Chapter Bonanza (10/10)

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Guan Xiude was the only son in his family, with two older sisters. His father had died young, and his mother had raised the three of them single-handedly. Though life was hard, their mother was kind, the children were dutiful, and the family lived in harmony.

When he enlisted, his eldest sister had already married, and his second sister had been betrothed, but she called off the engagement because she couldn’t bear to leave their widowed mother behind. Guan Xiude’s refusal of Huo Haowu’s invitation at the time stemmed not only from his desire not to burden his comrades but also from his deep attachment to his family.

After retiring from military service, he returned to Lingbei with several dozen taels of pay, built a house for his family, arranged a marriage for his second older sister, and secured a job as a security guard.

Unexpectedly, the former magistrate of Lingbei was removed from office, and a wealthy young master implicated in the scandal—who was being pursued by government troops—happened to flee to the very household where he was working.

Guan Xiude caught the young man red-handed while he was hiding, so the young man offered him silver and promised a series of benefits in exchange for Guan Xiude distracting the pursuers. The young man was the second son of the Xu Family Money House, who was known for bullying men and women and committing all manner of evil deeds.

Guan Xiude was a man of integrity; not only did he refuse to help the young man evade the officials, but he even showed the officials the way to him.

The Xu family was wealthy and powerful, and several major merchants in the county were allied with them. After the second young master of the Xu family was arrested, the Xu family harbored a deep grudge. No sooner had Governor Ruan left Lingbei than they rounded up a gang of thugs and stormed the Guan family’s residence. 

Guan Xiude was beaten mercilessly; had it not been for his mother’s desperate protection and his employer’s plea to the Xu family, he might well have lost his life.

Both mother and son were left severely injured, but it didn’t end there. Under the Xu family’s threats and bribes, Guan Xiude lost his job as a security guard; his eldest sister’s husband’s business was sabotaged; and his second sister was even divorced and sent back to her parents’ home.

Guan Xiude longed to fight the Xu family to the death, but with his widowed mother, sister, and niece to care for, he hesitated to act for fear of harming his own family and was forced to endure the situation. He was young and strong; after more than a month of recuperation, he gradually recovered. His mother, however, was frail and had been bedridden ever since, kept alive only by medicinal soups and herbs.

The Guan family’s income had dried up, and their savings were quickly depleted, yet the Xu family continued to eye them with greed. Guan Xiude had to pay for his mother’s medical treatment while also supporting his second sister and niece; he found it impossible to keep up.

Left with no other choice, he had to turn to Ying Dong for help.

Whenever Ying Dong returned from escorting a consignment north of the ridge, he would always stop by Guan Xiude’s home for tea and to catch up. On his most recent visit, upon learning that his comrade-in-arms had suffered such a misfortune, he was filled with righteous indignation and, without a moment’s hesitation, gave him all the silver he had brought with him.

Ying Dong stayed with the Guan family to guard against the Xu family seeking revenge, and returned to the capital only after Guan’s mother’s condition had improved and Guan Xiude had fully recovered.

Upon his return, he informed Huo Haowu of the incident.

Upon learning that a brother-in-arms—one with whom he had shared life and death—had been bullied to such an extent, Huo Haowu was overcome with rage. He immediately resolved to travel to Lingbei, but due to some matters, he was tied up with work and never found the time.

Although he couldn’t come in person, he had sent no shortage of silver and medicinal herbs to Lingbei during this time.

Upon arriving outside the city a few days ago, he entrusted Yan Shaoxuan and the others to Ying Dong and entered the city ahead of time with Ruan Yimian. Today, while running errands regarding Guan Xiude’s matter, he returned to the county office in the afternoon.

When Yan Shaoxuan asked about it just now, he didn’t hide anything.

“My brother can’t bear to leave his sister behind and refuses to leave Lingbei. The Xu family says they’re wiping the slate clean of past grievances and won’t take any further action against him, but Master Xu isn’t exactly a saint—he’ll still need to be on his guard.”

Qian Yingdong had previously warned that while the Xu family appeared to have calmed down on the surface, they were constantly scheming behind the scenes. Now that he’d learned Huo Haowu and Ruan Yimian were coming, and Master Xu had proactively proposed a truce with Guan Xiude, Huo Haowu didn’t quite trust it.

But even a mighty dragon cannot subdue a local snake. The major families in Lingbei have all formed marital alliances and are in cahoots. No matter how formidable the Zhenwu Escort Agency is, once they’re not in Lingbei, there’s nothing they can do against them.

Refusing to take their escort jobs poses no threat to them—these men have plenty of silver and no shortage of people willing to risk their lives for them; they don’t give a second thought to losing a few men along the way while transporting goods and silver.

Offering bribes might work, but Huo Haowu wouldn’t stoop to associating with such people.

Yan Shaoxuan had previously known only that Huo Haowu’s comrades were in trouble, but he hadn’t realized the reason behind it.

After Huo Haowu finished speaking, he said solemnly, “Brother Guan suffered retaliation for showing the officials the way; the county magistrate’s office cannot ignore this. If the Xu family causes trouble again, you tell him to come find me.”

As soon as Yan Shaoxuan finished speaking, a look of surprise flashed across Huo Haowu’s face, and a touch of admiration welled up within him.

On the journey from Yulian to Lingbei, Huo Haowu had actually been quietly observing Yan Shaoxuan.

In his view, this Magistrate Yan’s devotion to his fulang—needless to say—was no less profound than his affection for Ruan Yimian; he was caring and considerate toward his family, yet showed little patience toward others, even appearing somewhat cold.

