Chapter 3, Governor of Suzhou, Xiao Anmin

As the thunderous drum of grievance sounded, the gatekeeper had no choice but to rush into the government office, knock on the study door, and respectfully report to the study.

Xiao Anmin, upon reaching this point, directed his gaze towards the northern capital and continued, "Ling'er, you must step forward to delay him, whether by deception or persuasion, in any case, just ensure that he is convinced to return. It is imperative that he does not cause a disturbance in front of my official residence, as this concerns the future of the entire Xiao family. Ling'er, you must exercise utmost caution."

Xiao Anmin furrowed his aged brow and sighed deeply: "It is not that I wish to make things difficult for him, but there are those in the capital who seek to trouble him. At present, the residence of the Duke of Su has been reduced to ruin, leaving him as the sole survivor. In such a precarious position, the court is naturally unwilling to continue recognizing this hereditary princely title without replacement."

This young girl, Xiao Ling'er, is the beloved daughter of Xiao Anmin, who has always kept her by his side. When he left home to serve in an official capacity, he did not bring any of his sons with him, but only this extremely cherished daughter.

Xiao Ling'er felt a pang of emotion as her gaze dimmed; the Zhao family's Seventh Young Master, who had been so spirited three years ago, had surprisingly transformed into this timid figure now

Listening to the tone of this governor, it seems he has already known Zhao Xian's identity

Zhao Xian scratched his head and smiled awkwardly: "Um... Miss, I am not feeling well, I... I have lost my memory. May I ask who you are?"

Xiao Anmin pondered for a moment and said softly, "Ling'er, do you still remember Zhao Xian from the Su Wangfu?"

Xiao Ling'er smiled and said, "Seventh Brother, how did you fall ill to the point that you no longer recognize me?"

Seventh Brother, why are you sitting here?

It seems that my predecessor Zhao Xian indeed went mad due to the stimulation of being stabbed; the entire line of the Duke of Su, including my father Zhao Gong and my six elder brothers, has tragically perished one after another

Xiao Ling'er frowned and said: "Father, since it is his due salary rice, giving it to him is only right. He has suffered for three years; why must you make things difficult for him again?"

In the past three years, in order to bring trouble to the Prince of Su's residence, the salary rice from the Suzhou government office has not been distributed at all. Therefore, I cannot bear to see him. Ling'er, three years ago, when he was not yet foolish, you had a good relationship with him. Please take the initiative to send him back.

Xiao Anmin, with a beaming smile, said: "Ling'er, there is something that your father needs your help with."

Xiao Anmin patted Xiao Ling'er on the head and sighed: "It's fine if he remains foolish, but I have received news that this person has suddenly become sensible, which is indeed a tremendous trouble."

Thinking of this, he felt a bit afraid and could not help but ask in astonishment: "Then... what about my six elder brothers?"

Xiao Ling'er nodded, turned around, and suddenly looked back before leaving: "Father, if he loses his title, won't he become a commoner"

They have all died from illness

Xiao Ling'er rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Father, is there a reward for completing it?"

Zhao Xian here was drumming joyfully, but after drumming for a while, he did not see any officials come to attend to him. Coupled with not having eaten all day, he felt a wave of hunger wash over him, and he let out a sigh, sitting down to rest on the drum seat of the grievance drum

Zhao Xian touched his head and responded uncertainly, "This beautiful... young lady, are you calling me?"

Father, you called for your daughter, what is the matter?

At that moment, Xiao Ling'er tugged at Zhao Xian's sleeve, and the two of them walked to a wooden pavilion not far from the government office. After sitting down, Xiao Ling'er slowly began to explain their relationship to Zhao Xian.

