Noble Lady

Inside the yamen, in the study.

Situ Zhen dismissed his attendants and asked Fang Rui to guard the door, so they could talk in peace.

"Huh..." Marquis Xue breathed a sigh of relief after escaping from the encirclement of the people. "Thanks to Yu'er's wit, he carried His Majesty out. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened."

Situ Zhen nodded and lowered his voice, "Miss Xue is very smart. She was still thinking about His Majesty in that situation. If His Majesty knew about this, he would definitely be very pleased."

She cleverly attributed the credit for suppressing the bandits to His Majesty to save face. Her reaction was really quick.

Otherwise, when the news gets back to the capital, there will definitely be voices of suspicion.

Marquis Xue was stunned when he heard this.

Thinking about it carefully, Yu'er's words not only helped him out of the predicament, but also saved face for His Majesty.

Yu'er mentioned before that Taizu was wary of military generals because of how he came to power, and the status of military generals declined year by year after the founding of the country.

The trend of emphasizing civil officials over military officials is prevalent in the court, and now there is an increasing momentum to completely suppress military generals. He must remember not to stand out and act with caution.

Although he couldn't understand why those who led the troops to fight were just a bunch of rough guys with little knowledge, what was there that made them hate and fear them so much?

But what Yu'er and his wife said is always right to listen to.

"Yu'er, it's hard for you." Marquis Xue sighed sincerely.

Ever since he retired from the army and returned to Beijing, his wife has been worrying about him. She even wants to find a scholar to support her children's marriage.

If he, as a father, was not incompetent, could not read, and could not recite those sour poems, he would not have been so restricted.

"Don't worry, Father. You and the Crown Prince were both sent here by His Majesty. You are working for the court, and you should let the people here know that His Majesty and the court have contributed to this."

"If His Majesty hadn't sent you two, their banditry wouldn't have been so easy to quell, right?"

Marquis Xue thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case.

Your Majesty is indeed a rare wise ruler. The emphasis on culture was decided by the founding emperor of Dasheng. Although Your Majesty is somewhat afraid of military generals, at least he has not made any extreme moves.

The three of them looked at each other.

Marquis Xue also silently kept Xue Chenyu's words in mind. He would mention His Majesty more often when encountering problems in the future. It would definitely be the right thing to do.

"By the way, Dad, have you seen Xia He?" Xue Chenyu asked.

"Yes, yes, I forgot to tell you about this." Xue Hou suddenly remembered something very important.

"Xia He is currently in Qingmu Village, helping to relocate the women who were abducted by bandits. She should be back tomorrow."

Qingmuzhai?

Xue Chenyu was not surprised. She pondered for a moment and then said, "Father, can you tell me in detail?"

Marquis Xue and Situ Zhen exchanged glances.

"There's nothing I can't tell Miss Xue about this matter." Situ Zhen smiled, feeling helpless yet doting. "Miss Xue even asked her maid to deliver a letter to the head of Qingmu Village."

Marquis Xue was anxious, "Prince, didn't you say that this matter..." shouldn't be mentioned?

Xue Chenyu's smile faltered, "I don't understand what the prince means by saying this."

"Didn't Miss Xue write a personal letter and ask your maid Xia He to deliver it to the charity hall outside the city and give it to Miss Chu, who is in charge?" Situ Zhen asked back.

Xue Chenyu said righteously, "It's me. I heard about Miss Chu's righteous deeds from the people who fled the famine. I'm also worried that in these times, she alone will find it difficult to support the lives of so many women and children in the orphanage."

"I wrote a letter and asked Xia He to deliver it. I also expressed my willingness to provide financial assistance. I wonder which law of Dasheng this action violates?"

She held her head high and chest out, not at all panicked.

Because she was writing the letter to Miss Chu from the orphanage, and it had nothing to do with Qingmu Village, so it didn't matter who asked.

Situ Zhen looked at her for a moment, and all he saw in her eyes was awe-inspiring righteousness and a resolute expression, without a trace of guilt.

"It was I who wronged Miss Xue." Situ Zhen had a half-smile on his face.

Xue Chenyu said frankly: "I accept the prince's apology."

"...Prince, didn't we agree not to mention this matter before?" Marquis Xue was caught in the middle and felt a little awkward.

One is a daughter.

A man who is both a student and a prince, and also his immediate superior on this trip.

Situ Zhen's expression changed, and he immediately smiled brightly, "I was just testing the waters. I thought Miss Xue really had connections with the gangsters. If she didn't, that would be the best."

