After solving the case, Qian Dayong seemed to get excited and solved several more problems in succession, becoming the most popular person in the guard.

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Normally, he only has a few people around him, but now there are more than twice as many.

With so many people around, it's inevitable that all sorts of rumors will spread.

Some people say that with Qian Dayong's drive, he'll probably be promoted to deputy commander soon.

“What do you mean by promotion? It’s going back,” Qian Dayong’s lackey hurriedly said. “That position originally belonged to my brother Yong, and now we’re taking it back.”

"Yes, yes, look at my mouth, I really don't know how to speak." The man pretended to slap his mouth twice.

Qian Dayong chuckled and grabbed his hand, then glared at the person next to him, "What nonsense are you talking about? It's not even close to happening yet."

Although he said that, Qian Dayong's eyebrows were raised with joy, and he thought so in his heart.

"Brother Yong is just being modest~" One compliment after another poured out, making Qian Dayong overjoyed.

Xu Yi was just passing by this corner and had no intention of eavesdropping, but these people were naturally loud and spoke without any restraint. Even after he walked away, he could still hear their flattering words.

He recalled what the county magistrate had told him earlier: Qian Dayong had recently gained favor with the county magistrate, so the county magistrate had mentioned it to Xu Yi.

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"Isn't your position as deputy commander vacant all this time? Although you're managing it quite well now, it's exhausting to do it all by yourself. Why not promote someone else to share the burden and make things easier for you?"

“I think Qian Dayong is pretty good. He used to be a deputy commander. Once he gets promoted, you won’t have to worry about him. He knows exactly what to do.”

Xu Yi was a little surprised at the time, but he didn't show it on his face. After all, the county magistrate had no right to interfere in the affairs of the garrison, because the garrison was actually directly under the Ministry of War.

Strictly speaking, although the county magistrate was of a higher rank than Xu Yi, he was not under the county magistrate's jurisdiction; the two were merely cooperating with each other.

Seeing that Xu Yi did not respond immediately, the county magistrate chuckled again, "I just suddenly remembered this matter. In the end, it's up to you to decide who goes."

“I have no right to make decisions; everything is arranged by Lord He,” Xu Yi said bluntly, but the county magistrate did not give up.

"Although it is Lord He who makes the decision, as the commander of the guard, you must know your own people very well. Lord He should give more consideration to the people you recommend."

Xu Yi was capable, and he handled the refugee situation very well, earning him commendation from the imperial court. Lord He valued Xu Yi highly.

“The county magistrate is the local official of Yunzhen. He knows everything about the town’s affairs, and his official position is higher than mine. If the county magistrate were to recommend him, I’m sure Lord He would have to give it more consideration.”

Xu Yi not only refused to agree with the county magistrate's words, but even returned the same words to the county magistrate.

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"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." After saying this, he waited for the county magistrate's reply before turning and leaving.

After everyone left, the county magistrate was still there, fuming and glaring, "That kid, why is he so stubborn?"

He knew Xu Yi had such a stubborn temper; he couldn't be persuaded at all. Xu Yi even said that he was of a higher rank than him, but so what? He didn't think that Xu Yi, as a subordinate, could be that much lower than him.

After leaving the county government office and returning to the garrison compound, Xu Yi overheard their conversation and realized that Qian Dayong had come up with the idea himself.

But that's only natural; who wouldn't want to climb the ladder, especially since Qian Dayong does have some ability.

Xu Yi didn't think much about Qian Dayong's ambition to climb the ranks; if he could succeed, that would be his own doing.

Xu Yi quickly put these trivial matters out of his mind, as he was in a hurry to go home.

A wealthy merchant in town was overjoyed to have a daughter and sent an invitation to the Xu family. Since Mr. and Mrs. Xu Genshan didn't have time to go, they sent Fu Man'er instead.

Xu Yi naturally didn't want Fu Man'er to go alone, so he went home as soon as he finished his shift. Just then, Fu Man'er finished getting ready, picked her up, and headed to the wealthy merchant's house.

Just as Fu Man'er had said, winter came very early this year. When they got off the carriage, Xu Yi thoughtfully tucked Fu Man'er in with his cloak.

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The fluffy cloak wrapped tightly around Fu Man'er's neck, making her face appear even whiter and more like jade.

"Oh, Mr. Xu and his wife are here. Please come in, it's windy outside."

The two were quickly led into the hall, which was warm and cozy with charcoal fires and windproof curtains.

There were quite a few people in the hall, and they all knew each other. Fu Man'er greeted a few familiar people and then pulled Xu Yi to find a seat.

"It's so hot." As soon as she sat down, Fu Man'er couldn't wait to drink some water.

Xu Yi stood up again, went behind her, took off his cloak, and handed it to the maid behind him.

Just as he was about to sit down, someone called him.

The hall is very large. Although men and women are in the same hall, basically one side is occupied by women and the other side by men.

