"I'll drive the carriage!" Shen Chengyao said. The emperor really can't be lost in the middle of the road, and besides, it's not a matter for the carriage to stop in the middle of the road, it will cause traffic jams.

At this time, Yang Liu came over: "Master, I'll set up a car!"

So the carriage was driven by Yangliu and Yangmei, and Zhao Yong and Xiaofuzi were responsible for sending the two old men home.

The rain seems to be weakening a bit.

Xiao'er looked out of the carriage through the curtain of the carriage, only to see Zhao Yong and Xiaofuzi helping the two old men onto the cart, and then pushing the cart aside, signaling the carriage to pass first.

The country roads are narrow, and two cars can barely pass side by side.

The weather was bad, the road was difficult, and when they arrived at Zhuangzi, it was already dark.

Thankfully, the rain has stopped, and if it doesn't rain tonight, the fields will be drier tomorrow morning, so it's easier to harvest and you don't have to get muddy with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

Xiao'er personally cooked a simple dinner, and as soon as everyone had dinner, Zhao Yong and Xiaofuzi came back.

Both of their clothes were soaked, and when they had changed their clothes and had dinner, the emperor called them for questioning.

"How's that old man's health?"

"The county lord of Rui'an gave a bottle of pills to the slave to give to him, and after he took the pills, he came home and said that the waist bone that fell down was no longer painful. Xiao Fuzi said.

The emperor nodded when he heard this, he trusted the pills of the county lord of Rui'an, and then he continued to ask: "Where have all the sons of the old man gone? Why do they need to go to the field to harvest with such a heavy rain?"

"The old man's only son went to mine half a year ago, and his daughter-in-law was about to rain heavily because she was about to fall down, so the old man was worried that she would fall, so he didn't let her go to the field to harvest. ”

"Mining, where did he go to mine, did his son commit something?" Mining is tiring and dangerous work, and many people are reluctant to go there. Generally, people who have only children in the family and do not have to give birth to a son do not need to be forced to mine unless they have committed a felony.

The old man said that his son did not commit anything, but filial piety and honesty, but the family was poor, half a year ago someone came to the village to recruit people, a month there were two taels of silver wages, he thought that his daughter-in-law was about to give birth, and when the child grew up, the house was not enough to live, he went to mine for five months to earn just enough ten taels of silver, so he could build an extra room for the children to live, and five months later went home to participate in the autumn harvest and watch his child be born. ”

The family was looking forward to his return for the autumn harvest, but they didn't expect the people in the village to take back the grain, and they had not received half of their own food, and it had rained heavily in the past two days, and their son had not come back, and the old man was worried that the food in the field was bad, and the family's rations for the next year were not settled, so they braved the rain to take back the grain. Zhao Yong replied.

"Two taels of silver is so much, then there should be a lot of people in the village, right?" Shen Chengyao said when he heard it.

The wages of the miners are indeed a lot, Shen Chengyao heard that there is a maximum of one or two halves of silver per month, but this salary is still very few people are willing to do this work, if the salary is given to two taels of silver, it is estimated that many people are willing to go, Shen Chengyao thought to himself, if his family is still like before the separation, the child does not even have to eat, two taels of silver a month, he doesn't want to go.

"It is true that there are many men, and almost every household in that village has a male servant, but none of the people who have been there for half a year have ever returned, and no one has ever sent money to the house. Zhao Yong nodded.

The emperor was thoughtful when he heard this.

"Do you know which mine you went to to mine?" Shangguan Xuanyi asked.

"Qishan Iron Mine!"

"Qishan Iron Mine, wasn't it mined half a year ago?" Shen Chengyao said in surprise.

The Qishan iron ore was reported to the imperial court half a year ago that it had been mined, and the imperial court also sent someone to verify it. But now I hear that half a year ago, someone recruited people to mine Qishan iron ore, which is obviously someone who deceived and concealed it!

"Could it be that the old man is mistaken?" Shen Chengyao looked at Zhao Yong.

"I was also worried that the old man had misremembered, so after leaving his house, I inquired with other villagers, it was the Qishan Iron Mine, and the village chief said the same!" Zhao Yong affirmed.

"Qishan Iron Mine is not far from here, we will find out tomorrow when we go to find out!" Xiao'er said as she listened.

At night, everything is silent.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang in the distance, as if something had collapsed.

Xiao'er in her sleep thought there was an earthquake, she jumped up from the bed and shouted, "It's an earthquake, run!"

Yang Liu, who was keeping vigil, hurriedly said: "Girl, don't be afraid, it shouldn't be an earthquake, probably a mountain has collapsed in the distance." ”

Although the sound was loud, Yang Liu didn't feel the ground moving, so she didn't think it was an earthquake.

"It's better not to hide in the house, it's safer to stand in the yard. Xiao'er got out of bed, put on her coat, and was just about to go out, when Shangguan Xuanyi's voice sounded: "Girl, are you scared?"

Xiao'er opened the door: "No, but I slept in a daze, and I thought there was an earthquake!

"It's all right, they're all standing in the open space of the courtyard. Shangguan Xuanyi took Xiao'er's hand and led her out.

The two walked out of the house together, only to see Shen Chengyao and the emperor already standing in the open space of the courtyard.

When the two saw Xiao'er come out, they both asked her with concern if she was scared?

Xiao'er shook her head: "I thought it was moving." ”

"We also thought it was moving! Fortunately, it wasn't!" Shen Chengyao said with palpitations.

"It's almost the fifth watch now, so let's not go back to the house and sleep. After breakfast, let's start doing our own work!" The emperor glanced at the sky and said.

Naturally, everyone had no objection when they heard this, and it would be dawn in a while, and they couldn't sleep when they went back now.

"Yi'er, you come with me to see the Qishan Iron Mine, if I heard it correctly, the loud noise just now should have come from the Qishan Iron Mine. The emperor looked at the direction from which the loud noise came.

Shen Chengyao originally wanted to persuade the emperor not to go to the field, but now he is even more worried when he hears that he is going to explore the situation of the Qishan Iron Mine, which is even more dangerous than going to the field to harvest rice!

"Master Shangguan, you stay in Zhuangzi and leave the matter to me!" It rained heavily for two days and two nights, and Shen Chengyao was worried that there would be a landslide, and he didn't know what the reason for the loud noise just now. The important thing is that many of the roads leading to the Qishan Iron Mine are mountain roads.

"Master Shangguan, this matter of crossing the mountains and mountains has been handed over to us young people, aren't you here to experience the fun of farming? Let my father take you down to the field to harvest, if you think the harvest is boring, go down to the river to fish!" Xiao'er also opened her mouth to persuade.