158, Bandit Emperor (4) (1/2)

As soon as these words came out, the men who had just become angry suddenly panicked.

"Brother, don't say this nonsense, or you will have your head ransacked!"

A jar full of good wine was spilled on the ground, causing a burst of aroma. Wei Mingyan stood among them, looking at the bandits who were all frightened by his words except Hou Er.

"Home? Do you still have a home?"

"In the past, you listened to the words of the court and the government. If they wanted you to live, you would live, and if they wanted you to die, you would die."

Wei Mingyan flicked the sparks on his body. Next to the fire, his heroic and handsome face was illuminated by the firelight, which made people feel terrified.

"Not to mention the relatives who died in the village, just the children who were taken away. Otherwise, you will all be deserters in this life, and you will never be able to return to your roots, let alone find your children."

He glanced around at the people around him. There was fear in their eyes, and more importantly, they were helpless and panicked when the concepts they had been instilled in them since birth were impacted.

But after hearing Wei Mingyan's last words, everyone's eyes lit up, "Child..."

But then, the light disappeared, and a person lowered his head and murmured, "How can it be possible to find it again..."

"It's been seven years."

"What happened to seven years!"

Wei Mingyan sneered, "If you look for it, you may not find it, but if you refuse to look for it, you will never find it back."

"Boys are slaves and are trampled on by others; girls are maids and sold into prostitutes, with no way out in their lives."

"When they are suffering and desperate, do they miss their parents, want their father to save them, and hope to escape from the sea of ​​suffering? When they are thinking about it, where are you? You are forced to have your family broken up and you can't go back to your home. "

"If you don't work hard, you will let your children suffer, while you yourself stay here in a daze, worrying that the government will come knocking on your door every day."

"Fight it. If it succeeds, you will be rich and prosperous. If it fails, you will be dead. But I, Wei Mingyan, promise here that if the brothers work with me to achieve great things, at least while they are alive, they will have good wine and meat, and look for children. Nothing will be left behind!”

He took out the silver he exchanged during the day from his arms and threw it on the ground. The white pieces of silver were scattered all over the ground, but no one present moved.

The bandits stiffened and listened to the man say, "If you are willing, just stay. If you are not willing, just divide the money equally and go down the mountain on your own."

Going down the mountain?

What can you do down the mountain?

They have no identity or family. Even if they have money, with the chaos outside, do they dare to spend it?

Can rebel...

Men who have been taught since childhood that the emperor is heaven and who must be loyal to the emperor and patriotic really dare not make decisions.

The bandits who had been following Mo Dahou Er since they left the village subconsciously looked at the two people they had been obeying.

Mo Da was still hesitant, but Hou Er said simply and neatly, "As long as I can find my girl, I can do anything you want!"

"My whole family is gone. What's the point of living like this? Even if I really fail, I'll die. I can just go down and meet my mother-in-law!"

With his words, one of the men also slammed the bowl in his hand on the ground, with red eyes, "Fuck you! The worst is that you will die!"

With these two taking the lead, the bandits stood up one by one.

"Okay! If you rebel, rebel! Even if it doesn't work, I can stand up straight and tell my mother-in-law that I have avenged you after I get to the Yama Palace!"

"Dry!!"

"Kill the dog emperor! Kill those corrupt officials!"

The sound of bowls being smashed and the increasingly strong aroma of wine completely filled the surroundings of several fires.

In the end, only Mo Da was left, still standing where he was.

Everyone's eyes were on him, and Mo Da's eyes had already turned red. Inexplicably, he remembered that before he left, his daughter hugged his legs and said, "Dad, Xuan Niang is waiting for you to come back."

At that time, Mo Da touched his daughter's head and said, "Daddy promises you that he will definitely come back."

His white-haired old mother's face was filled with tears of reluctance, and she was still trying to comfort her son, "You go, I will take care of Ms. Xuan, and we will wait for you to come back together."

That day, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily, "Mom! I will definitely come back."

Later, he went back.

As a deserter, he was shocked and scared. He just wanted to pick up his mother and escape with his daughter. But when he entered the village, he saw his mother lying on her back on the ground, her eyes turning white.

She stretched out her hands in one direction, as if begging for something.

Mo Da did not dare to think deeply about it at that time, but now that she thinks about it, she was begging those people not to take Xuan Niang away...

The firelight shone on Mo Da's face. He wiped the tears on his face, raised his head, and said in a hoarse voice, "Brother, as long as you can really help me find my daughter, I, Mo Da, will follow you even through life and death." Dry!"

Wei Mingyan laid out the rice paper and pen and ink he bought at the foot of the mountain. "Hou Er, come here first and tell me what your daughter looks like, what her name is, how old she is, and whether she has any birthmarks or anything like that."

