One hundred and sixty-three

Prefectural Office.

The servant of the mansion brought tea into the front hall and secretly glanced at the seated Governor Shen.

The master of the prefectural government looked gloomy, and no one knew what he was thinking.

After serving the tea, he slowly exited.

Prefect Shen didn't know how long he sat like this.

He originally wanted to go to the Western Regions to avoid disaster, but he was stopped by his old enemy on the way and was detained for several days.

His nemesis, and the one he always wanted to avoid.

When he first took office as the prefect of Cangwu, he was arrogant and led his troops to suppress bandits, but he failed in the first battle and was defeated even more miserably later.

Ordinary people might become enraged and humiliated after their defeat and fight to the death, but after he realized that he could not wipe out the group of bandits in Mu Yunshan, he cut his losses in time.

For more than ten years, the bandits in Muyun Mountain did not burn, kill, and loot like other bandits. Apart from being robbed occasionally, they lived in peace.

In order to avoid disaster this time, he couldn't be too conspicuous, so apart from taking his family and valuables, he only brought ten servants and twenty personal guards.

Just two days after leaving by water, he was stopped by Mu Yunshan's men, and the bandit leader wanted to talk to him.

He asked him to return to Cangwu and continue to serve as the prefect of Shen.

When he first heard this, Governor Shen thought he was making fun of him and did not take it seriously.

But what he said next made him ponder.

The change of the throne gave many people who had long been ambitious for the throne a pretext to start a rebellion. The world was in chaos. Instead of fleeing in a panic and worrying about gains and losses all day long, it would be better to choose a strong leader to follow.

If it succeeds, you won't have to worry anymore.

At that time, Prefect Shen understood what he meant.

——This made him rebel.

His uncle was hacked to death, and he fled the city. What's the difference between that and rebellion?

He now finally understood why Mu Yunshan repeatedly robbed iron mines. There was a powerful master behind him, so he robbed the iron mines to make weapons.

Among Lingnan and other places, Cangwu iron ore is the most abundant, and having control over the Cangwu iron ore will increase the chances of winning.

Prefect Shen asked in return, "If the donkey is discarded after it has done its job, wouldn't his work be in vain?"

The bandit leader of Muyun Mountain smiled and said slowly, "I'm not discussing this with you. I'm giving you a choice: life or death."

"After the success, will you still be missing out on your contribution? And you are not the only one who chose a strong leader. If you abandon the donkey after it has done its work, how will others be willing to follow you?"

Every word the bandit leader said hit home.

He actually had no choice but to follow the bandit leader's advice.

If I don’t return to Cangwu, I will die; if I return to Cangwu, I will also die.

But if I agree, there is still a glimmer of hope for me to return to Cangwu.

"It's okay to ask me to serve you, but at least tell me who I'm serving, so that I can have a clear mind."

Unexpectedly, the bandit leader spoke: "The Zhou family of Yuzhang."

Prefect Shen was still in shock: "Could it be that you are trying to trick me...?"

The Yuzhang Zhou family is a century-old family with strong strength. If you think about it carefully, there is a possibility of competing with them.

"I don't care whether you believe it or not. I'll give you three days to think about it."

After three days of consideration, he was provided with delicious food and drink for three days.

The final choice is self-evident.

The servants and family members in the mansion did not know the identities of these people.

After the legitimate son was detained as a hostage, he repeatedly instructed the people accompanying him not to reveal a single word, and then set off back to Cangwu.

Just after separating from the bandits of Mu Yunshan, he met Fu Wei who had rushed back from Yuzhang.

After knowing that the Yuzhang Zhou family also wanted to compete, he began to have more complicated thoughts about the Yu County magistrate.

Now that I'm back, there's no turning back. The Zhou family must follow me.

If the Zhou family gained control of the world, Zhou Yi would definitely be crowned king, and Fu Wei would be Zhou Yi's capable subordinate.

If they want to follow, then we must win over a few people from the Zhou family.

Not long after, the servants came with the news that the danger had arrived.

*

The city gate has been opened, and Yu Ying also needs to pack up and prepare to return to Yu County.

Fu Wei had already made arrangements before going to the prefectural governor's mansion that he would take a day off today and return to Yu County early tomorrow morning.

The refugee problem has not yet been solved. This problem was also mentioned in the memorial sent to Yuzhang by Mr. Qian more than half a month ago. Although the granaries were full of grain last year, they can only focus on the people of Yu County first.

Although we will be returning tomorrow, so many people have been settled.

Yu Ying sent someone to a nearby inn to inquire. Coincidentally, the city gate was open and many merchants had left, leaving the inn with vacant rooms.

After opening a few guest rooms and settling in the other constables, the yard suddenly became empty.

Fu Wei never went out, and even when it got dark, he still hadn't returned.

Fortunately, the person accompanying him came back and said that Mr. Fu had gone to meet a friend and would be back later.

After settling the other yamen runners, Yu Ying took a nap. When she woke up, it was already dark. There was a candle in the room, but a shadow blocked the light, making her vision dark.

Yu Ying turned her head and saw Fu Wei sitting on the edge of the bed looking at the bamboo slips.

He must have bathed not long ago, as his clothes were slightly loose, highlighting his tall, graceful figure and upright posture. His white robe was simple and elegant, with wide sleeves casually draped over the bed. His graceful demeanor was so pleasing to the eye that one dared not make a sound to disturb this quiet beauty, like the bright moon.

Yu Ying half-turned sideways, resting her head on her arms and admiring quietly.

As if noticing his gaze, Fu Wei tilted his head slightly, lowered his gaze, and met Yu Ying's. A smile appeared on his lips, and he asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

Yu Ying sat up and leaned over, holding his waist and resting her head on his broad shoulder, her eyebrows curved: "I'm not thinking about anything."

