RPAGF Chapter 129 The Prime Minister is actually a woman, and His Majesty the Emperor drools over her.
Chapter 129 The Prime Minister is actually a woman, and His Majesty the Emperor drools over her.
The man slowly stood up and walked towards Mu Wanwan with slow but firm steps.
His eyes gleamed with undisguised flirtation, and a repulsive smile played on his lips.
Mu Chenfeng, who had been standing to the side, reacted quickly. Without hesitation, he reached out and pulled Mu Wanwan behind him, using his tall frame to firmly block her.
Upon seeing this, the man immediately turned his gaze to Mu Chenfeng. When his eyes met Mu Chenfeng's, he couldn't help but feel a chill.
Mu Chenfeng's gaze was unusually sharp, sending chills down one's spine. Clearly, he was not someone to be trifled with.
"Hmph! Since this beauty has you protecting her, I will temporarily waive your crimes for now. However, you'd better be sensible and get out of my way, lest you interfere with my business!" the man said, his voice stern but his tone weak.
Mu Chenfeng remained expressionless, staring directly at the other party, and coldly asked, "Sir, may I ask which official you are?"
Upon hearing this, the man's face revealed a smug look. He proudly puffed out his chest and said loudly, "Haha, you must all be friends from out of town. You don't even know who I am? How ignorant you are! I may tell you, I am the prefect of this place, Lord Li."
Hiding behind Mu Chenfeng, Mu Wanwan quietly reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve.
Mu Chenfeng understood immediately, turned around, bent down, and listened attentively.
Mu Wanwan lowered her voice and said, "He should be the target we are looking for this time, there is no mistake."
Upon receiving this news, Mu Chenfeng straightened up again, looked at the man who called himself Lord Li, a barely perceptible sneer flashing in his eyes, and then said loudly, "Well done, Lord Li! Today we've truly seen what you've got."
Zhao Yihan flashed forward like a gust of wind, his powerful hands slamming the man to the hard ground. The man's companions, horrified, rushed forward, shouting angrily, trying to rescue their master.
Mu Chenfeng's lips curled into a disdainful sneer. He then nimbly weaved between the group, his fists and palms clashing, his legs flashing. Several dull thuds rang out, and the men who had just charged forward were instantly sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground with painful groans.
Meanwhile, Mu Wanwan stood to the side, her face flushed with excitement, clapping and cheering incessantly.
Her beautiful eyes sparkled with adoration and joy, and she called out sweetly, "Husband, be careful!"
Hearing his beloved wife's concerned voice, Mu Chenfeng felt a warmth in his heart, and unconsciously increased the pressure on his hands. Those who had been knocked to the ground immediately cried out in agony, their screams echoing throughout the alley.
Zhao Yihan stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, his face filled with astonishment.
He never imagined that the usually gentle and refined Mu Chenfeng could be so fierce and brutal when he hit someone, which was terrifying.
Seeing that all the enemies had been subdued, Mu Chenfeng slowly stopped his attack, gently patted his slightly disheveled clothes, and then walked gracefully to Mu Wanwan's side.
At this moment, he looked like a triumphant hero, gazing at Mu Wanwan with anticipation, as if waiting for something.
"Heroic, isn't it?"
Mu Chenfeng raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile. Mu Wanwan nodded without hesitation, giving him a thumbs-up without reservation, and praised, "Amazing! My husband is simply invincible!"
Mu Chenfeng was delighted to receive Mu Wanwan's praise, and a bright smile appeared on his face.
Then, Mu Chenfeng instructed Zhao Yihan, "Lock this person up first."
Zhao Yihan quickly agreed and directed his men to drag away the person who had collapsed to the ground.
The woman who had been rescued earlier rushed forward and knelt down in front of Mu Chenfeng with a thud.
Tears streamed down her face, and her voice choked with sobs as she said, "Thank you so much for saving me, sir. I am deeply grateful. If it weren't for your righteous help, I'm afraid I would have..." Before she could finish speaking, she broke down in tears.