There were still tears in Hou Er's eyes. After hearing this, he hurried forward, "Her name is Ya'er. She was seven years old when I left. She is fourteen this year. Her eyes follow her mother's. They are big and bright. There is a mole under the corner of her right eye... …”

Although seven years have passed, for them, there is no day when they do not miss their wives and children, because Wei Mingyan explained that the birthmark is the most important thing, and Hou Er added, "Yer has a mark on the inside of her left arm. A scar, from a burn when I was a child, about this big..."

He gestured, and the others followed behind him and waited in line. No one said a word, as if they were afraid of disturbing Wei Mingyan, who was listening to Hou Er's voice recording, but there was something other than numbness in everyone's eyes.

One by one the men came forward.

"My son is three years old. He should be ten now. He has a big head and a red birthmark on his thigh..."

"My two children..."

Those who had obvious birthmarks spoke cautiously and hopefully. Those who really couldn’t remember whether they had birthmarks could only tell the child’s appearance in detail with annoyance. Sometimes, as soon as they finished speaking, they walked aside and suddenly became anxious again. Angrily, he came back to correct what he had just said wrongly.

Dozens of men kept busy until dawn. Wei Mingyan also had dozens of pieces of rice paper written in his hand, and then he finished recording everything.

Although they didn't sleep all night, they were not sleepy at all. Instead, they were in high spirits. Especially Mo Da, who approached Wei Mingyan expectantly and asked cautiously, "Brother, with these, can we really find our children?" ?”

"It will be much more convenient to have these than to find them all over the Jin Kingdom."

Wei Mingyan looked at their high spirits and poured cold water on them, "Seven years have passed. The older children may still remember, but the children may have forgotten what happened, so it will be more difficult to find them. Be mentally prepared.”

The big man closest to them smiled sadly, "We understand, we just... want to look for it in case we find it."

"What should we do now?" Mo Da asked again, "Shall we go and disperse these first?"

"No."

Wei Mingyan shook his head and did not continue. Instead, he looked at the man who was getting permission and took a piece of rice paper to copy his daughter's information crookedly. "Hou Er, who do you think you need to get information from to find the children?" ”

Hou Er raised his head, thought for a few seconds and then answered uncertainly, "From the hands of the person who took the child away."

"They were the ones who took them away in the first place. Even if they didn't record the details, they definitely knew where the children were."

He finished his thoughts with some anxiety, and saw the man in front of him looking at him with a more appreciative look and nodded.

"You are right, so our first step is to capture your hometown, Miaocheng."

"But we only have so many people..."

"Who said we have few people?"

Wei Mingyan curled his lips and smiled with some sarcasm in his eyes, "Miao City was once the most prosperous Nanxiang when the late emperor was there, and it also had the largest population. There are nearly three hundred people in your small village alone. There are too many people left to go to the battlefield compared to the soldiers in the Miaocheng government."

"But those are ordinary people..."

The man stopped Mo Da's words, "It's the common people who are forced to live."

"When a person reaches a dead end, he can do anything."

He said solemnly, "As long as Miao City is captured, the road ahead will be a hundred times easier."

"Remember, from now on, I am your young master and you are domestic servants. We go to Miaocheng to do business."

Wei Mingyan took out the banknote and handed it to Hou Er, "Take this money and change into servant's clothes later. Go down the mountain and buy me some good clothes. The more luxurious the better, all our young masters have. Buy them all, and make three good clothes for each of the brothers, with all the knives that should go with them. The bigger the decoration, the better."

"Follow me to visit Mr. Li again. This time, we'll negotiate a big deal."

Hou Er's eyes flashed. He hadn't slept all night and had cried before. At this moment, his eyes were full of bloodshot eyes, but when he looked at the person in front of him, his previous disobedience and defiance had long been gone.

He put this large amount of silver note that he had never seen in his life into his arms, lowered his head respectfully, "Yes, brother."

Mo Da didn't realize that he had changed his title at all, and was asking with some confusion, "Brother, what are you doing? Didn't you say you were going to attack Miao City?"

Wei Mingyan patted his shoulder and said, "Sing opera."

"Sing a big show that the whole world can see."

***

Miaocheng was once the most prosperous city in the Jin Kingdom. It was close to the south and close to the river. Almost all the women here were fair-skinned, beautiful, and gentle in character. The men were good at building houses and fishing.

When the late emperor was still alive, he made three inspection tours, both of which were in Miaocheng.

Although the people here are not said to be rich, they can hardly go hungry because they rely on water to eat. They are especially good at building houses and gardens. People often come to ask Miaocheng craftsmen to build gardens for themselves. Therefore, they are engaged in these jobs. The people in Miaocheng are relatively wealthy.

