Chapter 39 Is Brother Yue just trying to coax me?
Mingyue was taken aback by his question, and looked down at him with a smile. Seventeen felt a little embarrassed by his smile, and realized that her question had sounded like that of a child.
Just as he was about to explain, a large hand pressed down on his head, accompanied by a laughing voice: "Our Little Seventeen is only sixteen years old. She'll have plenty of time to grow taller in the future."
This was the first time Mingyue had added the word "little" before Seventeen, her voice carrying a faint smile, seemingly containing doting affection. This made Seventeen's heart pound like a drum, and she was momentarily at a loss for words.
Her chest was pounding. Seventeen suppressed the inexplicable emotions that suddenly surged up and frowned, saying, "Is Brother Yue trying to coax me?"
"Really, I'm not lying to you."
The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at the inn's lobby, where they ordered some breakfast and ate it leisurely.
A short while later, Long Zhaoming also leisurely came downstairs and sat down next to them to eat breakfast.
After the three of them finished eating, Seventeen and Mingyue found a quiet place before telling Long Zhaoming what had happened.
Long Zhaoming also told the other party about what happened last night, and then said, "The magistrate here is surnamed Pu. He was sent here by the Emperor a few years ago. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any problems."
He knew and trusted his elder brother's judgment in people. Although this place was far from Yejing, it attracted many people because of its beautiful scenery, including many high-ranking officials and nobles.
That's why the area is developing well, with complete facilities, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, never causing any trouble.
"That's strange. Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of us?"
Long Zhaoming tilted his head and thought for a moment. As his mind gradually cleared, he recalled the details of last night, trying to find a breakthrough.
"However... although his words seemed to be telling us to leave, he also seemed a little... scared? Worried?"
As he pondered this, he remembered this detail: judging from the expression on the face of the magistrate of Pu County, it seemed he wanted them to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible, rather than to drive them away...
But no matter what, he is a prince. If he really encounters any trouble, why not just come and ask for help?
Seventeen and Mingyue exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
“The magistrate of Pu County is definitely hiding something from us. No rush, let’s rest for a few days. If we discover anything during this time, we can deal with it. If nothing happens, let’s set off first and then quietly come back to check.”
With Long Zhaoming's decision finalized, Seventeen and Mingyue stopped thinking about it and went to rest.
Zuo Youlong Zhaoming wasn't in a hurry to return to Jiangnan. Seventeen and Mingyue, having nothing to do, went for a stroll in the streets, hoping to find something by chance.
There were more people on the street at this time than yesterday, and there was nothing unusual about their faces; they were no different from people in other places.
Seventeen looked left and right and found that the food here was generally similar to that in Yejing, but the cooking methods were somewhat different.
Although both are mainly noodle dishes, the flavors in Fenglin County are more intense and spicy. Walking on the street, you can smell a strong aroma of star anise and chili peppers, which made Seventeen sneeze several times and her eyes turn red.
Mingyue took out a handkerchief and handed it to him, asking, "Why don't you go back first? This is how people eat here."
"Achoo! But the wontons we ate yesterday didn't seem to be this heavy."
"That old lady is getting on in years, so she prefers lighter flavors."
Mingyue smiled and asked, "Are you alright?"
"It's alright, I'm just not used to these smells. It's okay, let's see what we can buy to eat."
Seventeen rubbed his stomach. Although the food at that inn was delicious, he was still getting hungry very quickly.
Mingyue responded, looked around, chose a shop, and pulled Seventeen towards it.
Seventeen's arm was being pulled by him, the warm touch of his palm pendant seeping through his clothes and touching his skin, which reminded him of Mingyue's deep voice.
While he was lost in thought, Mingyue had already led him to sit on a wooden chair in the shop.
Soon, two bowls of sticky, hot noodles were placed in front of them.
Seventeen picked up his chopsticks, rolled up a piece, and put it in his mouth. The star anise and chili flavor that had made him sneeze uncontrollably exploded in his mouth, but it no longer made him feel uncomfortable. Instead, it was a spicy and fragrant blend.
Mmm! Delicious!
Seventeen's eyes lit up. It was the first time he had ever eaten this, and it was so delicious to his liking. He put his slightly uncomfortable nose aside and ate nonstop.
Mingyue ate slowly, looking at Shiqi's eyes, which were slightly red from sneezing, and suddenly felt a suppressed impulse rise up.
Eat slowly, no rush.
The man making the noodles, who was about thirty years old, wiped his hands and asked with a smile, "Is this your first time eating here?"
Mingyue nodded and praised, "These noodles are indeed delicious."
"That's right, this noodle business has been going on since my grandfather's generation, I'm the third generation! If it wasn't delicious, how could it have lasted so long?"
The man was overjoyed as he talked about his cooking skills. Since there were no other customers around, he simply sat down next to Mingyue and Shiqi.
"After you two finish lunch, please don't go out. There's been some unrest in town lately."
Restless again, but what exactly is it that's causing this restlessness?
Mingyue was a little annoyed, but Lingwu, who had gone out to gather information, had not yet returned.
"What happened?"
The man paused, seemingly hesitant, but after glancing at Seventeen, who was engrossed in eating his noodles, he sighed and said softly, "There are bandits outside here, they're incredibly brazen, they've kidnapped many women and children, and everyone is both anxious and afraid."
