"You didn't really lose your pass, did you?" Pei Wenfeng's eyes were gloomy. He couldn't help but frown and suppress his anger.
"I—" Wei Xu squatted on the ground, speechless, staring at the servant and asking, "Shi Tou! Where on earth did you put the thing?"
The servant named Shitou was panicked and cried, "I don't know. I clearly put the document in my book box all the way home. I would see it every now and then when I sorted my luggage. It was intact. Who knew it would be gone now? Master, calm down. I will look for it carefully."
"Hurry up and find him!" Wei Xu was extremely anxious. He was already feeling unwell from the boat ride and was dizzy from vomiting. When he got angry, his face turned pale and blue.
The master and servant opened their eyes wide and searched carefully for a long time. Clothes, shoes, socks, hats, purses, wooden boxes, paper, pens, and books were scattered all over the floor...but there was no trace of the document.
Pei Wenfeng stood by with his hands behind his back, wanting to say something but hesitant.
Jiang Yushu and the others couldn't look through the luggage of outsiders, so they could only watch from the sidelines. They warned, "Don't worry, look carefully. If it's definitely lost, think carefully: When was the last time you saw the document? Could it have been left behind somewhere you stopped to rest or sleep while you were traveling?"
"The last time? Oh, the last time was the night before last!" the servant replied firmly. "At the post station, when I was packing my luggage, I saw it with my own eyes. The things were neatly placed in the box."
Wei Xu was too exhausted to squat, so he simply sat cross-legged on the ground and shook open several volumes of "Yongzhou Chronicles", hoping that a pass would fall out of the pages.
Jiang Yushu paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. "If it's truly lost, we'll have no choice but to return to the county office and ask Lord Liu to issue a new one. Otherwise, the fortress guards will definitely not issue us a warrant to enter the city."
"Ahem." Pei Wenfeng looked down at Wei Xu who was buried in a book with an expressionless face, then looked at his cousin, waved with his eyes, and walked away.
Jiang Yushu's eyes lit up immediately, mistakenly thinking that her cousin had a good idea. She quickly approached him and asked expectantly, "Cousin, do you have any good ideas?"
The cousins avoided the crowd and discussed quietly:
"He accidentally lost it. There's nothing we can do now except return to the county government office and ask for a new one." Pei Wenfeng lowered his voice and advised, "From what I've observed so far, I don't think Wei Xu is capable of getting things done. It's good enough if he doesn't cause any trouble, let alone help. I suggest we take this opportunity to send him away and have him go find Ambassador Liang. Once Ambassador Liang has transferred and trained the people, he can come back to help you. What do you think?"
how?
Jiang Yushu was startled, glancing at her colleagues from the corner of her eye. She quickly made up her mind and whispered, "No, that's not right. As you know, Xiping Warehouse is short-staffed. We've discussed the assignments over and over again. We just set foot in Yongzhou today. If Lord Wei is suddenly 'sent away', outsiders will definitely think there's a feud between us."
"When you're in officialdom, it's inevitable to offend people. But while you should be cautious, you can't be blindly afraid of offending people—"
Pei Wenfeng paused, then suddenly smiled, sighed, and said self-deprecatingly, "Never mind. Female officials are different from men. There's no need to compete for merit or achievements. Sister Shu, please don't learn from me. In the past two years, I've offended many people in my pursuit of solving cases. Not only am I often called a 'dog official,' but I've also caused my entire family to be scolded."
Jiang Yushu felt sympathy and soothed him, saying, "It's just gossip, not worth taking seriously. If you didn't have the reputation of being a 'god-breaker,' how could you have stood out? If you weren't smart and capable, how could you have been promoted? Alas, since ancient times, officials in charge of patrols and arresting thieves have always been subject to criticism."
"Thank you, Sister Shu, for your comfort." The river wind was strong, and Pei Wenfeng stepped aside to block the wind. He said calmly, "Actually, when investigating and solving cases, you sometimes have to use iron-fisted measures. I've long been accustomed to being called 'unscrupulous in order to solve a case, cold-blooded and cruel,'"
"I've also been tormented by rumors and gossip, and it's really annoying, but I persevered and gradually stopped caring. Cousin, please cheer up, focus on your work, and rise to a higher position. And piss off those nagging little people!"
