Chapter 10: Remarriage (Ten)

He hesitated for a moment

His pale forehead and the wings of his nose were adorned with beads of sweat, which he continuously wiped away with a handkerchief; he was indeed a person who sweats profusely

In the governor's mansion, there were more than 200 people, either captured alive or perished in the flames alongside their fathers. She was the only one to escape, entrusted to Fu Yi and Mu Yao, and from then on, she fell into a life of wandering, which led to the subsequent controversies and disputes.

He laughed for a while and then said, "How much is needed for disaster relief? Father has a rough idea. By the way, I heard from the maid that this year's silk has some lumps? Father will collect another batch right away..."

Ling Miaomiao pushed the door open and entered. The door to the west wing was not locked, and due to its unfavorable location and remote position, the room was always damp and cool, as if it were trying to isolate the entire space from sunlight

The person was stunned from the beating, and in the next moment, a frenzied expression appeared on their face, with bloodshot eyes. Mu Sheng furrowed his brows and said, "Wake up!"

You go and invite Mr. Gide to come over, right now

However, with officials protecting each other, how can you report him to ensure victory?

I will go... I will go find Chancellor Chen... He is a sworn enemy of the Prefect... As long as, as long as the account books are handed over to him... He will definitely, definitely take revenge...

The county magistrate's expression changed slightly, a hint of unease surfacing on his brow. He wiped his sweat again and forced a smile, saying, "Miao Miao is just having a nightmare..." After hesitating for a moment, he relaxed a bit, pondering for a long time, "In that case, my precious Bao'er will not have new dresses to wear often in the future"

His voice was like the strings of heaven, soft and enchanting, "Do you wish to become the county magistrate?"

If this is also a coincidence, then one would truly consider Ling Miaomiao to be a fool

Miao Miao

"Don't be angry, okay?" He moved in front of her and made a funny face to amuse her, "Be a good girl, give me a smile?"

"Mr. Ji? Mr. Ji? Are you in there?" A voice came from afar, startling Mu Sheng. With a swift motion, he struck Ji De unconscious, then quickly pushed him into the narrow gap beneath the bed, hastily lowering the bed sheet.

This smile resembles that of a lion, filled with love and tolerance, gazing at its clawing cubs, "Yes, yes, yes, my son is right, the father should be punished, should be punished"

Father, regardless of whether you scoff at the concept of integrity, all I know is that dying in poverty is better than dying a violent death, and the timid tend to live longer than the bold

Every aspect requires taking advantage, and those in power have long been accustomed to it. Taicang is prosperous and particularly valued by the court, thus they can take more for themselves, and the prefect naturally does not see anything wrong with it

Ling Miaomiao gazed at his face in a daze, feeling a wave of weakness

"You child..." The county magistrate was momentarily speechless with laughter, yet still indulgently allowed her to proceed, lifting the teacup to moisten his throat

Ling Yu's mother passed away early, and the prefect, as a father, has been exceptionally kind and dutiful, wanting to give his daughter the moon instead of mere stars. However, the expression on his face when faced with her questioning reveals a hint of amusement—what is he laughing at? Is he laughing at her, a young lady who does not manage a household and is unaware of the value of basic necessities, who does not understand the dynamics of the officialdom, and naively points fingers?

I... I want to be the county magistrate. " He stared blankly.

The expression of the county magistrate darkened, and then a strange smile appeared.

Father

Ling Miaomiao made a gesture behind her, signaling the gray-clad Ayi to step back. She entered the room alone and closed the door behind her, saying, "Young Master Mu has quite the interest."

He noticed that there was not a trace of a smile on Miaomiao's face, and patiently comforted her, "You don't need to worry about these matters; your father will handle them well. You, my dear, don't need to concern yourself with anything..."

As the figure in the white long garment staggered towards the boundary between light and darkness, the young man suddenly raised his eyes and called out to him. He hesitated for a moment in place, his gaze flickering, "Come back"

The man stood still, like a puppet ensnared by a rope, yet hesitated, his face bearing an expression of a ravenous wolf, both obsessive and greedy

His character has always been honest and timid, and he is easygoing. The original plot arranges for him to suddenly betray, which inherently carries a hint of conspiracy.

The person on the ground got up in a daze, stumbling as they made their way out, with a hint of obsessive ecstasy in their brows

Coincidentally, the black lotus was sitting on the hexagonal stool, staring blankly at the eerie empty room.

Oh, it is difficult to find a hairpin, but a living person is not necessarily so hard to find. Miao Miao suppressed the anger in her heart and said, "Our prefectural governor's office has lost a gentleman with the surname Ji. I wonder if Young Master Mu has seen him?"

It was that fourteen-year-old maid, wearing her clothes and shoes, her face resembling a rotting apple, lying in disarray, lifeless in the damp and cold mud.

"Oh! How could a person like Jide, who can't even produce a fart with three sticks, possibly do such a thing?" The prefect was both amused and exasperated.

The smile of the county magistrate froze for a moment, and awkwardness spread.

He lowered his head to look down at him, the ends of his hair gently swaying, his skin so pale that the bluish veins of his jawline were almost visible

"No more new dresses," she said, her nose tinged with sadness, "as long as father is well."

I do not care, the dreams are so vivid that my father must be on guard. Without waiting for the prefect's response, she called out loudly, "Someone!"

The county magistrate was taken aback and said with a smile, "Oh, good daughter, do you recognize him?"

How to take over? He guides patiently.

The young man had a pair of dark, piercing eyes that sparkled with an elusive smile as he gazed at him

Ling Miaomiao entered the hall with unimpeded progress and hurried steps

Miao Miao raised an eyebrow: "I am in my own home, free to go wherever I please. But you... how do you have the leisure to come to the west wing to ponder life?"

