In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 540 Fermentation

Outside the Qingwang Mansion, all traces of life had vanished, leaving only corpses and blood.

However, the impact of the news of the Qing King's murder continues to unfold.

Inside the prefectural government residence in the prefectural city.

Prefect Wang Li held a book in his hands, with a cup of fragrant tea in front of him. On his left and right sides, two beautiful maids were gently fanning him.

Although Wang Li was the prefect of Qingzhou, a third-rank official of the imperial court, his presence, or rather his power, in Qingzhou was...

They're not even as good as some of the lackeys under the Qing Prince's mansion.

Of course, Wang Li didn't care about that.

Wang Li enjoyed reading but disliked being an official and wasn't particularly enthusiastic about power.

However... Wang Li's talent in studying was only so-so. If he were to compete fairly in the imperial examinations, someone like Wang Li would have a hard time even passing the provincial examination, let alone making the list.

But what can you do when Wang Li comes from a good family background?

Wang Li was born into the Wang family in the capital. He was the second son of the current patriarch of the Wang family. With the help of the Wang family, Wang Li, who had very ordinary academic talent, successfully defeated countless competitors, obtained the status of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), and was directly appointed to an official position.

After that, with the help of the Wang family, Wang Li did not have any political achievements, but his official position rose higher and higher, eventually becoming a third-rank official, namely the prefect of Qingzhou.

The position of prefect is equivalent to that of a high-ranking official in charge of a region. This position is the dream of countless scholars, but Wang Li is not enthusiastic about it.

Upon arriving in Qingzhou, Wang Li quickly discovered that Qingzhou was entirely the territory of the Qing King, and that his position as prefect was merely a figurehead, a title he held but could not command anyone.

In this situation, if it were a responsible official with a desire for power, he would definitely report to the imperial court, requesting the court's support, and then engage in open and covert struggles with the Prince of Qing, hoping to regain power.

Unfortunately... Wang Li was clearly not a normal person. He had no desire for power whatsoever. He only liked poetry, songs, and reading, so he had no objection to this at all.

It's good that the Green King is in power. With the Green King in power, he no longer needs to be busy with political affairs and can spend his days reading and enjoying himself in his mansion.

In the words of former Prime Minister Li Mingyuan, Wang Li and his ilk were nothing more than bookworms who knew nothing about governing the people, and were mediocre officials with no ambition or ideals.

Tragically, in this land of Kyushu, there are countless officials like Wang Li. They come from good families and can easily obtain official positions that poor scholars cannot even dream of.

It is precisely because there are so many incompetent officials like Wang Li who occupy positions without doing their jobs that the Xia Kingdom's national strength has declined and the people have suffered so much.

Of course, Wang Li scoffed at Li Mingyuan's assessment.

In his view, Li Mingyuan and his ilk were complete fools. Now that he had become prime minister, he could have spent his days reading classics and immersing himself in the beautiful world of poetry and prose, just like him. But he didn't know what Li Mingyuan was thinking. He neither enjoyed himself nor read books, and all he cared about was the life and death of cattle and horses!

Yes, in the eyes of people like Wang Li, who came from prominent families in the capital, the common people were not even a species like them. They were born into a noble class, while the common people were nothing more than cattle and horses to serve them. It was impossible for them to care about the life or death of cattle and horses.

During his years as the prefect of Qingzhou, Wang Li had no idea about or heard of the evil deeds committed by the King of Qing, but he didn't care at all.

It's just that some cattle and horses died, what does it have to do with me?

Are the maids in the manor not pretty? Or are the books not interesting?

Why not read good books and favor beautiful maids, instead of caring about the lives of lowly people and cattle?

This was Wang Li's truest thought. Although he had little power, he was not short of money. In fact, the Prince of Qing would often send him gold and silver treasures. The Prince of Qing would also send him some precious books and rare editions, which made Wang Li feel very good about the Prince of Qing.

"Xiao Huan".

At this moment, Wang Li seemed to be getting tired from reading, and said to the maid on his right, "Push Master up here and let him rub his eyes."

"Yes."

The maid named Xiao Huan dared not refuse. She quickly lifted her skirt and sat on Wang Li's lap, gently blowing warm air onto Wang Li's closed eyes, and then gently rubbing his eyes with her jade-like fingers.

As he inhaled the fragrance emanating from the maid, Wang Li's mind began to wander, and he started fidgeting with his large hands.

"Master, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened, Master!"

Just then, a loud shout came from outside the door, startling Wang Li so much that his erect penis immediately drooped down.

"Who's there? Get this old man in here!"

Wang Li, who was getting old and finally managed to get an erection, roared.

Immediately afterward, the steward of the manor stumbled in, knelt down in front of Wang Li with a thud, and said in a panic, "Master, something terrible has happened!"

"How reckless and unruly!"

Although Wang Li's mood was disturbed, out of consideration for the steward's years of service, he patiently asked, "Steward Wang, what happened? Why are you being so rash?"

The steward, who rushed over to deliver the message, did not hesitate and immediately reported, "Master, something terrible has happened at the Prince Qing's residence."

"The Prince Qing's Mansion?"

Wang Li frowned and said, "What could have happened at the Qingwang Mansion? Could it be that another woman has died there? Didn't I tell you that you don't need to report these things to me?"

Wang Li was well aware of the Green King's penchant for torturing and killing women; in fact, many commoners had filed complaints against the Green King in front of his mansion. However…

Be soft on others.

Having received so many benefits from the Green King, Wang Li naturally wouldn't concern himself with such matters.

Besides, even if he wanted to, he couldn't control it. The actions of the Prince of Qing were beyond his control. The only thing he could do was probably to report the matter to the imperial court.

only……

Reporting to the imperial court is such a hassle!

It's just a few women dying; why bother with all this trouble?

"no!"

The steward shook his head frantically, his face filled with horror, and said, "The servants who went out just now brought news that bandits have stormed into the Qing Prince's mansion and killed two hundred of the Qing Prince's personal guards. Right now, the area outside the Qing Prince's mansion is already a river of blood!"

"what?"

Wang Li shoved aside the maid beside him, his face filled with horror, and said, "What did you say? All two hundred of my personal guards are dead?"

Wang Li, who came from the Wang family in the capital, naturally knew about the existence of the Prince's personal guards, and he even knew how strong the personal guards of the Qing Prince's Mansion were.

Therefore, when he heard that two hundred of the Prince's personal guards had been killed, Wang Li's eyes widened involuntarily, and he was completely stunned.