"My lord, do we really have to dig here?"
Looking at the river embankment that had taken considerable effort to build, even Gao Zhiyao felt a little guilty at this moment.
After all, behind them lay the land of the Shenxiao Wanshou Palace. If this matter truly escalated, they would all be in serious trouble.
"If anything happens, I'll take responsibility. You just focus on your work!"
Han Mo stretched lazily, letting out a long yawn.
Since arriving in Neihuang, he had barely slept well every night.
On one hand, the weather was scorching hot with insect bites, making it difficult to fall asleep peacefully at night.
On the other hand, he was also at an age where his blood and vigor were high, and at night, he truly felt a sense of loneliness in his single bed.
After all, he had been assigned here shortly after his marriage, which was understandable.
"If his lord isn't afraid, why should you be? You are merely following orders. Just do your jobs, why are you babbling so much?"
Although he didn't know what Han Mo was planning, the incident with Li Mao'er alone had made Lü Ying completely realize the gap between himself and Han Mo.
Compared to Han Mo, in terms of schemes and methods, he was far from a match. Being by the side of such a superior officer, he had become accustomed to acting without thinking.
Lü Ying was, after all, the County Lieutenant, and after experiencing several battles, he had indeed accumulated a significant amount of killing aura.
As he spoke, his glare made those conscripted laborers shrink their necks, daring not to say another word.
Although the words were unpleasant, they were not without reason.
Gao Zhiyao no longer thought about it. After roughly confirming the location, he directly ordered the laborers to begin digging.
In the past, when it came to repairing river embankments, the imperial court not only did not provide payment but even neglected to provide meals. At most, they would assign a few large wooden buckets for the laborers to fetch water themselves for drinking.
Basically, the laborers had to bring their own dry rations. When hungry, they ate dry rations, and when thirsty, they drank cold water.
But this time it was different. Before these laborers were conscripted, they had already received notice.
Not only did they not need to bring their own food, but anyone who came to repair the river embankment would receive two jin of coarse grains per day.
At this time, there was still a little time before the wheat harvest.
The grain reserves at home had long been depleted, and the crops in the fields had not yet fully matured. The "green shoot loans" borrowed in the spring had also been nearly spent. This was precisely the most awkward time of the year for these common people.
Since there was not much to do in the fields, as long as a family had two strong laborers who could come here to work.
Even for a family of five, with some wild vegetables, it was enough for the family to barely survive.
Therefore, these common people worked with extraordinary effort.
They didn't need the yamen runners to supervise; they were already working enthusiastically on their own.
In their simple worldview, as long as someone provided money and grain, they would not hesitate to swing their hoes, let alone repair the river embankment, even if it meant digging up ancestral graves.
After all, when simply having enough to eat became a luxury, all other formalities became truly unimportant.
"Stop! All of you stop!"
Still a good two li away from the river beach, Wang Daolu was already shouting at the top of his lungs.
The young Taoist priests following behind him also shouted in unison.
"My lord, it seems trouble has arrived!"
Hearing the commotion from afar, Lü Ying smiled and said to Han Mo.
"Don't worry, they're just a bunch of insignificant rivals, no match for us!"
Han Mo smiled, not taking it seriously at all. He merely glanced up before closing his eyes again.
Although there was no pollution in this era, the air by the river was undoubtedly much better than in the county town.
Lying in the shade under the scorching sun was truly a supreme enjoyment.
"Where is that dog official named Han? Get out here!"
Having arrived at the river embankment in a furious rage, Wang Daolu at this moment could no longer maintain his immortal demeanor and directly cursed in exasperation.
Looking at Wang Daolu's aggressive demeanor, the yamen runners exchanged glances.
After all, Han Mo did not recognize Wang Daolu, but they did.
This was an immortal master from the Shenxiao Wanshou Palace, and in Neihuang County, he was probably the last person they could afford to offend.
Even though the man had an immortal air about him, he was the most petty and vindictive person, and calling him narrow-minded was absolutely accurate.
"Didn't you hear me asking? Are you all mute?"
The more they remained silent, the angrier Wang Daolu became. Seeing their hesitant and fearful expressions, his arrogance only grew.
"No need to show me any respect. I am not familiar with him!"
Just as the Taoist priests behind Wang Daolu began searching for Han Mo everywhere, Han Mo yawned again and waved his hand from his lounge chair.
Hearing this, Jiang Yan's heart was immediately settled.
Unlike those yamen runners, they were death warriors trained by the Zhe family. From the day Zhe Yourong handed them over to Han Mo, they had only obeyed Han Mo's commands.
Seeing this fellow dare to insult Han Mo in public, Jiang Yan had long been unable to stand it. However, as Han Mo had not yet spoken, they had remained silent.
Now that Han Mo had said so, they had no reason to be polite.
"Hey, you old scoundrel, what did you just say?"
Jiang Yan let out a sinister chuckle, then, with two of his subordinates, strode towards Wang Daolu.
"Have him tied up and whipped a hundred times!"
This was the first time someone had dared to curse him as an old scoundrel to his face since arriving in Neihuang County several years ago.
Wang Daolu, who was already in a fit of rage, was naturally even more unrestrained at this moment.
Several yamen runners by Lü Ying's side wanted to step forward to dissuade him, but as soon as they took a step, they were directly blocked by Lü Ying.
Lü Ying had personally witnessed the skills of Jiang Yan and his men. They, a mere few dozen people, had entered Li Mao'er's bandit camp of thousands of people.
With their skills, where in this world could they not go?
How could a few insignificant Taoist priests possibly harm them?
"My lord, if they get hurt..."
A confidant of Lü Ying whispered.
"Didn't you see his lord is still sleeping there? If his lord isn't worried, why are you in such a hurry?"
Lü Ying rolled his eyes at him, then took out a bag of roasted soybeans from his embrace, clearly preparing to watch the show.