Seeing this, the bandit simply stopped pinching his throat. He also realized that no matter how hard he pinched his throat, the medicine would not come out. He looked at Xie Zhaoan and sneered.
"You royal family members really just believe whatever they say. Aren't you worried that I might kill that woman?"
"Since I dare to do this, do you think I will give you the chance to kill her?"
Xie Zhaoan glanced at him with cold eyes, and the bandit leader didn't dare to say anything.
If it was only his own life, it would be fine, but now the lives of so many people are in his hands, the bandit leader remained silent.
Xie Zhaoan went to see Shen Xining. She was not sleeping well. Because of the cold, her body temperature was high. Her hair was wet with sweat and stuck to her forehead. She was still vaguely shouting something.
"Jiang Wei... Jiang Wei... I'm fine..."
It’s Jiang Wei again.
Xie Zhaoan narrowed his eyes, with a hint of danger in his eyes. He carried the person to the carriage. Although his movements were rough, the bedding on the carriage was very thick. Shen Xining turned over comfortably on it, moaned twice, but did not react and continued to sleep.
When Shen Xining woke up, the carriage had already arrived in southern Beijing.
She stood up and looked at the sky outside, a little stunned.
"here it is... ... "
"Jingnan."
Shen Xining looked at Xie Zhaoan and was stunned for a long time before he realized who he was. How could they be in Jingnan now
"You've been in a coma for four days, and you've just recovered from the cold. You're really weak."
Shen Xining's head was still a little groggy. She looked at the desolate scene outside and frowned.
"Has Jingnan changed so much now?"
South of Beijing is the most prosperous area in the country, with frequent merchants coming and going and many shops, selling mostly the most fashionable things of the time. Even many things in Kyoto are imported from here. But nowadays, perhaps because of the flood, even during the day, there is not a single person on the entire street.
The houses collapsed, a foul smell came from the street from time to time, and a group of beggars gathered in a corner not far away.
Yes, accumulation.
A group of people were dressed in rags, holding broken bowls in their hands, and looking at them with longing in their eyes.
"This is the county government office under Jingnan Prefecture."
Xie Zhaoan didn't explain, but Shen Xining understood that if he wanted to understand the truth of the matter, the most effective way was to see it with his own eyes.
The county magistrate came over and signaled the bailiffs around him to drive the beggars away, and then took the two of them to the county magistrate's office.
"This is Miss Shen, right? Who is this person next to you?"
"It's my follower."
The county magistrate looked at the attendant with some surprise. The man in front of him had an extraordinary temperament. Could he be just an attendant
Xie Zhaoan didn't mind. He pointed at his head with his fan and said with a smile.
"The kind that uses your brain."
The county government understood.
"Okay, okay, Miss Shen, I'm sorry, the environment here is rather simple, please be patient, we'll go over there to eat after you finish cleaning up!"
Shen Xining looked at the house in front of her. Although it was indeed much simpler, it was still much better than those people on the street, she said in a low voice.
"Sir, didn't the imperial city allocate money? Why does it look like the entire Jingnan County hasn't received any money?"
"It's like this, Miss Shen. Although the imperial city has allocated silver, there are so many people in the county. How can we use so much money? We are also very short of money."
Shen Xining pursed her lips and nodded, but didn't say anything. Chun Xing and a group of servants cleaned up the room and glanced at Xie Zhaoan.
"I'm afraid the county government will report your situation here soon."
"It's okay, Miss Shen. Having one or two more followers around you is not a big deal for the people above you, but you might as well take a good look at how you are going to manage the people below you."
"We'll find a way."
Shen Xining and Xie Zhaoan went to the county government office below and took two turns. They found that the place was not completely deserted. There were still quite a few people, but they were reluctant to go out. Everyone had some rice and flour at home, although not much, but at least they did not need to go out to avoid disaster.
"This is the richest county government in southern Beijing, so it's not surprising that it's in this state. Although the flood hasn't subsided yet, the higher-ups have allocated money after all."
However, there was a shouting sound from the other side, and the guards forcibly took a girl from a family away from the courtyard. The girl's family members cried and wailed, and even the old man knelt on the ground and started crying.
However, the guards who were trying to kidnap the man did not react at all. They took the man and mounted their horses and prepared to leave. The old man knelt on the ground, and the guards' horses were also raised high, and they were ready to step over the old man. Shen Xining hurried over, helped the old man up in two steps, and took the man aside, while the guards rode away with the woman.
"What a sin! What a sin!"
People on the side looked at the situation and clapped their hands, saying it was a sin, while more people quickly left the scene and went home to close their shops.
The old man fell to the ground with empty eyes, as if he was dead.
Shen Xining squatted down and looked at the old man.
"Old man, what's going on? Why was your granddaughter taken away in public? Is there any reason?"
"Reason? Hahahaha! They said my granddaughter has an epidemic and needs emergency treatment. How can my granddaughter have an epidemic? She is very healthy."
There was a rare old man who was willing to talk nearby, so he waved his hand.
"You two should leave here immediately. This old man is not in a good mental state. You two should not provoke him."
Shen Xining glanced at the old man and frowned, feeling that something was not right.
In the evening, they all went to the county government office to eat. Although it was just porridge and side dishes, it was already quite good.
"I'm sorry, you two. It's not that we don't want to entertain you. Since you two were sent down by the higher-ups to deal with the flood, you naturally know that we have only been stable for a while recently, and the conditions are really not good enough! I hope you don't mind."
Shen Xining took a bite of vegetables, nodded and smiled.
"It's okay. These vegetables are very fresh."
The county magistrate said with a smile.
"Our area has always been a large vegetable producing area. You two came at the wrong time. If you come here next year, the vegetables will taste much better."