Looking around, Xu Yi stands out conspicuously.

Cao Zixuan, who was also invited, came over to call out to the others, "They're all young ladies, what kind of behavior is it for a grown man like you to be here?"

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Xu Yi remained unmoved. He was mainly there to accompany Fu Man'er, and even the hosts had said that everyone should sit wherever they pleased, regardless of gender, and that the guests should not feel constrained.

"Man'er, are you really going to let such a big man sit here?" Cao Zixuan knew that he couldn't reason with Xu Yi, so he might as well go talk to Fu Man'er.

Sure enough, Fu Man'er gently nudged Xu Yi, "Brother, why don't you go with them?"

Unlike women, men can't sit and chat while drinking tea, so the host prepared a lot of games suitable for men. Cao Zixuan came over to ask Xu Yi to keep things going.

"Go ahead, I'll talk to them." With Xu Yi sitting here, the young women and wives were too embarrassed to come over.

Finally, Xu Yi stood up and said, "If there's anything, send someone to call me."

Cao Zixuan grabbed him and pulled him outside, saying, "What could possibly happen? Would she let herself suffer a loss?"

Xu Yi glanced at him, and Cao Zixuan quickly shut up. He still needed Xu Yi to back him up, so he couldn't afford to offend him.

Sure enough, not long after Xu Yi left, a number of people sat down. They were all female relatives of merchants in the town, both young and old.

Usually, it's Liu Fang who comes out at this time. When they see Fu Man'er, everyone asks, "Your parents haven't come back yet?"

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"She's back, and she's at the restaurant settling accounts," Fu Man'er said.

"Your parents are really something, they're always on the go without a break, no wonder all the money went to your Xu family."

Fu Man'er just smiled when she heard this. To outsiders, Xu Genshan and his wife seemed to be working non-stop, but only the Xu family knew that the couple basically went out to play and work at the same time.

Anyway, it doesn't feel like the exhausting work that everyone says it is.

Of course, this couldn't be said aloud, or everyone would be furious.

These women all lived in the inner quarters, and they talked mostly about men, children, and women. Fu Man'er listened for a while and then got bored, so she made an excuse to slip away. The conversation then turned to her.

"I remember Man'er and President Xu have been married for three or four months, and there's still no sign of pregnancy?"

Then everyone's eyes immediately focused on Fu Man'er, or rather, on her stomach.

Fu Man'er was already absent-minded, and it took her a while to realize what they were talking about.

Not yet.

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“Oh my, my daughter-in-law got married a few days later than you, and she’s already pregnant.” The woman who spoke was surnamed Gao, and her tone and expression were extremely exaggerated.

"I even spent a lot of money to see a doctor, and they said it's a boy."

"Oh, congratulations!" Everyone offered their congratulations, and Fu Man'er, realizing that attention was no longer on her, was about to get up and leave.

Then Madam Gao looked at her again and said, "When you and Commander Xu got married, it was such a grand affair. We were even thinking about how big the celebration would be if you had children."

"Wouldn't that mean inviting the whole town to a full moon celebration?"

The wedding did generate a lot of discussion, mainly about how wealthy the Xu family was and how well Fu Man'er had married.

But after so long, very few people mention it anymore.

"Inviting the whole town to dinner is too extravagant; serving red eggs is more appropriate," someone said.

Fu Man'er fiddled with the pendant at her waist and said, "My Xu family can afford to buy red eggs, but doing so will inevitably attract gossip. Let's not do it. What should have been a happy occasion has ended up being unpleasant."

"That's right, don't underestimate Man'er just because she's young. She's quite capable." Fu Man'er is usually easygoing and well-behaved, so many people like her and are willing to speak up for her.

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"She's still young after all." Seeing that everyone was talking about the same thing again, Madam Gao quickly interjected, "Man'er, you've been married for three or four months and there's still no sign of pregnancy. You should see a doctor."

“Look at my daughter-in-law, she got married later than you all, and she’s already pregnant.”

Madam Gao appeared concerned, but in reality, she was extremely jealous. She couldn't stand the Xu family's extravagant spending, and since she had finally found a place that was better than the Xu family, she naturally wouldn't let it go.

Fu Man'er looked at Madam Gao, her smile fading slightly, but Madam Gao was oblivious and continued speaking.

“If a woman gets married but doesn’t get pregnant, her husband’s family will look down on her.”

"And she'll lose her husband's favor. If Mr. Xu takes someone else into the family, she'll be left alone and it won't be pleasant."

Although her words were meant to express concern, Madam Gao had a gloating expression on her face.

Fu Man'er withdrew her gaze and said casually, "It seems that Madam Gao has experienced the feeling of being alone in a secluded place, otherwise how could she know how unpleasant it is?"

Madam Gao choked. Fu Man'er was right; she had indeed tasted it.

"Madam Gao, have you tried it?" Fu Man'er asked again when she saw that her expression had changed.