Chapter 300: Safe and Sound Return

Chapter 300: Safe and Sound Return

When Magistrate Zhu heard this, his eyes widened in shock.

What did Lord He mean by this?

Was he openly asking for a bribe, or suspecting him of corruption?

If he said he wasn't well-off, would he offend him? If he said he was well-off, how much would be considered well-off?

A hundred taels, two hundred taels—Lord He would surely look down on such amounts. A thousand taels, two thousand taels—would that make Lord He think he was too well-off, and end up getting him in trouble?

As Magistrate Zhu was in a dilemma, He Qingxiao courteously asked, "Miss Xin You and I encountered danger and lost our money bag. I wonder if Magistrate Zhu could lend us ten taels to get by, and we will repay it once we reach Baiyun County."

"Ten taels?" Magistrate Zhu was astonished.

He Qingxiao nodded.

Magistrate Zhu's expression was complicated.

Ten taels really didn't need to be referred to as "getting by," it had terrified him.

Having borrowed the money, He Qingxiao left the county office to visit various shops. He needed to buy items for Xin You's disguise. The items weren't expensive, but they were quite varied, so it took him over half an hour to gather everything.

Xin You skillfully applied the disguise, put on her hat, and walked out.

Magistrate Zhu escorted them to the carriage, and Xin You removed her hat to thank him.

"Miss Xin You is too polite, it is my duty," Magistrate Zhu respectfully reciprocated the gesture, thinking to himself how young Miss Xin You was. It was said that Miss Xin You might be the rightful prince, and if he could be remembered by her later on, that would be great.

Thinking again about the ten taels he had lent, Magistrate Zhu suddenly felt discouraged.

At the time, he had been so intimidated by Lord He's status that he only gave ten taels, which was too little. He should have given twenty taels.

Only one carriage was arranged, but it was spacious. Inside the carriage, He Qingxiao's gaze fell on the young man's refined face, his thoughts somewhat distracted.

"What is Lord He looking at?"

He Qingxiao snapped out of it, suppressing the turmoil in his heart: "Even though I've seen it many times, I can't help but marvel at Miss Xin You's skillful hands."

The ingenuity of Miss Xin You's disguise was that it followed the natural contours of her face and features, without deliberately concealing the softness of her face. This actually made her male disguise look very natural, people would only think she was a refined young girl, but it was not unusual for a teenager to be delicate.

Everything in the deep mountains seemed like a dream. The carriage carried him and Miss Xin You towards Baiyun County, and the dream ended.

The girl named Ayou stayed in the dream.

"Lord He."

"Hmm?"

Xin You moved her lips, but ultimately did not speak out the many words in her heart: "I'll take a nap."

If she had to reveal her female identity in the struggle against the forces that killed her mother, her affection for Lord He must not be noticed by anyone, as that would make Lord He her weakness. If she succeeded under the identity of "Miss Xin You," and quietly left to regain her freedom, she couldn't take Lord He with her. Even if Lord He was willing to give up his status and power, that person would not allow Lord He to escape control, and a thorough investigation would surely reveal her existence.

Xin You slowly fell asleep, and only then did He Qingxiao dare to quietly watch her.

The sleeper's brows were tightly furrowed, as if burdened with endless worries.

He couldn't help but reach out, stopping at her brow, and finally quietly lowered his hand.

Three days later, the carriage arrived at White Cloud County.

"What? It's Miss Xin and Lord He?" The two sentries at the city gate were shocked when the constable from Lingshan County, responsible for their escort, announced the identities of the passengers.

Their exclamations caught the attention of passersby.

"Where is Miss Xin?"

"That's Miss Xin's carriage!"

A growing crowd pressed towards the carriage.

Xin You lifted a corner of the curtain to glance outside and quickly put it down.

"What a crowd."

"Your heroic rescue of the villagers from Shanghe and Xiahe must have spread. The folks here likely regard you as a savior," He Qingxiao speculated, sensing the enthusiasm even inside the carriage.

"Step aside, please. Miss Xin is unwell and needs to rest at the county office," someone called out, and the halted carriage resumed its journey.

These days, a top priority for the local authorities was to locate Miss Xin and Lord He, and with the arrival of Prince Xiu and his entourage, the search became even more urgent. As soon as the commotion started, someone immediately reported it to the county office.

"Miss Xin is back?" Magistrate Zhao dashed off as soon as he got the news.

The few people chasing after him noted that His Honor, noticeably thinner these days, was sprinting with surprising speed.

The carriage hadn't yet reached the county office when a group led by Magistrate Zhao hurried over.

He Qingxiao had already alighted and was walking beside the carriage.

Magistrate Zhao recognized him at once and, before getting close, cupped his hands in a respectful salute. "Lord He, you're back! Is Miss Xin alright?"

"She's fine, just needs some rest."

"That's good, that's good," Magistrate Zhao said, visibly relieved.

Had any harm come to them under his watch, losing his post would be the mildest of his concerns; his family might also be implicated. Moreover, Miss Xin had risked herself to save others, so regardless of other considerations, he had fervently hoped for their safe return.

The carriage drove directly into the county office, and the crowd that trailed behind clustered at the gate, buzzing with excitement.

Magistrate Zhao himself saw Xin You alight from the carriage and bowed deeply to her.

"You flatter me," Xin You said, clasping her hands in return.

"Miss Xin deserves it. Had it not been for your timely warning, over two hundred villagers from Shanghe and Xiahe would have perished in the flood, and even we officials might have lost our lives."

Once seated in the main hall, He Qingxiao asked, "What's the news since we've been gone?"

Magistrate Zhao began, "After your disappearance, your entourage and the county staff have been scouring the area for you. Many locals, inspired by Miss Xin's heroism, banded together to aid in the search."

He paused before adding, "Just two days ago, a delegation from the capital arrived, headed by Prince Xiu."

"Prince Xiu?" He Qingxiao couldn't help but glance at Xin You.

"The urgent dispatch about your mishap reached the capital, and His Majesty was deeply concerned. Prince Xiu volunteered to come south."

"Where is Prince Xiu now?"

"Prince Xiu set out at dawn with a search party. There's also a female general leading the team, said to be the daughter of General Bai."

After learning a lot of information from Magistrate Zhao, about an hour later, Huang Cheng, Qian Feng, and others were the first to receive the news and hurried back.

"I have failed in my duty, please punish me, sir!" As soon as Huang Cheng saw He Qingxiao, he knelt down.

The Sixth Boss and Xiao Ba were about to kneel when they saw Qian Feng and Ping An, who had knelt first, holding daggers and pleading with Xin You to let them die.

The Sixth Boss and Xiao Ba dropped to their knees with a thud, originally seeking punishment for their failure to protect, but now they were frightened.

The two exchanged a furtive glance.

"What should we do?" Xiao Ba asked with his eyes.

The Sixth Boss looked grave.

They couldn’t perform much worse than Qian Feng, but he really couldn’t bring himself to beg for death. What if the Young Master agreed?

"Young Master, you’ve finally returned! I thought I’d never see you again! I was so heartbroken, I couldn’t sleep for days!"

The Sixth Boss lunged to grab Xin You’s leg in a show of loyalty, but He Qingxiao kicked him away before he could even touch her pants.