Because he needed to recuperate at home, Xu Yi did not personally go to the county government office to participate in the interrogation of Ma Shan and others, but even if he hadn't gone, the matter was already settled.

"You're so foolish, so incredibly foolish!" The county magistrate looked at Qian Dayong, who was hanging his head in exasperation.

Now he is just like those bandits, dressed in prison clothes, handcuffed and shackled, locked in a dungeon.

"Your Honor, I was confused." Qian Dayong knelt down with a thud, looking at the county magistrate with a pleading expression.

"I was just momentarily blinded by the thief, please have mercy on me."

As he spoke, he kowtowed to the county magistrate, who simply shook his head. "At this point, there's no use in making excuses anymore. They've already admitted it."

"My lord, my lord."

"Please give me a chance. I promise I will turn over a new leaf. I... I won't be a guard anymore. Can I just be an ordinary citizen?"

Qian Dayong tried to grab the magistrate's robe, but the magistrate ruthlessly brushed his hand away.

"You wish! You're paid by the court, yet you knowingly break the law and collude with bandits and thieves in the mountains. Luckily, Commander Xu noticed this early on, or I would have been killed by you."

Speaking of this county magistrate, I wish I could beat Qian Dayong up. I actually thought this kid was quite capable a while ago, but I never expected that it was all his doing.

The purpose was to cover up the bandits in the mountains and to make money together with them, taking both the money of the imperial court and the people.

"You can stay in this dark and gloomy prison as long as you want," the magistrate spat at him before striding out.

Qian Dayong behind him was still crying and begging for mercy, but it was all in vain.

The two large prisons around the corner were also full of people. The magistrate turned his head to take a look and saw that almost everyone was injured, some lying on the ground and some leaning against the wall, groaning and clutching their wounds.

"Sir," the clerk whispered behind him, "these men have been badly beaten. Shouldn't we get a doctor to take them to the doctor?"

Those people had bruises and swelling on their faces, and even the clerk couldn't bear to look at them. The magistrate only glanced at them briefly before looking away, because he felt pain from seeing them too often.

"What are you looking at? They're not going to die anyway. They're just incredibly unlucky to even try to mess with Xu Yi."

When these bandits were captured on the mountain, they were already powerless to resist, but they couldn't resist the fact that it was the Xu family's guards who escorted them back.

It's said that Xu Wen led the attack and gave the bandits a sound beating, which can be considered revenge for Xu Yi.

When the county magistrate heard about this, he only reprimanded Xu Wen a few times; he couldn't very well bring Xu Wen back.

To be honest, he also thought these bandits were despicable, but given his position, the magistrate felt a little smug seeing them beaten up like that.

"Sir, what are you laughing at?" The clerk looked at him in confusion. He had been looking very serious just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, he couldn't stop laughing.

The county magistrate quickly pursed his lips, his expression returning to seriousness. "Where is that Chunniang? Where is she locked up?"

The clerk bent down and pointed the way, saying, "As instructed by Madam Xu, we took control of the person yesterday and locked him in the innermost cell."

Ever since Xu Yi sensed something was wrong with Qian Dayong, he had people keep a close eye on the Qian family's movements, which led to the discovery of Chunniang's unusual behavior.

In addition, Fu Man'er sent someone to the south to inquire about Chun Niang's background, but in the end, no such person could be found.

So when Fu Man'er learned of Xu Yi's accident yesterday, she didn't hesitate and immediately sent someone to the Qian family to keep an eye on Chun Niang.

As Fu Man'er had predicted, Chun Niang did try to sneak out of the city, but was immediately arrested. After being brought back, she made a scene, demanding to know the reason for her arrest.

Everyone was busy at the time, and no one paid any attention to her.

As the magistrate walked over, Chunniang calmly glanced over. Given the commotion in the prison in the middle of the night, she probably already knew something.

"Chunniang, the second-in-command of the bandits, you really have a brilliant plan." After learning that their plans were all the work of Chunniang, the county magistrate had to admire the woman in front of him.

To think that such an unremarkable woman was actually the second-in-command of that band of mountain bandits, and that she even dared to collude with military officers to seek benefits for the bandits.