They lived happily for generations, and finally welcomed a new parent official, the younger brother of the current imperial concubine.

From then on, the people of Miaocheng lived in dire straits.

The Jin Kingdom has been in constant war over the years, with floods and droughts. The people's lives were already unsatisfactory, and they were forced to join the army. It didn't matter that the family suddenly lost the backbone, but the taxes on them were higher than ever. The first layer is heavier.

At first, it was only 10%, then 20%, 30%...

At the end of the day, after working hard for a year, the tired person's body is no longer good. As a result, the money earned is not as much as what was paid out.

If there was no money to pay, the officials would break into the house with a knife and take away all the children and sell them. If there were no children but only women, they would take them away directly.

They say they are government officials, but in reality they are no different than bandits.

It’s not that no one has resisted, but the people these days are worse than pigs and dogs. They are driven by others all their lives. Even if they are really angry and want an explanation, they will be frightened when they see the officers and soldiers hacking the troublemakers to death. I lost my courage and dared to stand up.

The Jin State has always implemented a policy of obscuring the people. The ordinary people are illiterate. If they want to read and read, the money just to buy paper, books, pens and ink is enough for a family of seven for a year. The imperial examination is held every three years, and the civilians admitted The disciples don’t even have a cent.

Rich merchants could afford it, but according to the laws of Jin State, merchants were not allowed to enter the court as officials, so they could only continue to be merchants from generation to generation.

They are like blindfolded donkeys. If their master is kind, they can live happily all their lives. If their master is cruel, they will never dare to resist even if they are beaten.

It has to be said that such people are absolutely beneficial to the king. The king's status will always be noble and unchanged. Even if he and his army only have one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, and the people are millions or tens of millions, these would have been long ago People who are used to being oppressed will never dare to stand up.

Wei Mingyan was riding a horse, wearing a snow-white fox fur cloak, looking at the high city from a distance, with a smile on his lips.

It’s just that no one guides me.

As soon as Wei Mingyan and his entourage entered the city, they attracted the surrounding people to come and see it. After all, since the Jin Kingdom started the war, the businessmen and officials' children who had almost called Miaocheng home have never been here again.

Their city had been desolate for too long. When such a long motorcade arrived, the people couldn't help but be curious.

Finally, the convoy stopped outside the largest restaurant.

The young man in white clothes at the head quickly got off his horse. As soon as he got off, there seemed to be about thirty men behind him, all wearing the same clothes. They also got off.

They wore the same clothes, wore the same knives, moved in the same way, and even made the same sound when they landed.

The common people watched secretly, watching the young man who looked like a dignified man no matter what, being welcomed in by the shopkeeper with a nod and a bow. The attendants dressed in the same clothes stood outside with a straight face, so that no one dared to come close.

They watched quietly while working. After a while, those people were called in, and the door was closed. Someone could see that those people were sitting in the lobby on the first floor, and plates of good food were delivered to them. Jars of good wine were also placed on the table.

The scent spread along the door, making people around them salivate.

The world is difficult now. They haven't eaten meat for a long time. Smell the aroma of this meat and the sour water in their mouths keeps rising. In addition, the weather is cold, and they don't have thick clothes to protect themselves from the cold. They stand on their feet for a while. The chill was coming up one after another, making the lips turn purple from the cold.

But even so, more and more people came over, and for no other reason than just smelling the smell, they felt very satisfied.

Some children could not help but take two steps forward after smelling the fragrance, and were quickly hugged back by adults.

These people inside are obviously well-connected. If they offend the nobles, even if they are killed, there is nothing they can do.

While the people outside were sniffing the taste cautiously and eagerly, imagining how good it would be if they ate it themselves, the waiter in the restaurant hurriedly ran out and immediately pulled his head when he saw a group of faces outside.

"Go, go, don't get in the way here."

The people all backed away angrily. Before they had even taken two steps, the waiter's eyes lit up. He stepped forward and grabbed an old man with white hair in the crowd. "Third uncle, don't you have two at home?" Chicken and some fish? Come to us quickly, here's your chance to make a fortune."

The old man had no thick clothes, so he put his trembling hands in his sleeves because he was cold. He was stunned when he heard his words and then realized, "But those chickens and fish are reserved for the daughter of the Zhang family." ”

He had to ask someone to buy it with great difficulty, and his son even brought it back after chiseling it on the ice for a long time, just so that he could look good when he was hired.

"Hey, my uncle! The man inside said that he would buy it at double the price. What a great opportunity. When the time comes, the chicken and fish will be exchanged for money, and then given to the Zhang family, what a look on your face There is light too!”

