It was almost evening when they came out of the back hall of the Ting County Yamen.
The setting sun hung obliquely on the horizon, trailing a gorgeous red - tinged afterglow.
County Magistrate Huang escorted Palace Steward Wang and Li Wanming out of the gate. Bowing his head and clasping his hands, he said, "I was so muddle - headed today. It's really troublesome for Your Excellency to make this special trip. I deserve death..."
Palace Steward Wang raised her hand to stop him and said gently, "Your Excellency Huang, no need to say more. Although someone had bad intentions in this matter, in the end, it was just a misunderstanding. It has nothing to do with you... I will report the truth to the princess."
Hearing this, County Magistrate Huang finally let out a sigh of relief.
This was what he was most worried about.
If Palace Steward Wang went back and told the princess that he had made a wrong judgment in the case and was suspected of bending the law for personal gain, his official career would be over.
He wasn't very afraid of Li Rusong, a military general, but he was extremely afraid of the real imperial relatives!
A look of joy appeared on County Magistrate Huang's face. He bowed deeply and said, "In that case, thank you very much, Your Excellency Palace Steward!"
Palace Steward Wang took Li Wanming's hand and led her to the carriage parked outside the gate. Sun Miaoqing's family was in Ting County. They didn't need to worry about her. County Magistrate Huang would surely send her home.
"Miss Cheng, please get in the carriage."
Li Wanming turned her head and asked, "Palace Steward, aren't you coming in?"
Palace Steward Wang smiled and said, "The air in the suburbs is fresh, and it's cool today. I'll sit in the front of the carriage."
Li Wanming found it strange but didn't say anything.
She lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw a familiar jade - like face smiling at her.
"You're here?"
Li Wanming said in surprise, "Why didn't you go in?"
Xiao Jingnan looked at her with a smile and said, "Aunt... the princess said that since we came to the county yamen this time, we must punish Sun Miaoqing. As a man, it would seem petty of me to go and pick on a woman. Palace Steward Wang could handle it, so she told me to wait in the carriage."
Actually, Princess Chengping's exact words were: You, the heir of Prince Ning, going to a suburban county yamen to confront someone over a bracelet. Aren't you ashamed?
You may not care about your reputation, but I do.
You just stay in the carriage and don't show your face!
Xiao Jingnan scratched his chin and thought his aunt was right, so he agreed.
This matter was different from selling wine.
Selling wine involved common people, but this time, they had to face the local magistrate directly.
They were also like colleagues, and it was hard to say whether they would meet in the future.
This incident was also different from the one in the Capital Prefecture.
In the Capital Prefecture incident, he was the victim and was forced to get involved. Punishing Wei Chengbiao and rectifying the capital's chamber of commerce was not his intention...
His current status was delicate. In official matters, it was better not to show up if possible.
It was good for him, for Wanming, and for the Li family.
Li Wanming didn't think so much. She said with a smile, "The princess has really thought things through."
One should be circumspect when taking favors. She had completely changed her view of Princess Chengping.
Then, Li Wanming remembered what Palace Steward Wang had said in the county yamen. She quickly raised her wrist and asked,
"Is this bracelet really that expensive? Was it really rewarded to your ancestors by the head of the Cheng family? Did someone in your family really work as a gatekeeper in the Langya Cheng Clan?"
The green jade bracelet on her slender wrist made her fair arm look even more snowy.
Xiao Jingnan's eyes were filled with a smile and he said, "Ordinary people only know to look at the luster and transparency of jade when they see it... But actually, for really good jade, one also has to consider whether the texture is thick and the color is rich. The Xuanshan jade is like this."
"Xuan means black. Xuanshan jade refers to jade with a color that tends to be dark green."
"This jade bracelet of yours is an old item from the time of Emperor Taizong. It has been almost two hundred years since then, so it's even more extraordinary..."
"My goodness!"
Li Wanming let out a scream and tried to take off the bracelet. "It's really that expensive? I dare not wear it..."
She was always jumping around and busy all day. What if she accidentally broke it?
