Liu Mei chuckled, "Ever since you and the young master got engaged, the old master has been saying this all the time."
Xu Jiang finally smiled, "Uncle, that was just a joke."
Liu Mei shook her head, "No, you don't understand." She didn't understand the surprise of a blind cat catching a dead mouse.
Xu Jiang was puzzled.
Thinking that the Lou family was about to have a wedding, Liu Mei's face showed joy, and she couldn't help but rub her hands, eager to try.
This is the most important happy event in the Lou family's life in all these years. She must help the mistress and the master to make the event a grand and glorious one.
Then he couldn't help feeling melancholy, "I wonder if the young master has returned to Beijing."
Xu Jiang counted in her mind and said, "According to the date, it's about time." Both Lou Yunchun and the letter sent back by Xu Jiang should have arrived in Beijing.
But I don’t know what the situation is in Beijing.
Before leaving, Shan Bo went to the official post station to inquire, and found that both the capital and Beiting were calm and there was no unusual movement, at least on the surface.
But now that Lou Yunchun has returned to the capital, how could the situation remain unchanged? The fact that things haven't changed when they should have may be due to someone deliberately suppressing the news to prevent public unrest.
And the only one who has such ability and power is the emperor.
Since the emperor had the upper hand, Lou Yunchun also had the upper hand. So when Xu Jiang learned that Shan Bo had come back and said that there was no change, she felt relieved.
Liu Mei sighed, "When the young master returned to the capital and saw that you were not here, he must have been very anxious."
After hearing what she said, Xu Jiang couldn't help but feel anxious, but she still had things to do and had to delay for some time, so she could only suppress her surging emotions and continue moving forward.
She wanted to return to Yongsui to pay homage to her master and her father.
Afterwards, I happened to go to Fuzhou to visit Du Hui.
Yongsui County is located in Qianzhou, separated from Chongzhou by two prefectures. Because the road is winding and rugged, it takes three or four days to get there even if you take the official road.
Fortunately, the autumn rain has passed and it has been sunny these days. If it had rained, I don’t know how long it would have been delayed.
As soon as he entered Qianzhou, with the guidance of Xu Jiang, Shan Bo never stopped to ask for directions. After passing the customs, he walked for half a day and soon arrived in Yongsui.
Yongsui is a small county town scattered on the edge of Qianzhou. It has a small population and is located in a remote area. In terms of prosperity and bustle, it is not even as prosperous as a township outside the capital.
This is where Xu Jiang was born and grew up.
The carriage stopped outside Yongsui County. Xu Jiang sat in the carriage and looked out at this county that was both familiar and unfamiliar. Dust-forgotten memories were turned over, and an old, bloody smell arose.
Shan Bo stepped forward and asked, "It's getting late. I'm afraid we'll have to rest in the city today."
"Now that we've come this far, there's no need to rush." Xu Jiang looked up and saw the sun already setting in the west. He said, "Let's go into the city first. The gates will be closed soon. There are many barbarian settlements outside Yongsui County. It's very dangerous to stay outside the city at night."
The group then entered the city.
When entering the city, Shan Bo showed his pass. When the officer saw that it was an official pass and he was from the capital, his originally impatient look instantly turned into attentiveness.
"Would you like to stay at the official post or an inn? If it's an official post, I can take you there. If it's an inn, I can recommend some to you. Don't worry, they are all top-notch and I guarantee you will have a comfortable stay."
Shan Bo smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you to lead the way, sir. We'll stay at the official inn."
Although the official post station is simple, it is safe and comprehensive. Although this inn is good, it is full of people and there may be some who cheat customers. It would be bad if we get into trouble.
Upon hearing that they were staying at the government inn, the official seemed a little disappointed, but he still led them to the inn, though not as warmly as before.
When they arrived at the official post station, Shan Bo gave the official a piece of silver as a reward for leading the way and offered him a pot of wine. The official took the money and left happily.
Shan Bo shook his head. From this the official could tell that the atmosphere here was not right.
Xu Jiang and Liu Mei got off the car, leaving guards outside to look after the luggage, and then went with Shan Bo to find the postmaster to register. The postmaster was an elderly man, and he acted properly and prudently.
Seeing that there were female relatives, he arranged a room for Xu Jiang and Liu Mei where they would not be disturbed, and asked Shan Bo and the guards to live not far away so that they could be taken care of more easily.
Shan Bo took a pot of good wine and ordered a table of delicious dishes. He invited the postmaster to enjoy with him as a thank you and took the opportunity to inquire about the situation in the city.
Xu Jiang and Liu Mei had their meal in the room, and then rested for half an hour before waiting for Shan Bo to return.
Shan Bo told Xu Jiang that the local magistrate was surnamed Gong and had taken office two years earlier. Zhang Shitao, the magistrate who had allowed Xu Yuan to cheat, had failed the assessments for three consecutive terms and, after being accused of accepting bribes and selling government positions, had been demoted to a commoner, sentenced to three years in prison, and sentenced to three years in prison.
"Girl, guess who reported him?"
"who?"
"Xi family."
Xu Jiang was surprised, "Xi family? But they are my mother's family?"
Shan Bo nodded and continued, "It's said that there was a vacancy in the government office at the time. The Xi family offered money to Zhang Shitao, the eldest son of the Xi family, but someone else offered a high price and snatched the job away. The Xi family was furious and complained to the prefect. The prefect, who was a close ally of the county magistrate, was afraid to protect the magistrate because it was during the assessment period and his superiors were on patrol. He demoted the magistrate and sentenced him to three years in prison. He's still imprisoned in the county jail, one year shy of his sentence."
"Serves him right!" Xu Jiang felt a pang of joy. If Zhang Shitao hadn't forced Xu Yuan to cheat for his son, how could he have ended up with both legs broken and died of his injuries? It was truly retribution for him to end up like this.
"But the Xi family didn't fare well either. His accusation of Zhang Shitao not only implicated himself, but also led to the confiscation of all his property for bribery, leaving him penniless overnight. Furthermore, Zhang Shitao's case implicated the prefect, who was demoted to Baizhou. The prefect had extensive connections in the area, and within two weeks, members of the Xi family were dead or injured. Now, only the eldest son of the Xi family and his widowed mother are left to rely on each other.
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