Her guards

Chapter 11 End and Beginning

Whether two beggars were gone from the county town or a pampered young lady left under the escort of a guard, such trivial matters would not cause the slightest ripple in Lu County.

Ji Ying, the inspector who was still living in Baima Town, was completely unaware of this, as his mind was preoccupied with the letter he had just received from the Duke of Ding'an.

"Ding'an Gong said that his sister and niece should be buried on the spot, and that he would personally come to pay his respects afterward," he said after reading the document.

The officials of Lu County breathed a sigh of relief. This meant that Duke Ding'an acknowledged the conclusion that the bandits had committed evil deeds and that Miss Yang had suffered an unexpected misfortune. He did not intend to hold the Lu County officials accountable for their lax governance, nor did he pursue the matter further.

"Duke Ding'an is quite easy to talk to."

"Old Ding'an Gong was known for his kindness; it was a family tradition."

Everyone praised him, but some officials muttered to themselves, "But it seems he doesn't have much affection for his sister."

Not to mention that they had lived here for over ten years without any contact, and the county didn't even know about it. Now that the person is dead, the family hasn't sent anyone to pay their respects, saying they'll do so later...

The word "later" often means "indefinitely" or "without end in sight."

However, it's their family matter, so I won't gossip about it.

Ji Ying remained calm, as if he had expected this, and said, "Then you shall, on behalf of Duke Ding'an, properly bury Miss Yang and her daughter."

The officials of Lu County responded, "Please rest assured, sir."

Ji Ying once again urged them not to slacken their efforts and to suppress the bandits, to which the officials readily agreed.

“In that case, I will not linger any longer and will set off tomorrow,” Ji Ying said.

The so-called inspector is responsible for inspecting prefectures and counties, and will not stay in one place. However, when Ji Ying arrived in Lu County, he encountered mountain bandits who massacred Baima Town, so he had to stay and personally supervise the matter.

The officials thanked him again, but Ji Ying stopped them from flattering him, saying he needed to rest. Only then did the officials take their leave.

Ji Ying stood inside the tent, his expression shifting for a moment, then looked at his attendant beside him: "Has the Marquis replied?"

The attendant whispered, "The Marquis said, 'Why bring up someone who's already dead? Besides, it's someone else's business.'"

Ji Ying's face was grim.

The attendant whispered, "Does Your Excellency find something strange about this matter?"

Ji Ying looked at him: "Why did this happen right when I was on patrol?"

If he hadn't known the inside story and quickly suppressed the matter, and if this had blown up and been reported to the capital, things would have been very different...

The attendant knew the inside story but dared not mention a word of it. He hurriedly said, "The Marquis recommended you to serve in the capital three years ago. The Inspector was also personally appointed by His Majesty. As you know, although the Marquis is the Emperor's father-in-law and His Majesty respects him, the Marquis cannot interfere in important state affairs. Our Emperor built this empire with his own hands."

The current emperor is the founding emperor, who has fought his way up from the chaos of war and emerged from among many powerful figures. He is not an emperor who grew up in the deep palace and could be controlled by his ministers.

Ji Ying was well aware of this as well, and he kept telling himself that it was a coincidence, but there are no coincidences in this world, and this matter was definitely not simple...

Although he kept demanding that the officials of Lu County continue to thoroughly investigate the bandits, he knew in his heart that they would never find any trace of them again.

He wasn't a useless person; he could see the strangeness of the banditry in Baima Town. How could bandits appear so quietly, wipe out a town, and then disappear without a trace?

This was clearly a meticulously planned operation, most likely involving the mobilization of officers and soldiers...

Thinking of the corpses of the mother and daughter embracing each other, Ji Ying couldn't help but close his eyes.

But what can be done?

The Marquis is right. Why bother mentioning someone who is already dead?

They're already dead, why make the living suffer? Besides, the Duke of Ding'an's mansion clearly doesn't care and doesn't want to get involved anymore, so let it go.

"You stay behind and personally oversee their burial," Ji Ying instructed his attendants. "Make sure it's done with dignity."

The attendants hurriedly responded, "Yes."

Ji Ying picked up his cloak and was about to go out when his attendants seemed to remember something.

“The magistrate of Zhao County, Huang, sent someone over the day before yesterday, hoping that you could help me, sir,” he said. “The Embroidered Robe has made a mess of Zhao County. If the investigation continues, the entire Zhao County will be labeled as a treasonous place.”

