readsfreenovel Chapter 274
Chapter 274
The next morning, before dawn, Nalan Jingwen ordered someone to kick open the government office gate. The loud noise woke everyone up, and they rushed out without even dressing properly, looking warily at the group of uninvited guests.
"How dare you! Who are you? How dare you trespass on government property?!"
Nalan Jingwen glanced at them coldly, walked straight in, and found a clean spot to sit down.
The guard beside her took out the royal token and said in a dignified voice, "The Prince is here. Why don't you kneel down immediately!"
Everyone was startled and immediately knelt down. A few people, seeing that something was wrong, secretly slipped to the back to look for the person.
Nalan Jingwen saw it, but didn't say anything. Liu Qingxu and Nalan Yin stood on either side of her.
The atmosphere was extremely tense, and everyone kept their heads down in fear, creating an eerie silence.
Fortunately, a middle-aged woman soon appeared, followed by several people who had just sneaked out.
When the middle-aged woman saw Nalan Jingwen, her brow twitched, and she immediately stepped forward and knelt down, saying, "Li Wei, the magistrate of Hongcheng County, pays respects to the Wise Prince."
Nalan Jingwen's indifferent gaze slowly fell on her. Li Wei felt a chill run down her spine, and cold sweat streamed down her face, dripping onto the ground.
"I have come to investigate the disaster in Hongcheng on His Majesty's orders, but as soon as I stepped into the city, I saw corpses everywhere and people displaced. Why is this? Have the relief supplies sent by the court not yet arrived in Hongcheng?"
It's ridiculous. Nalan Fengxing sent relief supplies as soon as he received the news. However, several months have passed and the disaster has become more and more serious. Because no one could be found to solve the problem, it has been delayed for so long. Even so, it should not have come to this.
Upon hearing the questioning tone, Li Wei's mind raced, and he replied tremblingly, "Your Highness, the disaster relief supplies sent from the capital arrived long ago, but it's not that I don't want to help the people and open the granaries to distribute grain, it's just that..."
She spoke hesitantly, as if she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Nalan Jingwen looked at her indifferently, "What is it really?"
Li Wei quietly raised her head and cautiously glanced at Nalan Jingwen's expression. Seeing that she showed no displeasure, she said, "It's just that the bandits on this mountain are really arrogant. Every time grain is distributed, they come to cause trouble and steal all the grain. As you know, as long as this disaster continues, everyone will go without food. The men under my command are so hungry that they are all emaciated. Those bandits are all strong and healthy, and we really can't resist them!"
As she spoke, she wiped away her tears, looking heartbroken, "They have stolen all the grain, which is why the people are in such a state. I beg Your Highness to investigate!"
Nalan Jingwen's previous impression was deeply ingrained: a lecherous good-for-nothing. Even though it was said that she had changed in the last two years, no one had actually seen her, so their impression of her remained the same. Even if she had changed, how much could she have changed?
Could it be that he transformed from a lecherous good-for-nothing into a brilliant and talented scholar?
It's too exaggerated to be believable.
That's why she made up such a story in an attempt to deceive people. After all, she saw that Nalan Jingwen didn't have many people with her, and she was even more certain that Nalan Jingwen wouldn't personally go up the mountain to capture those bandits. That's why she was so fearless.
Nalan Jing's eyes darkened as he listened to her rambling.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"Absolutely true, I would never dare to lie!"
"Then why not report this matter?"
Li Wei was taken aback, then said, "Your Highness is wise! I have sent people to report this matter, but the people I sent out are either dead or have gone mad. I really have no other choice!"
Liu Qingxu, who was listening nearby, clenched his fists, wishing he could beat her up on the spot and force her to tell the truth.
Nalan Jingwen remained silent, simply looking at the crowd kneeling before him. The silence was so profound that you could almost hear a pin drop. The crowd dared not breathe, and cold sweat broke out on their backs.
Li Wei was surprised and suspicious. How could Nalan Jingwen be so different from the legends? His aura was so strong!
Finally, the woman sitting in her seat slowly spoke, her tone icy, but her words sent chills down one's spine.
"Is that so? Then I've heard that the government and the bandits colluded to embezzle the funds and grain allocated by the imperial court?"
Li Wei was startled and looked up abruptly. "Your Highness, I'm innocent! Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare! Who is making up such lies in your ear!"
Nalan Jingwen sneered, "Is that so?"
She snapped her fingers, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound. They saw guards escorting a group of people up. When Li Wei saw the woman at the front, her face turned pale instantly.
Nalan Jingwen looked at her and asked, "Do you know this woman?"
Li Wei turned around and hurriedly said, "It's her! She's the leader of those bandits, it's her! Please, Your Highness, hand her over to me for punishment! I will give Your Highness a satisfactory answer!"
Upon hearing Li Wei's words, the scarred woman spat at her forcefully, "You, surnamed Li! You dare to scheme against me?!"
"What are you talking about?!"
Li Wei quickly spoke up, trying to stop her from saying anything more.
But that scarred woman had already been tricked by Nalan Jingwen last night and had confessed everything. Now that she had nothing to lose, she wasn't afraid of anyone.
"When things are going well, you call me 'sister,' but the moment trouble comes, you pretend you don't know me. What kind of woman are you?!"
"A government official, huh? He's the first coward to back down when trouble comes. A damned, cowardly bastard!"
"I'd be incredibly unlucky to cooperate with you!!"
Nalan Jing's forehead twitched upon hearing this. How could this person not only curse, but also drag everyone else into it?
Li Wei now wished she could sew that mouth shut and tear the person to pieces. "What nonsense are you spouting? When have I ever cooperated with you? Don't make false accusations!"
She crawled a few steps to Nalan Jingwen. "Your Highness, don't listen to her nonsense. She's just a bandit; you can't trust her!"
Nalan Jingwen gave a faint smile. "If you can't trust her, then you can trust yours?"
Li Wei was taken aback by her question and didn't know how to answer.
Seeing Li Wei's reaction, the scarred woman became even more reckless. "Li, stop pretending to be a good person! Didn't you come to me on your own initiative? You said that if I brought people to disrupt your porridge distribution, we could split the funds and grain allocated by the imperial court fifty-fifty, didn't you?!"
"Nonsense! You're spouting nonsense! You're maliciously framing me! How could I have said that!"
"It was the dog who said it!!"
"you!!"
Li Wei was so angry that her vision went black and she was about to faint when a sharp sword light flashed. Jing Chi, dressed in black, stood beside her with a long sword at her neck, which startled her awake instantly.
Nalan Jing glanced at the man discreetly, then looked at Li Wei.
"Lord Li, fainting won't solve anything; it might just cost you your head."