Chapter 102 Your Highness! My sister is someone only I can protect!
"Father, don't you like the capital city either?"
Fu'er blinked her big, bright eyes.
Zhou Congxian held his daughter with trembling hands, his eyes moist.
His voice choked with emotion, "Yes, Father doesn't like the capital either."
Fu'er immediately exclaimed happily, "If Mother doesn't like it, Fu'er doesn't like it either!"
“This place is great! There’s Sister Xiulian, Brother Xiuzhou, Brother Zhuzi, Sister Cuirong, and Brother Pangxi.”
She counted them one by one on her fingers.
These are all children from the alley.
When Fu'er was in the capital, she was the same age as her, and the only child she played with was Little Bone.
"Yao Anfu, is this your father?"
When the children from the neighboring alley passed by, they looked at the strange man they had never seen before with curiosity.
Fu'er wrapped her arms around her father's neck, "He's my father."
After the child left, Zhou Congxian turned to his daughter and said, "Your name is Zhou Jiafu."
Fu'er immediately shook her head in protest, "Zhou Jiafu is going back to the capital, I don't want to be called Zhou Jiafu!"
She pointed towards the front door and said, "Daddy, let's go see little Fatty Xi."
Zhou Congxian then realized that the "fat little brother" his daughter had mentioned might be...
"Little brother Pangxi... is he your mother's child?"
"Of course, my mother said I look like I did when I was little..."
"Fu'er".
Before Fu'er could finish speaking, her mother interrupted her.
Yao Shisan got off the carriage, followed by three wary-looking young girls.
She walked toward the man who had appeared before her many times.
Without even glancing at him, she reached out and picked up her daughter.
"Shi Yao..."
He had barely opened his mouth when she turned around, carrying the child, and went home.
The door slammed shut, cutting off his view and the questions he wanted to ask.
Zhou Congxian pursed his lips and turned his gaze to the empty house at the end of the alley.
The next day, there was some commotion at the end of the alley.
Workers come and go from time to time, banging and hammering.
It didn't take long; they just tidied up the messy front and back yards a bit.
Three days later, the new family moved in.
No one saw what the owner's house looked like, only the household items coming and going.
There weren't many items, but everything used was of the highest quality.
Yao Shisan was completely unaware of these matters.
She had already packed her bags and brought her family to Ding County.
Jiang Xingyao never expected that his sister would come back with her whole family less than a month after he left.
He scooped up his niece in his arms first, "Fu'er! Did you miss your uncle?"
"think!"
No one was happiest to see her uncle than Xiao Fu'er.
Only her uncle would unconditionally fulfill all her wishes.
She loves her uncle the most!
Hmm... I love my mother the most too.
The county government office was small and old, and it was unknown how many county magistrates had lived there.
Jiang Xingyao pointed to the roof tiles and said, "Fortunately, a few days ago, I had people replace all the roof tiles."
"Otherwise, you and His Highness Prince Cheng will all be living in leaky houses."
"Your Highness Prince Cheng?"
Yao Shisan almost thought he had misheard.
"Ding County is also under my jurisdiction. If Yao'er can come, why can't I?"
Xiao Shu came out from the back hall.
"Yao'er?" Jiang Xingyao frowned and looked back at Xiao Shu, then at his younger sister.
Yao Shisan's brow twitched. "Brother, His Highness is joking."
Xiao Shu raised the corner of his lips, "Fu'er has already called me father, how can you be joking?"
Jiang Xingyao, "!!"
Yao Shisan, “…Godfather!”
She now knows that Xiao Shu has set free since leaving the capital.
Where is that gentle and refined appearance now?
If this continues, who knows what other absurd things we'll hear?
She simply led Fu'er around them and headed straight for the back office.
Jiang Xingyao watched his sister's slightly disheveled figure before turning his gaze to Xiao Shu.
“Your Highness, she had no one to protect her before, but things are different now. If you…”
Xiao Shu's lips curled up slightly, "Before, no one protected me, but now I do."
He walked out of the government office in high spirits.
Jiang Xingyao frowned, then chased after her, "Your Highness! Only I can protect my sister!"
Dingxian needed to build a waterway, but the county had no money, so it had to ask the capital for help.
However, the planning of the river channel involves advantages and disadvantages, construction period, and cost.
The county magistrate had to write a detailed report.
This memorial had to be submitted through multiple levels of government: from the county to the prefecture, from the prefecture to the capital, and finally to the capital.
Dingxian has a unique location, resembling a small pond at the foot of mountains.
Only when the surrounding small ponds are together can it form a lake.
However, whether such a place is worth spending money on depends not only on the local resources but also on the local development.
Whether it can become a good thing for generations to come depends on the abilities of the county magistrate.
Dingxian is about to enter the spring planting season.
At this moment, walking into the fields, you can see scenes of people working in the fields.
Standing by the river, looking at the seemingly endless waterway, Xiao Shu suddenly spoke.
"Lord Jiang is the newly appointed top scholar, yet he has been assigned to such a small place."
"Do you know what His Majesty means?"
Jiang Xingyao looked at Xiao Shuwei's unmoving figure, then smiled.
