As they were leaving, Magistrate Qin said very considerately, "It's a newlywed occasion, we can come back tomorrow to collect the silver. Hehe, don't worry about the grain shop, Miss Qiu. We have some grain stored at home, which we can't use for the time being. I'll find a way to get the people to replant something so we can have enough before the famine strikes. Miss Qiu has many connections, so she can get some grain from other counties. Of course, that's a matter for the government. My priority is to report to the court and request grain allocation. Miss Qiu, please start procuring the grain in advance, just in case, haha, just in case." He then cupped his hands and said, "Miss Qiu is very kind."
Haha, so noble, of course I'm noble!
Qiu Su felt her heart aching all night from being praised by this word. She only breathed a sigh of relief and clutched her chest after seeing Magistrate Qin, Qin Qin who kept her head down, and Qin Wenkuang who was hesitant to speak and had a slight frown on his brow as they descended the mountain.
Pei Yuan had been smiling the whole time. Seeing Qiu Su drooping her head and clutching her chest as she moved back, he pulled her hand down and held it, smiling as he asked, "Feeling sorry for her?"
"How could I, the chieftain, feel distressed when I am so noble?"
"Hehe, you little show-off!"
The words were spoken so naturally and casually that perhaps even Pei Yuan himself didn't realize how much affection was in that "Little Zhuang," yet it warmed the heart of Qiu Su, who had been heartbroken. It was far more pleasant to hear than the repeated "Wife" before. Qiu Su looked down at his well-defined hands and smiled.
****************************************************
Qingfeng Theater:
Mountain Lord: On our wedding night, I can finally see my blue eyes!!
Qiu Su: On our wedding night, are we really going to take advantage of each other?
Qingfeng: Shrugs~~
Author's Note: Magistrate Qin went too far! He robbed someone at their wedding!
Thanks to Yiruo Qingfeng for throwing a landmine~~
12
12. Lu Sheng's confession...
Actually, it's not just women and petty people who are difficult to deal with in this world. There's another type of person who is scholars.
A scholar is a scholar because he has endured ten years of hard study. With such a spirit of dedication, he would not give up at the first sign of trouble. After the banquet ended, Ruan Hu left him to attend to other matters, and the scholar, with the same dedication he had shown in his youth, practiced diligently in the sweltering summer and freezing winter, and went straight to squat down by the roadside in front of the small building behind Qiu Su's mountain.
Lu Mingcheng was slightly nearsighted, and when he saw the two walking hand in hand, he didn't dare to recognize them easily, for fear of running into Ruan Hu again and being arrested. He squatted by the roadside and waited for the two to get closer before suddenly jumping out, ignoring Pei Yuan beside him, and bowing to Qiu Suyi, saying, "Miss Qiu, I'm back."
The mountain lord rushed forward first, but Lu Mingcheng was prepared and kicked one leg back in a defensive posture. Perhaps the mountain lord had watched him eat so well that it didn't bark once, and obediently lay down between the two of them, panting heavily.
Qiu Su gasped in fright, and only after seeing the person clearly by the moonlight did she breathe a sigh of relief and say, "Young Master Lu, you must have had a very arduous journey back from the imperial examination. Please rest early."
"Miss Qiu, do you still stand by your promise to wait for my return?"
Qiu Su felt slightly embarrassed and tried to shake off the groom's hand, who was standing to the side with a half-smile, but to no avail.
She said those words after she hugged his bare leg. You tell me, for a grown man to be driven to the brink of suicide by Qingfeng Village is truly an injustice. Qiu Su tried everything to persuade him, but the scholar wouldn't listen. Finally, she gritted her teeth and said, "Go take the exam first. Leave your reputation at Qingyuan Mountain for now. Don't worry, when you return with high honors, whether you marry, be married off, or imprisoned, I won't say a word."
Whether the scholar was planning to pass the imperial examination and wipe out Qingyuan Mountain's stronghold, or intended to return as an official to properly defend Qiu Su's banditry, he left the mountain with his silver. However, the last time he passed Qingyuan Mountain was at the end of winter. It's not close to the capital, and the spring examinations are only approaching. Has he not taken the exam? Or has he not taken it at all?
"Young Master Lu, did you not take the exam? Or are you not taking it?"
"I spent several days in the capital studying, and thinking that Miss Qiu's words made sense, I returned."
What did she say this time?