Pei Wenfeng couldn't help but laugh and readily agreed, "Good idea! I'll try my best to see if I can become a high-ranking official in the imperial court."
"I'll wait and see." Jiang Yushu said seriously, "I'll wait and see."
Pei Wenfeng opened his mouth and laughed.
"Let's get down to business!" Jiang Yushu raised her head, smoothed her crimson cloak, and said frankly, "To be honest, I do worry about the bad reputation of 'excluding colleagues,' but I also see that Lord Wei is a rookie and inexperienced in all matters, just like I was back then—"
"So you don't have the heart to take this opportunity to push the trouble onto Ambassador Liang?"
"Alas, a special envoy is only half a rank higher than a deputy envoy. I have no right to 'push him away.'" Jiang Yushu thought for a moment, then made a decisive decision. She said seriously, "We're going in different directions. You're rushing to the city to see the prefect, while we need to survey the farmland along the way. We might as well separate now. Cousin, go get the entry permit quickly and take up your post as soon as possible, so the Yongzhou prefect won't mistakenly think you're delaying."
Different paths? Separate?
Pei Wenfeng pondered quietly, feeling sad and unhappy. His smile disappeared without a trace. "What will you do if I leave?"
Jiang Yushu was helpless. "The expedition was unsuccessful, so we're going home. We'll go back to Liu Village immediately and have Lord Wei go to the county government office to get a new pass. Then we'll cross the river and exchange it for a warrant to enter the city. Fortunately, we don't have a deadline, and you should have arrived long ago. There's no need to delay."
"This..." Pei Wenfeng frowned, glanced at Wei Xu sitting on the ground, and pondered silently.
Jiang Yushu advised sternly, "You're already half a month overdue. Look at Lord Pan, he's already left for his new post with his family. It's not a good comparison. Be careful not to upset your new superior. Go ahead, I can handle the paperwork!"
Pei Wenfeng was in a dilemma and frowned in silence.
At this time, the ferry returned and slowly approached the shore.
The boat carried two officials, a horse, and a small carriage. The boatman shouted, "A carriage is coming! Please wait a moment, my friends. The other carriage will be here in two quarters of an hour at most."
Jiang Yushu turned around and said happily, "It just so happens that your carriage arrived first! Everyone, please help unload the things."
Zou Gui rolled up his sleeves and ran towards the ferry, "I'll lead the horse!"
"Slow down."
Except for Wei Xu who was unwell, everyone worked together and in a short while, they harnessed the carriage and left the boatman behind.
Jiang Yushu clapped her hands in satisfaction and urged, "Alright! Cousin, you guys can set off now. It's okay. We'll go to the capital sooner or later, and we'll get together then."
Pei Wenfeng was burdened with official duties and sighed helplessly, "Okay, I'll listen to you." After saying that, he cheered up and strode towards the Jiang'an Fortress. He talked with the leader of the garrison for a while and got back two warrants to enter the city.
"I have explained the reason to the garrison. This is yours, keep it carefully."
Jiang Yushu thanked him and took it, then handed it to Zou Gui, who immediately put the thing into the bag he carried with him day and night.
As the sun rose to noon, Pei Wenfeng looked at the sky and whispered, "Well, I'll be leaving now. I'll leave the two officers on the other side to you."
"Thank you, cousin!" After a bad start, Jiang Yushu was about to return to the south bank. She glanced at the beautiful spring scenery on the north bank and couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Pei Wenfeng patiently walked towards Wei Xu, hiding his displeasure, and said politely, "I am in a hurry to take up my post, so I have to go first. Sir Wei, I will take my leave for now."
"Take care, Lord Pei. See you another day." Wei Xu bowed his head, feeling guilty and ashamed to face others.
Pei Wenfeng knew he couldn't count on the other party, but he still instructed: "Please take good care of Pei's cousin in the future."
"...I will do my best." Wei Xu lacked confidence and felt guilty.
Pei Wenfeng said, "Goodbye." He got on the carriage, immediately opened the curtain, and turned his eyes to stare at her.
Jiang Yushu waved her hand and said, "I wish you all the best."
"Goodbye, cousin." Cuimei knelt down and lowered her head.
"Take care of yourself, Lord Pei." Zou Gui bowed.