Mu Chenfeng quickly stepped forward and gently helped the woman up from the ground.
The woman raised her head, her face still streaked with tears, making her look even more pitiful and endearing.
"Young lady, I just heard from Lord Li that your family had no choice but to sell you because they couldn't pay the taxes. Is that true?"
Upon hearing this, the woman slowly stood up, gently wiping away the tears on her cheeks with her sleeve. Then she nodded vigorously and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Indeed, the government has recently announced a significant increase in taxes, which is unbearable for us ordinary people."
Upon hearing this, Mu Chenfeng frowned deeply, pondering to himself: "Strange, the memorial submitted by the prefect is still lying quietly in my hall, yet to be reviewed. How could taxes suddenly be increased? Could it be as Mu Mu said, that these despicable corrupt officials dare to use the name of the court to plunder wealth at will, completely disregarding the lives of ordinary people?" Thinking of this, his face grew even more gloomy.
"Then may I ask, young lady, what new taxes have been added?" Mu Chenfeng suppressed his anger and tried his best to make his tone sound as calm as possible.
The woman took a deep breath, composed herself, and replied, "In response to your question, young master, there are many new taxes, including planting tax, education tax, and birth tax, among others..."
As the woman listed them one by one, Mu Chenfeng's face grew increasingly grim, eventually turning ashen.
"This is utterly absurd! Outrageous! These lawless corrupt officials!"
He could no longer contain his anger and roared. Seeing that things were not going well, Mu Wanwan quickly reached out and grabbed his sleeve, gently scratching his palm to signal him to be patient for a while.
Mu Chenfeng took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled to adjust his somewhat disordered breathing rhythm.
He looked at the scene before him with a determined gaze and said in a deep voice, "Give her some money so that she can get through this difficult time smoothly."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Qian, who was standing to the side, did not hesitate at all. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy silver ingot. He walked up to the woman, gently placed the silver in her slightly trembling hand, and said earnestly, "Young lady, take this silver and hurry to find your husband. And whatever you do, never go back to that house!"
In Qian Gonggong's view, a family that could bear to sell its own daughter for money was definitely not a kind family. Therefore, if this woman returned home, she would probably suffer the same tragic fate again and be cruelly sold once more.
The woman's eyes were filled with tears, and she clutched the silver ingot tightly in her hands, her lips trembling with excitement.
She bowed deeply to Mu Chenfeng and Eunuch Qian to express her heartfelt gratitude. Then, she turned and left in a hurry, her figure quickly disappearing at the end of the alley.
Mu Chenfeng slowly walked out of the narrow, dark alley and came to the bustling market.
The market was still bustling with people, a scene of prosperity and thriving activity.
The sounds of hawking and bargaining rose and fell, never ceasing. It was as if the heartbreaking scene that had just occurred in that alley had never happened.
Mu Chenfeng's expression was unusually solemn at this moment. Seeing this, Mu Wanwan, who had been closely following him, quickened her pace and jogged a few steps to walk alongside him.
She looked up at Mu Chenfeng's serious face and gently comforted him, "Husband, you don't need to blame yourself too much. Such tragic and pitiful things are probably already commonplace in this world. What we should consider now is what effective measures we can take to truly prevent such tragedies from happening again, so that the vast majority of people will no longer live in such hardship due to heavy taxes."
After all, in ancient feudal society, the phenomenon of selling children and even wives at will was far too common, and people seemed to have become numb to it.
Mu Chenfeng drove the carriage, the crisp sound of hooves echoing on the empty road. They gradually moved away from the bustling market and headed towards the quiet towns nearby. Sunlight fell on the carriage, casting long shadows.
A series of urgent shouts broke the tranquility of the journey. A thin figure suddenly rushed into the middle of the road and blocked their way.
The attendants quickly tightened the reins, bringing the carriage to a slow stop.
Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was a ragged child kneeling on the ground, clinging tightly to the wheel, refusing to get up.
The eunuch looked around warily and found that there was no one else suspicious besides the child.
Although this road is the only way to the market, it is located in a remote area and is usually deserted with few pedestrians.
