Back in the room, he concealed the conversation he had with the children, only to scold them a few words. Then the children said he had threatened them!
Zhao Jiaqi's brows were knitted into sixteen strands. Under her observation, the children were practically his darlings. Although he occasionally appeared expressionless and seemingly heartless towards his two sons, he still doted on them dearly!
Especially his daughter, she was the apple of his eye. He would never speak to her in a loud voice normally. What was going on today!
Zhao Jiaqi asked, "Did you threaten them?"
He thought back to his conversation with the children and shook his head firmly, "No!"
Zhao Jiaqi shifted her posture, facing him, and said solemnly, "Then you were intimidating them!"
He felt even more wronged. From beginning to end, let alone intimidation, he hadn't even spoken loudly. How could he have intimidated them!
"I... Wife, do I look like someone who would do such things to children!"
With a wronged face, he felt more bitter than if he had eaten yellow lotuses. He had to endure this bitterness and couldn't tell anyone.
With his wife digging a pit in front and his son and daughter filling it with soil behind, he was destined to be buried.
Suddenly, he missed his mother!
Seeing his aggrieved look, Zhao Jiaqi felt he wasn't that kind of person and still trusted her husband. So she said, "That's true, you wouldn't do such a thing. If they anger you, you'd at most spank them!"
"Yes, I always resort to action rather than words. If there's a fight, I'll fight, not scold. It's too tiring!"
Zhao Jiaqi nodded, then gave him a soul-piercing question, "Then why did you go find the children just now? What did you say that made you run to me to explain?"
He was so afraid of what the children might say that he was afraid she would misunderstand and ran to explain, his face had gone pale from fear!
Fan Zehao was so preoccupied with the children's matters that he forgot that the person in front of him was even more cunning than the children. He immediately changed the subject, moving towards the door, and said, "Um, wife, dinner is ready. Let's go down to eat. I'll go call Yingxiong!"
Before his voice fell, he had already rushed out of the room, like a dog chasing a rat!
After he left, Zhao Jiaqi sat on the stool, not moving. After pondering for a while, she guessed what he had talked about with the children.
She grinned slightly. Using the children as an excuse was just to stop her from getting pregnant again. He should have just said it directly instead of beating around the bush with her!
Pretending to be nonchalant, she went downstairs. Seeing the dishes already laid out and everyone present, she sat down and the meal began!
During the meal, there was complete silence!
In the years since Zhao Jiaqi had transmigrated, she had never experienced what it was like to eat without speaking.
Her gaze swept across the children. Seeing them both nervously shoveling rice with their heads down, not daring to meet her eyes, she then looked at Fan Zehao, who had the same behavior, his small eyes darting towards the children from time to time, afraid they would say something!
The little actions of these three father and sons were exactly the same. They were truly their parents' children!
In contrast, Yingxiong, who was on the side, clearly felt the unusual atmosphere at the dining table. However, being the incurious person he was, for the first time, he felt a sense of curiosity!
He broke the silence and smiled at Fan Zehao, "You'll be returning to the inner city tomorrow. I still have some matters to attend to here. Once I'm done, I'll come to the inner city to find you!"
Fan Zehao nodded, "My wife told me about you taking in Yao Yao as your disciple. I'm deeply grateful. The Prince's Manor will be your home from now on. You can come whenever you wish, the gates of the Prince's Manor are always open to you!"
Yingxiong cupped his hands towards him and said gratefully, "Thank you, brother, for your trust. Don't worry about Yao Yao, I will teach her diligently and will not let you down. I will need your continued care in the inner city in the future!"
He waved his hand with a smile, "We are family, no need for formalities!"
The anxious meal finally ended joyfully with Yingxiong's mediation. The children didn't complain, and his wife didn't pursue the matter further. Fan Zehao breathed a huge sigh of relief!
In the evening, he deliberately lingered in Yingxiong's room to play chess, intending to stall for time. Estimating that his wife should be asleep by then, he finally took his leave!
He cautiously opened the door and saw that his wife was indeed asleep. Only then did he dare to take off his clothes and get into bed. He was truly afraid of the soul-snatching technique his wife had used on him that morning. If he couldn't control himself and succeeded, and she became pregnant again, he would have nowhere to cry!
The next day, after breakfast, the group departed!
As they were leaving, Du Liang, the prefect of Jinzhou City, arrived and brought good news. Those horse gang members had all confessed. Although they had robbed a lot, they hadn't killed anyone. The money they robbed had been recovered, with only a small amount left, and the rest had been squandered!
"Your Majesty, this humble official believes that exiling these people to harsh places to work for ten years before returning would give them an opportunity for atonement. What do you think?"
Du Liang bowed after speaking, awaiting the Emperor's decision!
This matter was personally overseen by the Emperor. How could he dare to handle it carelessly? If the punishment was too severe, he feared punishment from the Emperor; if it was too light, he feared the Emperor's anger.
Being a prefect was truly not an easy job!
Fan Zehao felt that ten years was barely acceptable. If these people returned to be good farmers, it would serve as a lesson learned!
"I have no objections to exile, but these people cannot be exiled to the same place. The places they are exiled to must have supervisors. After their term is up, they should settle there. They must not be oppressed after their release, and they should be allowed to live normal lives, with housing and land allocated. The supervisors must provide a report on their situation annually!"
These people were all skilled and had repelled the prefectural guards several times. Such people could not be taken lightly. Separating them across the vast country would make it extremely difficult for them to regroup in the future!
Du Liang's admiration for the Emperor's wisdom grew even deeper upon hearing this!
A moment later, Zhao Jiaqi added, "These people all have families. After they are exiled and settled, send people to take their families to them. During this period, do not inform the families of their whereabouts!"
Du Liang immediately cupped his hands and said, "This humble official obeys!"
Now, he felt enlightened. The Emperor and Empress were too benevolent, showing such leniency even towards the families. It was no wonder Yun Country was so powerful!
On the way back to the inner city, Yu Meng didn't understand why those who had committed evil deeds were still treated kindly in the end.
"Mother, after punishing those people, why are we still taking care of their families?"
Zhao Jiaqi looked at her innocent and naive daughter and explained with a smile, "Those people made mistakes, and they paid the price for ten years. But if we keep dwelling on their mistakes, wouldn't it be constantly reminding them of their past? If criminals who are not afraid of death and have nothing to lose rebel, they are the most terrifying."
"Sending their families to them serves as a tie to their hearts. Secondly, it demonstrates that our Yun Country governs with benevolence. Thirdly, these people are mostly the elderly, weak, women, and children. Without the pillar of their families and a source of income, their lives would surely be difficult. In that case, the government would have to intervene. Instead of taking on this burden, it's better to send them to be reunited with their families. If we can influence the hearts of these criminals and make them repent and become new people, then we have essentially redeemed a person. Don't you agree!"
Yu Meng now understood her mother's intentions and nodded silently!
Fan Yao gave his mother a thumbs-up and said, "Mother is right. No one is born evil. As the saying goes, proximity to vermilion leads to red, proximity to ink leads to black. If these people are separated and influenced by good people, I believe our country will become better and better, and the number of bad people will gradually decrease!"
Zhao Jiaqi pinched her son's cheek. What he said was true, but not all bad people could be moved.
Therefore, her husband had asked the supervisors of these criminals to submit a report on their situation annually, looking for any clues!