"If it weren't for the fact that we don't have enough chickens in the restaurant, such a good opportunity wouldn't fall on you. Go quickly. Hurry up. I'm waiting for you here."

The old man's eyes widened when he heard the double price, and he stopped warming his hands and ran home in a hurry, fearing that the opportunity would be lost.

Although his grandnephew is a bit powerful, he helped him a few times when he was a child because he didn't have enough to eat. He always remembers this kindness. It was not for his poor uncle who was powerful, but for the leftovers he got from the restaurant on weekdays. I would also bring some vegetables for him to eat.

The old man still believed what he said.

After hearing the general idea, the people around were looking at the old man's running back with envy, sighing why they didn't have such good relatives, when a noble man with a sword came out.

Hou Er raised his voice and said with a look of dissatisfaction, "Xiao Er! I asked you to buy chicken, duck and fish. How much did you buy?"

"Our brothers are still hungry!"

The waiter ran into the lobby in a panic.

"Hey, Master, Master, aren't I going to find the person who usually provides chickens and ducks? Just wait, I'll be back soon..."

"I will starve to death if I wait any longer!"

"okay."

Wei Mingyan put down the wine cup that was spinning in his hand and said calmly, "Don't bother, just buy it at the people's homes nearby. If you sell it here, kill it immediately. Eat it early and rest early."

The waiter suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Just now, the shopkeeper told him to go to his brother-in-law first, "Master, you see how troublesome it is to collect goods here, why not..."

The shopkeeper had been serving Wei Mingyan carefully, and when he saw him frowning as if he was displeased as he listened to the waiter's words, he quickly said, "Hey, right here, I'll listen to you."

Anyway, there aren't many people outside here, and everyone has a poor settlement. How can there be so many chickens and ducks? It makes sense to go to his brother-in-law to collect them when there aren't enough.

He was afraid of offending this big customer who had finally arrived, so he hurriedly greeted the rest of the restaurant to go outside and collect the chickens and ducks.

The people outside who were envious of others did not expect that they could do it themselves. There were chickens, ducks, and fish at home and they were so happy that they had nowhere to put their hands and feet, so they hurried home to get them.

There are still some people who are hesitant to believe the words of the people inside. After all, these things are no less than half of their possessions to them. If they take the chickens and ducks without giving them money, these people look capable of beating them, and the government still doesn’t care. They There is definitely no benefit to be gained.

At this moment, the waiter's uncle came running quickly carrying chickens and fish.

Seeing his grandnephew taking out money with one hand and chicken and fish with the other, the money was twice as much as the market price, and the crowd suddenly became excited.

Some people ran away and didn't even bother to pick up their straw sandals after they dropped them, for fear that they would be late and the noble man wouldn't want them anymore.

It's faster to live close by, and slower to live far away. The avenue outside the restaurant quickly became lively.

"Master, you see, there seem to be more and more people here, too many. Why don't I let them disperse..."

The shopkeeper's face looked a little bitter. The chicken and duck cages in their back kitchen were already full. Although there were many of these noble people, they certainly couldn't eat so much meat.

"It doesn't matter."

Wei Mingyan took a taste of the food, raised his eyebrows, and put down his chopsticks, "You can cook it after you buy it. It's not like I can't afford it."

Even if I eat this for three days, I won’t be able to finish it.

The shopkeeper thought to himself that it was okay, but still had a shy smile on his face, "Yes, I'll have the kitchen cook it right now."

The waiter got the order and sent word that he would receive the message until sunset tonight.

The word spread quickly, and soon, almost half of the city knew that a noble man had come to the city and was collecting chicken, duck and fish in the restaurant. He paid double the price and could get the money immediately.

More and more people were crowding outside, and the noisy shouts of chickens and ducks had no impact on the nobles in the restaurant who were eating and drinking happily. They continued to eat as they should.

"Okay, stop hanging around in front of me." Wei Mingyan took a sip of wine and put down the glass in disgust, "Is this the best wine you have here?"

The shopkeeper said quickly, "Yes, sir, this is from the best winery in Chengzhou..."

"laugh."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the young nobleman in front of him stand up and throw it away. The shopkeeper subconsciously caught it and discovered that it was a silver ingot.

"For your reward, tell the people upstairs to move faster. I have to rest after eating."

"Yes Yes……"

The shopkeeper held the silver coins in his hands, nodded and hurried upstairs. When he got to the edge, he was stopped by Hou Er who had just entered the door.

"Wait a minute, our young master must use a su brocade quilt cover, and the satin underneath must be from Yunxiangfang. Do you have any?"

It's winter, and the shopkeeper is sweating profusely.

