Chapter 1390: Gift Giving

Chapter 1390: Chapter 1390: Gift Giving

Steward Su hurriedly said, "It was my shortsightedness, my lord, please forgive me. I’ll add those things into the account books right away."

With that, he immediately took out three sheets of paper and began to write, transferring everything recorded on the papers into the government office’s account books.

Seeing this, Magistrate Xi was finally satisfied, and added, "Before the war in the Northwest settles, we all need to behave ourselves and not harbor any crooked ideas."

Tong’an Prefecture has a copper mine. They’ve been eating off it for years and long since made a fortune; they’re not short of these small sums. Playing it safe is the best policy.

"Yes, I understand," Steward Su replied.

Magistrate Xi sighed again. "Fortunately we’ve always been on guard against Jia Mingfeng. Otherwise, this time he would definitely have exposed us and dragged us down with him."

Steward Su kept nodding as he listened, then asked, "My lord, do you want me to sound out Gu Jin’an?"

Magistrate Xi fell silent, then shook his head after a moment. "No need. Last night this office hosted them at a banquet. That Gu Jin’an handled everything without a single leak, pretending he didn’t even know Ming Shaoqing."

"And he’s not into women at all. He’s twenty already, yet he didn’t so much as spare Qing’er a proper glance. When Qing’er clung to him too tightly, he simply pushed her into Young Master Dou’s arms, letting that Dou fellow profit for nothing."

That Dou fellow was overjoyed and slept with Qing’er last night.

But right after sleeping with her, Dou Family’s Shadow Guards forced Qing’er to drink anti-fertility soup, and made her drink another dose this morning. It was clearly a sign they wouldn’t be taking her away.

Qing’er had been delicately raised by the Xi Family for ten years, kept a virgin all this time, all to send her as a concubine to someone useful who could help the Xi Family. Now that plan had fallen through.

Just thinking about it made Magistrate Xi’s heart ache; he’d wasted a chess piece for nothing.

Steward Su was somewhat surprised. Gu Jin’an didn’t even fancy Qing’er?

He’d seen Qing’er before; her looks were one in a hundred, truly mouth‑watering. Gu Jin’an’s standards were far too high.

"Maybe he doesn’t like girls as delicate as Qing’er. Why not send Kou’er? That girl looks bright and dazzling," Steward Su suggested.

Magistrate Xi shook his head. "Forget it, don’t stir things up for now. Ming Shaoqing is a living King Yan. If he learns we keep shoving young men he’s set his eyes on into the hands of the Sai people, he’ll definitely guess we want to use Gu Jin’an to probe for news of him. Once he gets angry, we’re finished."

"So we just let him go like this? Isn’t that too cheap for him?" Steward Su said regretfully.

"What else can we do?" Magistrate Xi was vexed as well, but thinking of the Jia family affair, he’d technically earned merit, so he set aside his dissatisfaction and continued to busy himself with the Jia family’s case.

The Jia family matter grew more and more entangled. After Assistant Judge Jia was arrested, many people came to the government office to file complaints against him, keeping Magistrate Xi so busy his head was spinning.

But these cases had nothing to do with the Gu Family. Gu Jin’an and his group only stayed three days before setting out back to He’an Prefecture.

And during those three days, Gu Jin’an and Young Master Dou didn’t waste time. They had the storytellers spread the tale of Brother Cheng taking Hu Dawen up to the public court and, in one stroke, toppling Assistant Judge Jia, Manager Feng, and the others.

The people of Tong’an Prefecture listened with great relish. Nowadays, everyone was saying that the Gu Family’s second son was Judge incarnate, able to punish evil and promote good at such a young age. Brother Cheng’s reputation had grown powerful, and he’d become someone people didn’t dare casually bully upon hearing his name.

And because Brother Cheng looked good, he was especially liked by the aunties, older ladies, and grannies.

Some women wanted their own sons and grandsons to be as clever as Brother Cheng, so when Brother Cheng and the others left the government office to go home, they hurried over with their children in tow, wanting Brother Cheng to touch their children’s heads for a bit of good luck.

"Eh ya, the little immortal has come out!"

"Little immortal, come touch my grandson’s head!"

"Touch my son too!" The women cried out joyfully.

Brother Cheng heard this and turned to look at those women, seeing them all holding children of a few years or just a few months old, staring at him like hungry wolves. The corner of his mouth twitched.

Why are the aunties here in Tong’an Prefecture just like those in He’an Prefecture? The moment it comes to head‑patting, they get so excited. But my head is off limits!

Seeing Brother Cheng look their way, the women shrieked in excitement. "Aiyo, aiyo, the little immortal looked over at my family’s side. My family’s got the blessing, my family’s got the blessing!"

The other women couldn’t accept that and shouted toward Brother Cheng, "Little immortal, look this way, look at my family’s side, quick, look this way!"

Hearing this, Magistrate Xi’s face turned green. What are you yelling for? If Gu Jincheng were really an immortal, would his family have suffered so miserably before?

He had no idea who had spread such rumors. Now a lot of women treated Gu Jincheng as an immortal, which he found truly ignorant.

Magistrate Xi shot Squad Leader Shi a look, and Squad Leader Shi immediately led his men to drive those women away.

"The front gate of the government office is a critical place. Idle people, clear out at once. If you keep shouting, we’ll throw you into prison!"

The women were very afraid of the words "prison," and with the Government Officials driving them off, they had no choice but to leave reluctantly.

Seeing them go, Brother Cheng even waved at them, which excited the older ladies so much. "Eh ya, the little immortal waved at us. He’s sending us blessings. The little immortal is so good!"

Magistrate Xi’s brows were about to knot together. He glared at Squad Leader Shi. How was he doing his job, taking so long to drive away a bunch of women?

Squad Leader Shi still hoped to get his own son into the government office as staff, so he didn’t dare slack off. He hastily shouted at the women, "What are you yelling for? Do you really want to go to prison? Get lost, now!"

He then led the Government Officials, shooing the women away like chickens.

Young Master Dou laughed. Not bad, not bad. The storytellers really knew their work. By the time they got back to He’an Prefecture, Gu Jincheng’s fame would surely have spread through all the counties, so in future when Gu Jin’an traveled far, they could be a bit more at ease.

"Lord Xi, this case has troubled you. Please accept this subordinate’s bow," Judge Tang said, bowing to Magistrate Xi.

County Magistrate Fang, the Gu Jin’an brothers, and Young Master Dou all returned the salute.

Magistrate Xi smiled in satisfaction. "You’ve come across prefectural borders, it’s been hard on you. I’ve had people prepare some things for you to take along for the road."

Unable to buy Gu Jin’an with beauty and fearing Ming Shaoqing’s ruthlessness, not daring to overstep, Magistrate Xi had instead prepared some gifts for Judge Tang to take back, hoping to forge good relations.

Judge Tang smiled. "Then I’ll thank you in advance, Lord Xi."

But when the Xi Family’s housekeeper arrived with nine horse‑drawn carts, Judge Tang was stunned. "My lord, isn’t this a bit much?"

This was too generous. Nine carts of gifts—how was he supposed to accept that?

Magistrate Xi said, "It’s not too much. One cart for each: you, Magistrate Gu, Su Vice Magistrate, General Guo, Master Ouyang, County Magistrate Zheng, County Magistrate Fang, Young Master Dou, and Scholar Gu’s family—one family, one cart."

He added, "My Xi Family has some foundation, and these aren’t precious items, just local specialties of Tong’an Prefecture. The New Year is almost here; treat them as New Year’s gifts from me to your households. Take them with an easy mind."