Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

"My benefactor, call me Jin Gui! Don't call me Butler. Butler is an outsider's title."

Xue Jingui hurriedly said.

His status was a favor bestowed upon him by the master out of consideration for their past relationship. Yu Wanran was his and his servant's savior; how could he dare to act as a steward in front of his benefactor? The master would surely skin him alive!

Yu Wanran smiled and said, "Jin Gui, did your master pass the imperial examination this time?"

"Thanks to my benefactor for saving me!"

Xue Jingui said with a beaming smile, "My master has finally been blessed with good fortune this time, and has been granted the title of Jinshi, ranking second in the class!"

"Look, the imperial court appointed him as the magistrate of Deshan County. He just arrived in Deshan City to take up his post, and the handover procedures haven't been completed yet."

Yu Wanran was overjoyed. What a coincidence! The newly appointed magistrate of Deshan County was none other than Xue Heyu? A moment of kindness had brought him such a rich reward.

Life is truly full of surprises! A careless act in the past has laid the groundwork for today's good fortune. I think this will give me more confidence when doing business in Dezhou in the future.

She followed Xue Jingui inside, sighing, "Your master is a man of great learning and talent, but he was just unlucky! Now he has finally achieved his wish, and all those years of hard study have not been in vain!"

Becoming a county magistrate at around forty years old means there's still ten years to strive and realize one's ambitions.

Thinking of all the unbearable things that happened in the past, Xue Jingui's eyes reddened, and he secretly wiped his eyes.

"The sir's hardship has finally come to an end, all thanks to the help of our benefactor!"

Otherwise, they, master and servant, would have frozen to death on the streets long ago. Where would they have gotten the money for medical treatment, proper food and drink, and to recover enough to take the exam?

Xue Jingui was genuinely grateful to Yu Wanran. He believed the master felt the same way!

Yanqing followed behind, completely bewildered.

He looked at his master, utterly bewildered, as the young man, supposedly Steward Xue, chatted and laughed intimately with him. When had they become honored guests of the government office?

Xue Jingui led Yu Wanran and her servant directly into the third hall. He personally served Yu Wanran a cup of fragrant tea, asked her to wait there, and then ran off to find the master.

Xue Heyu was in the second hall, handling the handover with the former Magistrate Hao. He had to review numerous official documents and pending cases, and also check the warehouse ledgers. He was extremely busy.

But when Xue Jingui came in, he whispered something in Xue Heyu's ear. Xue Heyu immediately forgot all about it and bowed to Magistrate Hao beside him.

"Lord Hao, I have urgent personal matters to attend to. Let's continue these official duties this afternoon!"

Having said that, without waiting for Magistrate Hao to say anything, he hurriedly left with Xue Jingui.

Magistrate Hao, left behind, was filled with curiosity.

He was so focused on the handover process, working tirelessly day and night. What personal matter could have made this newly arrived, serious magistrate immediately abandon his colleagues and neglect his duties?

Magistrate Hao immediately stood up, summoned his attendants, and ordered them to inquire.

Xue Heyu didn't care what he thought, and led Xue Jingui to the third hall. When they saw Yu Wanran sitting in the hall drinking tea, they were overjoyed. They immediately stepped forward and clasped their hands in a fist salute.

"My benefactor! I've finally found you!"

Yu Wanran quickly stood up and supported Xue Heyu's elbow to prevent him from bowing. Instead, after Xue Heyu regained his balance, she herself bowed and curtsied.

"Lord Xue, you are now a respected official in charge of this region! My surname is Yu, so please address me as 'Mr. Yu'."

Great kindness can turn into great enmity; people's hearts cannot remain unchanged forever. It would be better to clearly define the Han-Yang boundary from the beginning.

Xue Heyu is not stupid.

Having grown up in a large family and experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships for over a decade, he has finally embarked on his official career. No one knows better than him. He just lacks a bit of luck.

Upon hearing this, he reached out and helped Yu Wanran up, preventing her from bowing down as well. He said sincerely, "Miss Yu, I owe my official robes entirely to your kindness! I will never forget this great favor. Just remember me as the desperate Xue Heyu I was back then!"

Yu Wanran felt slightly embarrassed.

She had ulterior motives in helping Xue and Yu back then.

If it weren't for recognizing Xue Heyu's talent and her inherent business acumen, she probably wouldn't have meddled in his affairs.

Of course, this cannot be said outright; let Xue and Yu maintain their positive impression of her!

So she smiled.

"Lord Xue, a pearl will never be tarnished; your talent will eventually shine in the officialdom. Now that you have passed the imperial examination and become an official, you will surely bring blessings to the people of Fude City!"

Xue Heyu felt very pleased to hear this.

Since passing the imperial examination and ranking second in the class, he was granted a substantive official position of the seventh rank by the imperial court, and countless people have come to flatter him.

His family sent people to contact him again, offering him money, land, and a house. His ex-wife, with whom he had divorced, sent someone to express her desire to reunite with him. Countless wealthy men extended olive branches, wanting to arrange marriages with him.

But none of them made him as happy as those two sentences Miss Yu said today!

He bowed deeply, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and smiled with utmost humility: "Miss Yu, you flatter me! I am fortunate to have passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom. I will certainly put my ambitions to use all my knowledge to advocate for the people!"

Xue Jingui brought in two cups of tea, offering one to his master and replacing the leftover tea in front of Yu Wanran. He then stood at the door, wary of any impetuous officials who might disturb their conversation.

As for Yanqing, before Xue and Yu entered, they very tactfully retreated outside the door.

After catching up, Xue Heyu looked at Yu Wanran curiously and asked, "Miss Yu, were you originally from Decheng?"

He didn't believe that Yu Wanran had come to the yamen specifically to see him.

He and Xue Jingui arrived in Dezhou with a small entourage and took up their posts in just a few days. Many people in the yamen (government office) hadn't even gotten to know him yet.

Yu Wanran then briefly explained the reason.

“I saw a notice posted by the government office recruiting brave warriors to assist the soldiers in suppressing bandits, so I volunteered to sign up and give it a try.”

"Oh, I see..."

Xue Heyu nodded habitually. Suddenly realizing something was wrong, he widened his eyes and stared at her incredulously.

"Sign up for the trial? Miss Yu, you mean you..."

Yu Wanran gave him an affirmative nod.

Xue and Yu were almost torn apart.

"You...Miss Yu, aren't you a businesswoman?"

Yu Wanran explained with a smile: "Precisely because I am a businesswoman, I am constantly traveling around and need to deal with very harsh environments and risks. So I have practiced martial arts since I was a child to protect myself."

"Suppressing bandits is a very dangerous job!"

Xue Heyu realized what was going on: "Miss Yu, is there something you want to buy near Qingling Mountain?"

Seeing Yu Wanran nod, Xue Heyu shook his head in disapproval.

“Miss Yu, the wise avoid danger before it even arises.”

"Business is important, but life is more important! If you really need to go to Qingling Mountain, you might as well wait for a while. It won't be too late to go after the government troops have wiped out the bandits."

He was confident that he could take down the bandit problem that his predecessor, Magistrate Hao, had failed to solve.

However, Yu Wanran knew perfectly well that these bandits had been rampant in Qingling Mountain for years. Regardless of whether there were traitors within the government deliberately condoning them, Xue Heyu, without any assistance during his tenure, would likely not be able to eradicate the banditry.

She shook her head.

"Lord Xue, the bandits have been entrenched in Qingling Mountain for what I've heard is as long as half a year. Magistrate Hao even sent troops to suppress them, but they returned defeated. You and I are both outsiders, so don't underestimate these local bullies!"