"Sister, please be kind," Du Feiyan pleaded desperately with the stranger, like a desperate person seeking help from anyone. She was young and inexperienced, but naturally courageous, and she had a feeling that Jiang Yushu was willing to help her.
elder sister
Jiang Yushu was stunned, thinking to herself, "Ever since I was resurrected, I've opened my eyes and become Mrs. Guo Er. This is the first time I've been called 'sister.'" Seeing him kowtow, she instinctively stepped back, refusing the formality, and ended up standing behind her husband without realizing it.
Guo Honglei stood tall and straight, his arms outstretched to block his wife's gaze. As a military commander, he was restricted by his responsibilities and could not interfere in local affairs. He advised, "Young lady, calm down. I have no knowledge of your family's lawsuit. Don't embarrass her."
"That's right." Cuimei was confused and said blankly, "We are confused and don't understand why you are arguing."
Jiang Yushu calmed down and replied seriously, "Miss, we just met by chance. I don't know the whole story. How can I help you plead for mercy?"
"The Du family has committed no crime. Longshun Escort Agency is the foundation of our ancestors. For nearly a hundred years, we have always cherished our reputation and have been escorting convoys honestly. We would never commit the shameful act of stealing from the inside, and we would never dare to destroy the foundation that our ancestors worked so hard to build." Du Feiyan was very excited, her face pale, her lips trembling, she was completely desperate, and she told him with shame.
"The plaintiff falsely accused the Du family of embezzlement because his son harbored ill intentions towards me. The two older brothers, protecting their sister, had argued with their employer three times. So, upon arriving in Yongzhou, the father and son conspired to frame my eldest brother, resulting in his unjust imprisonment."
"Sister, stop talking." Du Laosi interrupted her several times, but he couldn't stop her. He said dejectedly, "Alas, it's all my fault for being careless. I mistakenly took the darts from those two beasts and let you suffer." After saying this, he had to bow his head, slowly kneel on one knee, clasped his fists and begged for mercy.
"My lords, this has nothing to do with my sister. She's a girl, and if she's imprisoned, her reputation will be ruined. I beg you to show me mercy. I'll take the responsibility of killing her, but please spare her."
"Fourth brother," Du Feiyan said with regret, her eyes red, "it's all my fault. I shouldn't have thought it was fun and insisted on escorting along. If I had stayed at home, nothing would have happened on the road. I'm regretting it so much."
Immediately afterwards, all the escorts knelt on one knee and pleaded for Du Feiyan.
"Humph, you finally know you're afraid. Weren't you very brave when you surrounded and insulted the imperial officials just now?" The Chujie County Magistrate was still angry, his face dark, and he couldn't help but mock. Then, he bowed and asked, "Master Pei, what do you think should be done with this group of unruly people?"
Even after revealing her shameful secrets in public, she didn't shed a tear. Pei Wenfeng stood with his hands behind his back, secretly surprised, and remained silent in thought.
Amidst the chaos, the couple whispered a few words. Jiang Yushu had a rough idea of what was going on. After a moment's thought, she turned to her cousin and asked tentatively, "Cousin, since the defendant is already in prison and the government has the information about the escort agency, considering Miss Du's young age and her sincere confession, please don't detain her for the time being until she is found guilty."
"It's not too late to put him in jail after it's proven that he's guilty," Guo Honglei reminded.
The pretty girl knelt down and begged for mercy. Wei Xu, a rookie, couldn't help but feel sympathy for her and agreed, "Anyway, her origins have been revealed, she can't escape."
Upon hearing this, Du Feiyan was filled with gratitude. She held her breath and looked up at Pei Wenfeng nervously, "I beg Master Pei for forgiveness."
Pei Wenfeng frowned, pondered for a moment, and inexplicably felt a little bit of "hero saving the beauty" in his mind. He nodded to his cousin and then asked seriously, "Never mind, I don't have any urgent matters tonight. Lord Nie, how is the case file being sorted out?"
"You, you mean to personally try the case?" The Chujie County Magistrate was stunned for a moment, suddenly feeling guilty, and said with a stiff upper lip, "The case files are being sorted."
Pei Wenfeng refused to allow any further comment and ordered, "Show it to me later. Also, bring the defendant's family back to the yamen and summon the plaintiff, telling them to wait for the court hearing."
"Yes." The Chujie County Magistrate had no choice but to obey orders and waved his hand to order, "Follow the instructions of the prefect, and do it immediately."
The yamen runners nodded like crazy. After a moment, the leader came closer and asked hesitantly in a whisper, "Sir, does the little girl surnamed Du need to be brought back to the yamen?"
"idiot"
The Chujie County Magistrate was so disappointed that he lowered his voice and answered, "Is there any need to ask? Didn't you hear the gentlemen pleading for her? Of course she should be let go. Be smart and stop being stupid."
"I am stupid. Thank you for your guidance. I understand." The bailiff bowed awkwardly.
The Chujie County Magistrate had no time to lecture the yamen runners. He smiled and said, "I apologize for the poor reception. Look, it's getting dark. Please go into the city and rest. Please."
Guo Honglei smiled and replied, "Your Excellency is very busy with official duties. We are sorry to trouble you."
A large group of people walked towards their respective carriages one after another.
"Well, to be honest, there has been a murder in the county recently, and there are a bunch of important cases from old years that need to be sorted out urgently. I have just taken over for over a month and I am too busy to handle them all. I can only concentrate on handling the major cases first, and the other cases will be postponed for the time being." The Chujie County Magistrate followed Pei Wenfeng, chattering and explaining endlessly.
Pei Wenfeng remained expressionless, walking slowly towards the carriage and gently replying, "I understand the situation in Yongzhou. Thank you for your hard work."
