Chapter 282: with translation of chapter title

The former magistrate of Qing Tian County Office died suddenly, and the newly appointed magistrate took office hastily, so the position of deputy magistrate has remained vacant until now.

Jiang Mingyuan placed first in the provincial examination, and the prefect, wishing to train him, sent him to Qing Tian County to act as deputy magistrate until he goes to the capital for the metropolitan exam.

Jiang Mingyuan came tonight to suppress bandits, never expecting to meet Gu Xixi here.

Gu Xixi performed a salute and said, "Thank you for your concern, Sir Jiang; I am unharmed."

Jiang Mingyuan laughed, "We are family; since we are not in the courtroom now, you may call me as you usually do, Sister Xixi."

Gu Xixi nodded slightly and asked, "I don't know what this is about..."

Jiang Mingyuan then realized he hadn't explained clearly, so he used a few sentences to state his current identity and purpose.

Gu Xixi performed another salute and offered her congratulations.

Jiang Mingyuan also returned the salute with clasped hands.

Afterward he glanced around and said, "Sister Xixi, could you be the owner of this manor?"

Gu Xixi answered truthfully, "Exactly; I purchased this manor not long ago from its previous owner."

I also have a question, but I don't know if it's appropriate...

Jiang Mingyuan understood and said, "You want to ask why I brought the prefecture's troops tonight to suppress bandits, and how the county office learned of it?"

Gu Xixi nodded.

Jiang Mingyuan said, "There's nothing secret about it; the day before yesterday, the county office's constables on routine patrol captured a black-clad man wounded by an arrow, brought him back for interrogation, and he only knew the target was to abduct two women from a manor outside the city."

He glanced left and right without leaving a trace, intentionally avoiding the crowd, and spoke softly:

"Now that the Northwestern Army has left the borders, the foremost duty of the county office left behind is to maintain public order."

"The magistrate therefore ordered me to lead men in suppressing the bandits and, incidentally, to investigate the cause."

"Do we still need to investigate?" Gu Xixi gave a bitter smile, "As you can see, one of those women is me."

"The other one is over there," she said, pointing at He Jinglan and lowering her voice, "She is the legitimate daughter of the He family of the capital."

Jiang Mingyuan started again. "The He family? Are they related to He Jinghui, Sir He?"

Gu Xixi twitched the corner of her mouth, "... her younger sister."

Jiang Mingyuan showed an expression of sudden realization, "No wonder..."

Gu Xixi nodded and gave an "you understand" expression.

Jiang Mingyuan paid considerable attention to court affairs, but he did not know that the fiancé Gu Xixi had bought, Chen Fang, was none other than Mu Nan Zhao, Sir Mu, who had returned from the dead and astonished the world.

Thus Jiang Mingyuan assumed the assassins' attack on the manor was aimed primarily at He Jinghui's sister, while Gu Xixi, putting righteousness first, refused to abandon her friend and therefore suffered the same fate.

Besides feeling sympathy for Gu Xixi, Jiang Mingyuan grew more admiring and comforted her, "Don't be afraid; since the county office is already aware, it will surely not let those wicked bandits continue to run rampant."

Gu Xixi sincerely said, "Thanks to your vigilance and dedication, Sirs, you detected the villains in time and rescued us from fire and water."

According to the He family's dark guards, the black-clad men who stormed the manor these past two days have all gone and not returned.

The only one captured by the county office is presumed to have been wounded outside the wall, fled, and tried to return to report, only to fall into the constables' hands.

Thus, ironically, he became the link through which Gu Xixi sought help from the county office.

This shows that blessings and misfortunes are intertwined; sometimes it's hard to tell.

"Not at all, merely part of my duty," Jiang Mingyuan said while scanning the surroundings.

He had already noticed some irregularities upon arrival, saying, "Moreover, tonight is not the effort of a single household."

"When I arrived just now, it seemed there were also two other groups: one whose identities were unclear, appearing like martial artists, and another all mounted on horses, well-trained, indeed resembling cavalry."

Gu Xixi's eyes flickered; she felt she and Jiang Mingyuan were not yet at the point of baring their hearts to each other.

Thus she half-concealed, half-revealed, "The He family's young lady going out alone naturally has some self-protection measures..."

Jiang Mingyuan found this reasonable and mused, "So these plain-clothed figures are the He family's hidden dark guards. As for those cavalry..."

Gu Xixi knew this person was not easily fooled, and she was quickly thinking of an excuse.

Jiang Mingyuan himself had already come to a sudden realization: "The He family must have long been allied with General Ho of the Northwestern Army; now, faced with an emergency, the Northwestern Army troops left behind dispatching a cavalry squad to protect the He family's young lady is quite natural."

The more he thought, the more certain he became: "If the He family's young lady were seized as a hostage, it would threaten not only the He family but also be used to coerce the Northwestern Army."

Gu Xixi silently breathed a sigh of relief; talking with a smart person has this advantage.

No need to strain to lie; the other party will themselves find the most fitting reason.

Jiang Mingyuan suddenly turned to Gu Xixi, bowed deeply to the ground, and solemnly said, "Sister Xixi, your righteousness is lofty! To protect Miss He from becoming a hostage, you disregarded your own safety."

"I, Jiang, thank you on behalf of the officials and people of the Northwest, Boss Gu!"

The Northwestern Army and the entire Northwest are already inseparable.

Now the Northwestern Army aspires to purge the Empress Dowager's faction, and the many officials within the Northwest continue to perform their duties and maintain stability, which already shows their stance.

Therefore, only if the Northwestern Army wins victory after victory will the Northwest truly prosper.

Jiang Mingyuan's attitude stems precisely from seeing this clearly.

Seeing his earnestness, Gu Xixi felt guilty instead, hastily raising her hand and saying, "I and Miss He are close friends; we do not abandon each other. Sir Jiang, there's no need to thank me."

Jiang Mingyuan lifted his head to look at Gu Xixi, looking somewhat deflated, "You call me Sir Jiang again."

Gu Xixi stared, "Huh?"

His tone sounded a bit like he was acting coquettish.

Seeing Jiang Mingyuan still insistently staring at her, Gu Xixi had no choice but to change her address, "Brother Zi Chu."

She remembered that Jiang Mingyuan's courtesy name was Zi Chu; using it was neither too distant nor too close, just right.

Jiang Mingyuan broke into a smile, looked back at the busy prefecture troops, summoned a deputy commander, and spoke solemnly:

"Since the incident has been investigated clearly, Gu Xixi, as the manor's owner and also a protected victim, need not go to the county office for questioning for the time being."

"Furthermore, tonight some bandits broke in; the manor's private guards, in defending their master, killed part of the assailants, while the remaining survivors were all captured and will be interrogated separately."

A few sentences settled the aftermath cleanly, and also cleared Gu Xixi and He Jinglan of any suspicion.

This both concealed the assassins' true purpose and brushed over He Jinglan's identity in passing.

The captain, having received the order, departed.

Jiang Mingyuan said to Gu Xixi, "After I return, I will personally report the truth to the County Magistrate; the fewer people who know about tonight's truth, the better."

Gu Xixi looked at him and smiled, "I think the same."

Jiang Mingyuan was on official business; after learning the details from Gu Xixi, he stopped idle talk.

He instructed her to remain inside the manor until the case-closure notice was posted at the Government Office; then he left.

He Jinglan had already confirmed her hidden guards; the coachman Old Li was present, none missing.

She walked to Gu Xixi's side, and together they watched a green-robed official speaking with the prefecture soldiers not far away.

"Is he the newly appointed minor official of Qing Tian County?"

"From the way he speaks with you, he seems quite familiar."