One hundred and forty-eight
Because someone from the Zhou family of Yuzhang had come, the magistrate and his wife went to the main hall. Before that, Fu Wei and Qian Muzuo wanted to say goodbye, but the magistrate asked them to stay first.
About half an hour later, the magistrate asked someone to call Fu Wei and Qian Muzuo.
The magistrate's wife continued to entertain the female guests.
There was still a smile on her face, and no emotion could be seen.
But the atmosphere in the study was unusually serious.
Qian Muliao came from the Zhou family and followed County Magistrate Zhou, so he naturally knew about County Magistrate Zhou's disheartening past.
He wanted to ask about his family, but after looking at Fu Wei, he stopped talking.
Magistrate Zhou saw through his thoughts and said nonchalantly, "Mr. Fu is not an outsider, and this isn't a secret. There's no need to be secretive. Just ask whatever you want to ask."
So after entering the study, he asked, "Sir, we haven't received any news from our family in four years. Why did you suddenly send someone here today?"
Magistrate Zhou said calmly, "I heard that my grandfather is almost dying, so he asked me to go back."
Qian Muliao was a little surprised, but then he thought that the old man was already 86 years old, so it was normal for him to die of old age.
The old man used to be somewhat protective of his grandson, the county magistrate, but now that he could no longer bear it, he naturally wanted his children and grandchildren to be by his side.
"Sir, do you want to go back?" asked Qian's staff.
When Fu Wei was in Wuling, he had some understanding of the noble families in various places, and he also had some knowledge of the Zhou family in Yuzhang.
Although I knew it, I still stood quietly by.
Magistrate Zhou nodded. "Grandfather is seriously ill, so as his grandson, it's natural for me to go back. The Zhou family has already established connections and has approved a month's leave for me."
Upon hearing this, Fu Wei frowned slightly.
It is January now. After a one-month vacation, it will be February when I come back.
Ah Ying once said that when the ice and snow melt in the north, it is a time of unrest.
Yuzhang is close to the border between the north and the south. The north was in chaos first, and I don’t know if it will be affected.
The fact that County Magistrate Zhou was able to call him in meant that he would accompany him on this trip.
He was not worried about the chaos in Yuzhang, or about his own safety. What he was worried about was that if there was chaos in the north, Yuzhang would be implicated and County Magistrate Zhou might be left in Yuzhang.
After all, before becoming county magistrate, Zhou Zhixian was also well-known in the army. If chaos really broke out, the Zhou family would keep him as a vanguard.
"I need to leave someone behind to guard Yu County. Mr. Qian will look after Yu County for me. For important matters, I will send someone to deliver a letter to Yuzhang. For general matters, I will make decisions directly. Fu Wei will go back with me."
After that, he looked around at the two of them and asked, "Do you have any objections?"
Going back to Yuzhang is not a good thing.
But if he could still fight for it by going back, Qian Muliao would naturally want to go back.
But he also knew that his master had long since given up the desire to fight, and Fu Wei had only been in the yamen for a year, so it was not appropriate to let him make decisions on the yamen's affairs. It was the most appropriate arrangement for him to stay, and it was not that his master was partial.
Qian Muliu bowed and said, "It's meaningless for me."
Fu Wei also bowed and responded.
Magistrate Zhou nodded and then instructed, "We'll set off the day after tomorrow. Don't rest now. Take advantage of the next two days to arrange various matters. I'm sorry for the hard work you've put in."
"After lunch, go home and rest, and come back for duty in the afternoon."
After saying that, he looked at Fu Wei and said, "Stay here. I have something to say to you."
After Qian's staff left, County Magistrate Zhou said to Fu Wei, "If you don't want to go with me, don't worry, just say so. After all, the letter from Cangwu only said that they can guarantee your protection in Cangwu."
Magistrate Zhou was unaware of the deep grudge between the Huo and Fu families, and naturally, he was unaware that Magistrate Huo also regarded Fu Wei as a thorn in his side. He simply believed that Huo Min alone had a false grudge against Fu Wei.
Fu Wei asked, "If you are promoted, will you still stay in Yu County?"
County Magistrate Zhou: "Of course not."
Fu Wei smiled lightly and said, "Then it is impossible for me to stay in Cangwu for my entire life."
When County Magistrate Zhou heard his words, he laughed.
"That's the best way."
After letting Fu Wei leave first, County Magistrate Zhou leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.
I have been away from home for more than four years. Thinking about what happened before I left, going back this time may not be a good thing.
*
After having dinner in the backyard of the county government office, they all went back home.
After saying goodbye to Qian Muliao, the couple walked home side by side. On the way, Yu Ying asked, "There's a letter from Yuzhang. Is the magistrate going back?"
Fu Wei nodded slightly, and said slowly and helplessly: "I will go to Yuzhang with you, sir."
Yu Ying was silent for a moment, not surprised: "When are you going?"
Fu Wei noticed her calm reaction, as if he already knew it. He glanced at her sideways, but in the end didn't ask anything.
I had already decided to go with the flow, so I wouldn't worry about what she could predict.
"I'll go in two days. If nothing unexpected happens, it'll be a month. If something unexpected happens..." He paused before continuing, "I'll be back late. Take good care of yourself and be careful."
Yu Ying nodded and said softly, "I'll save it. I'll make my last trip to the county seat next month, and then I won't go."
The prefect's wife had gone back to her parents' home for the New Year holiday and wouldn't be back until the end of the month. She had already made plans, and couldn't mess up her trip to the county seat, so she could only wait until next month to see the prefect's wife and then tell her about this.
"Once March is over, remind the Yu family and tell them that I got the news from Yuzhang." Fu Wei reminded.
Yu Ying nodded: "Okay, let them prepare more food."
It's too early to say it now. At the moment, only he and Ah Ying know about the chaos in the world, and he must never tell anyone else.
