Taking a sip of water, Ling Yin let out an unrestrained belch before slowly answering the young man, Lu Yinxi's question.
"Judging from your accent, sir, you don't seem to be from Yangxian, do you?"
The young man smiled, motioning for her to continue.
"A stranger showing up near Yangxian must be heading there. In that case, you saved me because you must want something from me."
"Smart!"
Lu Yinxi couldn't help but clap for this little girl. "So, do you know the current situation in Yangxian?"
"Of course!"
Ling Yin replied firmly. "I just came out of there."
???
Lu Yinxi couldn't help but glance in a certain direction in the forest. There was obvious surprise in her eyes. "I heard that Yangxian has been occupied by the rebels. Why did you..."
The little girl didn't answer immediately. Instead, she sized Lu Yinxi up and down.
"Sir, you're from the north, aren't you?"
Although she said so, Lu Yinxi had an intuition that the "north" in the little girl's mouth referred to the "capital city".
"Does it matter where I'm from?"
"Not really,"
Without hesitation, Ling Yin tore off another leg of the roast and carelessly sat down next to Lu Yinxi, taking another bite.
"Let me put it this way. The news that Yangxian has been occupied by the rebels is completely false!"
!!!
As if not seeing the shock in her eyes, the little girl continued talking on her own.
"I can't remember if it was May or June this year. It started raining in Yangxian and didn't stop for a single day. As a result, all the crops that were supposed to be harvested in a few days were ruined."
"Normally, since this was a natural disaster, the imperial court should allocate funds to help and console the victims."
"But do you know what the magistrate of Yangxian did? He actually imposed additional taxes in the name of the imperial court. Isn't he asking for trouble?"
"The crops were gone, but the taxes were increased. Driven to desperation, the common people robbed the granary in Yangxian. Then, they became the so - called rebels in the mouth of the magistrate of Yangxian."
"By the way, the magistrate of Pingqiang also knew about this. It was his idea to label those common people as rebels and report it to the imperial court."
"Aren't they afraid of being exposed?"
Lu Yinxi clenched her fist so tightly that she almost swore. She never expected that the situation in Yangxian would be like this.
"Aren't the magistrate of Yangxian afraid of punishment if the situation doesn't match the report when the imperial army arrives?"
"Not at all! As long as they get rid of all those common people before the imperial army arrives. It's just a few hundred lives. Do you think the magistrate of Yangxian would care?"
I don't know if it was an illusion, but Lu Yinxi felt that she seemed to see a flash of sadness on the little girl's face.
Before she could ask, the little girl continued on her own: "Moreover, even if it is exposed, they don't have to be afraid. They have the Assistant King as their backer in the court. Who would dare to touch them?"
Sure enough, it was the Assistant King again!
Anger welled up in Lu Yinxi's chest, ready to burst out at any moment. She tried her best to suppress her emotions and stay calm.
"If what you said is all true, then why didn't Yangxian report the situation to the imperial court? Why did they even impose additional taxes privately?"
Once a place suffered from a natural disaster, the imperial court would usually reduce or postpone the taxes there. But the actions of the magistrate of Yangxian were completely contrary to the imperial court's policy.
It even seemed that he wanted to force those common people to death on purpose?
Without much thought, Lu Yinxi continued to ask: "Besides, I'm curious why you know so much about the situation in Yangxian?"
Even if this little girl was someone who escaped from Yangxian, she seemed to know too much. Some of the things she said sounded like secrets only a few people knew.
"You don't believe me?"
Ling Yin's tone suddenly turned aggrieved, and even her eyes became red. "I've told you so much, but you still don't believe me?"
With a wave of her hand, a green leaf slowly fell from the air and landed in Lu Yinxi's hand. She put it into Ling Yin's hand, still speaking gently.
"Little girl, acting pitiful won't work on me. I advise you to tell the truth."
Ling Yin glanced at the green leaf and then at Lu Yinxi. She couldn't help but swallow her saliva. This time, it wasn't because she was hungry, but because she was scared.
"I... I'll tell you."
Her almond - shaped eyes blinked rapidly, and her hands kept fidgeting. It took Ling Yin a long time to find her voice again.
"I... I know these things because I'm a maid in the mansion of Xia Shouzheng, the magistrate of Yangxian. Once I followed the young lady to see the master, and I overheard some things."
"Really?"
Lu Yinxi still looked skeptical. "If you're a maid in Magistrate Xia's mansion, why did you escape from Yangxian?"
"Of course, it's for survival."
Ling Yin answered straightforwardly. "Xia Shouzheng has done such things. He will surely be punished along with his nine - generation family in the future. I don't want to die."
"You said he has the Assistant King as his backer. In that case, why are you afraid?"
"You said it's the Assistant King, not the emperor."
Lu Yinxi was stunned for a moment and then burst into laughter. She liked this answer.
"You can eat slowly here. I'll be away for a while."
As she said this, she stood up. Unexpectedly, Ling Yin ran over and hugged her leg.
"You're not going to leave me here alone, are you?" After chatting for so long, it had already gotten dark. No wonder Ling Yin was scared.
Lu Yinxi was helpless. She casually clapped her hands, and two people immediately walked out of the darkness. They were Hongmei and Hongrui in men's clothes.
"I'll let these two accompany you. Is that okay?" Without waiting for her answer, Lu Yinxi continued, "If you still don't think it's okay, this young master doesn't mind taking you deep into the forest for a romantic night."
As soon as she said this, Ling Yin suddenly felt that the air around her had turned colder. She quickly let go of her hand and scurried back to the campfire.
"You, you go quickly!"
Finally free, Lu Yinxi gave a subtle look in a certain direction and calmly disappeared in front of Ling Yin.
After walking for a while, the young girl stopped and looked around. Just as she was about to speak, something suddenly attacked her from behind. Then she felt herself being pressed against a tree trunk, and she could smell someone's breath.
"Shang Luoshu."
In the darkness, she met his eyes. The man didn't respond, but his every move was a response.
His breath was so close, his hand was on her waist, and his face was slowly approaching. A strange numbness instantly spread through her body, making her heartstrings tremble.
She put her slender arms around his waist and tightened his clothes. Her red lips slightly parted, waiting for him to deepen the kiss.
Then, Shang Luoshu backed away.
He backed away!!!
What the hell???
"Don't say such things again in the future." The man buried his head in her neck and murmured softly.
Lu Yinxi smiled: I don't want to talk now. I just want to bite you to death!