vrcanaries Chapter 173 Sowing discord
Chapter 173 Sowing discord
"what!"
At this moment, a scream of pain suddenly broke out from the crowded crowd, and then a skinny man was kicked to the ground.
The girl's playful voice sounded at the right time, "You've spread rumors and stirred up trouble, and now this princess has caught you."
Ning Yunxiao raised his eyes, his gaze passed through the crowd and landed accurately on Jiang Lige.
He slowly raised his lips, waved at the girl, and then said solemnly: "Catch her."
The officers and soldiers escorting the grain received the order and stepped forward, quickly tying up the man on the ground.
Under the gaze of everyone, Jiang Lige walked towards Ning Yunxiao with a bright smile.
The steps were quite high, so Ning Yunxiao reached out to help Jiang Lige up. She did not hesitate and took his hand to climb up the platform. Then she turned to face the people, pointed at the tied man and spoke crisply.
"Fellow villagers, this spy has been paid to stir up trouble, instigating everyone to make things difficult for the Crown Prince. He's trying to exploit everyone's anxiety to achieve some unspeakable secret."
Jiang Lige changed the subject and continued, "It's not a big deal if we suffer some injustice, but is this person's goal really just to discredit us? Or does he want to stop the flood control project?"
Seeing that the situation was not good, the tied-up person spoke first and loudly objected.
"Nonsense! I'm just an ordinary citizen. I just cursed a few times in anger. Why do you say I'm a spy? Besides, I wasn't the only one cursing just now. The nobles from the capital wouldn't just pick on the weak, right?"
"Since I arrested you, there must be a reason. When the food arrived just now, everyone's attention was on it. Only you were still shouting slanderous words against the prince. And..." Jiang Lige folded his arms and turned to the people, "I wonder if any of the villagers have seen this man?"
“…” Endless silence filled the crowd.
Jiang Lige wasn't surprised by this either. He smiled and said, "If no one has seen him, then he's not from the border town. If he's not from the border town, why would he go so hard to target a flood control envoy?"
When the people heard this, they were shocked and realized that they had all fallen into the trap of the bad guys' instigation. Fortunately, Jiang Lige caught the culprit in time and avoided a big mistake.
The guilt of having wronged Ning Yunxiao surged up again. The crowd, which had been noisy just now, suddenly became quiet. The people lowered their heads, with guilt and uneasiness flashing in their eyes.
Expectations, disappointment, anger and guilt, too many emotions intertwined together, making the long silence particularly heavy.
"The Crown Prince traveled thousands of miles to the border town to control the flood, but we were deceived by spies and have been so harsh on him. It's truly unjust of us." A young man stepped forward, his face filled with guilt, and said, "I apologize to the Crown Prince!"
Following the young man's actions, many people also stood up and apologized to Ning Yunxiao.
Seeing this, Ning Yunxiao slowly walked forward and gave the leading young man a hand, sighing at the right time.
"To be honest, the grain, herbs, and other supplies shipped from the capital were targeted early on, so I had no choice but to secretly swap the supplies. As expected, the counterfeit goods capsized and were destroyed a few days later. The journey to get the supplies to us was a difficult one, and I can't tell you about it.
I'm not claiming credit for this. I simply want to tell you that I'm not from a border town, and whether it's deploying troops or getting the people to cooperate, there will always be some inconveniences. And these inconveniences are exactly what the manipulators behind the scenes desire, because only when we're suspicious of each other and acting independently can these evildoers reap the benefits.
"I, Ning Yunxiao, have always believed that good will prevail over evil. I will do good to everyone, just as I said before, and do everything in my power to protect everyone's safety. Let the past be the past. In the future, let us all join hands to overcome difficulties and protect the border town!"
Ning Yunxiao's words were ear-shaking. Not only did he analyze the possible conspiracy behind this matter, but he also brought the people to the level of "co-governance", making the people excited and proud, and each of them looked proud of it.
The crowd was excited and shouted: "Protect the border town! Protect the border town!"
Ning Yunxiao then revealed a resolute smile, "Thank you all for your support. I also promised everyone that I will uncover the mastermind behind this and restore order to everyone!"
Ning Yunxiao's promise made the people even more excited, and the cheers became louder and louder.
Amidst the cheers, only one person had a heavy expression on his face. He was the general who had always been at odds with Ning Yunxiao.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the general suddenly knelt before Ning Yunxiao and Jiang Lige, clasped his fists and said sincerely:
"A few days ago, I was worried about the flood in the border town, and my emotions were agitated, so I offended you two. Now, I do not ask for your forgiveness, but I hope that Your Highness will consider my sincere concern for the people and allow me to do my part in flood control. When the flood is over, I am willing to accept any punishment and return to my hometown!"
The two looked at each other and laughed when they heard the words. Ning Yunxiao did not reject the general's action, but said with a smile.
"Now is the time to recruit people. How can I blame you for being such a good official who is dedicated to serving the people? Get up, you will definitely be in the spotlight in the future."
Jiang Lige also agreed with a smile, and then he lightly reminded: "But my Lord, you need to be more vigilant in the future and don't let people with ulterior motives take advantage of you again."
"Rest assured, I will think twice before acting." The general was overwhelmed with emotion upon hearing this. "I, Lü Er, will go all out and follow you until death!"
After Lu Erbiao showed his sincerity, he stood up and helped the officers and soldiers escorting the supplies to carry them. When the people saw this, they also rushed over to help.
For a moment, it was a joyful scene with the military and civilians united as one.
In the dark, a man watched this joyful scene and clenched his fists.
Ning Yunxiao was kept on being talked about by Jiang Lige all the way back to the official inn. Now Ning Yunxiao's body could no longer withstand such torture.
On the return carriage, Jiang Lige lowered the curtains and belatedly realized, "Is the leader transporting the supplies General Xu from Jingzhou?"
Ning Yunxiao leaned on the carriage, looking a little lazy. He nodded slightly and explained to Jiang Lige.
"Yes. Rice, grain, and medicinal herbs are all heavy goods. If they are transported from the capital to the border town, it will take at least a month. By then, the daylily will be cold, so what use is there for treating water?"
After Ning Yunxiao said this, Jiang Lige suddenly understood.
"So, from the beginning, the Crown Prince had no intention of transporting supplies from the capital, but instead borrowed from the Jingzhou Army. He then secretly replaced the supplies transported from the capital with something else and returned them to the Jingzhou Army?"