If one more person knows about it, the situation will become even more dangerous and unpredictable. Before a major chaos breaks out, they will be accused of spreading rumors or being traitors, and the lives of their entire family will be in danger.
After returning home, Fu Wei told his mother, elder brother and sister-in-law about his plan to go to Yuzhang.
When they heard that Fu Wei was going to Yuzhang with the county magistrate the day after tomorrow, the smiles on the faces of those who had been happily celebrating the New Year froze instantly.
Luo looked dazed and asked, "Why is it so sudden?"
"Grandpa Zhou is almost unable to bear it, so he asked his children and grandchildren from all over the country to go back. Of course, you have to go back too. Mr. Qian has to stay and take charge of the situation, so you have no choice but to take me with you."
"But Yuzhang is only two or three days away from Wuling. If that person attacks you again, then what should we do?"
When Luo thought of this possibility, his face and eyes were filled with worry and fear.
At first, she felt a debt of gratitude to the child as a blood relative, but gradually, her feelings deepened and the debt turned into the affection between mother and child.
I'm already worried even though I haven't set out yet.
Fu Wei comforted his mother gently, "We are traveling with you, my Lord. We will be eating, sleeping, and traveling together. If he dares to act, it would be like assassinating an official of the imperial court and plotting treason. Even Governor Huo would be unable to protect him and would even be implicated by him."
After a pause, he continued, "Perhaps he's afraid of being implicated, so he's restraining his son. Mother, don't worry too much. I'm capable of protecting myself."
Luo opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she also understood the principle of doing her job. In the end, she closed her mouth, nodded, and instructed: "Be careful."
Fu Wei responded.
After Fu Wei went on duty in the afternoon, Luo took out the fur sleeves that Yu Ying had given her earlier.
Wen Xing asked her why she suddenly made sleeves, and Luo replied, "The weather in Yuzhang is not as good as Cangwu, where it's spring all year round. It's probably snowing there right now, so I can't get clothes in time. I had no choice but to make sleeves and put a layer of fur inside his shoes to keep him warm."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying, who was packing Fu Wei's things, immediately went out to buy Fu Wei some thick ready-made clothes.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, many shops were still closed. I searched for a long time before I found a clothing store that was open.
I didn't come to choose, and it was either too big or too small, or the material was poor.
Fortunately, he had plenty of money, so he made two thick new clothes before the New Year. Because Fu Wei went to the county seat with the magistrate before the New Year and showed up in front of the prefect, the outer clothes were made of good materials.
This time when I go to the Zhou family in Yuzhang, I must not let people look down on me, so I have to prepare clothes well.
She didn't want any rough outer garments, so she only sold a few thick undergarments.
The journey is long, and in weather like this, it will take about half a month to get there. There may not be time to wash clothes on the way, so I can only prepare a few more sets of underwear for him to wear.
In addition to clothes and food, Yu Ying also had to prepare enough money for him just in case.
He took out two gold bars, wrapped them in cloth, and asked his eldest brother to hit them a few times with the back of an axe to break them into wide pieces. Then he went back to the house and used scissors to cut them into small pieces so that he could use them more easily.
The gold was sewn into the lining of his clothes for self-defense, while the silver and copper coins were for spending.
When you are away from home, your expenses will always be much higher. Not only your food and clothing, but also asking people for favors and doing things for you will require money.
Moreover, since he stayed in Yuzhang for a long time, Yu Ying prepared two hundred taels of silver and two strings of copper coins for him to spend.
In addition to silver, there are also ground medicinal herbs that can be used by boiling them in hot water. Although the medicinal effect is not as good as that of boiled medicine, it can also solve urgent problems.
Fu Wei might have a carriage of his own, or two people might share a carriage. No matter what, he would fit as many as possible.
Two days is not enough to pack for a long journey, but there is no other way.
Fu Wei has been very busy these past two days. Yu Ying has been bringing him lunch at noon, and he comes back very late at night.
Two days passed in a flash, and it was the day for Fu Wei to set out.
Early in the morning on the fifth day, a horse-drawn carriage came to pick up Fu Wei, and then he went to the yamen and set off together with the county magistrate's troops.
The two brothers loaded their luggage onto the carriage, and Fu Zhen sent Fu Wei to the yamen.
Fu Wei asked Fu Zhen to stay with him on this trip. Although he said that there needed to be a man at home, otherwise the villains might have bad intentions when they saw that the family was full of old people, children, women and children, but this was only one of the reasons.
The second reason was that he was afraid of civil unrest. The family was full of elderly, children, women and children, and Fu Zhen stayed to protect the family.
After everyone had spoken to each other, Yu Ying pulled him aside and warned him, "You must remember which clothes you hid the gold in. Don't lose it."
"Also, the Zhou family is a dangerous place, so be careful. And the Huo family, you should also be wary of them and their son looking for trouble with you."
A faint smile appeared on Fu Wei's lips: "I have kept it in mind."
Yu Ying nodded, then took out the brocade bag containing the amulet: "My mother and I went to ask for this for you. I didn't believe it before, but you know I have to believe it now, so remember to wear this amulet at all times."
Fu Wei took the brocade bag, put it in his arms close to his heart, and said, "I will wear it all the time."
He responded with "OK" to everything she asked without showing any impatience.
Even though he had a lot to say, he was afraid of missing the time, so he had to stop.
Fu Wei got on the carriage, opened the curtain, and said to Ah Ying and his family in a gentle and soft voice, "It's cold, let's all go back."
Although he asked them to go back, they still stopped at the entrance of the alley and watched the carriage go away.
Yu Ying watched the carriage leave, feeling increasingly empty in her heart.
She couldn't bear to let him go even after he left.
I don’t know when the couple will be able to reunite.
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