The servant who followed him couldn't bear to see Magistrate Wu say this, so he couldn't help but interrupt, "Sir, why do you have to belittle yourself? You are a thousand times better than the previous county magistrate. At least you don't raise taxes arbitrarily, take money from people, or make arbitrary judgments!"
Qiao Xin smiled and said, "So, you all miss Lord Wu?"
"Of course. My parents said that if Lord Wu continues to serve as an official in our county, our family will be able to save enough money to build a new house in a few years!"
The second lady teased him and said, "Haha, that won't do. Aren't you harming Lord Wu?"
The boy was confused for a moment and asked, "Why?"
"You keep hoping that Master Wu won't leave, which means you are hoping that your Master will never get promoted in his life!"
The boy knelt down with a thud, his body shaking like a sieve: "Damn it, I didn't mean that!"
Qiao Xin scolded, "You little bitch, why are you scaring this kid? Why don't you go over and help him up!"
Qiao Lingshu blushed, knowing that he had gotten into trouble, and quickly ordered someone to go over and help the man up.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that."
"It's not the young lady's fault. I violated the verbal rules and I deserve to be punished, but our master is really a good official!" The servant still did not forget to defend his master.
Qiao Xin smiled and said, "This little guy is very loyal. Who would be willing to blame you?"
"I'm sorry to make you laugh, old lady. This is a child sent by my family. He has never seen the world and can't speak. I hope you won't blame me!"
"It's just a private conversation between us, there's no need to be so particular. But we'll have to teach him more when we get back. Just because we don't mind it doesn't mean others won't mind it either. Let's avoid unnecessary arguments in the future."
"The old lady is right." County Magistrate Wu heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Qiao Xin really had forgotten about the matter and would not mention it again.
He really didn't have many people he could use, and this young man was selected from his clan to serve him. He had nothing else to offer, except that he was loyal enough to him. That's why he always kept him by his side, so that he could gain more experience and learn some skills.
Now it seems that loyalty alone is not enough!
Qiao Xin really didn't take this little matter to heart. What the servant said was right. Since entering the territory of Anhua County, there were countless times when Magistrate Wu was recognized by the common people on the spot and they took the initiative to greet him.
It can be seen that County Magistrate Wu has indeed put a lot of effort into the local people. At least he did a good job in visiting the grassroots. If he had just sat in the county government office all day, how could he have become so familiar with the people?
Although Anhua County is small, there are some big families there. The ancestral home of Anhua County Lady’s husband’s family, the general who assists the country, happens to be here!
However, this General Auxiliary to the State was conferred during the last emperor's reign of the previous dynasty, and this Princess Anhua was also a title from the previous dynasty. However, she is a distant relative to the current emperor, and his majesty has to call her cousin.
The General Auxiliary to the State was born into a family of military generals and a local prominent family. The fiefdom of Princess Anhua in the previous dynasty included the entire Yuncheng and part of Yizhou.
But later, in the tragedy in Jiangcheng, General Xia Chengwei, who was protecting the last emperor from fleeing south, failed to resist the attack of the Northern Rong army. Not only was he seriously injured, but none of his troops survived.
After Emperor Wu ascended the throne, for unknown reasons, the couple left Beijing and returned to their ancestral home. Emperor Wu did not try to keep them, but only confiscated their military power and the county lord's fiefdom, but did not take away their title.
This fiefdom was divided into Yizhou and Yuncheng by Emperor Wu, who sent officials to govern each region.
However, the descendants of the Xia family are very low-key now, and there is no news that they hold any important positions in the court or the army.
"Madam, Xiayan Town is ten miles ahead. Half of the town is inhabited by members of the Xia family. Today is the big gathering that happens once every five days, so there are many people coming and going." County Magistrate Wu rode on a horse and walked beside Qiao Xin.
They left home late today, and there were many pedestrians on the road. The narrow official road caused the carriage to move very slowly, not much faster than walking. No one wanted me to stay stuck in the carriage, so they just rode slowly.
"How about we take another road at the intersection ahead? It may be a longer route, but there won't be so many people." asked the county magistrate who was familiar with the area.
Qiao Xin looked up at the bustling crowd in front of her, some with their families, some carrying things on their shoulders, and some with ox carts moving slowly among them.
"Okay, you lead the way!"
The group took a remote path, which was indeed much less crowded. County Magistrate Wu also learned about this shortcut from the locals when he was looking for famous people.
However, when they reached a deserted place, the carriage was stopped by a young man in fancy clothes and several guards.
"Who are you and why are you here? Someone is doing business ahead, please take a detour."
The servant of the Qiao family stepped forward and said with a smile: "My dear, we have urgent business and need to go to the back mountain of Xiayan Town. This is the only way to go. Please be flexible."
The young man looked extremely impatient. He snatched the whip from the guard's hand and pointed at the servant and angrily shouted, "Don't refuse a toast and drink a forfeit. Are you going to leave on your own initiative, or should I send someone to ask you to leave?"
When you are away from home, you should avoid trouble as much as possible. The servant, who doesn't want to cause trouble, had to ask Qiao Xin for her opinion.
"Madam, what do you think?"
"Does this road have an owner?" Qiao Xin turned sideways and asked Magistrate Wu.
"I'm not sure about that. After all, this is not an official road. If it is a private territory, it is normal that people are not allowed to travel together."
Qiao Xin pondered for a moment and was not going to bother with this ignorant young man, but the moment she turned around, she heard a familiar voice. Why did that voice sound like Guan Jianze?
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
No comments yet.