Fu Wei's scent became fresher and more pleasant after taking a bath.

She glanced at his bamboo slips and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Fu Wei handed her the bamboo scroll. "Old Master Zhou had left many ancient books for you. When I came back, you asked me to pick some to read and return them to Yuzhang."

Since it was an ancient book, it must be extremely valuable. Yu Ying took a few glances at it and found that she was almost illiterate.

The characters above should be large seal script or small seal script. I only recognize a few of them occasionally, and I can't recognize most of them.

"Can you understand?"

Fu Wei nodded: "All the children of noble families must learn seal script."

Yu Ying smiled and said, "You know everything, and you're so good. Do you think I've found a treasure?"

Fu Wei put the bamboo slips aside, put his long arms around her, lowered his head and drooped his eyelashes, and pressed his lips to her forehead, gently and delicately caressing it. His moist and hot breath fell on her forehead, and he whispered, "Having a wife like my precious Ah Ying is a blessing for Wei."

Fu Wei's gentleness is like a warm breeze, gently passing by and lingering.

There are many people around today, and the couple has little time together. They are all talking about business, and there is little time for tenderness. Now that it is quiet and night, it becomes more romantic.

Yu Ying tilted her head slightly, hugged his neck from the side, responded to his tenderness, and kissed his thin lips.

Fu Wei kissed her back tenderly, and they both slowly fell onto the couch, their fingers intertwined, inseparable and passionate, silently relieving the longing they had felt for each other for the past few months.

In the middle of the night, Fuwei went to get warm water to clean it.

After cleaning up, the two of them snuggled up and hugged each other.

"I went to the prefectural government today and begged Prefect Shen to remove the charges against the Yu family."

Yu Ying was surprised at first, but then she felt that Fu Wei would do this.

"The decree of resignation hasn't come yet, and Prefect Shen is still the Prefect of Cangwu. His words are still useful and effective. It won't be long before they rebel. There's no need to worry about being held accountable. Just do me a favor."

"Then I'll tell them the news when I get back."

Fu Wei shook his head and said, "Before you leave, tell them to come to Yu County to take over the clinic."

"Then let them see you again."

If possible, he wanted Ah Ying to never see the Yu family again and just be Ah Ying for the rest of her life.

He was already selfish enough, so he decided to let Yu's mother see him for the last time and fulfill her wish.

Yu Ying hummed softly.

*

After packing up in the morning, we returned to Yu County.

There were horse-drawn carriages and many people, so the journey was quick.

A month has passed, and there are still refugees wandering on the road.

There are many mountains in Lingnan. Even if it is cold and rainy for days, you can still find some food in the mountains and fields. As long as you don't get sick, you will starve to death. It's not like the north where it's covered in ice and snow and there is no green at all. You can only dig snow and grass roots or eat Guanyin soil. That's why those people travel from north to south to avoid natural disasters and hunger.

There were about twenty people in their group, and the refugees who came and went stayed away and did not dare to get close.

When we returned to Yu County, it was already dark.

Mrs. Luo has been thinking about her son day and night in the past few months. Last month, her daughter-in-law went to the county seat and has not returned for a month due to the city lockdown. Now there is one more person to worry about. After a month, her hair has turned a lot whiter.

When she saw her son and daughter-in-law, Mrs. Luo cried with joy. She held her son's hand and kept repeating, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Fu Wei comforted his mother in a gentle voice, saying that everything was fine during his few months in Yuzhang.

After being comforted for a long time, Mrs. Luo's emotions gradually calmed down. She called her eldest daughter-in-law to go kill a chicken together to nourish her son and daughter-in-law.

When Fu Zhen came back from his shift, the two brothers went to the study to talk together.

Fu Wei asked about the situation in Yu County over the past month.

"Some time ago, begging refugees were everywhere. At the worst, thefts and robberies were common, and even deaths occurred. The government was short-staffed, and Mr. Qian had no other choice but to recruit able-bodied men from all over Yu County in exchange for food to form patrol teams."

"Several patrol teams have staggered their schedules. They patrol the city or the villages during the day, and the city at night. Since the number of patrols has increased, there have been fewer troublemakers."

Fu Wei understood what was going on and changed the subject, saying, "Thank you for taking care of the family these past few months, big brother."

Fu Zhen: "My family, there is no need to worry about it, but you, have you met Fu Jing in Yuzhang?"

Fu Jing was Huo Minzhi's previous name in the Fu family.

Fu Wei nodded: "I see."

Fu Zhen was silent for a moment, then asked, "Did he hurt you?"

"I want to hurt, but I can't."

Fu Zhen was silent again.

Fu Wei poured him a cup of tea and said, "Huo Minzhi... also known as Fu Jing before is not a big problem. The biggest problem is Huo Shanrong, the head of the Huo family."

Fu Zhen looked at Fu Wei in surprise: "He...isn't your adoptive father, why do you call him that?"

It was like calling a stranger, no, even worse than a stranger. From the tone, one could vaguely feel that the second brother had no good feelings towards this adoptive father.

Fu Wei took a sip of tea, raised his eyes to look at his brother across from him, and said calmly: "Big brother is the eldest son of the Fu family, and it's time for him to know some of the grudges."

"What grudge?" Fu Zhen was confused.

"The grudge between the Huo and Fu families." Fu Wei put down his teacup and told the story of how Huo Shanrong framed the Fu family.

Upon hearing that the Fu family was framed by Huo Shanrong, which led to the disaster of the Fu family, the tragic death of his father and a group of soldiers, and the exile of the entire Fu family, Fu Zhen clenched his hands into fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulged, and his eyes gradually turned bloodshot.