When Xiao Ling and Xiao Ying landed at the port of Gusu, Xiao Bai happened to catch up with them.
By this ti, Gusu had already entered winter, and the weather was getting colder by the day.
As soon as the group got ashore, they hurriedly changed their padded clothes to cotton garnts, and by the ti Xiao Bai caught up, his hands were nearly freezing.
Seeing Xiao Bai, Xiao Ying asked, "Why are you here?"
Xiao Bai followed Xiao Ying and Xiao Ling to their rented house, and took out a pendant he carried, handing it to Xiao Ying, "This is from Mother for you, she also ntioned..."
Xiao Bai had a good mory and repeated everything Anning had said.
Xiao Ling looked at the pendant and asked Xiao Bai, "How did this pendant co about?"
Despite his young age, Xiao Bai put on a mature deanor, sighed, and recounted how Xiao Jin took a concubine, Anning and the Hui Family fought their way to the door, how they noticed the oddity about Bai i, and then brought her ho for questioning: "This pendant is from Bai i, she said she has a dear older brother working for the Zhang Family."
Xiao Ying realized Anning wanted them to use the pendant to find Lansheng, to enlist Lansheng’s help, facilitating their actions.
"Alright, I understand now."
Xiao Ying carefully put away the pendant, then gathered with Xiao Ling and Xiao Bai to discuss their plan of action.
They decided Xiao Ying would find Zhou Lansheng, Xiao Bai would take so n to the Zhang Family’s manor to spread rumors, prompting those working for the Zhang Family to leave, while Xiao Ling would gather the fleet at the port, waiting to transport the farrs away.
Once the tasks were divided, they sprang into action imdiately.
The Zhang Family was completely oblivious.
The Zhang Family focused on their ancestral ho and so shops, not paying much attention to the farrs on the manor.
To them, those impoverished people had no other livelihood than working for their family, and aside from collecting rent, the rest of the ti they could be disregarded.
Yet, under their oblivious noses, Xiao Ying and Xiao Bai had already begun their subtle maneuvers.
Xiao Ying found Zhou Lansheng.
He showed the pendant to Zhou Lansheng, quietly saying, "Yinya asked to find you."
Zhou Lansheng was imdiately thrilled, "Where is she? How is she now? Please don’t harm her, I will cooperate with whatever you want to do."
Xiao Ying thought to himself that Zhou Lansheng truly had deep feelings for Yinya.
He smiled, "Don’t worry, she’s at my ho, my mother treats her well. She told my mother about your mutual affection, and my mother wishes to support you both. That’s why I have co with the pendant to find you, Zhou Lansheng. Do you want to see Yinya, to live without oppression, to live with dignity?"
A series of questions stirred Zhou Lansheng even more.
"As long as she’s safe, I’ll do anything."
He gave a bitter smile, "I won’t live long anyway, my life is worthless, I just want to..."
"What do you an, won’t live long?"
Xiao Ying frowned.
Zhou Lansheng replied, "You probably don’t know, the Zhang Family has been using poison to control us. If we want to survive, we need the antidote..."
Xiao Ying listened and was not troubled, "Just tell if you want to live with dignity, leave the poison to us. Once you’re in the Southern Yi, soone will provide the antidote."
Hearing this, Zhou Lansheng was no longer afraid, "Tell what to do."
Xiao Ying whispered his instructions for assistance, and Zhou Lansheng listened attentively. Over the following days, he contacted several acquaintances working for the Zhang Family.
Zhou Lansheng and these acquaintances were stewards of the manor, each managing a parts of the estate. Familiar with many Zhang Family matters, their assistance greatly facilitated Xiao Bai’s actions.
He quickly placed agents in the Zhang Family manor to indoctrinate the farrs.
Many farrs on the Zhang Family’s manor were known as hidden households in Gusu, without any official registration.
These people had no official records with the governnt, unable to travel, conduct business, or take the imperial examination, utterly reliant on the Zhang Family’s estate for survival, with generation after generation living under oppression.
Year after year, day after day, they toiled away, spending most of the year in the fields. anwhile, much of their harvest was handed over to the Zhang Family, leaving them with barely enough to eat.
They wore rags and starved, subjected to beatings and humiliation, living without any semblance of hope.
The agents placed by Xiao Bai spoke of the wonderful life in Southern Yi, emphasizing that there weren’t any hidden households, and that the Third Young Master had allowed these hidden households to register with the governnt, gaining official status equal to common citizens, enjoying the sa rights, having land to cultivate, and walking freely without oppression.
They also said that the agricultural taxes in Southern Yi were much lower and the grain yield abundant. Families had full granaries, kept chickens and ducks, so even had sheep, enjoying a at al every ten or fifteen days, living a much better life.
Listening to this, the Zhang Family’s farrs felt like they were hearing about a utopia.
They could hardly imagine such a life, filled with warmth, food, and freedom, almost heavenly.
Many were tempted.
Xiao Bai assured them that upon reaching the Southern Yi, they would receive land, grain seeds, and An Family’s silver, with even better opportunities for the skilled among them.
Coincidentally, a steward from the Zhang Family visited the manor, took a liking to a young wife, and she, unwilling, was bullied, with her husband and parents-in-law nearly beaten to death.
This incident was the last straw for many farrs; even those with registration wanted to follow to the Southern Yi.
After all, farming here under Zhang Family’s na ant a life of hardship even for registered households, eager for a better life.
Moreover, since Southern Yi was essentially independent, not under Da Qi’s jurisdiction, going there ant re-registering, rendering their current status in Gusu irrelevant.
Thus, after nearly a month of activity led by Xiao Ying and Xiao Bai, most farrs on the Zhang Family’s manors packed up, deciding to follow Xiao Ying to the Southern Yi.
Xiao Ying sent a ssage to Xiao Ling, and soon the fleet gathered at the port.
That night, Xiao Ying and Xiao Bai led the people, escorting the farrs away.
They departed at night and by midnight had traveled far.
Xiao Ying instructed Xiao Bai to lead the way while he returned with his n and set fire to the empty Zhang Family’s manor.
With the village chiefs and the farrs gone, fires unchecked, the Zhang Family’s stewards and masters were too lost in their revelries to notice their missing farrs and goods now up in flas.
Traveling for two days, resting by day and moving by night, they soon reached the port. While the Zhang Family scrambled to track down their missing workers, the Southern Yi fleet sailed out into the vast ocean.
Upon receiving news, Xiao Yuan returned ho, laughing with Anning, "To think you delivered such a decisive blow to the Zhang Family. You really went all out this ti, striking at their very core."
Anning chuckled, "Like striking a snake at its seven-inch mark. If I take action, I aim to strike a killing blow."
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