"Thank you for your understanding," the Chujie County Magistrate breathed a sigh of relief.
Pei Wenfeng suddenly stopped and stopped next to Du Feiyan and her sister. He turned his head and wanted to ask his cousin to go with him, but he saw Guo Honglei reaching out to adjust her cloak, and his deep eyes suddenly dimmed.
But Du Feiyan next to him had bright eyes. In her eyes, Pei Zhizhou was gentle and elegant, handsome and graceful, completely different from the rough and heroic frontier men. He was handsome and bright like the moon.
Pei Wenfeng was completely oblivious to the young girl's blossoming love. He continued walking, saying without turning his head, "I'm going back to the county government office to try the case first. We'll talk after I'm done."
Guo Honglei answered loudly, "Official business is more important. Brother Pei, please go ahead and do your work. We are a large group, so it will take us a quarter of an hour to enter the city."
Who asked you? Pei Wenfeng felt unhappy and could never forgive the man who stole his love. He replied with a straight face, "Hmm."
Du Feiyan was extremely curious and stared intently, quietly gazing at Pei Zhizhou's back as he disappeared into the night.
In a blink of an eye, Guo Honglei and his party passed by.
"Sister..." Du Feiyan's eyes lit up, and she clasped her fists and thanked him solemnly. "Thank you for your help. It was thanks to you that you took the lead in pleading that Master Pei was willing to personally try the case."
Du Laosi and others were about to be taken back to the yamen by the yamen runners for trial. In the midst of the chaos, he did not forget to express his gratitude, "I will remember your kindness in my heart. If there is any need for me in the future, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Born into a noble family, Guo Honglei revived his family fortune through military exploits. He never made friends with the underworld, and he was also concerned about his wife making friends with them. He simply said, "You're being harsh. We're not actually pleading for mercy. Guilt or innocence must be determined based on the facts, and no one can influence the final verdict."
"I understand" Du Laosi, as a military man, is prejudiced and feels that military generals are much easier to deal with than civil officials.
"I don't know your name, sister," Du Feiyan said gratefully, "I will never forget your kindness, sister."
"This is our Madam. How can you call her sister all the time? And how can you casually ask for Madam's name?" Cuimei couldn't help but frown and criticize.
"Uh..." The Du family has been running the escort agency for generations. Du Feiyan is lively and energetic, and is good at fighting. She is not the kind of gentle lady who never leaves the house. She was stunned, at a loss.
Jiang Yushu raised her hand to stop Cuimei and replied with a smile, "My last name is Jiang."
"So it's Jiang," Du Feiyan had just finished speaking when her brother interrupted her and said, "Silly girl, we should call her Madam Guo."
"Oh, Mrs. Guo, hello Mrs. Guo, I will remember it." Du Feiyan nodded awkwardly.
Du Lao Si apologized and explained, "My sister is young and very spoiled at home. She rarely travels far away. Please don't be offended if she is reckless."
Guo Honglei shook his head, and Jiang Yushu urged him, "It's just a small matter, it's nothing serious. You should go to the government office quickly. It's not appropriate to keep Pei Zhizhou waiting. Besides, in the court, if you have grievances and complaints, you can complain. It is illegal to insult the court officials."
"Well, we didn't want to cause trouble, but we had no choice. My eldest brother has been detained for more than a month, and his life or death is unknown. The county government has not yet held a trial, and the jailer won't let us visit. It's too painful." Du Lao Si frowned and said with a fist. "We are in a hurry to go to the government office. Take your leave now. I will come to thank you another day."
Afterwards, a group of yamen runners, accompanied by the escort, hurried into the city. No one made trouble for Du Feiyan, so she took the initiative to follow them and went to the yamen to observe the trial.
After a while
Cuimei murmured and sighed, "People in the underworld are so strange. Even girls are so carefree and outspoken, even more so than me."
Guo Honglei helped his wife into the car without saying anything. Jiang Yushu chuckled and said softly, "It's not surprising that escorts who travel the world have lively and cheerful personalities."
"Don't get close to her," Guo Honglei whispered.
Jiang Yushu stood in the car, bent down and said, "It's just a chance encounter, there's no chance of getting close."
"That's better." Guo Honglei said with a fierce look on his face. "The rules of the Jianghu are different from ours. We cannot work together if we don't share the same ideals, and we cannot be friends if we don't share the same goals."
Jiang Yushu answered readily, "I know."
"The wind is strong, go in quickly, be careful not to catch a cold." Guo Honglei smiled and raised his hand to push her into the car.
"Um."
Nighttime Back Yamen Room
After a whole day of running around, Jiang Yushu let Cuimei go and rest after taking a shower. She forced herself to stay awake and sat down at her desk to write and draw.
Half an hour later, Guo Honglei pushed the door open and walked in. "Why aren't you resting yet?"
"The daytime survey book must be sorted out in time. If I delay for too long, I'm afraid I'll forget some details." Jiang Yushu put down her pen and lowered her head for a long time, her neck aching. She closed her eyes, raised her face, rubbed the back of her neck with her backhand, and asked with concern, "Have you arranged all your people?"
In the candlelight, her hair was half loose, her neck was long and fair, and her skin was flawless. When she pinched her neck with her backhand, her scarlet sleeves slipped down, revealing a white wrist, which was made particularly slender by the wide cuffs.
As the saying goes, a short absence makes the heart grow fonder.
What's more, the couple has been spending less time together than together since they consummated their marriage.
Guo Honglei's eyes were deep, attracted by the jade-white color hidden under the crimson clothes. He walked slowly closer and answered absentmindedly, "It's arranged."
"Hey, there's something I want to discuss with you."
Guo Honglei stood behind the chair, pushed her hands away, and gently massaged her neck without saying a word.
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