Why Aren't You Clearing Away the Rocks?

Upon hearing this, the magistrate nearly fainted. "Who are you saying was in that carriage?"

"Crown Prince, Second Princess, Third Princess, Seventh Princess."

I heard they went on a trip and happened to come to our Xin'an County.

And just as they passed by that pile of fallen rocks, they were now buried in them.

The Xin'an County rolled his eyes and said:

"Damn it, what are these ancestors doing in Xin'an County for no reason?"

The crucial issue is: I arrived in Xin'an County without any reason, and was inexplicably buried under falling rocks. How am I supposed to explain this to the imperial court?

"Why aren't you hurrying up and clearing away the rubble?"

Zhou Wanwan leisurely looked at the group and said, "Don't worry, we'll be stuck here for several days! The rubble won't be cleared away anytime soon."

Eunuch Xu opened his eyes, looked at Zhou Wanwan and said, "Nonsense! How could it take several days to clean up? Besides, how could there be any gravel here?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at Eunuch Xu and smiled, "Eunuch Xu, you look much more energetic now. It seems you're alright."

Eunuch Xu glared at her and said, "How did you do that? How could my horse suddenly go crazy?"

Zhou Wanwan shrugged and said, "How should I know? Maybe it's in a bad mood!"

Eunuch Xu stomped his feet in anger. "Zhou Wanwan, you're the only one here who knows medicine, hurry up and save this person!"

Zhou Wanwan lay on a recliner, legs crossed, and said, "Why should I save them? I have no relation to them, and I can't care about them!"

Eunuch Xu was so angry he couldn't speak.

Zhao Mingzhu looked at Zhou Wanwan and said, "What exactly do you want?"

Zhou Wanwan said, "Treating and saving lives is very simple for me; all I need to do is pay."

Zhao Mingzhu looked at the maid beside her and said, "Go get her the silver notes."

The maid responded and took out a box, saying, "Here is two thousand taels. Please use it to treat our young lady's illness quickly."

Zhou Wanwan glanced at Zhao Mingzhu and said, "It's her back that's not good. I can certainly cure her, but 2,000 taels isn't enough."

Zhao Mingzhu frowned and asked, "How many do you want?"

Zhou Wanwan held up five fingers, and Zhao Mingzhu said, "5000 taels? Why don't you just rob someone?"

Zhou Wanwan encouraged, "Miss Zhao, is it possible? I didn't say 5,000 taels, I meant 50,000 taels."

Zhao Mingzhu's younger sister, Zhao Yuzhu, shouted, "I think you little bastard are obsessed with money! You're asking for an exorbitant amount, 50,000 taels! Do you even know how heavy 50,000 taels of silver is?"

She had barely finished speaking when suddenly a rock fell from the sky and hit her hand directly.

"Ouch! That hurts! Where did that rock come from?"

Everyone was startled; they hadn't expected the stones to fall down so inexplicably.

Zhao Yuzhu grimaced in pain, and the people around her were also groaning in agony.

Zhou Wanwan sighed and said, "Oh dear! What bad luck! Why are stones falling from the sky?"

The Old Ancestor, not far away, snorted coldly and said, "Zhao Yuzhu's mouth is really foul. If she dares to babble again, it won't just be Little Stone's problem in a moment."

There's nothing we can do; our Old Ancestor and the Old Scholar Tree are just too protective of their own.

Zhao Mingzhu was in unbearable pain. She took out 50,000 taels of silver and said, "You'd better heal me quickly. You'd better be able to cure me. If you don't, I won't let you off the hook."

Zhou Wanwan said, "No problem, come over here, I'll treat you. My treatment method can't be told to anyone."

Zhao Yuzhu exclaimed, "Oh dear! You're just putting on an act. I don't believe you can cure it!"

Zhou Wanwan found a soft cushion on the carriage and said, "Lie down on it first."

Zhao Mingzhu fainted as soon as she lay down on the soft cushions of the carriage.

Zhou Wanwan took out some medicinal herbs, applied them flat on her waist, and then slowly forced the spiritual energy from the herbs into her body.

This process took half an hour, and Zhao Mingzhu didn't open her eyes until half an hour had passed.

She got up and said, "You're amazing! You actually cured my back! My back was hurting terribly just now, but now it's completely healed."

The Crown Prince, the Second Princess, and the Third Princess over there were all stunned.

The Crown Prince said, "Zhou Wanwan really knows how to treat illnesses? You get over here and treat me first. I'll pay you after I've finished treating my illness."

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly and said:

"No need, you should keep your money!"

I don't need your money, and I don't want to pay for your medical treatment.

What Zhou Wanwan hates most is when people make empty promises to her.

What I like to do most is to make empty promises to others.

She touched her stomach; she was indeed extremely hungry.

The Old Scholar Tree quickly brought her lunch. Today's lunch was indeed a bit lacking; it was something she had taken from the nearby county government office.

Braised pork knuckle, steamed mandarin fish, crispy fried shrimp, braised chicken with chestnuts, cold bamboo shoot salad, stuffed tofu, and a pot of winter melon and pork rib soup.

Zhou Wanwan swallowed hard and said, "The food at the county government office is pretty good! It's quite plentiful."

The Old Scholar Tree said, "Of course, the magistrate of Xin'an County is extremely greedy; you've never seen such a corrupt magistrate in the surrounding area."

"A corrupt official? How exactly is he corrupt?"

"When the common people paid taxes, he secretly increased the amount, collecting more grain and money, most of which ended up in his own pocket."

Shops and local gentry had to send him monthly tributes, and even passing merchants would find a pretext to take a cut.

The house was filled with rosewood tables and chairs, and chests and trunks were piled high with gold, silver, jewels, silks, and fabrics.

The backyard was filled with many beautiful concubines, and a large number of maids and servants.

They ate delicacies from land and sea every day, and their banquets were always filled with lavish fish and meat. They lived a life of luxury and extravagance.

"Any good local product he sets his sights on, he'll do everything in his power to get it into his own household," the Old Ancestor said calmly.

Zhou Wanwan said with a smile, "This magistrate is so greedy? There are advantages to being greedy! How is the local governance?"

The Old Ancestor said:

"Although this person is a corrupt official, he has done a really good job governing this area."

During his tenure, the local people lived in peace and prosperity.

Zhou Wanwan frowned and said, "Another corrupt official, how can the people live in peace and prosperity? Isn't this a contradiction?"

The Old Ancestor said:

"That's not contradictory! Although he was greedy, he also did a lot of practical things for the people."

Moreover, every year they would plead poverty to the Emperor of Great Qi, saying that life here was miserable, the people were suffering terribly, and they needed urgent relief.

Zhou Wanwan's lips twitched as she said, "Unless the Emperor of Great Qi is a fool, he shouldn't believe such a thing, right?"

The Old Ancestor laughed heartily, "That Emperor of Great Qi is a fool! He believed it, and he allocated funds every year, year after year."

Zhou Wanwan said speechlessly, "It's the same every year? What is the Emperor of Great Qi thinking? Could it be that this Xin'an County has some kind of powerful background?"

"The Xin'an County is the Great Qi's brother-in-law, so there's no point in being too strict with him."

So this is what the Xin'an County was all about!