He had heard about Su Jin. It is said that a piece of cloth costs two hundred taels. As for Yunxiangfang, it is only found in the capital city, and the price is as good as gold. How can they have this restaurant? Even if you look at the entire Miao City, it is Can't buy it.

Where did this noble person come from, with this pomp and expense, I'm afraid even the royal family members are not so impressive.

"This, a small shop, there really aren't any small shops..."

After he finished speaking, the face of the fierce-looking man in front of him sank, and his heart seemed to sink as well, for fear that he would pull out the knife and chop him if he was unhappy.

"Master, do you think Yunhua Satin is good? This is the best in Miaocheng..."

Hou Er waved his hands with a sullen face, "Okay, your little place is not normal, I won't make it difficult for you."

The shopkeeper breathed a huge sigh of relief. His body was still stiff because he had scared himself before. He just watched Hou Er knock on the table closest to them.

"Second brother."

The two big men who had just been eating meat and drinking wine immediately put down their things and stood up respectfully.

"You go to the carriage outside and carry the young master's things upstairs."

"yes."

The two of them wiped their lips and went out. The shopkeeper was so shocked that he hurriedly filled the lobby and rushed to the kitchen to urge the kitchen to cook quickly, so as not to make the nobleman unhappy if the food was served late.

While he was sweating profusely from his work, the waiter who was decorating the room upstairs ran down and said that the noble man had torn down the door.

The shopkeeper hurriedly ran up again, and sure enough, he saw that the door to the most expensive room had been removed and thrown aside.

His heart immediately twitched with distress. The door he used was made of soft wood. It would take a lot of effort to buy soft wood now as it was in the past.

But even if my heart hurts, I will walk up with a smile on my face, "Masters, look at my door..."

"Our young master can't stand the smell, so he demolished it. Don't worry, you'll get the money."

After the men finished speaking, they lifted the curtain and went in.

Although the curtain was only lifted for a short while, the shopkeeper was sure that he smelled a fragrance.

He still remembered this fragrance.

Seven years ago, when Miaocheng was still prosperous, a minister stayed in their restaurant for two days. The minister burned Zhumu incense, which smelled like this.

He once asked about the minister's extravagant travel and why he was so frugal with the incense. When he knew the price, he was very upset for several days.

Thinking of saving money, he also bought a small piece to feel it and see if it could prolong his life.

Later, he heard that the Zhumu in the national treasury was stolen, and the price of Zhumu was a hundred times higher than before. Even the royal family couldn't afford it, so the shopkeeper had to give up his wish.

Unexpectedly, he would be able to smell Zhumu incense again in this life.

How great must this nobleman's background be!

Downstairs

Wei Mingyan glanced at the group of people whose bellies were swollen from eating, and asked, "Have you finished eating?"

"Master, we have finished eating."

After receiving the answer, the nobleman wearing expensive white fox fur knocked on the table, "Okay, share the remaining dishes with the people outside."

"Just say that the Wei family invited them to eat."

"Yes!"

Before the waiters could stop them, they saw these big men wearing the same clothes stand up and carry some untouched meat on the table outside.

The people were talking excitedly, and when they saw these people who looked difficult to deal with came out of the restaurant, the smiles on their faces suddenly fell uneasily.

Then, they saw the tall and strong man standing in the front shouting, "Fellow villagers, we, the Wei family, are passing by here and will stay in Miaocheng for a few days. Here are some meats that we have never touched before. We will give them to you today. If you don't mind, you can take them yourself."

The people who were just bustling looked at them silently, neither stepped forward to take them nor left, their eyes full of anxiety and suspicion.

After all, in their minds, the better the clothes they wear, the worse the people are, and the less they take their lives as their lives. If it weren't for the money exchange just now, these people wouldn't have stayed until now.

In the end, it was the old man who looked at his nephew, saw him nod slightly, and stepped forward tremblingly.

"Are you really giving us food for free without money?"

"Of course it's true."

Looking at the old man in front of him who was about the same age as his mother, Mo Da wanted to smile, but because he was too nervous, the smile looked a little stiff.

"This is an order from our young master himself. He has a kind heart. He came to Miaocheng this time because he heard about the drought here and came to deliver food."

His voice was originally loud, and now he deliberately amplified it, so the people in front could hear it clearly.

They opened their eyes in disbelief and surprise, and couldn't believe that there was such a good thing.

"Really, are you really going to give us food?"

The old man was so excited that he couldn't hold his hands steady. Because of the drought, people in Miaocheng couldn't afford the expensive food. His family did have some food in stock, but it was life-saving food at that time. This is why he took great pains to get chickens and fish to send to the marriage proposal instead of giving food directly.

"Of course, our young master has always been kind, and the convoy carrying food is expected to enter the city tomorrow."