Ji Ying suddenly remembered: "What Wei Jiao said about Jiang Wangchun of Zhao County plotting rebellion and being silenced?"

The attendant nodded: "He had investigated this place before, but turned back to Zhao County because he didn't find anything." Then the whole of Zhao County was thrown into turmoil.

Ji Ying frowned.

On the surface, his matter involves replacing bandits with death row inmates, and if investigated, it would only be considered a dereliction of duty. However, it actually hides a secret that cannot be revealed to others. It's best not to cause any unnecessary trouble. If Wei Jiao gets involved, it will be a real problem.

“I can’t help,” Ji Ying said, then instructed his attendant, “Tell Magistrate Huang not to do anything, just wait for Wei Jiao to tear himself to pieces.”

The attendants responded and accompanied Ji Ying out. Outside the tent, a group of soldiers lined up at the town entrance, ready to escort him on his journey.

Ji Ying suddenly raised his hand and looked up at the sky, where dense raindrops were falling.

It's raining again.

It rained heavily the night the town of Baima was ravaged.

Ji Ying looked over and saw that the officials and soldiers had all left. The surviving people of Baima Town were preparing to rebuild their homes. Some merchants also came to buy land after hearing the news. In just over ten days, the sad atmosphere in Baima Town had dissipated. A few months later, there would be new houses, and in another year, it would become a prosperous town again.

With the burial of the dead, everything was buried.

Ji Ying withdrew his gaze, put on a tarpaulin, mounted his horse, and galloped away surrounded by soldiers.

……

.......
The rain is getting heavier.

Mo Zheng deftly tossed the tarpaulin onto the roof of the car, and large raindrops pounded against it with a dense sound.

"Ah Sheng, come in quickly to take shelter from the rain," Yang Luo called out, lifting the carriage curtain.

Mo Zheng stepped on the wheels to smooth out the felt cloth, and then turned to the front of the carriage to lead the horse.

“There are big trees ahead, which will provide shelter for the horses from the rain,” he said.

Yang Luo could only watch as he led the horse forward. The rain was heavy and the road was slippery, making it difficult for the horse to pull the carriage. However, the horse was very obedient in Mo Zheng's hands, and soon they arrived under a big tree. The horse was covered with a tarpaulin before Mo Zheng got into the carriage.

Mo Zheng untied the tarpaulin and placed it outside the car. She then took the blanket that Yang Luo handed her, wiped the rain off her head and face, and wrapped it around her body.

"Hot tea." Yang Luo handed over the tea that had been heated on the small clay stove.

Mo Zheng drank it all in one gulp and thanked him.

"Why thank me? I didn't do anything," Yang Luo said. "Ah Sheng, you're really amazing. You've prepared so well for the journey, you have everything you need, and you even know how to ride a horse well."

In his previous life, when he went to the capital, his maternal uncle personally came to pick him up, and he was accompanied by more than a dozen servants. There were also government officials entertaining him along the way, but he still found the journey troublesome and tiring. Now, Ah Sheng can arrange everything very well on his own.

Mo Zheng said, "Traveling is similar to hunting; it's just a matter of preparing the same things. I'm used to it."

There are many hunters, but very few can become bandit leaders who give the imperial court a headache. Yang Luo thought to himself, Ah Sheng is indeed formidable.

"Are we out of Lu County now?" she asked, looking outside. "Where do we go next?"

She was told she was going to Beijing, but she didn't even know the way.

Mo Zheng also made preparations, putting down her tea and taking a piece of paper from the small shelf in the car.

“I’ve never been to Beijing before and don’t know the way, but when I bought the car, I asked the people at the dealership who often go to Beijing for directions,” he said, unfolding a piece of paper. “I even had them draw a simple map.”

Yang Luo leaned closer to look. The map was indeed very simple, with lines outlining the city, ink dots marking the city, and waterways and land routes.

"Ah Sheng, you've really thought of everything," she praised again.

"It's also thanks to Miss's wealth," Mo Zheng said. "All the preparations cost money."

Ah Sheng was still very modest, Yang Luo thought with a smile, seeing Mo Zheng's gaze wander across the map, and then she made a dot on an ink dot.

“Let’s settle down in Zhao County,” he said. “Then we’ll head south and switch to waterways, which will be faster.”

Yang Luo nodded without even looking at her: "Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say."

(End of this chapter)