"See you another day." Pei Wenfeng reluctantly lowered the curtain.
After saying goodbye, two officials escorted him and two servants drove the carriage. "Go!"
In the morning light, they gradually went away.
On the north bank of Cangjiang River, only Jiang Yushu and her group were left.
After a while, Jiang Yushu forced herself to cheer up, pointed at the luggage scattered on the ground, and said calmly: "Hurry up and pack up, let's go back to Liu Village and make a long-term plan."
"Yes." Shitou was uneasy and didn't dare to say a word. He squatted down and cleaned up as he was told.
Wei Xu lowered his head, staring at the messy luggage, feeling annoyed and frustrated. He was sulking, and suddenly kicked a bag of clothes hard!
There was a muffled "bang" sound, and the clothes were kicked apart. The anger spread to a volume of "Yongzhou Chronicles", and the book jumped and fell into the pile of pebbles with a "pa pa".
Jiang Yushu frowned upon seeing this. She could understand the carelessness of a rookie, but she always disliked people who lost their temper when things happened. "Wei——"
"ah!"
"well!"
"I remember!" Wei Xu suddenly looked up to the sky and shouted, slapping his forehead hard. He was ecstatic and shouted, "Hahaha, I remember, the things are not lost, not lost!"
At this unexpected turn of events, everyone's eyes lit up. Jiang Yushu held her breath and asked, "Where did you put it?"
"It fell at your house!"
Wei Xu was extremely annoyed and kept slapping his forehead. "Last night, while I was reading, I suddenly had the urge to open the box and look through the family letters. I picked up the document on the top shelf, but because the desk was too narrow, I stuffed it into the drawer. Then, in my busy schedule, I accidentally forgot to put it back, and it ended up in the drawer."
Jiang Yushu was stunned for a moment. "Well, the farmhouse is small and the guest room is narrow. There is no room for a long desk, so I specially asked a carpenter to build a small square table."
"It doesn't matter if it's a long table or a square table. The most urgent thing is to get the things here as soon as possible."
Wei Xu was furious and ordered, "What are you standing there for? Hurry back to Liu Village! Remember, the things are in the drawer, go and come back quickly!"
"Yes, yes." The servant was as if he had been pardoned. He ran towards the ferry in a hurry without any complaints.
"Wait a minute!"
Jiang Yushu called out to the others and warned them, "He doesn't know the way around. Xiao Zou, you take him back to the village on horseback to get his things. Be steady. There's no rush. We'll wait here."
"I understand!" Zou Gui handed the bag he was carrying to Cuimei, ran over, called the boatman, and crossed the river back to the village.
Jiang Yushu and the other two were waiting on the shore. She looked around and picked a sheltered spot. She sat down on a dead tree trunk with Cuimei to rest. She called out, "The wind is strong by the river. Lord Wei is feeling unwell. Be careful not to catch a cold. Come over and take shelter from the wind."
Wei Xu was still sulking, but he forced a smile, turned his head and waved, "Thank you. But I feel less dizzy after getting some fresh air."
Jiang Yushu believed it and said, "Okay then. You are not used to riding a boat. You will probably recover after taking a rest."
"Hmm," Wei Xu replied perfunctorily. He turned his back to his colleagues and sat on a rock by the river, his head downcast as he stared blankly at the relentless flow of the river. Competitive by nature, he had put forth all his energy, eager to show off his skills. Unexpectedly, he repeatedly "embarrassed himself"... He was utterly frustrated, practically dying of anguish.
Half an hour later. On the other side
"Whoa!"
Guo Honglei pulled the reins, dismounted, and led a team of his men and more than 300 criminals who were exiled to the army, intending to cross the river and rush to Tuningwei.
The prisoners were dressed in rags, looked pale and thin, and most of them looked lifeless, miserable and desperate.
After days of traveling, Guo Honglei was exhausted. He strode with his head held high and gave a clear order: "Immediately hire a civilian ship to the other side, and ask the garrison to arrange a military ship to pick you up as soon as possible—Hmm?"
"Yes!" The guard asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"
Guo Honglei stopped, examined it intently, raised his whip, and pointed it at the carriage two meters away. He replied puzzledly, "Maybe I was too busy and my eyes were blurry. It's strange that when I look at that carriage, I actually think it looks like my own."
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