Divine Doctor: Daughter of the First Wife (Yang Shi Liu) 801

861

This time, Feng Yu Heng openly entered Ji An Prefecture and brought all of the people at her side. Carrying her imperial daughter insignia and the sixth prince, Xuan Tian Feng’s, prestige, they entered. Inside Ji An Prefecture, the people of the Teng family had already been placed inside prisoner transport carriages, this included the elder madam and the severely ill Teng Ping. Regardless of wealth, the people of Ji An Prefecture lined up along the street where the prisoner transport carriages were, and they threw the things that they held toward the carriages. There were even some that simply threw stones, which knocked out one of the Teng family’s servants.

The people thoroughly hated the Teng family, especially those that had been cheated into coming. They were even more resentful of Teng Ping. But there were also some that felt afraid of being found out. For example, those that were the same as Teng Ping and had come to Ji An Prefecture to run businesses that would charge the citizens exorbitant prices to scam them. With the Teng family falling, they realized that this land would soon have a new owner. Although their shops were built here, they did not have any deeds. If Imperial Daughter Ji An became unhappy, they would need to immediately pack up their things and leave. They had no room to reason. But the construction of these shops required quite a bit of money. Before they could earn it back, leaving just like this made them feel a bit unreconciled. The people felt conflicted and gathered to discuss what they should do.

The 30 thousand troops set out after receiving orders from Xuan Tian Feng. It was only after they left that the inside the prefecture became quiet. Everyone stood in the streets, including two- or three-year-old children that were standing around with the adults. They watched the keen girl sitting atop the large horse, and it was as though they were waiting for a verdict on their fate.

At the same time, Feng Yu Heng was sizing up these citizens. Whether they were treacherous or good, she could tell at a glance.

She smiled and asked: “Are you Da Shun’s people or Ji An’s people?”

Everyone was stunned. Da Shun’s people or Ji An’s people? How should they respond to this question? To the people that lived in Ji An Prefecture, they were Ji An’s people because their families had been forced into Ji An Prefecture by the Teng family many generations earlier. As for those that had their businesses snatched by the Teng family many months earlier and had no choice but to move into Ji An Prefecture, their families had been Da Shun’s people for many generations. Now that they had fallen to this point, it was a result of being harmed by the Teng family.

The people were very helpless against this question. Someone with a bit of courage asked: “Does Imperial Daughter want us to be Da Shun’s people or Ji An’s people?”

Feng Yu Heng continued to smile and pondered carefully; however, her smile also concealed a murderous intent. Nobody could guess what exactly this smile hid; however, they could also understand that Imperial Daughter Ji An was not very happy. Although she had reclaimed Ji An Prefecture, although the Teng family had already been punished, there were too many questions about the maintenance of Ji An Prefecture. For example, how should these citizens be handled?

“It’s not like this imperial daughter is hoping for you to be from a certain place. You are from where you are from.” Feng Yu Heng’s voice eased up a bit, as she told them: “Instead, it’s where do you hope to be from? What sort of person do you want to be? How much attachment do you feel to the Teng family, and how much attachment do you feel for Da Shun? I know that this is a very difficult choice, and I know that this is a problem handed down by history. It can’t be blamed on anyone, but since this fief has already been conferred by the Emperor of Da Shun to me, I have absolute power of this land. Including the houses and deeds, including the grass and trees and also the families.”

While she spoke, she pulled out the imperial decree that she had received from the Emperor at the time. She then handed it to the prefect of Yu Zhou, Qian Feng Shou, who had also come along. Qian Feng Shou very reliably read the imperial decree to everyone. Fearing that the words would be too difficult to understand, he explained in layman terms: “This fief has belonged to Da Shun since ancient times, and it was a plot of land that was prepared to be rewarded to someone that contributed significantly. As for the former Teng family, they were prefecture guards and were just taking care of this place for Da Shun. To Ji An Prefecture, they were just people that were to be gatekeepers for this place, but their ideas became too grand. After many generations, they gradually forgot about their own identities and position. They ended up viewing themselves as the master of this place. Punishing the nine generations of those people would not be an exaggeration. On the other hand, Imperial Daughter Ji An, who was personally conferred Ji An Prefecture, is the proper owner. She is the proper ruler of this land. The houses that you live in and the shops that you opened, only Imperial Daughter Ji An has the right to give you deeds that would be acknowledged by the courts of Da Shun. Do you understand?”