At noon, the autumn sun is warm.
Jiang Yushu sat upright at her desk, turned her head to look out the window, and after checking the sky, she gave a succinct order: "The schedule for the second half of the month will proceed as we just discussed! Starting tomorrow morning, I will first inspect two towns on the outskirts of the county. This is expected to take six or seven days. Afterwards, I will host a flower-viewing banquet, inviting scholars to discuss music, chess, poetry, calligraphy, and painting. This will also promote education, which is also the responsibility of the government."
The subordinates nodded in agreement, "Your Excellency is absolutely right."
"I will make arrangements for the patrol as soon as possible!"
Jiang Yushu nodded, glanced at the sky, stood up and said, "It's noon, everyone, go eat, and we can talk about it this afternoon."
"yes."
"Then, I'll take my leave."
Humph, it's all because Captain Guo is visiting his relatives. Even before noon, she's always glancing out the window, presumably anxious to have dinner with her husband. Li Qigong curled his lips secretly, lowered his head, brushed off the sleeves of his black robe, and with a peripheral vision, followed the female official out of the study.
Jiang Yushu was downwind when she suddenly smelled a strange aroma and glanced subconsciously:
Li Qigong wore a black hat, his temples neatly trimmed, and his black robe slightly open at the collar, revealing his crimson undergarment. He coughed with a pale purple handkerchief covering his mouth, the fragrance emanating from the handkerchief.
"Cough, cough, cough—" Li Qigong noticed his new prey sizing him up, bent over and coughed repeatedly. Then, with an embarrassed look on his face, he apologized, "I'm sorry, I caught a little cold, and my throat is itchy. I'm sorry for disturbing you."
A man in charge of patrolling and catching thieves not only likes the color purple, but also likes to use hair oil and powder? He is even more obsessed with beauty than the wealthy scholars I have ever met!
It’s really... Haha, there are all kinds of strange things in the world.
Jiang Yushu retracted her gaze, wanting to laugh but holding it back, and said as she walked, "The weather is getting colder. Everyone, please take care of yourselves. If you catch a cold, you'll feel uncomfortable for a while."
The other subordinates hurriedly said, "You must be more careful!"
"Your Excellency is very busy with official duties. Please make sure to rest more often and don't overwork yourself."
Jiang Yushu responded gently. The two groups walked together for a while and then separated at the corridor. She led her people hurriedly back to the back court.
Li Qigong deliberately walked last, glancing at his new prey from behind. He mistakenly thought she was beginning to look at him differently, and he couldn't help but feel smug. He thought to himself: Sure enough, all women are the same! No matter how dignified, intelligent, or strong-willed they are... deep down, they always crave the closeness of men.
Love grows over time. If a man seduces her repeatedly, she will fall into the trap sooner or later!
Soon, Hou Ya
It is rare for a couple to be together, so Jiang Yushu naturally misses her husband.
She didn't want to keep him waiting any longer, so she stepped into the courtyard and took a closer look.
"I understand. I will do my utmost to protect the lady!" Two middle-aged men in their forties, with honest faces, clasped their fists in gratitude and said:
"Thank you, sir. I will never let you down."
Guo Honglei turned his head, lowered his chin, and said with a smile: "Look, your Lord Jiang is here."
The two middle-aged men hurriedly turned around and walked quickly to greet her. They bowed and clasped their fists in greeting, and said stiffly, "Luo Chen greets Madam."
"Ma Zhao pays his respects to the Madam."
Jiang Yushu was not surprised at all and asked with a smile, "Are these the two you mentioned, Lao Ma and Lao Luo?"
"Hmm." Guo Honglei approached and whispered, "Something's not going well in Tuning. I wasn't available to accompany you on your patrol, so I found two guards for you. They've been in the army for nearly twenty years and have only recently been discharged. They know every tree and blade of grass in Tuning. With them leading the way, no one can fool you."
Jiang Yushu took a quick look at the two new guards, knelt down and bowed to her husband, saying happily, "Thank you, Second Master, for your trouble!"
Guo Honglei smiled and flicked her gauze hat with his finger.
"Xiao Zou!" Jiang Yushu ordered loudly, "Arrange for Lao Luo and Lao Ma to stay."