Mountain bandits? Mingyue's brows furrowed, her anger evident on her face: "Is that so? Why isn't the local magistrate arresting them?"
"Hey! Keep your voice down!"
The man raised a finger, but he could understand Mingyue's anger, and explained to him, "It's not that the magistrate doesn't want to go, but it seems that the magistrate has also been threatened, but I don't know the specifics of the threat. Anyway, the magistrate can't do anything about them, and it's said that these bandits have also intercepted communications, so we can't even send a message out!"
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand and added, "Anyway, you must be careful. Mountain bandits have no soft heart."
After finishing their meal, Seventeen and Mingyue strolled slowly back to the inn, chatting as they walked: "How strange, how did a group of mountain bandits become so powerful?"
Mingyue's expression was not good. These bandits must not have appeared out of nowhere. Although the magistrate of Pu County was quite capable, he was rather mild-mannered. He had considered this when he sent people to this place.
I never expected you to be so timid and hesitant when faced with something like this!
"I'll go outside and take a look."
Mingyue suddenly stopped in her tracks. Seventeen was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized what she meant: "I'll go with you."
Upon hearing this, Mingyue gave him a deep look.
"Okay, be careful."
......
The two squatted on the branches of trees outside the mountain, but found nothing unusual. It made sense, since they were bandits, how could they build their bandit camp in a brightly lit place?
Mingyue understood the reasoning, but he was extremely anxious and wished he could storm the bandits' lair and rescue all the people.
Seventeen understood his impatience and followed behind him silently.
“Brother Yue, since these bandits dare to threaten the county magistrate and kidnap people, they must be extremely bold. If we rush to find them, we might alert them, and it would be bad if we hurt the kidnapped people.”
He gently comforted her, saying he understood Mingyue's anxiety, as he felt the same way. But these bandits were clearly not easy to deal with; what bandits would dare to kidnap someone from a town and threaten the magistrate?
Mingyue calmed down and realized that she had indeed acted impulsively.
Since he came to power, he has ruthlessly purged a large number of corrupt officials, but he has not been able to get everyone to work as hard for the Great Jing as he has. This is why he has been targeting aristocratic families for so many years.
Even if those officials are not the best, they are still qualified through examinations and are better than parasites who rise to power through nepotism.
Take it slow. He comforted himself with this thought.
He closed his eyes briefly to calm his agitated emotions and said, "You're right, I was a bit too hasty. Let's go back and discuss a plan with His Highness."
When the two of them told Long Zhaoming about the bandits, he was as furious as the moon, almost bursting into a rage.
"Good, good, good! These people are so bold!"
Long Zhaoming was furious. He leaned on the table and pondered for a long time before glancing at Mingyue and making a decision.
"Go find Magistrate Pu first and ask him to explain."
Without delay, the three quickly packed their things and set off. Just before they left, Xiao Mowen came in from outside, paused for a moment when he saw them, and asked, "Is Your Highness going out?"
Long Zhaoming glanced at him, not intending to take him along, but Xiao Mowen grabbed his arm: "Your Highness, I'll go with you."
"You can't go. You stay here and watch the convoy."
Long Zhaoming's voice was cold. Xiao Mowen tightened his grip on Long Zhaoming's hand, then let go helplessly.
"Be careful."
When the three arrived at the yamen, the magistrate was dealing with official business. Long Zhaoming looked at the magistrate who had rushed over to greet him and said coldly, "Magistrate, let's find a place where it's more convenient to talk."
Upon hearing this tone, Magistrate Pu visibly flinched. Seventeen secretly scorned him, thinking, "How could a county magistrate be so cowardly? How did His Majesty ever take a liking to this man?"
The magistrate of Pu County was inwardly distressed, but for some reason, he also felt a glimmer of hope: what if this prince could really solve the problem?
He quickly led the three to a quiet, secluded room. Before Long Zhaoming could even speak, he knelt down on the spot with a thud.
Long Zhaoming paused, but his expression remained unchanged: "Why is the magistrate kneeling?"
"The lower official is guilty!"
The magistrate of Pu County poured out everything as if he were pouring out beans.
It turned out that not long after the New Year, a group of bandits appeared in the mountains outside Fenglin Town. No one knew what their origins were. At first, they only robbed some passersby, but later they became more and more brazen and started to harass women who passed by. If they resisted, they would beat them up.
Fortunately, the local customs were fierce, and the girls were also very tough. Apart from being groped a few times, nothing else happened. But this was enough to arouse public anger, and people filed complaints with the authorities.
Upon learning of this, the magistrate of Pu County immediately organized a team to go up the mountain to investigate the situation.
Generally speaking, those who end up with bandits are mostly destitute people with nowhere else to turn. In such cases, it is still possible to negotiate with them properly, for example, by bringing them to town to work.
However, the magistrate of Pu County, lacking experience and finding the bandits to be easy to talk to, rashly followed the bandit leader to a small hut for a private talk.
When the magistrate of Pu County woke up again, he found himself bound hand and foot and locked in the woodshed.
Seventeen held back his words. How did he even become a county magistrate? No wonder the instructor couldn't stand those bookish people back then. They were so narrow-minded and it was a miracle they didn't lose their lives. They were bandits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com