The people around felt like a big pie fell from the sky, and some even knelt down, constantly thanking the people sitting inside.

One person knelt down, and naturally more people knelt down.

Wei Mingyan, who happened to be sitting, hurried out and personally helped the old man who was kneeling in the front up.

"You don't have to do this, you don't have to do this."

"I only bought 15 carts of grain from the master of the Li family in Chengzhou this time. If I want to distribute it to the people of Miaocheng, each person will only get a small bag. I feel ashamed..."

"Mo Da, go and ask the kitchen to send the food up quickly. If the villagers don't mind, everyone can take some."

After saying that, Wei Mingyan looked at the grateful people, as if he was also moved, and simply waved his hand and said, "Since there are so many people, let's take the cart of grain we brought to the porridge today."

"Yes, young master."

The people were immediately more grateful.

This day was the best day they had had in the past few years.

For the first time, they ate a lot, with meat and porridge. The crying children who were hungry stopped crying, and the pregnant women who needed to replenish their bodies didn't have to worry about what to eat tonight. There was a long queue at the city gate until the cart of grain was cooked, and people left reluctantly.

Such a good person must live a hundred years.

Thinking that they would get rice tomorrow, many people in Miaocheng did not sleep that night, tossing and turning in excitement.

The wife of the Wang family in the East Village held her sleeping baby, hoping that tomorrow would come soon. When she got the rice, she could cook it for her child every day. If she saved some money, she could always make it through the winter.

The second son of the Zhao family in the west sat in front of the bed, not wanting to light the oil lamp, and pressed his old mother's injured leg again and again. He said with longing in his eyes, "Mom, I will take the food from the kind people tomorrow and ask a doctor to treat you."

The old lady on the bed was shaking with pain, but she insisted, "Don't, Mom's leg will be fine after nursing. You work hard every day. Just keep the rice for yourself. Don't eat the Guanyin soil anymore. If you eat too much, you will die."

"I'm not in the way. Your legs hurt day and night. It hurts to see you. After I get the rice, I'll go buy some incense sticks. Let's offer it to the good man, okay?"

"Yes, we have to offer it. For such a good man, I'll recite some sutras tonight and pray to God to bless him with peace and safety."

On the other side, outside the dilapidated thatched house, a child of several years old with a thin face looked at his father who was roasting a mouse and said in a tender voice, "Dad, I'm hungry."

"Be good, bear with it a little longer, and you'll have food tomorrow."

The man roasted the skinny mouse in his hand, tore the meat with his hands covered with calluses, gave half to his son, touched his head, and said softly, "Eat slowly, it's hot."

The child didn't care about these things. He started to eat voraciously. The man felt sour and blamed himself for being incompetent. After working for so many years, he couldn't even feed his own child.

He brought the other half of the rat meat into the house and carefully stuffed it into the hand of the sick woman lying on the bed, "Come, let me blow it for you, eat it quickly."

The woman's face was pale, she propped herself up and sat up, and asked weakly, "Have you eaten it?"

"Yes, my child and I each got half." The man endured the hunger in his stomach and smiled.

After hearing this, the woman was relieved and took the rat meat and ate it.

Seeing her not having the strength to chew meat, the man's eyes were hot, "It's all my fault. Why did I have to leave the city today when I could have left the city at any other time? Otherwise, I could have received the food distributed by the nobles in the city. I heard there was a lot of meat."

"Don't blame you. I'm not in good health and can't get out of bed." The woman comforted him, "Besides, aren't you looking for food? I heard from Aunt Zhang that the nobles will distribute more tomorrow, so you can go then."

The man also had some hope in his heart, "I will cook porridge for you every day when I get the food tomorrow, so you can take good care of yourself."

His wife couldn't eat and suffered with him. She also lost her child because she didn't eat for two days. He was incompetent and was afraid that his wife who had just lost her child would starve to death every day.

Fortunately, there was a kind man. When the food came, he saved some every day to make food for his wife and children, and continued to look for food himself. He could always find a way to survive.

On this day that countless people were looking forward to, the sun gradually rose.

The golden light sprinkled on the earth.

The people happily went to the agreed place, wanting to take back the food for survival.

But when they arrived, they were told that because there was too much food, the government was afraid of causing riots, so they had taken all the food away and they would deliver it.

At this time, the people who had already experienced what the government was like began to feel uneasy.

When they arrived outside the government according to the instructions.

It looked like the soldiers were indeed guarding a cart of food, but there was only one cart.

The people were driven over nervously and received a small bag.

It was so small that it was not even enough for three days.

They were discouraged. Sure enough, it was like this again...

But seeing the long knives in the hands of the soldiers around them, the people who were originally happy had to leave with the bag of food.

When they got out of the crowd and opened the bag.