"Yes." The servant came over, put his arm around his new partner's shoulders, and then left in a friendly manner.
Guo Honglei walked back to the house, and Jiang Yushu followed him, saying apologetically, "Well, we had an appointment to have dinner together, so I came back a little late."
"It's okay." Guo Honglei said calmly, "I just got back too."
"Ah? Where have you been?"
Guo Honglei replied leisurely, "South Courtyard. I heard there's a school there, so I took a walk there since I had nothing better to do."
"Did you get anything?" Jiang Yushu stepped over and took off her hat. The two of them stood side by side in front of the washstand and washed their hands.
"It's just a small talk to relieve boredom. There's nothing much to gain."
Jiang Yushu asked expectantly, "They are considered the most knowledgeable group of people in Tuning. What do you think? Are there any good seedlings?"
Guo Honglei took off his handkerchief, wiped his hands slowly, and asked, "Do you want to hear the truth?"
"certainly!"
Guo Honglei shook his head and commented frankly, "Those scholars have limited knowledge and learning, but they have rather bad tempers. And, as you said, a group of people split into two factions, fighting openly and covertly, tit-for-tat. An outsider can tell they're not getting along after watching for a while. If you're impatient and impatient and don't work hard, you can't expect to make it to the top of the list." He recalled with emotion:
"Back when I was in school, even my talented classmates, even those from prominent families, were ordered by their elders to study hard. Furthermore, most were more humble than the other, and rarely arrogant, fearing the risk of being laughed at, and even more so, losing face for their families and being punished by their elders."
If the Jingyang Marquisate had not collapsed and everything had gone according to plan, he would have been able to pass the imperial examination and become an official; if he failed, the old marquis would have definitely helped his son donate money to become an official.
In short, he will obtain an official position and live a rich and stable life.
However, there is no "if" in the world. After being stripped of his title and his property was confiscated, the once noble young man was exiled and sent to the army, where he has been struggling in the military camp ever since.
Fate, oh fate... Jiang Yushu sighed inwardly, then smiled after coming back to her senses. "How can we compare? You and your classmates are all children of prominent families, and you value propriety and etiquette. Children from humble backgrounds, on the other hand, often have limited ambitions. Forget about getting a place on the imperial examinations, even passing the imperial examinations is already quite impressive. Passing the imperial examinations is incredibly rare."
Guo Honglei frowned in confusion. "I understand the logic, but it's strange. Should students from poor families be as dedicated and studious as my father-in-law? But after observing them for a while, I've found that many of them are lazy and listless, seemingly unable to muster the drive to study."
"My dad? He was able to study so hard with such single-mindedness, which was inseparable from the financial support of my grandfather. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to study peacefully."
Jiang Yushu sighed and said with a headache, "Studying depends on one's own efforts. I can only encourage them. If they don't put their heart into it, outsiders can't help."
"really."
"Education is not a priority; the most urgent task is the autumn harvest!" Jiang Yushu's eyes were determined, and she frowned and whispered, "I've always suspected that there's something wrong with Tu Ning's tax and grain accounts. This inspection is a good opportunity to find out the truth and see the real situation in each town and village."
"I need to find out whether someone is cheating and enriching themselves, or whether the poor harvest is caused by drought."
Guo Honglei frowned, extremely worried, and sternly advised, "As the county magistrate, you have to be aware of many things. You must be careful and prudent. You must know that 'clear waters attract fish.' You are the new official, and you are responsible for the future. Sun Jie has been transferred to Qinzhou, and the old accounts he left behind are difficult to sort out. Even if you go to great lengths to sort them out, who can you hold accountable?"
Jiang Yushu was no novice, and she quickly replied, "Don't worry, I just want to investigate secretly to prevent the accounts from being messed up during the autumn harvest. I have no intention of pursuing any responsibility. Alas, the government office is always changing, and the old accounts were settled by the previous magistrate and his subordinates. If we pursue it seriously, we might find a large number of accomplices, which would be difficult to deal with."
"The more complicated the situation is, the more cautious you should be. You should take it step by step. Otherwise, you may make more mistakes than you do." Guo Honglei was afraid that she would suffer losses due to her recklessness.
