Chapter Bonanza (9/10)

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Yan Xiaoyu was very concerned about Yan Shaoxuan’s assignment.

“I don’t see many decent officials at the county magistrate’s office. Those people all have ulterior motives, and the common folk in Lingbei aren’t having an easy time of it either.”

Yan Xiaoyu mentioned the old man who’d been forced to kneel earlier that day, then added, “Those constables and commoners are arrogant and rude. Even the city constables who met us looked down on us with disdain—they really look down on us!”

“They look down on us?” Yan Shaoxuan seemed to have realized something; his eyes hardened, and he asked urgently, “Did they mistreat you?”

“Not really,” Yan Xiaoyu snorted. “I treat them with respect, but they have a completely different attitude toward A-Chai and his group compared to Head Escort Ying and his men. You have to consider the master when beating a dog—they’re clearly looking down on us, and by extension, they don’t take A-Chai and his group seriously either.”

The cold stares Yan Xiaoyu had endured on his behalf were enough to make him see through these two-faced people.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Yan Shaoxuan said, ruffling his hair. “Don’t worry—they won’t be able to act so high and mighty for much longer.”

Yan Xiaoyu waved his hand. “I’m not upset. Wait—you just took office today, and you’re already planning to deal with these constables?”

Yan Shaoxuan nodded slightly. “I have a few ideas, but I still need to work out the details.”

Yan Xiaoyu nodded, then asked with a puzzled look, “Back when Governor Ruan dealt with your predecessor, why didn’t he deal with these people as well? Didn’t they have anything to do with that previous official’s embezzlement and bribery?”

“Governor Ruan stayed in Lingbei for less than half a month, and he wasn’t here to investigate the case in the first place; it was already no small feat to root out a few of the ringleaders among the corrupt officials. These minor henchmen may not have been involved, or perhaps they acted so covertly that they went undetected. Lingbei is a treacherous place; I suspect most of these people are in cahoots—many are implicated, and few are truly innocent. As for that deputy county magistrate, however, I cannot yet tell which side he’s on.”

Like Yan Shaoxuan, Deputy County Magistrate Yu Jing had been newly transferred here after the previous official was removed from office. Yu Jing had previously served as the chief clerk in a neighboring county, which was close to Lingbei, and had arrived several months before Yan Shaoxuan.

There were a total of four ranked officials in the county office. Aside from Yan Shaoxuan, who held the highest rank, there was the deputy magistrate (Eighth Rank), the chief clerk (Ninth Rank), and the patrol inspector (Lower Ninth Rank).

Yan Shaoxuan observed the situation closely today. The other two officials in the county office were both locals from Lingbei; they seemed quite familiar with one another in their conversations and appeared to have some connections with the local gentry as well.

He briefly described the situation at the county office, and Yan Xiaoyu was left with a headache: “They all know each other—what if they band together to oppose you?” Given the current circumstances, Yan Xiaoyu’s speculation was highly plausible, and this was precisely the scenario that newly appointed officials feared most.

Yan Shaoxuan, however, remained unflappable: “‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ Let’s see how they plan to deal with me.”

Yan Xiaoyu had worked up a sweat, so he brought out a bathtub himself and sent A-Chai and the others to heat some water. But after curling up on the small couch and chatting with Yan Shaoxuan for a while, laziness got the better of him, and he didn’t move a muscle.

A-Chai brought the water, and when Yan Shaoxuan urged him, he grumbled and refused to budge. Yan Shaoxuan’s ears turned red, and his gaze grew unfocused: “Do you want me to help you wash?”

“……” Knowing that this guy’s old habit of talking nonsense had flared up again, Yan Xiaoyu remained silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. Finally, he held out his hand boldly toward him, “Yes, hurry up and help your Fulang bathe!” 

“What kind of state is this?” Yan Shaoxuan shook his head and sighed, though the corners of his mouth were turned up high. 

As if afraid Yan Xiaoyu would change his mind, he scooped him up in his arms and strode off: “You even need your husband’s help to bathe—I really don’t know what to do with you.” Yan Xiaoyu, who had only intended to let him help him for a moment, twitched his lips but eventually settled obediently in his arms without moving.

After all, the adjoining room was the washroom; they weren’t going outside, so there was no risk of anyone seeing them. He might as well let him have his say.

Yan Shaoxuan carried Yan Xiaoyu to the edge of the bathtub, set him down, and then naturally began to undress him.

Yan Xiaoyu felt a bit embarrassed, but he was happy to stay still, letting him remove his clothes, lower him into the tub, and use a scented bar of soap to wash him.

Having undressed him several times before but bathed him only once, Yan Shaoxuan was a bit unsure of the right touch at first, but soon got the hang of it. After the bath, he changed the water, and Yan Xiaoyu sat comfortably in the tub, closing his eyes as he massaged him.

He had been feeling a bit distracted at first, but this young man had a knack for ruining the mood.