Seeing her puzzled expression, Lu Mingcheng cupped his hands again and explained, "Back then, you said, 'Why bother taking the exam to become an official? Only by passing the imperial examination can you become a lowly seventh-rank official. Who knows which princess might take a fancy to you and want to make you her husband?' You also said that you've heard some princesses have ferocious appearances. After thinking it over, I think it's better to go home and become a teacher, as you said. If I become a headmaster and gain fame, I can still achieve great things."
"What a fine ambition!" Pei Yuan nodded in admiration. "But are the princesses of today truly so hideous? My lady, in what way are they hideous?"
Qiu Su felt a pang of embarrassment and coughed lightly, saying, "Ziqing is joking, it's all a joke. But Young Master Lu, it's really a bit rash of you to give up like this."
Lu Mingcheng smiled, revealing a refined and handsome air about him. No wonder Zhou Tong had kidnapped him and taken him up the mountain.
"Didn't Miss Qiu say that we could discuss the matter of my innocence in detail if I returned? I wonder if Qingfeng Village is short of teachers, and what the monthly salary would be?"
Qiu Su was dumbfounded. Then Lu Mingcheng said, "If I become a bandit chieftain, can I still be a teacher? Miss Qiu, I think Qingyuan Mountain is excellent, and there are enough houses. It would be perfect to open an academy on the mountain. Isn't there only one academy down the mountain? Miss Qiu can merge that small academy into it, and then Qingfeng Academy will be completed."
Lu Mingcheng sighed with satisfaction, put his hands behind his back and looked around, "Only a scale like this deserves the title of headmaster."
This time, not only did Qiu Su's eyes pop out of their sockets, but Pei Yuan's lips also twitched violently.
Lu Mingcheng added another surprise, gently saying to Qiu Su, "Miss Qiu, how about I call you Xiao Qiu from now on?"
Qiu Su looked at Lu Mingcheng's smiling face, her lips twitched, and she chuckled twice, saying, "Young Master Lu is joking."
“It’s only polite to reciprocate, Xiao Qiu, just call me Lu Sheng. My nickname is Sheng.” Lu Mingcheng said, slightly embarrassed.
Terrestrial? Aquatic? Amphibious? Pei Yuan's lips twitched violently as he pulled Qiu Su into his arms and said, "Young Master Lu is a scholar; it wouldn't be proper for him to flirt with a married woman."
Lu Mingcheng lowered his head, somewhat saddened. "Xiao Qiu couldn't even wait a few months. She had promised me..."
Qiu Su coughed to interrupt Lu Mingcheng, and only after he looked up did she say sincerely, "Young Master Lu, it would be better if you went home to see your family. I'm sure your parents are eagerly waiting for your good news."
Qiu Su wanted to slap herself after saying those words. Good news? Because of her persuasion, the person had returned without even entering the exam hall. What good news was there? Judging from her cotton clothes, she was probably just from an ordinary family. It wasn't easy for her to travel such a long distance, and yet she had the audacity to decide not to take the exam.
"Xiao Qiu, does Qingfeng Village need a tutor?" Lu Mingcheng asked pitifully in a low voice. After asking, he enthusiastically planned, "Xiao Qiu, I think this idea is indeed excellent. Opening an academy will firstly make use of the open space on the mountain, secondly enhance the reputation of Qingfeng Village, and thirdly, Xiao Qiu is kind-hearted and can allow those children who cannot afford private schools to come up the mountain to study. It's a win-win situation. It's not easy to come up the mountain, no problem, Xiao Qiu can provide guesthouses, right? Oh, and then there will also need to be a kitchen..."
"Enough!" Qiu Su shouted, her head throbbing. Lu Mingcheng stopped. Perhaps Qiu Su's gentle and charming image had been completely shattered, for he even took a small step back.
Qiu Su coughed lightly, then lowered her voice and said, "Um, let me think about it."
Lu Mingcheng's face lit up with joy, but he dared not be too overjoyed. He cupped his hands, wanting to laugh but not daring to, and said, "Xiao Qiu said she would think about it, so she must have agreed. Then I will start preparing tomorrow. Don't worry, Xiao Qiu, I will definitely run Qingfeng Academy well."
Qiu Su's temples throbbed rapidly, and she silently chanted the "money-bringing spell" several times before calming herself down. Lu Mingcheng, being quite sensible, noticed Pei Yuan staring at him with one eyebrow raised, so he bowed respectfully and walked back with his hands behind his back.