Before he finished speaking, he saw the young man extend his finger to tug at the white headband on his head. The headband was long and thin, tied in a loose knot. With a slight pull, the headband loosened a bit.

The eaves divide the darkness from the light, and the uneven ground reflects scattered glimmers of light, while dark green moss emerges from the crevices of the stones

On the 8th of April, Ling Yu had already arrived in Apricot Town with the main character group, which is the most recent time point that Ling Miaomiao can recall

Unfortunately, Taicang County already has a county magistrate. What should you do

Gide did not bring the account book; he is not here to lodge a complaint. He cannot simply disappear from the governor's office; there must be a destination.

The high-ranking official sent from the palace to handle the affairs has just departed, and the air is infused with the fragrance of the tea served and the soothing scent of spices. A wisp of white smoke rises from the incense burner, lingering and ascending in the air, while behind it sits the county magistrate, slumped in his chair, having just finished his duties, casually wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve

Of course, there are those who would die in her place

"Oh, my son has come?" The county magistrate's chubby face instantly lit up with vivid expression, as if suddenly infused with energy. He joyfully sprang up from his chair, dragged a chair over to the table opposite, and said, "Come here, father, are you tired?"

Miss? The man in the gray cloth attire, Ayi, approached with his hands hanging down. He is a trusted aide of the county magistrate. On the night when Ling Yu executed the plan of escape, it was he who, at the magistrate's behest, knocked out the maid, dressed her in the young lady's silk garments, and orchestrated a scheme to substitute one for the other.

In an instant, the boy's eyes reflected a swirling vortex, and that vibrant face rapidly transformed amidst layers of light and shadow, surrounded by an aura, momentarily stunning in its beauty, a splendor that rushed towards madness and death

The frustration in the boy's eyes transformed into a sinister glare, and he suddenly gripped the neck of the person on the ground tightly. The individual began to cough violently, their eyes bulging out, emitting a hoarse gasp for air

Hmm. Mu Sheng straightened his body, reached behind his back with both hands, secured the headband on his head, and casually lifted his eyelids, "Go ahead."

"Dreamt that Jide betrayed you, taking the account book to the palace."

Moreover, on that night filled with blazing flames, he led his men all the way to the hall, intending to capture the county magistrate alive. The voice, filled with ecstasy and fury, sounded truly bizarre, almost as if it were possessed.

"The last time my sister slept here, she left behind a hairpin, so I came to look for it." Mu Sheng lowered her eyelids, making it difficult to discern her expression

I ... ... I ... ...

The person on the ground was wearing a worn-out white long shirt, sitting with his legs spread apart, his temples graying, and his forehead drenched with cold sweat, his expression one of terror and confusion

Today, Gide has already grayed at the temples, and he has four sons. His wife and daughter have always lived next to the governor's residence, with both families closely connected.

He crouched down and raised his hand to give him a slap on the face: "Wake up"

The person before me is a young man dressed in a snow-white short jacket, with the edges of a scarlet inner garment peeking out from the crossed collar. The contrast of white and red is striking, reminiscent of red plum blossoms against the snow, vibrant and compelling.

Ling Miaomiao swiftly closed the door with a backhand motion and nimbly shut the window, then sat down with a serious expression opposite the county magistrate, and immediately asked: "Father, was that person just now sent by the palace to provide disaster relief?"

I... I. He could not bring himself to say it, beads of sweat trickling down his temples and flowing into his collar. However, when he saw the youth's eyes, he was instantly lost in the whirlpool that resembled an endless galaxy, "I should... I should take his place"

No need. She sighed, her expression growing even more despondent, "You won't listen to anything I say, so I won't say anything more"

Gide is the deputy of the prefect, having been by the prefect's side even before he assumed the position, which amounts to a companionship of twenty years

"I can't smile." Miao Miao turned her head away, her voice deliberately trembling, "Father, do you know? I had a dream—" She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, "I dreamed that because of this incident, our family was raided by the palace!"

I... I report him!" His eyes suddenly brightened, turning red, shining with a mad light, "I have evidence, I have evidence of his embezzlement of disaster relief funds... This is a serious crime, he will be dismissed... At that time, at that time...

After a while, he broke the silence, his face displaying an expression that was a mix of panic and servility, "My son, when did you start taking care of these matters?"

"Sir, Miss! Mr. Ji is not in the room," Ayi reported hurriedly, her tone urgent. "I have also searched the garden, but he is not there. Mrs. Ji does not know where he has gone."

A trace of disgust flashed in Mu Sheng's eyes as he extended his right hand to grasp the air. In an instant, that person seemed to be ensnared by an invisible rope, their legs pulled down, and they were dragged back before the young man.

I don't know. Ling Miaomiao stared directly into his eyes and asked, "The money this time, father hasn't touched it yet, has he?"

It is evidently futile

"Can you just ignore it?" Ling Miaomiao interrupted, "Father, are you truly confused or just pretending to be? The disaster relief funds are not something you can touch."

"What are you doing here?" Mu Sheng's voice was steady, devoid of any emotion.

Wait a moment

Father!" Ling Miaomiao frowned and said, "When he arrives, without further ado, we will lock him in the woodshed until the eighth day of the fourth month.

In addition to being unable to tolerate it, she also found the incident suspicious

Ling Yu's father is not her real father; she could have chosen to ignore these matters. However, she could not stand by and watch.

A glimmer of moisture appeared in the eyes of the county magistrate as he fell into deep thought. After a while, he tentatively asked, "What else have you dreamed about?"

I have searched everywhere in the residence, leaving only this room.

I do not... I do not know what this young brother wants me to say...

Say

Miao Miao and the county magistrate exchanged a glance, seeing the mutual surprise and suspicion in each other's eyes