Chapter 1998: Those Girls Went to the Southwest

Lu Wu scratched his head a bit sheepishly, "There’s something I want to ask the county magistrate for help with."

Meng Yunzheng glanced at them and said to Shu Yu, "You guys chat first, I’ll go rent a carriage."

After he left, Lu Wu lowered his voice to say, "County magistrate, I..."

Shu Yu raised her eyebrows, what could be so hard for him to say, Lu Wu is usually a straightforward person, yet he hesitated several times.

"Just say it directly, I promise I won’t blame you."

Lu Wu took a deep breath, "County magistrate, I heard, heard that you once went to the southwest for a period of time."

Shu Yu suddenly understood and laughed, "You mean I was exiled to the southwest, right? It’s not a secret, a lot of people know about it, there’s no need to be so hesitant."

Lu Wu didn’t expect her to be so open, seemingly not caring at all, as if being exiled was just a normal thing, rendering him momentarily stunned.

"The county magistrate doesn’t care?"

"Care about what? Care about others saying behind my back that my status isn’t noble enough, having such an embarrassing past? I don’t think it’s a big deal, it wasn’t like I committed a crime and that’s why I was exiled, later on I was granted the title of Village Chief through my own efforts and achievements. I actually think this just proves my capabilities. Moreover, countless people have been exiled, and during my exile I met the current Grand Tutor, Lord Qi, it was a blessing in disguise."

Lu Wu couldn’t help but widen his eyes, lowering his head and becoming thoughtful.

Shu Yu, "Aren’t you the same? Although you were once on the black market, it wasn’t what you wanted. Later you fought rebels with us, made great contributions, and now you’re an inspector in Chenggu County, overseeing over a hundred people. The black market experience was just a small part of your life. Now you’ve succeeded in your career, you’ve married a beautiful wife, and your character has become more stable, isn’t it a blessing in disguise?"

Lu Wu suddenly felt enlightened, yes, the black market experience was just a small phase of life, he didn’t need to dwell on the past. Whatever others say is what they say, those people are just envious of his status and position now, who among his close friends even cares?

He suddenly raised his head, "I understand now, thank you county magistrate for your guidance."

After speaking, he was about to leave, Shu Yu’s mouth twitched, he just said his character has stabilized, yet now he’s revealing his true self.

"Wait, Lu Wu, did you forget something? What were you going to talk to me about?" Surely it wasn’t just to confirm if she had been exiled to the southwest.

Lu Wu suddenly slapped his forehead, "Yes, I almost forgot." He became a bit embarrassed again, but this time spoke much more smoothly, "Actually it’s not me, it’s my wife, Qiao Rou, do you still remember her?"

"I remember, what’s wrong with her?"

"Those girls who were on the black market with her, some of them went to the southwest."

"So far?" Shu Yu knew the arrangements for those girls, some of them were like Qiao Rou, married to people who were also from the black market. Some opted to marry military families who were yet unmarried, some supported each other and lived together. And some planned to never marry, just wanting to find a place where no one knows them and start over.

Back then, when those girls were arranged, Shu Yu was involved, but in her impression, none had gone as far as the southwest.