......
Suddenly, the cicadas' song outside grew louder and clearer.
When Heir Apparent Han was slapped, he felt his ears ringing, and all the sounds from outside seed louder than usual.
It was as if sothing inside his ear had shattered, allowing sound to penetrate directly.
The noise made his head ache.
His face hurt too.
He watched as Qin threw the huge black ant far away.
The guards had watched helplessly as Heir Apparent Han received a slap.
They hadn't even had ti to react.
Then they heard Qin exclaim in surprise: "It's swollen! Young lord, I didn't an to, I was really just swatting the ant. You don't know, but last ti in our county, a cripple was bitten by ants and died. You're lucky to be alive."
As Qin spoke, her large hand gently patted her daughter, producing a soft sound.
Jiang Mianmian ca to her senses and let out a loud "Wah!" as she burst into tears.
When her father ca over, she cried even harder.
She was gasping for air between sobs.
Her father asked what happened.
She cried and hiccupped as she tattled.
"Uncle wanted to see the ant, I showed uncle the ant, uncle threw away, wuwuwu, uncle also hit the ant, wuwuwu..."
Jiang Changtian held his wailing daughter and looked at Heir Apparent Han, whose face was swollen on one side. Surprisingly, he smiled at Heir Apparent Han.
He comforted Mianmian: "It's nothing, it's nothing, don't cry. Uncle just isn't used to holding children, it was an accident."
Jiang Mianmian thought about how she could have really been dropped, and cried for real.
Although jumping down from trees didn't hurt her, and even her mother's punishnts weren't as painful.
But having found soone to complain to, her tears flowed uncontrollably.
She rested her chin on her father's shoulder and continued to wail.
Hearing his young daughter cry, Jiang Changtian felt her body tremble slightly as he held her.
Jiang Changtian already disliked this Heir Apparent Han, and the way he looked at Sister Xia made him want to add a vertical line to the window sill.
This Heir Apparent Han behaved poorly in the capital, yet he was always protected by the emperor. No matter how outrageous he was, the emperor seed to turn a blind eye.
In fact, Heir Apparent Han had grasped the emperor's heart in certain ways. His misdeeds and troublemaking made the emperor feel as if he represented the emperor's dark side. If it were the emperor himself, he actually had a bad side too, but he suppressed it, and no one dared to speak of it.
The emperor viewed Heir Apparent Han as if he were the embodint of his own evil thoughts.
Jiang Changtian had invited Heir Apparent Han to his ho because he was related to the Jiang family. His first stop upon arriving in Ming County was the Jiang Manor. Heir Apparent Han was probably a response to the letter Old Lady Jiang had written to the imperial son-in-law.
Old Lady Jiang had been very cautious in her letter, appearing to contain nothing but routine greetings.
She had inquired after the princess, the imperial son-in-law, and the young lord, lanting the passage of ti.
Now the young lord had actually co.
Who knew when the Seventh Prince's people would arrive.
Jiang Changtian was sowhat expectant, because he had discovered that among their rebel group,
Not only did Zi Lu seem unlike soone of humble origins,
But his ability to recruit so many talented individuals led so to suspect Zi Lu was connected to the forr crown prince.
There was also another suddenly erging group of rebels, located near the Seventh Prince's territory in the northwest. These n were strong and well-ard, each of great stature and formidable in battle.
Last year had been disastrous, with many places experiencing total crop failure. That area had been severely affected, with corpses of the starved littering the ground.
But how could the stature of these n be the result of a re vegetarian diet?
In the past, he hadn't liked eating at, but he forced himself to because without at, he lacked strength.
When tis were hard, his son Jiang Feng had been so thin his backbone protruded. Without at to eat, there was no strength, and going out to make a living ant being easily bullied.
The leader of this group was said to be a man eight feet tall, with a majestic face and a beautiful beard.
He was known as the righteous man Tang.
He had also beco a disciple of Zi Lu.
He fought with exceptional bravery.