Therefore, it is not possible to allow Zhao Xian to travel to the capital within three months, and thus, it is also not possible to provide him with money

No matter how much the House of Su has declined, it is still a princely title conferred by the court. Zhao Xian is the primary heir to the title of Su Wang, and under no circumstances would a few minor officials from the prefectural office dare to take action against him

Xiao Anmin sighed: "At this moment, the foolish son of the Duke of Su, who has been foolish for three years, has suddenly awakened. According to the reports from the spies placed by my father in the Duke of Su's residence, after inquiring about the situation of these three years from the family servants, he headed straight for my yamen."

This old man is Xiao Anmin, the governor of Suzhou, a local official of the Great Qi Kingdom, typically serving a term of six years. Xiao Anmin has been in charge of Suzhou for over five years. At this moment, this fatherly official is amusing himself with an ugly myna bird. Upon hearing the commotion, he frowned at the yamen runners outside and said, "Didn’t I instruct you to send him away? Why is he still beating the drum of grievance?"

Zhao Xian looked up and saw a middle-aged woman dressed in a light purple garment, gazing at him with a charming smile.

Is Seven Brother calling himself

Xiao Anmin furrowed his brows, paced back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, and said in a deep voice: "Go and call the young lady here"

The constable forced a smile and clasped his hands: "My lord, we indeed followed your instructions to send him back, but that man went straight to the drum of grievance and began to beat it. We did not dare to forcibly stop him."

Xiao Ling'er then set aside her doubts and turned to walk towards the gate of the government office

Xiao Ling'er sighed and, frowning, said: "It seems that for these three years, Seventh Brother, you have truly become foolish. However, it is not entirely your fault. Uncle Su and six of your brothers have passed away one after another. Anyone who loses seven relatives in succession would also find it hard to bear the shock.

Xiao Ling'er tilted her head and asked in confusion: "Uncle Su, I heard that Seventh Brother suddenly fell ill and has become foolish and silly. For the past three years, Father, you have not allowed me to see him, and I do not know how he is doing now"

If one is not foolish, then so be it, this is a good thing, what does it have to do with you, father

Xiao Ling'er’s words further confirmed Zhao Xian's suspicions, leaving him feeling a chill throughout his body

Five years ago, Xiao Anmin visited Suzhou and brought Xiao Ling'er to pay respects to Prince Zhao Gong of the Su family. At that time, Zhao Xian was only about twelve or thirteen years old, and Xiao Ling'er was just over eleven. The two little ones got along quite well.

So what does this have to do with my daughter

Xiao Ling'er stuck out her tongue and said with a smile, "Alright, Father, just tell me what it is."

Xiao Anmin's expression turned serious as he feigned anger and said, "You child, before even mentioning the matter, you are already thinking about rewards"

Your Excellency, that person... that person has struck the drum of injustice!

Zhao Xian's back suddenly felt cold; ever since his arrival in this world, he had always believed himself to be the sole heir of the Su Wang Manor, yet he never expected that he actually had as many as six elder brothers!

As soon as he sat down, he heard a sweet voice coming from one side

The constable let out a sound and turned to enter the courtyard. Before long, he called in a slender young girl dressed in purple, who bounced into Xiao Anmin's study.

In the future, the court will provide him with some compensation; it seems that becoming a wealthy man is not a difficult task.

Xiao Ling'er frowned and said: "Seventh Brother, have you forgotten even this? You are the seventh son of the Su Wangfu!"

After hearing this, Zhao Xian politely smiled at the light beauty before him and said, "So it turns out that I am an old friend of Sister Ling'er. By the way, Sister Ling'er, why do you call me Seventh Brother?"

It was only later that Zhao Gong passed away, leading to the decline of the Su Wangfu. Xiao Anmin strictly prohibited Xiao Ling'er from visiting the Su Wangfu again, and thus the two finally severed their ties.

Xiao Anmin shook his head: "Originally, Zhao Xian was not a problem, but the higher-ups have been insisting that my father keep an eye on the House of the Prince of Su. It is not that they want him to remain foolish forever, but at the very least, they want to drag this out for three years, so that he loses the hereditary title of the Prince of Su."