Accidentally dressed as an empress

Chapter 212 Recalling the Garrison

Li Mian was tied tightly with ropes and escorted to the center of the venue.

Yunxiu, who was supervising the execution, stood aside with an expressionless face, the command flag in his hand trembling slightly in the wind.

With the sound of a dull gong, the moment of execution officially arrived, and the executioner walked forward with heavy steps.

The surrounding people gathered around the execution ground, some covered the child's eyes with their hands, and some were whispering about his crimes.

The executioner raised his sword high, the muscles in his arm tensed. With a flash of cold light, the sword fell, and Li Mian's head rolled to the ground. Blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the ground red. The headless body slowly fell to the ground.

In Yunyin City, the talk of the town, apart from the former governor Li Mian who had committed many evil deeds, was more about the new governor, His Highness, the Emperor's daughter, Yunxiu.

In the streets and alleys of Yunyin City, people gathered together, and children jumped into the crowd, and everyone was discussing enthusiastically.

"The emperor's daughter actually came to this remote place like ours? This is so strange. Do you think she was exiled for committing a serious crime?" An old farmer with dark skin and wrinkles on his face spoke first.

"I think it's possible. There's endless wealth and splendor in the palace, but here in our remote place, there's nothing. What could she gain by coming here? She must have committed a crime and was banished here by the emperor." A fat middle-aged woman shook her head and analyzed seriously.

"But even if she did commit a crime, she is still a princess, and her status is there. Maybe she offended some powerful person, which is why she ended up like this."

At this time, a teacher in a tattered gown cleared his throat and said, "I heard that there are constant struggles in the palace. Perhaps she chose the wrong side in the vortex of power. It's just a pity for her, going from being a high-ranking imperial princess to being reduced to a poor village like ours."

Everyone was talking at once, and the discussion became more and more heated. Everyone was making various guesses and inferences about the reasons why the princess came here based on their own imagination and limited knowledge.

After a heated discussion, they came to a rather simple conclusion that the prefect must have committed a crime and was demoted.

At this time, outside the prefectural government, a six-year-old girl opened her eyes wide and asked innocently, "Master Prefect? ​​Have you done something wrong?"

When Yunxiu heard this, she could only smile bitterly, not knowing how to respond.

An old woman came forward, looked at Yunxiu, and said lovingly, "It's okay, child. No matter what, you are always welcome here."

After that, a group of enthusiastic villagers took action. Some brought cattle and sheep to the prefectural government, and some brought eggs. Everyone felt from the bottom of their hearts that she was a poor princess in distress.

"The army around Her Royal Highness the Princess only has a few hundred people. I heard that they were borrowed from Xiling to suppress bandits. Her Royal Highness the Princess is so pitiful." said an old lady.

"Your Excellency, the Governor has it so hard." An old man nearby echoed with a soft sigh, "This is a chaotic time with bandits everywhere. How can we, with only a few hundred men, be enough?"

"I don't know what the imperial court is thinking. Why doesn't it send more troops?"

A young man frowned, his face full of confusion and resentment, "Although our area is remote, Her Royal Highness is here, we can't be so perfunctory."

At this time, a well-traveled merchant chimed in, "Hey, how could we possibly understand the ins and outs of this? Perhaps the ministers at court are too busy vying for power to care about our little place. It's a pity for the governor to have to find a way out in this difficult situation."

Everyone nodded, and for a moment, feelings of sympathy and concern spread among the crowd.

The old lady continued, "I just hope that the days ahead will be more peaceful, so that the governor can breathe a sigh of relief, and so that we ordinary people can live a stable life."

Everyone's words made Yunxiu frown even more tightly.

Please stop talking. If they continue to promote it like this, the few hundred people here will be gone.

..............................

In Lingyun City

In the study of Yunji Palace, Gu Zezhi reported to Yun Se in detail everything the inspectors saw and heard along the way, without leaving out anything.

Yun Se suddenly remembered something and asked, "The garrison has been escorting for so long, it's time for them to return, right?"

Yun Se's words made everyone present afraid to respond easily, and the palace fell into dead silence.

After a long time, Gu Zezhi finally responded with courage: "Your Majesty, according to the itinerary, the garrison troops should be on their way back and will arrive soon. But..." He hesitated to speak.

"Just what?" Yun Se asked.

"But I heard that Your Highness is in a very difficult situation in Yunyin City. The guards around him are weak, with only the 500 garrison troops. Moreover, the local situation is complicated and has not been completely settled. Various forces are undercurrents. If the troops are transferred away, Your Highness will inevitably be unable to cope." Gu Zezhi said cautiously.

