Chapter 152 Taking Over the Farm
Chapter 152 Taking Over the Farm

After coming out of the palace, Ye Xuan still felt a little self-pitying.

"It's all my fault for being too soft-hearted," Ye Xuan sighed, "I should have known better than to care about the lives of those people in Beishan Royal Farm. It would have been fair to the people to bring down Li Guodong. Why did I have to chase after Old Zhu and ask..."

"That's great. I have one more errand to do. How can I enjoy my leisure time in the future?"

No matter how resentful he was, Ye Xuan couldn't do anything about it.

Instead of returning to the Zhenfu Division immediately, Ye Xuan first came to the inn where Yao Guang and the common people lived.

Since parting with Ye Xuan last night, Yao Guang couldn't sleep the whole night and was always feeling uneasy.

Although Li Guodong had been tied up with hemp ropes by Ye Xuan and thrown into the Jinyiwei prison, Li Guodong was still a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue.

Is it really that simple, Ye Xuan can just arrest him if he says so?
Was it so easy to bring him down based on the confessions of a few small fry?

After all, Yao Guang was only a minor official of the ninth rank, who was sent to a county town in a remote area. At best, he was just an insignificant clerk.

Although he was in Yingtian Prefecture, he had always stayed in Beishan Imperial Farm. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was a country bumpkin. After all, he underestimated the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Just as I was worrying about the future, I saw Ye Xuan enter the inn.

It was lunchtime, and Yao Guang was the head of the imperial farm. Seeing the people's representatives looking at him with pitiful eyes, he felt embarrassed to be too stingy, so he took out a few coins and bought some steamed buns and noodles for everyone.

These people were just the lowest class farmers in Beishan Royal Farm, and their daily living conditions were not much different from Xu Erdan's.

Normally, being able to drink white rice porridge was considered a festival, but seeing white flour buns and even noodles with oil floating on them, they were all extremely happy and kept flattering Yao Guang for his generosity.

Fortunately, Ye Xuan's people had already paid for the inn's accommodation, otherwise Yao Guang would have felt so distressed.

"My lord, you are back," Yao Guang greeted him nervously, carefully observing Ye Xuan's expression and said, "My lord, you haven't eaten yet, let's eat first."

Looking at the people at the table, Ye Xuan nodded and said, "It's a rare opportunity to come to Yingtian Prefecture, and this is what you eat?"

Yao Guang's mouth twitched when he heard that. He actually wanted to eat something better.

But these peasants usually have difficulty filling their stomachs, so they definitely don’t have a penny on them.

Although he was an official, it was well known that the salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were terribly low. Treating these people to noodles was enough to make him feel distressed for a long time.

But he is a fifth-rank official after all, so it seems inappropriate to let Ye Xuan eat steamed buns with him.

Yao Guang gritted his teeth and called the waiter, saying, "Bring two side dishes and half a chicken."

The waiter looked at the seven or eight big men at the table and instinctively asked, "Sir, is this half chicken enough?"

"Enough, why is it not enough!"

As soon as the word "chicken" came out, Yao Guang immediately felt that everyone at the table was looking at him, and he said urgently: "We are all full, but Lord Ye hasn't eaten yet!"

Yao Guang emphasized the three words "Lord Ye" as if he was hinting at something.

Fortunately, although these people have not received much education, they still understand some basic social etiquette.

Hearing this, they all swallowed their saliva and nodded: "Yes, yes, we have all eaten."

Ye Xuan glanced at the half-eaten buns or half-eaten bowls of noodles in the hands of the people, smiled and shook his head, and said to the waiter: "Don't give me half a chicken. It's not easy for everyone to come to Yingtian. Give everyone a chicken and a few of the signature dishes!"

"One chicken per person!" Everyone exclaimed, and Yao Guang was even more worried and said, "Sir, one chicken per person is too much, I think why don't we just get one in total, so that we can all eat enough."

Ye Xuan smiled and said, "Not much. If you can't finish it, pack it up and take it back for my wife and children to taste the meat."

Seven or eight common people were very excited when they heard this, but they looked at Yao Guang, who looked like his mother had died, and lowered their heads in embarrassment.

As if he could see through everyone's thoughts, Ye Xuan laughed and patted Yao Guang on the shoulder and said, "It's not easy for everyone to come to Yingtian, so eat as much as you want. I'll treat you!"

"real!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yao Guang's worry disappeared immediately.

Soon after, seven or eight big fat roast chickens were served.

Yao Guang was still concerned about his status as a court official and ate in small bites, but the common people did not have so many concerns and wolfed down the food. In a short while, they had swept away all the food on the table like a whirlwind.

Even the chicken bones were not spared, they were all chewed up and swallowed.

It’s just that everyone has some food wrapped in their sleeves that they haven’t eaten yet, and they plan to take it back for their wives and children to try.

Ye Xuan was somewhat touched by this, and he sighed and said, "Everyone, eat as much as you want, money is not a problem."

Having said that, he raised his hand and called the waiter to bring another serving of the same dish.

"Sir, this is too expensive!" Xu Erdan wiped his grease-covered mouth embarrassedly.

The rest of the people were also embarrassed to say that they were full, and Yao Guang also dissuaded them, saying: "We are all country men who have never eaten meat. If we eat too much, we will get a stomachache!"

Ye Xuan smiled slightly and said, "If you're worried about getting a stomachache, just pack it up and take it home to eat slowly."

Seeing that everyone was still being polite, Ye Xuan waved his hand and said, "Okay, everyone, don't save money for me. Although I am not corrupt, I still have this little bit of wealth."

"Sir, today you have let me, Yao, see what it means to be a parent official!" Yao Guang couldn't help but said with emotion.

Not to mention a fifth-rank Beijing official like Ye Xuan, even Li Guodong, during those two years when he still had a conscience, couldn't help but show disgust when he saw farmers covered in mud.

Not only did Ye Xuan not show any disgust, he even ate at the same table with them.

This alone was enough to move these ignorant people.

After all, a fifth-rank official is almost the highest-ranking official they will ever see in their lifetime.

Not to mention that Ye Xuan took the initiative to treat them to a meal and even allowed them to take the food away.

The people were moved to tears and even choked with sobs.

"Sir, it would be great if you were our boss!"

"I, Old Zhang, will never forget your kindness, sir!"

"Sir, we won't eat the chicken. It's not easy for you to earn some money."

Seeing the reactions of the crowd, Ye Xuan laughed and said, "You guys, eat without worry. This is the first meal of the working day. You should work hard for me in the future and plant the potatoes well, which will be a reward for me."

Seeing that everyone hadn't understood the meaning of his words, Ye Xuan simply said: "From now on, I will be the head of your Royal Manor, and you are not allowed to slack off!"

(End of this chapter)