PDLP Chapter 133 The Spy Planted in Li Family Village by the Imperial City Guard
Chapter 133 The Spy Planted in Li Family Village by the Imperial City Guard
Lijiazhai remained as peaceful as ever. In high spirits, Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, began his cultural creation early in the morning. The morning scene of Lijiazhai quickly appeared under his brush. Zhao Ji's unique painting technique vividly depicted the morning scene of Lijiazhai.
"Father, hurry up and eat, the porridge I made for you is getting cold."
When Zhao Yingluo heard from her servants that Zhao Ji hadn't eaten breakfast, she thought something was wrong with her father's health, so she came over to check on him.
After calmly affixing his seal to the painting, Emperor Huizong carefully blew away the ink.
"Hahaha... I never thought my painting skills would improve so much as I get older. What do you think of my painting of our Li Family Village?"
Zhao Yingluo said with a wry smile, "Master Zhao, you still need to eat even if you're a painter."
Zhao Ji took Zhao Yingluo's hand and walked towards the dining hall: "Li Zhen has been away for almost three months this time, and I have prepared more than a dozen paintings for him. It is not easy to find a confidant these days, let alone one who is also your son-in-law."
Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) probably doesn't know Li Zhen's true thoughts. If he knew that Li Zhen didn't understand painting and just wanted to transport his painstakingly created paintings to modern society to sell at high prices, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood.
Upon arriving at the canteen, Wang Ma, who had only been there a few days prior, came over carrying a wooden tray.
"Hehehe...Grandpa, I specially cooked this white fungus eight-treasure porridge for you. Madam specifically instructed me to do this. You should drink it while it's hot."
The servant standing beside him skillfully took out a silver needle from his pocket and carefully examined the food that was served in front of everyone.
Wang Ma complained, "Oh dear, look at you, you're an old lady in the village, what kind of wicked thoughts could you possibly have?"
The attendant seemed not to hear anything and continued his inspection as if nothing had happened. Zhao Yingluo, standing nearby, also remained silent. She felt it was better to be cautious; after all, caution is always the best policy.
After Zhao Ji finished breakfast in the dining hall, he and Zhao Yingluo went to see their little grandson. Although Zhao Ji had countless children, he showed particular care for this little grandson.
After they left, Wang Ma tidied up and, seeing that no one was paying attention, quietly went to a house in the outer village.
"So, have you found an opportunity to make your move?"
A middle-aged man with a limp spoke up. He and Wang Ma were spies sent by Qin Hui to investigate Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, and to plot against him. This man was outwardly a blacksmith; his honest appearance and physical disability lowered people's guard.
Wang Ma said with some difficulty, "He has a servant by his side who stays by his side all the time. I think that servant should be a martial arts expert, so we can't make a move rashly."
The middle-aged man stood up, leaning on his cane. He looked at Wang Ma with a cold gaze and said, "We need to hurry up and think of a way. You should know that we went to great lengths to get you into the inner village's dining hall."
Wang Ma replied with her head down, "I will definitely think of another way. It would be best if you could use some means to separate that servant from Zhao Ji, otherwise I'm afraid I'm no match for that person."
"Let's leave it at that for now, I'll think of something else. They're pressing us hard. If we succeed here, we and our descendants will be set for life."
A dozen minutes later, after seeing that no one was around, Wang Ma returned to the inner village canteen and began helping the kitchen prepare lunch.
Lijiazhai is now divided into an inner village and an outer village. The inner village has service facilities such as a canteen, where people can eat for free as long as they have personal points. The outer village is different. Although there is also a canteen, people have to pay for their own meals. In addition, most of the people in the outer village are ordinary people who basically cook for themselves at home.
Wang Ma thought she had been very careful, but she didn't know that a pair of eyes had been watching her from not far behind. After seeing her enter the dining hall, the mysterious person quietly went to a room in the inner village's council hall.
"Boss, that old woman Wang has met with Zhang the blacksmith again recently. When should we take action to get rid of them? You know, the brothers eat in the canteen every day. If that old woman causes trouble, we'll be in big trouble."
The officer in charge of intelligence gathering scolded, "What's the panic? You should know we have people in the mess hall too. Otherwise, would I have let her in so easily? Just do your job properly from now on. I don't know when we'll make our move. We'll have to listen to Mr. Bad."
To better gather enemy intelligence and prevent infiltration by enemy spies, Li Zhen specially selected a group of skilled and quick-witted soldiers to form an intelligence department. In fact, ever since Qin Hui sent spies from the Imperial City Guard into the mountain stronghold, they had already discovered their identities. In order not to alert the enemy, they decided to observe in secret for the time being, and then uproot the entire intelligence system of the Imperial City Guard in Anyang Prefecture.
The autumn harvest season was fast approaching, and the people of Neihuang County were harvesting their own grain for the first time. Although they would have to hand over a quarter of it to the government, they were still full of enthusiasm. Because the land belonged to them, they took extra care in cultivating it. Once the autumn harvest was over, almost every family would have enough grain reserves for the winter. If there were any surplus, they could sell the grain to the government in exchange for money or various necessities.
In addition, the crops planted this year are different; they are corn seeds that Li Zhen brought from modern times. Besides eating the corn after the harvest, the tall corn stalks can be used as feed for cattle and sheep, as well as fuel for heating in winter.
In addition to corn, the people also planted a large amount of sweet potatoes, potatoes and high-yield soybeans, which gave the people of Anyang Prefecture more choices for staple foods on their tables.
Qian Dazhuang rode on horseback to inspect the autumn harvest. He gave instructions to the officials in various townships, emphasizing the need to strengthen the management of government granaries and prevent officials from extorting money or goods from the people.
Qian Dazhuang also came from a background of refugees. He deeply understood the importance of land to the people, and that the grain they harvested was their only source of food for survival. Therefore, Neihuang County, which he governed, was the most lenient towards the people.
Seeing the joy of the harvest on the faces of the people, the officials of Neihuang County were also pleased. These officials had all risen through the ranks from ordinary people; most of them were among the first group of people in Lijiazhai, and their loyalty and work ethic were impeccable. To put it another way, if someone didn't do a good job, you could only say they lacked ability, but you couldn't say they had a bad work attitude.
According to Li Zhen's agricultural plan, after the corn harvest, wheat should be planted in the fields immediately, so that a piece of land can be harvested twice a year. It's important to understand that in the past, each piece of land could only be harvested once a year, and wheat yields were very low. After paying rent to the landlords, the common people had very little left. In years of famine, they might not even be able to pay the rent, which would eventually become an insurmountable debt.