"I eat the emperor's food and bear the emperor's worries. Wherever Your Majesty commands me to govern, I will naturally be there."
Xiao Shu's voice was devoid of emotion. "Lord Jiang, like Lord Liu, is a loyal and patriotic minister."
Jiang Xingyao's face turned cold. Although his sister was alright now, he was furious whenever he thought about Liu Minghan making his sister commit suicide.
How can such a person be considered loyal to the emperor and patriotic? He is nothing more than a selfish and petty person.
He didn't argue, but he did say something inappropriate.
"Please forgive my rudeness. I am new to officialdom and do not fully understand the various competing forces in the bureaucracy. So, Your Highness, were you referring to yourself when you asked me that question earlier?"
The newly crowned top scorer came to a small county.
A prince from the imperial family came to the lower state.
Steward Qing, who was behind them, was sweating profusely.
Xiao Shu laughed.
He didn't say anything, but just laughed a few times before speaking.
"Lord Jiang is different from me. I still wish Lord Jiang all the best."
In the evening, Xiao Shu did not return to the county government office.
Yao Shisan and Shuang'er went to the granary, but they haven't returned yet.
Jiang Xingyao stared at the food on the table, but he and his niece just stared at each other.
Before he could even take two bites of his meal, the yamen runner rushed in.
"Sir, there's trouble at the Drunken Flower Pavilion in Yangliu Lane. The person who reported it says that bandits from the mountains have entered the city!"
There have been bandit disturbances in the past, but Lord Qin has taken strict precautions, so few incidents have occurred.
Moreover, since last autumn, there has been almost no bandit activity in this area.
Even the mountain people say they hardly see any bandits anymore.
Half a year has passed, and I thought there were no more bandits.
Unexpectedly, it happened again.
Yangliu Lane, with its restaurants and brothels, is a prime location for disturbances and provocations.
Three men with a bandit-like air sat across a bench in the street, each holding a pile of liquor.
There was also a waiter trapped under the stool.
One of them was also holding a girl in his arms.
The girl was terrified and kept pleading with the madam, "Sister Chun, save me."
Chunniang could only smile apologetically, "Gentlemen, this girl hasn't been properly trained yet and only spoils your fun. Come to our Zuihua Pavilion, and I guarantee the girls I find will serve you comfortably."
The bandit threw down the wine jar in his hand, grabbed the girl's chin, and groped her.
"Don't think I don't understand. Those are worn-out shoes that you've worn countless times."
"I want it to be like this, untrained, the more intense the better."
When Jiang Xingyao arrived, a large crowd had gathered.
But no one dared to step forward.
He pushed through the crowd and went in, shouting, "Who are you, daring to cause trouble in the city!"
The leader squinted at him for a long time, then said, "Who do you think you are? Even people with the surname Qin have to kowtow to me. You're nothing!"
When Jiang Xingyao heard this story, he learned that the bandit had used a newborn baby to force Lord Qin to kowtow.
Lord Qin kowtowed.
Jiang Xingyao has studied for so many years, and now that he is entering officialdom, he is full of enthusiasm.
He immediately drew the sword of the constable beside him and slashed his arm with it!
"What are you talking about? I am the Yama, the judge who will take your dog's life!"
On the second floor diagonally opposite.
His eyes were fixed on Jiang Xingyao's side, and when he saw him draw his sword, a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.
"General Yao, I promised you long ago that I would let you see your son."
"Lord Jiang is a newly appointed top scholar, and his future is limitless. General Yao, you can rest assured."
Yao Zhengliang turned to look at Prince Cheng, "When will I be able to reunite with my son?"
Xiao Shu shook his head, "It won't work now. General Yao is still a 'mountain bandit.' Wouldn't recognizing him be harming Lord Jiang?"
"Lord Jiang has studied diligently for so many years to get to this point. Your appearance would only disrupt his career."
Yao Zhengliang tightened his grip on the wine glass.
"Your Highness's matter, I will certainly take care of it. As for..."
He glanced down and said, "I hope his official career goes smoothly."
Xiao Shu's smile remained unchanged. "That's natural."
"Even with General Yao's methods of managing his subordinates, there are still some who are not convinced. They have only relaxed their vigilance for a day or two, and they have already begun to disregard discipline and cause trouble. The elite troops that I want cannot be like this."
Yao Zhengliang's eyes darkened slightly. "River water carrying silt naturally needs some time to settle before we can see what kind of water is suitable for the location and what kind of sludge is discarded."
As he spoke, he stood up and said, "I will certainly give Your Highness a satisfactory answer, and I ask Your Highness not to disappoint me."
He stood by the window, and just as the three people who had escaped on their own were about to attack Jiang Xingyao, he curled his fingers to his lips and whistled.
The three men's expressions changed, and they all looked towards the second floor almost simultaneously.
Just as Jiang Xingyao was about to lead the constables to meet them, the three men turned and ran away.
"Why did it run away?"
"Will the adults pursue him?"
The constables were also surprised that these people, who had just been so arrogant, would turn around and run away.
Jiang Xingyao frowned slightly and subconsciously turned around.
The window on the second floor of the restaurant was half open, and there was no one inside.
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