Seeing her anxious look, Xiao Jingnan found it funny. He quickly stopped her and said, "Since it's given to you, it's yours. No matter how precious it is, it's just an item. It would be a pity if you just left it there and never wore it."
"What if I break it..."
"If it's broken, it means it's blocking a disaster for you. It can be said that this jade has really served its purpose."
"But this is your family's heirloom..."
"Things are inanimate, while people are alive."
Xiao Jingnan's peach - blossom eyes rippled with tenderness. "No matter how precious an item is, it's not as important as a person."
Li Wanming thought for a while and agreed. She said, "I won't wear it when I'm working on ordinary days. I'll only take it out for important occasions to show off."
She looked at the green jade on her wrist and liked it more and more. A proud smile curled up on her lips.
Sure enough, ever since she knew how extremely expensive it was, the more she looked at it, the better it seemed!
She would need to take good care of her wrist from now on. After all, there was a fortune on it.
"Is the thing about the gatekeeper also true?"
Li Wanming remembered again.
This time, Xiao Jingnan lowered his eyes and didn't answer.
He pondered for a while and suddenly asked an irrelevant question, "If it wasn't a gatekeeper but a relative... would you find it strange?"
"Your family is related to the Langya Cheng Clan?" Li Wanming exclaimed.
Xiao Jingnan scratched his nose and said, "Maybe... there's a bit of distant kinship..."
"Impossible... With the Langya Cheng Clan as relatives, how could your family be in such a sorry state?"
Li Wanming couldn't believe it.
Xiao Jingnan was at a loss for words. He thought to himself: Isn't it all for you?
But before he could speak, he saw Li Wanming's eyes light up. She clenched her fists and said, "I know! It must be that the Langya Cheng Clan thinks your family is poor and doesn't want to recognize you!"
...
"How could they do this? Even the emperor has three poor relatives. How could they be so snobbish?"
Xiao Jingnan said, "This..."
Li Wanming exclaimed again, "No, that's not right! Didn't your father become a hero for assassinating the king of Anluo? Why doesn't the Langya Cheng Clan recognize you?"
"Oh, that..."
Li Wanming said, "I know!"
Xiao Jingnan said, "Ah? What do you know again..."
A small flame burned in Li Wanming's eyes. "Your father injured his leg and couldn't pursue an official career. His assassination of the king of Anluo was a secret, and the local magistrate didn't know about it. The Langya Cheng Clan must have thought your father was useless and wanted to get rid of you!"
"Maybe they knew something and were afraid of the revenge from the Ghost - crying Road, so they were eager to sever ties with you..."
"Yes! That must be it!"
Looking at Li Wanming's indignant look, Xiao Jingnan stared at her for a long time and then said, "It's a pity that you don't go to be a storyteller with your imagination."
...
When they reached the city gate, the sky was filled with rosy clouds.
But the city gate today was different from usual.
It was still crowded with people coming and going, but beneath the hustle and bustle, there was an air of solemnity and grandeur.
Li Wanming lifted the curtain and saw that there were many more soldiers guarding the city gate. There were also wood and paint buckets beside. A group of soldiers were directing the laborers to repair the city gate.
"What's going on?" Li Wanming was a bit confused. "It wasn't like this this morning."
Palace Steward Wang, who was sitting in the front of the carriage, had already got off. Li Wanming saw her walk over, wave her hand, and seem to show something like a token. The attitude of the city - guarding officer became respectful.
After a while, Palace Steward Wang came back and said, "General Feng's convoy has arrived in Dingzhou. At the latest, they will reach the capital early the day after tomorrow."
Xiao Jingnan's eyes flickered slightly. After a while, a smile slowly spread on his lips. "General Feng is coming back."
He dragged out the last word very long, as if full of endless melancholy, but there was an indescribable sense of relief in his tone.
It was as if a wandering overseas son had finally found his home.
Li Wanming gave him a strange look.
The return of the General Who Guards the State... So what if he was coming back? What did it matter to them?