Hearing the commotion outside, Mu Wanwan, who was sitting in the carriage, gently lifted the gauze curtain and peeked out to ask, "What's going on?"
Eunuch Qian quickly stepped forward and replied, "Madam, a child is blocking our way, asking for food."
The child seemed quite clever. Upon hearing this, he quickly scrambled to his feet, ran to the carriage in a few strides, and knelt down again with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to Mu Wanwan while pleading, "Madam, please have mercy! I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten for three whole days."
Mu Wanwan lowered her head and carefully examined the little boy in front of her.
He was small and thin, probably only five or six years old. His face was sallow, his cheekbones were high and prominent, and his big eyes were deeply sunken. He looked like a skeleton, obviously due to long-term malnutrition.
"Husband, I'm going down to take a look!" Mu Wanwan parted her lips slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with concern, and her delicate figure leaped down from the carriage as lightly as a blooming flower.
Seeing this, Mu Chenfeng felt a surge of worry and quickly followed him out of the car to find out what had happened.
Upon hearing her mistress's instructions, Cui'er, who was standing beside the carriage, quickly took out a few steamed buns from her bundle and carefully stuffed them into the little boy's arms.
The little boy gazed at the enticingly fragrant steamed bun in his hand, tears of surprise and emotion welling in his eyes. His voice choked with emotion as he said, "Thank you, Madam, thank you, Madam..."
Looking at the pitiful child in front of her, Mu Wanwan felt a pang of pity. She subconsciously reached out her slender hand, wanting to help him up from the cold ground.
The little boy timidly clutched the steamed bun in his arms tightly, as if it were his most precious treasure. Having received help, the little boy turned to leave.
Seeing this, Mu Wanwan couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. She asked, "Little friend, can you tell me where you're taking these steamed buns in such a hurry?"
Aren't you very hungry? Why are you holding a steamed bun but not eating it?
The little boy looked at Mu Wanwan with teary eyes, clutching the steamed bun tightly to his chest, as if afraid that Mu Wanwan would take it back.
“Madam, my mother just gave birth to a little sister. Because they can’t pay the taxes, they have to hide in the mountains behind the village. My father was beaten to death by the tax collectors. My mother has no food and no milk. If my mother doesn’t have milk, my little sister will go hungry. She’s so young, and I don’t want her to starve. So I want to bring some steamed buns up the mountain to share with my mother. If she’s full, she’ll have milk, and my little sister won’t go hungry.”
Upon hearing the little boy's words, Mu Wanwan's delicate body trembled slightly, and she stopped in her tracks.
She turned to look at Mu Chenfeng beside her, a questioning look in her beautiful eyes: "Husband, why don't we go with this child to see how his mother is doing?"
Mu Chenfeng nodded slightly in agreement, though he was also curious to know if it was really as the little boy described.
The two men turned their gaze to the little boy and asked gently, "Little friend, may we go with you to visit your mother?"
The little boy did not respond to them immediately, but looked hesitant.
He thought to himself, if these people in front of him were sent by the government, then once he led them to where his mother and sister were hiding, his whole family would probably be in danger of losing their lives!
The perceptive Mu Wanwan seemed to understand the little boy's worries. She gracefully bent down and slowly approached him.
That stunningly beautiful face was so close, the little boy could even feel her gentle breath brushing against his face.
Mu Wanwan raised her hand and solemnly swore to the little boy, "Little friend, I guarantee with my integrity that I will absolutely not cause any harm to your family."
The little boy stared wide-eyed at Mu Wanwan. She was so beautiful and charming, with a kind and approachable face, as if she possessed an irresistible charm.
After hesitating for a moment, the little boy's gaze began to wander back and forth over Mu Wanwan, as if trying to judge whether what she said was true from her expression and behavior.
Finally, the little boy gritted his teeth, as if he had made a great decision, and said, "Alright... but you must promise me that you will never tell anyone that my mother and sister are hiding in the mountains! Otherwise, if the government finds out, they won't survive!"
"Okay, let's pinky swear!"