go back to the city."
Qiao Xiyin nodded.
This scene was so shocking that she couldn't bear to watch it. This shouldn't be the case. She should have been used to this kind of death scene before. Maybe she had been at ease for too long and lost her memory, so she had changed unknowingly.
Fortunately, the floods have receded now, and the road is just muddy. People are on horses, so it is not that difficult to walk.
The two returned to the city before sunset.
In front of the city gate, bamboos were built into a large shed. Many victims lined up in front of the shed, holding bowls, cups, or holding hands, not knowing what they were receiving.
Seeing that Qiao Xiyin was interested, He Yunchao drove his horse closer.
It's the people from the government who are giving out rice and porridge.
Among the men, there was also a pretty girl, standing in front of the big pot, distributing the porridge to the people ladle by ladle, not forgetting to urge, "It's still hot, it's still hot, drink it slowly."
This is an acquaintance.
Qiao Xiyin had an impression of the girl she rescued at the temple fair. She remembered that she claimed to be the daughter of the Ezhou prefect and called her Xu Yu'er.
Qiao Xiyin opened He Yunchao's hand, signaled him to stop, and got off the horse.
Just when she came down to walk, her steps were still a little staggering. She took a few steps before she could stand still, which scared He Yunchao. "What's wrong?"
She pointed at the girl, "Xu Yu'er."
He is even more confused about "who"
Your Majesty has so many things to do, so of course he will not take to heart the trivial things that happened more than half a month ago.
Qiao Xiyin explained, "The one I met at the temple fair."
He said "Oh", his voice was very soft, and he didn't know if he really remembered it.
Qiao Xiyin walked forward, but before she could speak, Xu Yuer spotted her first. She seemed to recognize her, but she was afraid of admitting the wrong person, so she hesitated and didn't dare to speak. Qiao Xiyin smiled first and said, "Long time no see, Miss Xu."
"Well, girl." Xu Yu'er suddenly remembered that she didn't even know her name, and almost blurted out "Benefactor". Fortunately, she was saved in time.
Qiao Xiyin nodded, "My surname is Qiao."
Xu Yu'er gave a few instructions, put down her work and ran over, calling "Miss Qiao."
She raised a smile, and her joy could not be faked, "That young master is here too."
But at a glance, he saw He Yunchao holding the horse next to him.
Qiao Xiyin hurriedly added, "His surname is He."
He Yunchao nodded lightly.
Xu Yu'er's mind was naturally not on He Yunchao. She walked up to Qiao Xiyin and said happily, "You really came to Ezhou City."
"Yes," Qiao Xiyin said with a smile, "I was going to Jiangnan for business and happened to pass by Ezhou. I thought I would come and have a look. I didn't expect that I would meet you here before I could look for you. Miss Xu is very kind-hearted."
Xu Yu'er's face turned red with embarrassment at being praised so gently, "Ezhou has been experiencing frequent famines recently. As a young lady, I also want to do my best to do something for everyone like my father."
There was a thin layer of sweat on her face. She wiped it with a handkerchief and pursed her lips. She looked very disappointed, "Ezhou City is a good place with beautiful mountains and clear waters. Miss Qiao, you should go and see it. It's a pity that there is a famine now. Many places It’s all ruined.”
Qiao Xiyin sighed regretfully, "It won't be too late for me to come back when the disaster eases."
Speaking of this, Xu Yuer's expression relaxed a little, "Yes, an edict came from the capital and a lot of grain from Ganzhou was transferred here. The victims outside the city finally have food to eat."
You don't have to think twice to know who made it.
He Yunchao, who was concentrating on riding the horse, turned his back on his back, but his back was straight, and the meaning of asking for praise was self-evident.
Qiao Xiyin said, "Fortunately, the central government still cares about the people."
"Yes." Xu Yu'er agreed.
Seeing Qiao Xiyin still standing, she held her hand and said, "Miss Qiao, are you going to stay in Ezhou tonight? Why don't you go back with me? It's so inconvenient to talk here."
Qiao Xiyin pointed to the place where the porridge was being given, "Don't you still have something to do? Why don't we help you share the porridge first?"
"good"
Miss Qiao is indeed a kind person.
Xu Yuer thought to herself.