The man's eyes widened and he shouted sharply, "There is no food in this!!"

The crowd was in turmoil, and those who received the food opened it and saw that it was not food at all.

Originally, they had been patient again and again, but seeing this, people were still furious.

"Master Wei said he would give us 15 carts of food! The food has been delivered! How can you replace the food!"

"That was given to us by Master Wei!!"

"The government is going too far!"

Wei Mingyan stood upstairs, looking at several familiar figures moving among the crowd below. With just a few words, he successfully angered the people.

The officials inside finally came out.

"Everyone, be quiet!"

Facing so many angry people, the officials who usually like to suppress by force are also a little panicked at this moment. He hurriedly explained, "These food were given to me by the Wei family."

"The things in here are also mixed in by the Wei family."

His words made people quiet for a moment, but soon, they became even more angry.

"Master Wei distributed porridge and food yesterday. How could such a good man like him deliberately mix these things to deceive us!!"

"Yesterday, we agreed to distribute food at the city gate today. All fifteen carts of food were taken away by your government. Now there is only one cart, which is fine, but there is no food in it!"

Zeng Xing, who is a rare short bandit, is most proud of his ability to imitate other people's voices. This skill, which used to be used to play tricks on his family and brothers, has found its full use today.

He shuttled among the crowd, questioning the government with different voices. Sure enough, the officials who have always been high and mighty frowned.

He directly drew the knife of a person on the side, "This official has explained it. If you don't believe it, I will catch Wei Mingyan and torture him, and you idiots will know!"

The people were really frightened, and no one made a sound.

The official took back the knife with pride and disdain, and at the same time he was a little angry. He also listened to the description of the restaurant owner last night and really thought that this was a rich man.

After all, Zhumuxiang, that was something that the royal family had to save, but he actually used it to fumigate the house.

Originally, I thought this man must be difficult to talk to, but I didn't expect that he just hinted, and Wei Mingyan readily agreed to hand over the 15 carts of grain to him.

After the two of them discussed it, they both left the table with a smile, and also agreed to play chess together today.

Because of what the restaurant owner said, he didn't even think of checking it, for fear of offending Wei Mingyan.

Since that kid dares to play tricks on him, if he catches him, he will definitely be crushed...

"Sir, what are you doing?"

The man's magnetic voice sounded loudly, as if he didn't see the official's ugly face, and looked at the grain and grass beside him with a somewhat puzzled expression, "Didn't you say that the fifteen carts were sent out at once today? Why is there only one cart here, and there is so little?" "

"good!!"

The official gritted his teeth with hatred, "Well, you Wei Mingyan! If you dare to deceive me, someone comes! Take him down!"

The officers and soldiers immediately drew their swords, and the big men surrounding Wei Mingyan also drew their swords and faced off with solemn expressions.

"Sir, what do you mean?"

Wei Mingyan also looked a little panicked, but his voice was still clear and loud enough for everyone present to hear, "Is it because I refuse to give you the food that was originally distributed to the people that you want to kill me?"

"Wei Mingyan!!" The official was so angry that he almost fainted, "Who do you think would believe such a clumsy accusation?"

"I have never taken a piece of grain from you. Do you think you can escape punishment by saying these things?"

"Take it down! Take it down for me!"

People on both sides were fighting, and the people were running away. No one noticed that a short man wearing ordinary patched clothes took advantage of the chaos and got into the house.

The bandits had eaten well and slept well these past few days, and had been given several unexpected lessons by Wei Mingyan. They were more than enough to deal with the officers and soldiers who also held knives but only used to scare people every day.

But they just avoided and did not attack at all. At first, the officials were proud that they were beaten back steadily. Soon, when they saw Wei Mingyan who was dodging calmly, something flashed through his mind.

not good!

"There's food in there!!! There's a lot of food!! There's enough food for two whole houses!!"

A short man in civilian clothes rushed out, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"They hid all our food inside and watched us starve to death!!!"

He held a handful of rice in his hand and threw it out with these words.

When the rice grains fell to the ground, there was obviously no sound, but in the eyes of the people present, it was like a thousand pounds of stone, making them open their eyes crazily.

A child waiting to be fed...

Old parents who are about to starve to death...

The wife who never had enough...

Holding the money, I cried and begged, but the grain store said there was no rice...

"That's our rice!! Take it back, we want to take it back!!"

"Let's go and get it back!!"

The madness and red eyes on the faces of the swarming crowd frightened the officers and soldiers so much that they did not dare to step forward, and they watched helplessly as they rushed into the mansion.

"Go quickly!! Stop them!! Kill them!!"

The officials were so angry that their whole bodies were trembling crazily. The officers and soldiers subconsciously rushed in. Wei Mingyan waved his hand, and the bandits followed him in with knives.