“A little lower… that’s where it’s sore…”

Yan Shaoxuan moved gently and with a serious expression. After helping Yan Xiaoyu finish his bath, he directed him to wash his hair as well.

“Carry me over to the little couch, rest my head on the edge of the bed, and put a big basin underneath—then I can have my hair washed while lying down.”

“You’re full of crazy ideas,” Yan Shaoxuan teased with a laugh, but he went along with it anyway and carried him over to the small couch. 

After having a servant bring a wooden basin and hot water, Yan Shaoxuan set about washing his fulang’s hair.

A pair of warm, large hands massaged his scalp with just the right amount of pressure. Yan Xiaoyu closed his eyes, looking thoroughly relaxed, and felt a touch of smugness: “Isn’t my idea brilliant? It’s so comfortable to wash this way!”

“Yes, it’s very good.”

Alas, eight parts indulgence.

Yan Xiaoyu opened his eyes and met Yan Shaoxuan’s smiling gaze. “Yan Shaoxuan, you’re so kind!”

Yan Shaoxuan paused for a moment, and a flush spread across his handsome face: “What else do you want me to do?”

Yan Xiaoyu’s lips curved into a smile.

After washing Yan Xiaoyu’s hair, Yan Shaoxuan used the water from her bath to give himself a quick wash.

Since he had to attend the sacrificial ceremony, he’d taken a proper bath only yesterday and didn’t actually need to wash today. But with his beloved little fulang sitting there naked, letting him wash him from head to toe, even someone as upright and proper as Yan Shaoxuan couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter and his mind wander.

He exerted every effort to control himself so as not to appear flustered, but even so, he broke out in a sweat. After they had both washed up and dried their hair, they went from the small kitchen to the dining hall for their evening meal.

Lunch had been delivered from the main kitchen, which was part of the government office’s administrative structure and was originally intended to provide meals for the officials. While it was appropriate for Yan Shaoxuan to eat there, it was against protocol for his family to dine there as well.

Counting the servants, there were more than a dozen people in their household—quite a large number.

That afternoon, after discussing it with Yan Shaocheng, Yan Xiaoyu decided to prepare dinner himself in the small kitchen. The small kitchen was located inside the inner quarters and was set aside specifically for the magistrate’s family, so it was perfectly suitable for them.

The men from the Zhenwu Escort Agency were staying there temporarily and joined them for the meal.

When Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaoxuan arrived at the dining hall entrance, they happened to run into Huo Haowu and Ruan Yimian.

Ruan Yimian was wearing a long cotton robe with a fox-fur cloak draped over his head; he was wrapped up so tightly that only half of his fair face was visible. From a distance, he looked plump and round, just like a little lamb being led by Huo Haowu.

As soon as Yan Xiaoyu saw him, he almost burst out laughing.

The four exchanged greetings and entered together. Everyone else had arrived, so it was time to eat.

Xiao Jiu, A-Shuang, and the others had set up three tables of food, each featuring four meat dishes, four vegetable dishes, and a total of eight courses.

“Those people wanted to help, but I didn’t let them lift a finger. The kitchen sent over some antelope meat earlier, but we didn’t dare touch it either.”

“Those people” referred to the servants in the mansion—it was unclear whether they were left behind by the former county magistrate or recruited later by the deputy magistrate.

After Xiao Jiu finished explaining, Yan Xiaoyu nodded: “It was the right call not to let them help.” When it came to cooking, he felt more at ease having his own people handle it.

He then asked Yan Shaoxuan, “Should we keep the antelope meat? Should we give them some silver along with the midday meal?” 

Yan Shaoxuan could tell he was getting hungry, so he nodded and said, “Let’s keep it.”

Although everyone at the county government office had their own ulterior motives, none of them dared to harm him openly. It didn’t matter that Yan Xiaoyu refused to accept silver for the antelope meat; Bu Yan Shaoxuan still led by example, setting the standard for the rest.

Once the matter was settled, everyone sat down to eat.

During the meal, Yan Shaoxuan chatted casually with Huo Haowu: “Has the matter with Chief Huo been settled?”

Apart from escorting Yan Shaoxuan and his party, Huo Haowu had another purpose for this trip: to find a fellow soldier.

His comrade-in-arms was named “Guan Xiude,” a native of Lingbei. During the war between Great Chu and Nanhe, when conscription was underway, Guan Xiude enlisted alongside Huo Haowu and the others and was wounded on the battlefield, leaving him with a limp.

Later, when the war ended, their group was able to return home. Huo Haowu and another comrade-in-arms opened the Zhenwu Escort Agency in Nanyuan Prefecture and recruited a group of brothers to join them. Only Guan Xiude, because of his limp, chose not to join the Zhenwu Escort Agency so as not to be a burden to his comrades.

Although he did not work alongside his comrades, Guan Xiude remained in Lingbei and lived quite comfortably.

That is, until the previous magistrate of Lingbei was brought down.