Upon hearing these words from the head of the household, Chunniang's heart sank completely. She didn't bother to argue anymore. "It seems you all know."

From the morning onwards, people were constantly coming and going in the prison, and screams could be heard. Chunniang heard the prison guards say that they were interrogating prisoners.

From that moment on, she knew that the situation was hopeless.

"You are indeed clever, but unfortunately, you've misused your cleverness."

The county magistrate learned from the bandits today that on the day of Qian Dayong's wedding, Chunniang deliberately sent wine to the guards on duty at the city gate, making them drunk so that the bandits could transport the stolen goods out of the city.

Even the theft was something Chunniang had found out beforehand when she worked as a waitress, which made it so easy for the bandits to succeed.

"It's all because Qian Dayong is too stupid, otherwise we wouldn't have been discovered so quickly," Chunniang shouted excitedly.

If Qian Dayong hadn't been careless and overly boastful, arousing Xu Yi's suspicion, they wouldn't have been targeted so quickly.

We finally got to this point, and that idiot ruined it all.

"Hey you?"

Even after being arrested, they don't regret their wrongdoings; instead, they start looking down on others.

"At this point, you still don't know how to repent. I think you don't want to live anymore."

Chunniang laughed nonchalantly and said, "If we don't have anything to eat, we'll starve to death anyway. We're just trying to survive, what's wrong with that?"

"You murder for money, it's against all reason." This was also what the bandits confessed. On their way from the south, they would rob lone travelers and kill anyone who resisted.

"It's either him or us who live. If he dies, I'll live. Anyway, someone will starve to death. We're just trying our best to stay alive."

The magistrate's face turned ashen after hearing this. "You've gone mad! You've really gone mad! You've made murder for money sound so noble. A vicious person like you deserves to go to the eighteenth level of hell."

Chunniang laughed as if no one else was around, her face looking somewhat distorted. The county magistrate thought she had truly gone mad.

"Keep a close eye on her." He really didn't want to be with this crazy woman for even a second longer.

The day before the Lunar New Year, all the bandits, including Qian Dayong, were sentenced. Some were convicted of robbery, while others were convicted of murder. In short, when the notice was issued, the people in the city were much happier, as another major scourge had been eliminated.

The Xu family's New Year's Eve dinner was another large table full of people. Today, all the servants and maids in the mansion had gone home for the New Year, and the entire table of dishes was prepared by the Xu family.

"It's been quite a few years since I've cooked for myself. I'm still a bit rusty today, and I don't know how it will taste."

The speaker was Grandma Xu, whose cooking skills consisted of the most ordinary home-style dishes, which seemed quite out of place next to this table full of delicacies.

“It must be delicious. Grandma’s vegetable buns are the best.” Fu Man’er immediately chimed in, “I remember when I was little I could eat three vegetable buns in one meal, and I still can now.”

This vegetable dumpling used to be a common dish on the Xu family's dining table. It was made by mixing wild vegetables and coarse noodles, and it was considered a delicacy even when people were struggling to get enough to eat.

"You're such a sweet talker." Grandma Xu affectionately pinched Fu Man'er's nose. "Now you can't just eat vegetable dumplings anymore, you need to eat more good food to keep your body strong, especially since you're pregnant."

The Xu family was overjoyed when they talked about it. "Come on, let's all raise a glass to welcome the New Year and to celebrate the birth of another little life in our Xu family."

The wine in Fu Man'er's cup had long been replaced with warm water, but in this atmosphere, even drinking water made the little girl's face turn red.

She was happy, and Xu Yi's cheeks were also slightly flushed, which was really due to drinking.

"Man'er." While everyone was talking and not paying attention to the two of them, Xu Yi called out softly, and Fu Man'er turned her head to the side.

"I love you." A gentle voice brushed past Fu Man'er's ear. The little girl blinked shyly, pursed her lips, and smiled without saying a word.

Xu Yi was absolutely smitten with her like this, and reached out to take her hand. Their hands intertwined under the table.

He thought that was the end of it, but after a while, Xu Yi clearly heard the little girl's hesitant voice, "I love you too."

Xu Yi, slightly intoxicated, laughed heartily.

It feels so good to have family around and to hold the hand of your loved one. Perhaps this is the greatest satisfaction.

-----over