It was just to delay time. Now, it's time for these officers and soldiers who have done all kinds of bad things to have a taste of my flesh and blood.

"Kill, kill them..."

The official trembled and wanted to follow, but was patted on the shoulder by Wei Mingyan. He was startled and quickly clenched the knife in his hand, as if he was about to pounce at the next moment.

"There is a severe drought in Miaocheng. As a parent official, the first thing you do is not to provide disaster relief but to unite with grain merchants to hide a large amount of grain and drive up grain prices."

"Of course, you don't have the courage to do it alone."

With a smile, Wei Mingyan glanced at the chaotic crowd inside, and then looked at the official opposite who was pointing a knife at him, "Who is it? The uncle of the country? Or the imperial concubine?"

"Since you know this, you still dare to commit a heinous crime!"

The official's eyes showed sternness, "No one here today can even think of running away!"

"Oh~"

After he finished speaking, he watched the scary man approaching him with a smile. For some reason, the official was so frightened that he almost peed his pants. He subconsciously stretched out his knife to block the way of the person in front of him.

But unexpectedly, the knife actually fell on the meat.

The next moment, the official heard the last two words of his life: "Master!!"

"Dog officer!! Go to hell!!"

He collapsed limply on the ground, and a long knife was pulled out from his chest, splattering blood.

The people were still fighting for it. Wei Mingyan covered his arms and walked inside step by step without letting Mo Da support him.

"Everyone!!"

His voice was not very deep, but it seemed to have penetrating power. The people whose eyes were soaked in madness all looked over, and what they saw was the noble man with blood on his arm and a pale face.

The noble man said, "That dog officer wants to kill everyone and silence them. I have already dealt with him first. You took the food and hid in your home. If anyone asks, just say that you have been at home all the time and you don't know anything."

The people's eyes gradually became clearer.

Someone asked, "What should you do? Hide with us!"

The noble man with blood-stained arms gave a bitter smile, "I killed him today. Before he died, he revealed that the emperor would definitely punish people. If I don't stay, the people will die. Please hurry up and get the food."

"I'm destined to die now, so I might as well rely on the power in my hands to resist. But you still have your wife and children to worry about. I can't hurt you. Leave as soon as possible. If it's later, the Yunzhou soldiers and horses will receive the news and you won't be able to leave. ”

Some people were afraid, some hesitated, and some were full of passion, "You killed the dog official for us, I won't leave!"

"Let's unite and appeal to the court, we can definitely clear Master Wei's name!"

"Yes! We won't leave!"

Wei Mingyan smiled bitterly, "This matter was tacitly approved by the emperor."

The surroundings fell silent.

In the silence, someone suddenly stood up.

It was the man with a miscarriage wife at home. He knelt on the ground with determination in his eyes, "If you want to rebel, can you let me follow you!"

He kowtowed three times, his forehead was red, and he looked horrible, but his eyes were full of determination, "Anyway, I couldn't live anyway, and I followed you. You are so kind, at least you can let us have enough food!"

The skinny child and the wife who had a miscarriage and needed food kept appearing in front of him.

He can live for a while if he goes back with food now.

But will an emperor who doesn't regard them as human lives really let them continue to live in the future?

It's better to fight!

Young Master Wei is such a kind man, better than the current emperor!

More and more people knelt down.

Wei Mingyan took the medicine handed over by Mo Da and sprinkled it on the wound.

"Go and get silver. Each strong man who is willing to join us will get two taels of silver and a bag of rice. They will eat and live in the government in the future."

The men kneeling on the ground showed joy in their eyes. They knelt on the ground and kowtowed desperately.

Even if it was for money and rice, as long as they could bring the money to their relatives, even if they died the next moment, they would be willing!

****

Yunzhou

The old man was lying on the soft arms of his concubine and enjoying himself, when there was a hurried knock on the door outside.

He frowned suddenly, "Come in."

"Sir!! Miaocheng is rebelling!"

The man knelt on the ground and said in panic, "Everyone in the city is rebelling, sir!"

"What?"

The old man widened his eyes, "This bunch of lowly people! Help me up quickly, I want to give His Majesty..."

A knife stabbed into his throat, accompanied by the screams of his concubines, he fell down slowly in disbelief.

The last thought was what to do with the 30,000 taels of gold he had hidden.

In the Miaocheng government

Wei Mingyan looked at the simplified map in front of him and pointed to the direction of Yunzhou.

Here, his mother and his sister are still waiting for him to go home.

The author has something to say: Yes, I can't stop the car again, sorry it's late, the first ten little angels will send red envelopes, and then ten random ones will send red envelopes

No second update! Good night everyone!