Jiang Yushu nodded. "Well, time will tell. I'll quietly investigate and get the evidence, then I'll find a chance to deal with the bad apple!"
After a while, the maid reported: "Second Master, Madam, it's time to eat."
Jiang Yushu called out, "Let's go and eat first!"
The next morning
The autumn weather is crisp and the sky is clear.
When Jiang Yushu was dressed neatly and leading a group of followers out, several servants were sweeping up the dead yellow leaves. When they met the county magistrate, they hurriedly stepped aside and saluted respectfully:
"grown ups."
"I pay my respects to you, sir."
Jiang Yushu was full of energy. She nodded in response, walked out of the county government gate with quick steps.
At this moment, the patrol carriages were already waiting.
As soon as Li Qigong saw his new prey, he pursed his lips, quickly approached, bowed and said, "I pay my respects to you, sir."
Jiang Yushu stopped and asked in surprise, "Are you coming too?"
"yes."
"Have all the cases been solved?"
Li Qigong shook his head, still wearing a purple undershirt under his black uniform, and explained, "There's a rather difficult case. Based on the clues, I have to go to Jing Town. Since we happen to be going the same way, I should escort the county magistrate."
People's hearts are hidden, Jiang Yushu didn't think much about it, and nodded and said, "Oh, so we are going the same way."
"Huh?" Li Qigong asked knowingly, "Where's Captain Guo?"
Jiang Yushu walked towards the carriage, "He returned to the camp yesterday evening."
"Oh, what a pity!" Li Qigong followed her to his horse and said with regret, "I wanted to take this opportunity to treat this hero to a drink."
Jiang Yushu loved to hear outsiders praise her husband, so she smiled without saying anything. The yamen runners had already placed a footstool. She stepped on the stool with her right foot, lifted the hem of her robe slightly, and lowered her head to get into the carriage.
"Be careful." Li Qigong stood five feet away, took a step forward and raised his hand, as if subconsciously supporting him.
"Hey——" Cuimei raised her hand hastily to block it, feeling unhappy. She smiled and said, "I'll help you."
"You little bastard, you're meddling in other people's business!" Li Qigong's original plan, "to show concern and support, then immediately withdraw his hand," was exposed, and there was no ambiguity. He immediately stepped back, his face full of regret, and explained awkwardly: "Sorry, I'm used to it. I often helped County Magistrate Liu get on the car before."
Jiang Yushu was not touched and kept walking. Before getting into the car, she waved her hand outward.
"Oh." Cuimei didn't say anything more, so she twisted her waist and got on the carriage.
After a while, Jiang Yushu opened the curtain and whispered, "Let's go."
Her six guards heard it and shouted, "The magistrate has ordered us to set off!"
In an instant, "Gee!" The team left the county government office, surrounded the county magistrate's carriage like stars surrounding the moon, and headed towards Jing Town in a mighty manner.
The magistrate's first tour was grand and majestic. He drove through the streets and slowly left the city.
The wheels rumbled, the sun rose higher and higher, and the team moved forward along the official road.
Jiang Yushu placed a map on her knees, opened the curtains, and surveyed the crops, rivers, woods, mountains, and other things on both sides of the official road.
"Hmph." Cuimei curled her lips and muttered softly, revealing, "I heard that Fatty Wen and Li Zhugan are uncles-in-law. The former is addicted to alcohol, and the latter is very lustful. I always feel that Li Zhugan's eyes are lustful, while Huang Mutou looks very honest."
Jiang Yushu's expression was calm as she whispered, "Huang Mutou? Fatty Wen? Li Zhugan? Why give people nicknames? Don't call them to their faces, or you might anger them."
"Where?" Cuimei complained. "These three nicknames were given by others. They've been around for a long time, and almost everyone in the city knows them! County Magistrate Huang is indeed dull, Chief Clerk Wen is indeed fat, and Dianshi Li is indeed like a bamboo pole. They're not wronged."
Jiang Yushu was at a loss for words. Just as she was about to speak, she heard the sound of swords being drawn and shouts coming from outside the car: "Who?"
"presumptuous!"
"The magistrate is on patrol. Who are you? How dare you block the road and act so wildly? Don't you want to die?"
Li Qigong glanced at the carriage and shouted, "Quick, catch them!"
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