RPAGF Chapter 124 - Initial Pass
Chapter 124 - Initial Pass
Li Chong was stunned for a moment before he came back to his senses from Xie Wenyu's beauty.
Subconsciously avoiding those seemingly frowning eyes, Li Chong said, "I'm sorry to have worried you, Madam. They were just a few petty thieves, and we've already taken them all down. I'm not injured."
Xie Wenyu said softly, "That's wonderful. I had been praying constantly for your success in taking office. Fortunately, Heaven has been kind and allowed you to accomplish such a great feat. I will definitely go back to fulfill my vow."
"Alas, it is my fault for causing my wife such worry. There are Buddhist and Taoist temples around Yanggu. If my wife has some free time, she should really go and have a look."
Xie Wenyu smiled and said, "I will follow your arrangements, my lord."
Seeing that she was calm and did not show any unusual expression, Li Chong gradually lowered his guard.
Come to think of it, even Cui Shi, the personal attendant, directly mistook it. If the original owner's corpse hadn't been there, he probably wouldn't have realized it so quickly.
Given the preconceived notions and Li Chong's extensive experience, it's understandable that others wouldn't notice any flaws.
"Please be seated, Madam. You must be tired from your journey. I will host a welcome dinner for you and Ziyi when we return to the government office."
Li Chong nodded and then lowered the curtain.
After exchanging a few words with Xie Wenyou, Li Chong mounted his horse and led his group into Yanggu County.
With carriages and horses moving about, the group soon arrived at the back office. Servants and yamen runners helped unload the goods, while Li Chong led Xie Wenyu and Xie Wenyou, the siblings, to stroll around the office.
"That's the main hall. I usually hold court there," Li Chong explained, pointing to the main hall.
Xie Wenyou asked with some excitement, "Since you took office, have you encountered any mysterious cases? Any murder cases?"
"Ziyi!" Xie Wenyu called out to his younger brother sternly, "Don't talk nonsense."
Li Chong waved his hand with a smile: "It's understandable that he's young. Please don't blame Ziyi, Madam."
Looking at Xie Wenyou, Li Chong shook his head and said, "However, Ziyi, you should read fewer of those storybooks. Yanggu is just an ordinary county town. The people here are simple and honest, and there are no vicious people like that. I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
"Oh." Xie Wenyou nodded honestly.
But a young man's emotions come and go quickly. After walking a few steps, he pestered Li Chong again, asking Li Chong to tell him about the bandit suppression.
Li Chong was naturally happy to agree.
Talking about your glorious achievements can not only divert their attention but also make you appear more impressive, so why not?
"Speaking of bandit suppression, there's a lot to tell..."
Li Chong recounted the story in detail.
Xie Wenyou occasionally asked questions or exclaimed in surprise, while Xie Wenyu, standing to the side, remained quite reserved and listened silently.
However, one could tell from her flickering eyes that her emotions were not as calm as she appeared.
Time passed slowly, and Li Chong and the other two sat down in a pavilion in the back courtyard.
"That's it. While those bandits were getting carried away, I ordered an attack to completely crush their army and defeat them in one fell swoop."
Xie Wenyou slapped his thigh: "Oh dear! If I had known it would be like this, I should have come with my brother-in-law to take up my post!"
"It's alright, there's still time. I'll write a letter to my father-in-law and ask him to let you stay with me for a while longer," Li Chong said with a smile.
"My lord," Xie Wenyu said softly, "there's no need to send a letter to Father. Ziyi came this time because he wants to stay by your side for a while longer."
Li Chong looked at the siblings: "Hmm?"
Xie Wenyou dodged to the side, his expression showing a hint of embarrassment.
Xie Wenyu glanced at her younger brother and sighed softly, "Father has hired many tutors for Ziyi at home, but he just can't learn well. He's almost at the age to take the imperial examinations, and Father is so worried that his hair has turned white."
She looked at Li Chong: "I thought that since you, sir, are a talented scholar who ranked second in the imperial examinations, if you could give Ziyi some guidance, it would certainly help him improve, so..."
At this point, Xie Wenyu's expression showed some hesitation.
"I am originally a wife of the Li family, and I should not use my husband's name to help my own family. However, my Xie family has only had one son, Ziyi, for three generations. I beg you, sir, to spare some time to give me some guidance. I would be extremely grateful."
As he spoke, Xie Wenyu stood up and curtsied.
"Hey!"
Li Chong stepped forward and helped her up, feeling the smoothness in his hands, but his expression remained unchanged.
It's natural for couples to have some physical contact; there's no need to be shy about it.
"Madam, what are you saying? We are husband and wife, and Ziyi is your brother, so he is also my brother. Helping family is nothing to talk about gratitude. I will take care of Ziyi and make sure I supervise his studies well."
Li Chong delivered a passionate speech, sounding extremely confident, but in reality, he was quite uncertain about the outcome.
He didn't know the material tested in the Northern Song Dynasty's imperial examinations.
Having graduated for so long, Li Chong can only recite a few lines of classical Chinese, such as "At the beginning of life, people are inherently good," and he can't remember any other classical Chinese texts.
Having him teach Xie Wenyou the imperial examinations is problematic, but the biggest issue is that it could mislead students. The real problem is that his identity will be exposed.
But at this point, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree, to avoid any unforeseen complications.
Li Chong readily agreed to Xie Wenyu's request, pulled her to sit down in the pavilion, and then turned to inquire about Xie Wenyu's studies.
Li Chong didn't notice that Xie Wenyu's eyes were fixed on their clasped hands, and her cheeks were flushed, as if she was shy.
They've been married for three or four years, so why would a married couple be shy about holding hands?
Li Chong was completely unaware of the problem.
After asking Xie Wenyou a few questions, Li Chong had already made up his mind about his studies.
"We'll just use being busy with official duties as an excuse, find a few old gentlemen to teach him, appease him for a while, and then figure out a better way."
If Li Chong were to teach someone now, he would definitely be exposed. It's better to delay it and let Li Chong brush up on his knowledge himself, so that he can get away with it later.
"Don't worry, as long as you study hard, you will definitely bring glory to your family in the future!" Li Chong encouraged Xie Wenyou by patting his shoulder.
Xie Wenyou forced a smile and said, "Thank you for your trouble, brother-in-law."
Judging from his appearance, he's another one who doesn't like studying.
Just as the atmosphere among the three was gradually becoming more harmonious, footsteps sounded, and Sun Jun arrived.
"Having heard that Madam has arrived, I have come here specifically to pay my respects. This small gift is of little value."
Now that they have joined Li Chong's faction, they naturally need to perform well, and the gifts they are given are indispensable.
Li Chong saw that he had come at the perfect time.
He immediately stood up and introduced, "This Clerk Sun is my good helper. Without him, I don't know how much effort would be wasted on official business in the county."
The Xie siblings naturally stood up to greet them.
Following Sun Jun's arrival, people came to pay their respects.
Everyone knows the power of pillow talk; it doesn't matter who gives a gift, but who doesn't is far more conspicuous.
When Li Chong's wife came to the county government office, everyone wanted to make a good impression, at least not leave a bad one.
The back office was bustling with activity for a time.