Unlike Jiang Changtian, who managed his small plot of land, stayed in the rear, quietly training troops and farming, providing financial and food support to General Zi, occasionally going out to fight, but mainly for troop training.
So here in Ming County, it was as quiet as if there had been no famine, no rebellion.
Life was very peaceful, even more fulfilling than before the rebellion. At least there were no incidents of people starving to death or being driven to death by landlords.
More and more young n and adults were joining the Jiang Family Army.
The Jiang family welcod everyone, regardless of gender or age.
Skilled elders could use their expertise, while those without skills could look after children, teach them, or act as gatekeepers, doing so light work, and also gather and filter information.
Other troops absolutely refused to take old n, but Jiang Changtian treated the elderly with courtesy, providing food, drink, and promises of care when they could no longer work.
Young adults were of course the main force, eating more and consuming more resources.
Jiang Changtian gathered children and youths, first teaching them to read and write, building their bodies, and shaping their beliefs.
The sa was true for won. Although physically weaker, they could do delicate work, and having more won made it easier for n to marry. They couldn't have an army of just n, fighting fiercely with no one at ho, which could easily lead to disorientation.
If they were married with families and children, they would strive even harder to push forward.
Here in Ming County, while Jiang Changtian appeared inactive and rarely engaged in battle, he was actually resting and recuperating, slowly making changes.
The Jiang Family Army was also expanding at an unusually rapid rate.
Their numbers were actually the largest among the rebel factions, but because they included many elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, they hadn't attracted attention from above. Instead, people thought Jiang Er had beco foolish from too much studying, too benevolent. They believed a scholar's rebellion wouldn't succeed in ten years.
In contrast, the righteous man Tang's group was much more valiant.
Their montum was almost surpassing Zi Lu's. At first, they had just been followers, but now they seed to be on equal footing.
They were the most opposed to accepting amnesty.
Jiang Changtian felt that the righteous man Tang was also not of humble origins.
With such strong troops and horses, what ordinary people could afford to raise good horses?
When people couldn't even feed themselves, how could there be food for livestock?
For so reason, Jiang Changtian always suspected that group was connected to the Seventh Prince.
Although he had heard the Seventh Prince had been badly beaten.
Thinking about it made him sigh. A group of people rebelling, and they all had backgrounds, only he was truly of humble birth.
Ah, he still needed to work hard.
Otherwise, even a dog like Heir Apparent Han would dare to covet his family mbers.
Jiang Changtian smiled. In the past, his health had been very poor, his constitution basically ruined. Even without illness or disaster, he was not destined for longevity.
He had the appearance of one who would die young.
He naturally gave off the air of a sickly beauty.
Even though his health had improved now, that aura of frailty hadn't disappeared.
Jiang Changtian is currently just a minor official, still feeding horses for General Zi.
He concernedly asks if Heir Apparent Han's face hurts.
"Heir Apparent, you should know that I used to work in the dicine Preparation Departnt, so I have so dical knowledge. For a swollen face, it's best to find bear droppings, mix them with honey, and apply a thick layer to your face. It will heal in a day. This is a folk redy that's very effective. You can try it, though bear droppings are hard to find. Cow dung might work as a substitute, but it may not be as effective."
Heir Apparent Han tries to speak but can't make a sound for a mont.
He feels like his face is crooked, and when he opens his mouth, he can only make hissing sounds.
The child is still wailing, giving him a headache.
He has seen won in his uncle's harem being slapped before, and often those won could still cry beautifully afterward, looking like "pear blossoms in the rain," earning his uncle's sympathy.
But now, after being slapped once, he feels dizzy and unsteady.
Looking at Qin again, her face is filled with panic: "My lord, I was just trying to swat a bug for Heir Apparent Han. I didn't expect his face to swell up like this. My lord, it's all my fault. I used too much force."
Heir Apparent Han feels like his brain might have been shattered. He struggles to speak, trying for a long ti without success. Suddenly, he blurts out, "Not hard at all. Sister-in-law, your strength isn't great at all. I'm just not used to being hit."
...
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