Yun Se frowned, "The situation in Yunyin City is complicated? How complicated is it? Gu Zezhi, please tell me in detail."

Gu Zezhi lowered his head slightly as he reported the news about Yunyin City in detail. When he mentioned Yunxiu's use of Xiling soldiers to suppress bandits, his voice dropped slightly, "Your Majesty, Yunyin City was previously plagued by rampant banditry. After Your Highness arrived, he saw that the city was short of troops and unable to fight the fierce bandits, so he decisively decided to borrow troops from Xiling. Your Highness used the troops with great skill, sending a special force into the city disguised as a grain transport, and they defeated the fierce bandits entrenched in Yunyin City."

Upon hearing this, Yun Se frowned and asked, "Are there still any remaining bandit remnants in Yunyin City?"

Gu Zezhi quickly responded, "Your Majesty, although most of the bandits have been wiped out, there are still small groups of remnants roaming in the deep mountains and old forests."

Yun Se looked at him gravely and asked, "Are the people in the city safe?"

Gu Zezhi sighed: "The people are suffering terribly, their farmland has been trampled, many houses have been burned down, many people are homeless and have no food to eat.

Seeing this, Her Highness quickly initiated disaster relief efforts. She first checked the city's grain reserves, then mobilized supplies from all over, even dipping into her own private treasury. Her Highness personally distributed porridge to comfort the people, who were filled with gratitude and whose hearts gradually calmed.

Yun Se nodded slightly, and Gu Zezhi continued, "Your Highness also attaches great importance to the repair of waterways. The old waterways in Yunyin City have been almost paralyzed due to years of disrepair and damage by bandits.

This reconstruction project is a huge one, requiring the digging of new channels, clearing of silt, and reinforcement of embankments.

Her Highness meticulously planned the project. She summoned the city's young and capable men and hired craftsmen to advance the project step by step. The common people also responded enthusiastically, volunteering to contribute. The waterway is now taking shape. Upon completion, it will surely boost Yunyin City's water conservancy and ensure worry-free irrigation.

"What about the administration of Yunyin City?" Yun Se asked.

Gu Zezhi's eyes were stern: "After His Highness took office, he found that Li Mian, the former governor of Yunyin City, had been secretly obstructing him since his escape, and even created a plague in an attempt to make His Highness retreat.

After His Highness found out the truth, he executed Li Mian's cousin and his family with swift and decisive measures, confiscating their property and making it public. He then captured the former governor, Li Mian, and beheaded him in public.

"Your Highness has personally taken charge of government affairs, and the people are grateful to you, and their confidence in the court is gradually recovering. However, long-term banditry and oppression by corrupt officials have severely damaged the local foundations. It will take a great deal of time and effort to fully restore the prosperity of the past."

Yun Se frowned slightly, feeling mixed emotions. "If I don't ask, you guys won't report Yun Xiu's situation in Yunyin City?"

Yun Se asked again, "How long have the bandits occupied Yunyin City? Why didn't anyone report it?"

Gu Zezhi fell silent.

Yun Se felt a surge of anger at being fooled. "You all know that Yunyin City is full of bandits?"

Eighteen years ago, she personally led the army to quell the rebellion of Fang State and passed by Yunyin City.

At that time, Yunyin City had prosperous streets and thriving commerce, and it was a wealthy place.

But now, the situation has become so bad, and during this long time, no one has told her the truth.

Gu Zezhi remained silent, while Gu Xiuzhi lowered his head and said, "I think Your Majesty is perhaps training Your Highness... After all, Heaven has bestowed upon this man a great responsibility..."

"How long do you plan to keep this secret from me?" Yun Se's voice exploded like thunder. "The memorials submitted by the prefects from all over the country every year all say pretty much the same thing! ... You only know how to pick the nice things to say to me!"

Seeing this, Xu Ling, Gu Zezhi and Gu Xiuzhi all knelt down with a plop, not daring to move at all.

At this moment, Yi Yuan, who was standing beside the chair, suddenly spoke: "But can we govern the country just by looking at what we see on paper? Why doesn't Your Majesty go and see it for yourself?" His tone was calm, but it seemed particularly abrupt in the silent atmosphere.

Gu Zezhi and Gu Xiuzhi looked at each other and sighed in their hearts. Only Yi Yuan, who was deeply favored by His Majesty, would dare to say such words.

Yun Se's gaze slowly shifted to the young Yi Yuan. After staring at him for a long time, he slowly spoke, "You're right... maybe I've been wrong all along."