Yan Shaoxuan always carried a somewhat aloof demeanor, making him hard to approach. Over the past ten days or so, Ying Dong and the others had become quite familiar with Yan Shaocheng and even Yan Xiaoyu, yet they remained somewhat reserved in Yan Shaoxuan’s presence.

Huo Haowu was certain that Yan Shaoxuan would not embezzle public funds, pervert justice, or oppress the common people, but he wasn’t sure whether Yan Shaoxuan would be willing to get involved in this “trivial matter.”

He hadn’t expected that, before he even had a chance to ask, Magistrate Yan would prove to be far more warm-hearted than he’d imagined.

“To be honest, I was indeed hoping to enlist Magistrate Yan’s help,” said Huo Haowu, bowing his hands in thanks to Yan Shaoxuan. “The Zhenwu Escort Agency has no outpost in Lingbei, so if anything were to happen to Xiude, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to respond in time. With Magistrate Yan’s assurance, I can finally rest easy.”

After dinner, Yan Shaoxuan returned when it was already dark.

Having risen early that day and been busy for most of it, Yan Shaoxuan expected the door to be ajar. He made a point of moving quietly as he entered. 

To his surprise, as he rounded the screen, he saw Yan Xiaoyu sprawled on the bed, reading a storybook, his little legs swaying back and forth—looking utterly at ease.

“Not asleep yet?”

Yan Shaoxuan asked softly, but Yan Xiaoyu was so startled that he snapped the storybook shut and frantically tried to hide it.

“I’ve already seen it.” Yan Shaoxuan raised an eyebrow, feigning indifference. “No need to make such a fuss.”

Yan Xiaoyu, embarrassed and angry, buried his face in the pillow: “So you saw it! It’s not like it’s something shameful.”

Yan Shaoxuan noticed the flush spreading to the roots of his ears, which only piqued his curiosity further. Without giving anything away, he walked over to the bed and retrieved the storybook from beneath his stomach.

At that moment, the flush on Yan Xiaoyu’s face seemed to transfer to Yan Shaoxuan’s.

—In the book, two little figures were completely naked, tangled together like strands of noodles. “W-what is this?”

“Didn’t you just say it was no big deal?” Yan Xiaoyu realized what he’d said the moment the words left his mouth. “You tricked me! You sneaky, devious scoundrel!”

As he spoke, he leaped off the bed like a carp and lunged at Yan Shaoxuan.

Yan Shaoxuan reflexively spread his arms wide and pulled him into a tight embrace.

His eyes sparkled with amusement as he wrapped one arm around Yan Xiaoyu’s waist and shielded his head with the other, letting him roughhouse with him. Yan Xiaoyu left a tooth mark on his neck, then reached out to tickle him…

Before long, the two of them tumbled onto the bed.

Yan Xiaoyu was laughing happily when, as the room spun, he found himself sitting on Yan Shaoxuan’s stomach.

The man’s eyes shone like stars; his broad chest rose and fell slightly as his arms braced against Yan Shaoxuan’s back, pulling him closer. Their breaths mingled, and with a look of pure devotion in his eyes, Yan Shaoxuan suddenly kissed him.

After two months of abstinence, they were both bursting with pent-up desire; now, like lightning striking fire, they entwined tightly. The art book on the edge of the bed slid onto the mattress; on the open page, a tiny figure had appeared beside the two little people. 

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The next day.

Before dawn, dozens of men were already waiting outside the second hall of the county magistrate’s office.

As a newly appointed official, Yan Shaoxuan’s primary tasks were to audit the accounts, inspect the city walls, take a headcount, and inspect the prison.

According to protocol, the village chiefs, following the “Dutu” (township maps), stood in formation under the veranda of the Second Hall, preparing to enter one by one to report to Yan Shaoxuan on the village’s situation and answer his questions to gain a better understanding of the circumstances.

It was still snowing outside. Although these village chiefs were dressed fairly warmly, the bitterly cold morning wind had them huddling against the cold. But right now, they had no time to worry about the cold; they were all anxious, and their faces betrayed their concern.

They whispered among themselves.

“I wonder what kind of man this official is. How will he collect taxes and grain from now on?”

“The taxes are already heavy enough as it is; if they get any heavier, we farmers won’t be able to survive!”

“We haven’t even paid this year’s taxes in full yet, and in the few villages I oversee, many families are already barely scraping by. If the burden gets any heavier tomorrow, it’ll be driving them to their deaths—they simply won’t be able to pay!”

“I noticed yesterday that this official had a very cold expression; I’m afraid he’s not a good sign.”

This man’s words struck a nerve with everyone present.

“Let’s quickly come up with a plan. Didn’t the former deputy magistrate say that whether or not to pay taxes—and how much to pay—is entirely up to the county magistrate? If this one decides to impose heavy taxes, how should we respond?”

“The officials at our county office have never been clear on this—most likely, they’ll still collect the administrative levy…”

Yan Shaoxuan got up before dawn, and just as the drumbeat for the Mao hour sounded, he arrived at the Second Hall. Before he even entered, he spotted a group of people waiting under the veranda. As he approached, they fell silent, terrified.

Jiang Xiaowu held a lantern to light the way for Yan Shaoxuan, but just as they neared the entrance, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Your Honor?”

As soon as Jiang Xiaowu finished speaking, the village chiefs knelt down as if waking from a dream to pay their respects to Yan Shaoxuan.

Yan Shaoxuan frowned. The group was too frightened to lift their heads, afraid their failure to bow in time had angered him. He heard him say indifferently, “Who told you to wait here?”