Xue Chenyu stood up and bowed, thanking him: "Thank you, my daughter, for proving my innocence."

Situ Zhen pressed his hand, but seeing that her expression remained indifferent, he felt an indescribable displeasure in his heart.

Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, Xue Hou quickly told Xue Chenyu everything about how Xia He went to the orphanage to deliver a letter, but accidentally followed her up the mountain.

Xia He originally left the city with Xue Chenyu's letter, but when she arrived at the orphanage, she did not see Miss Chu.

The old lady who helps out there said that Miss Chu had gone out to buy food and would not be back for several days at the earliest.

Xia He originally wanted to leave, but was moved by the pitiful situation of the women and children who were taken in there.

The orphanage took in the weak old, young, women and children, and there was not much food left, but they also had to guard against others coming to rob them, especially the bandits in the nearby area.

There were a few of them who had some martial arts skills. Their families used to be either bodyguards or street performers, and they all came from poor backgrounds.

However, it was a bit difficult for them to protect so many people and food at the same time, so Xia He decided to help them build defense first.

Unexpectedly, Miss Chu came back in a hurry in the afternoon without bringing any food. Instead, she called a secret meeting with several managers and women who knew how to fight in the orphanage.

The main reason was that Miss Chu looked like she was in a hurry, with something on her mind, and the color of her face and hands were seriously inconsistent, which made Xia He suspicious.

Xia He secretly listened to their conversation and found out that they were actually bandits from a local village called Qingmu Village.

Especially that Miss Chu said that she was actually the leader of Qingmu Village.

She heard that the people from the Black Tiger Village were going down the mountain to rob food, so she wanted to take the opportunity to take them to the Black Tiger Village in the middle of the night to rescue them.

Xia He knew that her presence would make them suspicious and fearful, so after giving the letter to Miss Chu, she left. Then she hid nearby, waiting for them to make a move, and then secretly followed them.

The bandits from the Black Tiger Camp and the Black Bear Camp went down the mountain before dark.

Along the way, Miss Chu took them to hide in a bush, watched the people from the Black Tiger Camp and the Black Bear Camp go down the mountain, and then quickly rushed up the mountain.

Unexpectedly, just as they entered the Black Tiger Village and reached the room where the women were imprisoned, another group of people sneaked into the village.

Fortunately, Xia He recognized Situ Zhen, and Situ Zhen also recognized Xia He, otherwise the group of people led by Miss Chu might have been mistaken for bandits and accidentally injured.

Of course, it was also thanks to Miss Chu and the others leading the way that the attack on the Black Tiger Village was much easier.

Marquis Xue took a sip of water and continued, "Most of the women in the mountain stronghold are decent families who were abducted to the mountains. Those who were abducted later are still okay, but those who were abducted a few years ago already have children."

"From what they said, even if the village was gone, they wouldn't want to go home."

Marquis Xue felt a little emotional when he spoke of this.

Xue Chenyu couldn't help but admire, "That Miss Chu is truly chivalrous and kind-hearted. If she hadn't set up that charity, those women would have been so depressed that they would have committed suicide."

Only women can understand the situation of women.

The world has always placed many restrictions on women, requiring them to remain chaste. If they are kidnapped by bandits and lose their chastity, they don’t know how their families will look at them when they return home. What they fear even more is the strange looks from the world.

The leader of Qingmu Village probably set up the orphanage out of this kind of empathy.

"Miss Xue, are you speaking for the bandit leader of Qingmu Village?" Situ Zhen asked.

Xue Chenyu paused and said unhappily, "If living in a mountain stronghold makes one a bandit leader, then what does her behavior count for? Is it the government's dereliction of duty?"

"She took care of the poor people whom the government failed to care for. Even if she were to speak to the emperor, she should be called a chivalrous woman, not just a bandit."

Situ Zhen was criticized, but he was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled with satisfaction.

Marquis Xue: I don’t understand. The prince seems to be acting strangely in front of my Yu’er.

Xue Chenyu rolled her eyes without any hesitation. Speaking is an art. Prince Cheng was reminding her that people would prejudge Miss Chu as a gangster, not a good person.

However, hasn't he already discussed this matter with his father? Not mentioning it anymore, so maybe he won't even tell His Majesty.

But it’s better to be safe than sorry, what if someone in a higher position asks about it?

After Situ Zhen made such a fuss, Xue Chenyu finally understood what was going on.

As for the planning, implementation and arrangements of the bandit suppression, Xue Chenyu did not ask any further questions.

Those were matters of the imperial court, not something that an ordinary citizen like her, without any official title or title, should be concerned about.