At this moment, He Yunchao remained silent. After the horse was taken away by Xu Yuer's people, he walked to Qiao Xiyin and helped her.
When the sun went down and night fell, all the victims dispersed, and the officers and soldiers were busy cleaning up the mess.
"You haven't had dinner yet," Xu Yu'er said, "Let's go, let's go back together."
Qiao Xiyin did not refuse, and He Yunchao became even less able to speak.
He glared at Xu Yu'er angrily, but did not dare to show his emotions outside, maintaining a cold image.
If it weren't for Xu Yu'er, would Qiao Xiyin have ignored him for so long
So annoying
In the mansion, I heard that he was Xu Yu'er's friend, and the prefect and his wife came in person.
The dishes on the table were very simple. Prefect Xu called his servants to serve wine and said apologetically, "During this period of time there is a famine in Ezhou, and all the excess food in the mansion has been used to help the people. Please forgive me."
At this time, it was He Yunzhao who said, "Mr. Xu cares about the people and is considerate of their feelings. This is a blessing to the people. We passers-by can just eat whatever we want."
After checking the disaster situation in Ezhou before, he had a bad impression of Prefect Xu. The people were displaced, but Ezhou was not a place short of food. Where did the parents of the officials go and didn't they care about the matter
Now when I come to Ezhou, I can see what Xu Yu'er has done and today's dinner. It can be seen that Prefect Xu is an honest and good official.
They came as ordinary people and did not use their status to pressure others. Because of this, everything was more real.
After being praised, Prefect Xu just pursed his lips slightly and shook his head, "As a prefect, this is my duty, and there is nothing to boast about."
He Yunchao asked, "Your Excellency, you personally opened a warehouse to help the people, but those officials and wealthy businessmen in the city were responsible for the government's grain distribution. That happened a few days ago, but the famine has lasted for more than a month. I saw that there are really two completely different things inside and outside Ezhou City." A world."
Governor Xu didn't speak.
His expression was complicated, and he stared at He Yunchao for a long time before slowly saying, "Being an official is difficult."
This sentence contains too many things, but one thing is very clear: these are not things that can be said at the dinner table.
Dinner went well. Qiao Xiyin didn't say much, and He Yunchao made up the identity of the two people without changing his expression. Their origin and direction were clearly stated, making it difficult for anyone to see the clues.
Presumably he had expected something like this to happen.
Prefect Xu arranged a guest room for the two of them, but He Yunchao had not yet declined. He still needed to figure out some things, and the Prefect's Mansion was undoubtedly the best choice, so he sent a message to the guards not to come.
At night, Xu Yu'er was still unsatisfied and came to find Qiao Xiyin again. "Miss Qiao, Miss Qiao"
He actually wanted to invite her to admire the moon.
Qiao Xiyin was already a little tired, but seeing that she was in a good mood and couldn't bear to ruin her good mood, she nodded and agreed.
Anyway, just enjoying the cool air in the courtyard is nothing.
There is a chessboard carved on the stone table in the courtyard, and there are cups with chess pieces on both sides. Like a magic trick, Xu Yu'er took out a silver pot and shook it in front of her, "Miss Qiao, let's have a drink."
There was wine on the dinner table, but Qiao Xiyin didn't move at that time.
This body is so sensitive, something might happen if it gets drunk.
Xu Yu'er opened the lid of the pot, and immediately, the fragrance of peach blossoms came in, "This is wine made from flowers and fruits. It's not easy to get drunk. Miss Qiao, please try it."
The wine was as crystal clear as amber and looked very beautiful. Qiao Xiyin couldn't help but drink a small glass.
Xu Yuer placed the chess pieces again and played chess with Qiao Xiyin.
The two girls just played like this and lost one game and one drink.
Qiao Xiyin had never played Go before, so she was confused about the board at first and drank several glasses of wine in a daze. But when she figured out Xu Yuer's chess routine, Xu Yuer had no chance of winning.
"You, you are too bullying," Xu Yu'er said vaguely.
He also said that it was not easy to get drunk from this wine, but he got drunk first.
Qiao Xiyin was also slightly tipsy, so she helped her all the way back, fumbled open a door to the side room, and walked towards the bed.
He Yunchao was sitting by the bed reading the information written by the shadow guard.
Halfway through the letter, the door creaked and someone pushed it open.