After that, Lin Xue and Huang Dehai had nothing to do. They stayed where they were with the magistrate and the county clerk, while the county lieutenant led the group to attack the bandit's den.
Because it was an organized and planned operation, coupled with the element of surprise, they successfully wiped out the entire bandit hideout.
Even the few who managed to escape chose the wrong direction and ran towards where Lin Xue and the others were.
Lin Xue didn't even need to lift a finger; she was immediately subdued on the spot by the yamen runners protecting the county magistrate.
"Wen De, you have truly done a great service this time!"
"With the bandit threat from Little Swallow Mountain eliminated, the road from Donglin County to Linzhou Prefecture will be much smoother and safer!"
Perhaps it was the success of this bandit suppression that put the county magistrate in such a good mood, as he patted Huang Dehai on the shoulder and showered him with praise.
"Not at all! I dare not take credit for this. It is still up to our magistrate to take charge and lead the county government to wipe out the bandits of Xiaoyan'er Mountain in one fell swoop!"
"The magistrate's wise and virtuous deeds will surely make the people of Donglin County extremely grateful!"
Lin Xue quietly followed behind Huang Dehai, watching the two of them flatter each other.
I never expected that her husband would have such a talent for flattery.
When the group returned to Donglin County, it was already past midnight. At the invitation of the county magistrate, they stayed overnight in the back office.
The next morning, Lin Xue and her companion had barely gotten up when they were invited to the front hall by servants.
"Wen De, I know you two are in a hurry to get to Linzhou Prefecture, so I don't intend to stop you!"
"When you return from the imperial examinations in Linzhou Prefecture, you must come to my county office so we can continue our discussion from last night!"
The magistrate had a sumptuous breakfast prepared to entertain Huang Dehai and his companion, and presented them with 50 taels of silver as a reward for providing clues about the bandits.
These are merely personal rewards from the county magistrate; once the imperial court issues the official document, he may receive an additional bonus.
The two men thanked the magistrate profusely, and now Wang Dehai had finally made an appearance in front of the magistrate.
This will also be beneficial to his future career.
After leaving the county government office, the two bought some pastries and snacks, and packed a few baskets of steamed buns before heading towards the city gate.
Old Ma was already waiting at the city gate, and this carriage was quite different from the one from yesterday.
Looking at those two horses, Lin Xue knew that Old Ma had gone out on his own.
That's true. I used to work for others because I couldn't afford horses. Now that I have two horses, as long as I take good care of them, I can make money from them in the future.
After all, Old Ma is a seasoned driver, having traveled all over the country for many years, and there is no route in Linzhou Prefecture that he is not familiar with.
"Scholar Huang, Madam Lin, you've arrived! Hurry up and get in the carriage, everything's ready!"
Old Ma held onto his new carriage, which he had just bought yesterday, spending most of his savings.
However, he believed that now that he had his own independent carriage, he would definitely earn more in the future, since his old customers still trusted him as an experienced coachman.
"Old Ma, have you eaten yet? I have some steamed buns here!"
Lin Xue took out a bag of steamed buns from what she was carrying and handed it to Lao Ma.
"Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but I only left home after breakfast this morning!"
Old Ma didn't reach out to take Lin Xue's steamed bun. If he hadn't eaten breakfast, he might have taken it, but now that he had received two horses from her, it was already a great favor, and he didn't want to push his luck.
"Here you go, I have more. We won't be able to rest at noon, so let's have some steamed buns to tide us over and try to get to Linzhou Prefecture as soon as possible."
Hearing Lin Xue's words, Old Ma stopped refusing. He took the steamed buns and placed them in front of his carriage. Then he invited the two of them to get into the carriage, raised his whip, and galloped off towards the direction of Linzhou Prefecture.
They remained silent the entire way.
Let's talk about what happened in Huangjia Village last night.
When the men from Longmen Escort Agency delivered the five horses and two buckets of medicine to Old Huang's house in Huangjia Village, it was already close to evening.
When the镖局 (bodyguard agency)镖师 (bodyguards) asked their way here, and finally arrived at Old Huang's house, it was Old Huang who opened the door for them.
When he heard that his son and daughter-in-law had brought back five horses from the county town, Old Huang said it was impossible not to be shocked.
However, after a quick mental calculation, he knew this had nothing to do with his son. He wondered what method his daughter-in-law had used to bring back five horses for them.
Old Huang warmly welcomed the people from the escort agency into the house, and his heart was filled with joy as he looked at the five fine horses of different heights and builds.
The Huang family is really lucky!
First came the big yellow ox, then five fine horses, and who knows what else they'll bring back in the future?
"Huang Yousheng, these are two buckets of medicine that your son and daughter-in-law asked you to bring back. Your daughter-in-law said it's for the horses to drink, and that you can tell what's going on just by smelling it!"
After handing the five horses over to Old Man Huang, the bodyguard unloaded two buckets of medicinal liquid from the carriage.
Old Huang immediately helped to move the medicine down, then untied the rope wrapping it and opened the lid to take a sniff.
"That's right, this is a tonic my daughter-in-law made for the horses. She cured the sick cow we bought back then! Since she asked you to bring this back to me, there must be something wrong with these horses!"
Old Huang happily carried the medicine bucket outside the livestock shed.
When they untied the rope of the second medicine barrel, they found a note inside.
Upon opening it, I found a record of precautions for feeding horses, as well as the medicine in the medicine bucket. It instructed me to feed the horses three times a day, with only a small bowl each time.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
