Chapter 1172 Don't be too biased
"Have you heard? In our Liangzhou City, all those thugs and bandits who caused trouble at the county government office have quieted down recently and haven't been running rampant on the streets for three days."
"Then you misheard. It is said that the bully lost an arm and was still demolishing people's shops on the street during curfew. He was severely taught a lesson by a few swordsmen who suddenly appeared. He was so scared that he wet himself. It is said that he thought he had encountered a ghost and called several monks and Taoist priests to his house to perform a ritual."
"I've heard about it too. It's said that the incense table where the Taoist priest was performing his ritual was overturned, and the bully's wound was burned by fire, almost killing him with the pain. It can be considered as ridding the people of a scourge."
"Oh dear, heaven has eyes! Heroes and valiant men have come to our Liangzhou City to help those in need. We can finally go out for a stroll. My daughter wants to see someone break a boulder on their chest, but she's been too afraid to go, worried that the bully might take a liking to her."
"Come on, come on! There's a show to watch today, 'The Tragedy of Dou E,' and tomorrow it's 'The Butcher Scholar.' Want to go?"
"Won't someone come into the city to loot the grain?"
"Don't worry, no, no. The county officials have all gone home to sleep these past few days. They've been on duty day and night without closing their eyes."
"Don't you know? There's a sword about a foot wide and five or four feet long stuck in the city gate. Even if no one is guarding it, the bandits outside the city will be terrified when they see it."
"I've heard about it too. It's said that someone tried to break into the city gates at dusk and was stabbed in the thigh by two flying swords, almost causing him to lose his ability to have children. I thought it was just a rumor, but it turns out it's true."
“How could it be fake? My great-uncle saw it with his own eyes. He was so scared that he kept talking about it for most of the day when he got home. We thought it was fake, but later we went to the city gate to see for ourselves and found out it was real.”
"Now I want to go see it too. I haven't dared to stroll around the streets for half a year."
"Oh, by the way, it's said that those two swords will return to the county government office in the middle of the night, but I don't know if it's true or not."
"Wasn't the new county magistrate sick? Could it be that he hired a martial arts expert from the martial arts world to guard the city for us?"
"It's possible. That Magistrate Jiang and his wife and children have suffered a lot since they first arrived here. Alas, they were probably driven to desperation."
...
Rumors were flying all over the city. Song Chunxue was sitting on the third floor of the inn, looking down at the streets and alleys of the city. There were more pedestrians coming and going than in the past few days.
"Master, shall we go find Magistrate Jiang?"
Changfeng poured Song Chunxue a cup of tea. "It's been three days, and things have calmed down a lot on the streets. Why haven't you gone to see the county magistrate yet?"
Changyun was enjoying his meal, with a steamed bun in one hand and fried vermicelli with eggs in the other.
He raised his chubby cheeks and said, "I guess he wants to give the county magistrate a surprise. No rush, no rush."
"Where did Tudan'er and Han Mo go?" Song Chunxue stood up and used a silver hairpin to tie her long hair behind her head.
Today she changed into ordinary people's clothes so as not to frighten Sanwa and Mulan.
"They probably went up to the city wall and chatted with the guards. They've been thinking about riding horses on the nearby grasslands lately, but they're worried about the relatives of the emperor stationed there." Changfeng also sat down to eat. "When the two of them get together, they're definitely not going to stay still."
Song Chunxue asked curiously, "Why didn't Wuji come along? Weren't he and Tudan the best of friends before?"
"I don't know. I guess Wuji wants to stay in the capital for a while longer, or maybe the two of them have fallen out. During those few days in the capital, they rarely got together, unlike before when they were inseparable." Changyun took a sip of soup. "Most likely, Tudan'er went too far."
Changfeng smiled slightly, but said nothing.
Most likely, Wuji scared Tudan'er, and Tudan'er didn't want to play with him anymore.
"I'm going for a walk around town. We'll go to the county government office for lunch." As Song Chunxue walked to the door, she didn't forget to remind him, "Changyun, eat less. You're getting rounder and rounder. Just eat until you're about 90% full."
"But this steamed bun is so fragrant, I'll eat half of it, just half." Changyun picked up the small pickled vegetables on the table, which were made from radish leaves. At first, the taste was a bit strong, but the more he ate, the more fragrant it became.
Changfeng shook his head. The radish leaves were a bit old and prickly. Changyun was really easy to raise.
*
Inside the county government office.
Jiang Yexun sat in a chair, one foot wrapped tightly in cloth and propped up on a low stool. He held various documents and files that had been piling up for years, which gave him a headache.
He put down his brush, leaned back, and let out a long, stale breath.
"When will this ever end? No wonder no one is cleaning up this mess. Ever since Lord Xie left, every new leader has just been wasting their time here."
A man stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, sir. These are old grievances from years ago, and they can't be resolved in a short time. Anyway, we don't know when we'll be able to go back, so let's take it slow. At least the most troublesome matter of the local bullies and bandits has been settled, which is a relief for us."
When asked about recent events, Jiang Yexun was completely baffled.
"Have you found out? Are the swords on the city wall real? What do they look like? Do you know who those people are? Has anyone seen them?"
“My subordinates have been incompetent and there has been no progress. All we know is that there are at least three of them.” At this point, the man hurriedly added, “But someone saw the leader, who was said to be wearing a smart black outfit and a red cloak. He cut off the bully’s arm, but when he spoke, it was a woman’s voice.”
"A woman?" Jiang Yexun frowned slightly. "A red cloak... could she be a female disciple from some sect or school?"
"I will investigate personally, but they haven't been showing up much during the day these past two days."
Jiang Ye pondered for a moment, "No need to rush, perhaps they don't want to deal with us. Zhang Ping, you've worked hard these past few days, go and rest."
"Yes." Zhang Ping stroked his long sword and stepped back.
Before long, Xia Mulan led her third daughter in. She was plump, had a good complexion, and wore a relaxed smile.
“Husband, it’s time for you to take your medicine. The child says you don’t take it properly, so she’s here to supervise you.”
As they were talking, the silly third daughter ran up to Jiang Yexun and hugged his arm affectionately.
"Dad, get well soon, let's go play Cuju (ancient Chinese football)." She skillfully climbed onto Jiang Yexun's uninjured leg. "Does Daddy's foot still hurt?"
Jiang Yexun gently rubbed the top of her head. "It doesn't hurt anymore. You just can't stand firmly. It'll be fine in a few days. Let the maid play with you. Father has had trouble getting around these days."
Xia Mulan sat to the side; since giving birth to a son, the weight that had been hanging over her heart had finally been lifted.
They brought their three youngest children with them this time because she was worried about them.
The eldest and second eldest children stayed in Jincheng and were cared for by their mother.
She didn't trust anyone else with the task.
Watching her third daughter nestled happily in her father's arms, she finally understood the joy of being single-minded.
"Have you taken your medicine? Are you feeling any better?"
"I'm much better now, I'm fine. I've reduced my medication to once a day, otherwise my stomach acid will be terrible." She smiled. "Egg has been very well-behaved lately, just eating and sleeping, which has made things much easier for me."
“You’re unwilling to find a wet nurse. Although your son is important, your health is more important.” Jiang Yexun held his third daughter. “Don’t be so biased. Our daughters are our own children too.”
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