Without delay, Pei Xia instructed Ye Yun to guard the house well, and then immediately escorted the half - dead thief to the yamen.
Qi Jiao rushed out in a hurry and handed him a small pouch. "There's dried pork jerky inside. This trip will surely take quite a while. You should at least fill your stomach a bit."
Pei Xia took it and carefully tucked it into his bosom. The smile on his lips gradually widened.
"Hey, wait! The silver!"
Qi Jiao almost forgot about this. In order to stall for time and deceive the thief just now, she had given away ten taels of silver.
Hearing this, Ye Yun immediately rummaged through the thief's body, found the silver ingot, and handed it to Qi Jiao.
Pei Xia locked the last thief into the prison cell. The commotion was quite noticeable, and even County Lieutenant Zhou rushed over.
County Magistrate Hui wasn't asleep either. He was writing a memorial overnight to report the result of the thief - catching operation.
Hearing that Pei Xia had subdued the escaped thief at his home in Pomegranate Alley, Magistrate Hui relaxed his brow. He put down his pen and personally met Pei Xia.
Pei Xia naturally reported the specific process to Magistrate Hui.
Magistrate Hui sighed with emotion. "It was really hard for Jiao Niang to hold off the thief alone for so long. Fortunately, you rushed back in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
County Lieutenant Zhou beside him also nodded in agreement.
Noticing Pei Xia's valiant appearance, he remembered what his subordinate Fang Qian had said about Pei Xia taking the lead in capturing a large number of thieves.
County Lieutenant Zhou knew that Pei Xia was Jiao Niang's husband. His wife had praised Jiao Niang highly. Presumably, this couple was quite extraordinary.
Thus, County Lieutenant Zhou developed a fondness for this talented man. He said with a smile, "Brother Pei has great skills. Why not come and serve in our County Lieutenant's Office?"
Pei Xia didn't care much about other things, but when he heard that County Lieutenant Zhou could transfer him to the office and even make him a constable, he was tempted.
Pei Xia was a man of his word. He immediately bowed to County Lieutenant Zhou. "Thank you, sir, for not looking down on me. If I can join the County Lieutenant's Office, I will surely do my duty whole - heartedly and fear no danger."
County Lieutenant Zhou beamed and kept saying "good".
Magistrate Hui joked, "I was just thinking of recruiting Brother Pei to work by my side. I didn't expect you to act faster than me. I'm really not happy about it..."
County Lieutenant Zhou laughed heartily. "Sir, don't be angry. Letting Brother Pei join our office will also contribute to the county's public security. It's a good thing for you too."
"Of course. Since Brother Zhou has promised him a position, I, a mundane person, will just reward him with silver."
Magistrate Hui nodded with a smile and waved his hand, asking his attendant to fetch two trays of silver ingots. He said to Pei Xia, "Catching thieves is not an easy task. This is the reward from the county government on my behalf. Another tray is for Jiao Niang, your second brother - in - law, and his wife. They all did a great job tonight. Take it back."
Pei Xia received the reward, solemnly thanked Magistrate Hui and County Lieutenant Zhou, then lifted his robe and left the yamen.
Outside, a brother from Yuhua Stockade was waiting for him.
Pei Xia walked over and handed his share of the reward silver to him. "This is the reward from Magistrate Hui. Take it back and distribute it among the brothers."
Fang Qian would surely be commended by County Lieutenant Zhou. After this incident, Fang Qian would probably be promoted, and his reward would not be small.
Pei Xia had a cold exterior but was extremely loyal.
He knew that it was impossible to catch the thieves by himself alone. As the old saying goes, many hands make light work. He was lucky to take the lead and get the reward, but he couldn't forget the brothers who fought side by side with him.
When had that little soldier ever received so much silver?
Seeing Pei Xia's generosity, his eyes immediately turned red. Even if the silver was divided equally, he could get three or five taels. He could take it back to his mother, and the whole family could have a prosperous New Year.
He held the silver and thanked Pei Xia repeatedly. "I'll distribute it to them when I get back. But this is the reward from Magistrate Hui for you, Brother Pei..."
Pei Xia said it was okay. He patted the little soldier on the shoulder. "Alright, I won't go back to Yuhua Stockade tonight. You can go by yourself."
When Pei Xia returned to the small courtyard in Pomegranate Alley, the light in the bedroom was still on.
He washed off the blood on his body, changed into a clean robe, and entered the room. He saw Jiao Niang lying asleep on the bedside, looking as quiet as a baby.
A gentle feeling welled up in Pei Xia's heart. He stroked Jiao Niang's hair and pulled the quilt over her exposed forearm.
The fruit - wood charcoal in the brazier crackled, filling the room with a warm and cozy atmosphere and keeping out the cold outside.
Pei Xia whispered in her ear, "Jiao Niang, from now on, I can always be with you. I'll never leave again..."
- - -
After Pei Xia was transferred to the County Lieutenant's Office, although he was burdened with the trivial matters of the county's public security and had no time to spare, at least he could go home every day to be with Jiao Niang.
The two of them got along more and more sweetly, making others envious.
Since Mrs. Pan, the young mistress of the Zhou family, had caused a ruckus at Zhuoxiang Pavilion last time, Mrs. Zhou knew her daughter - in - law was wrong and felt guilty towards Jiao Niang. However, as an elder and an official's wife, although she had taken good care of Jiao Niang's business later, she couldn't bring herself to visit and apologize.
Now the situation had changed. Jiao Niang's husband had become a capable subordinate of her husband, with a bright future. Mrs. Zhou finally seized the opportunity and was determined to have a good relationship with Jiao Niang.
It was a fine day.
The plum blossoms in the Zhou Mansion were in full bloom. Each flower was a charming shade of crimson and exuded a sweet fragrance.
Mrs. Zhou sent invitation cards to all the respectable ladies in the county and also specially sent one to Jiao Niang, inviting her to the mansion to enjoy the flowers.
Qi Jiao wasn't surprised when she received the invitation.
She happily dressed up and was then taken to the Zhou Mansion by Pei Xia.
Actually, Jiao Niang didn't dislike socializing. A flower - viewing banquet like this, which the noble ladies were so fond of, was ostensibly for enjoying the flowers, but in fact, there were so many things that could be done.
For example, networking, exchanging benefits, forming alliances (through marriage), and so on.
In the inner courtyard, women could do no less than men.
Now that Mrs. Zhou had extended an olive branch, Qi Jiao naturally had to accept it, for Pei Xia's sake as well as her own.
Pei Xia helped Qi Jiao get off the carriage, then tidied her hair. He said with a smile, "Go ahead. I'll wait for you at home."
Qi Jiao murmured an assent. She let go of Pei Xia's warm and dry hand, lifted her skirt, and stepped into the main gate of the Zhou Mansion.
There weren't many servants in the Zhou family. Mrs. Zhou led her trusted maids and personally welcomed guests at the door.
Qi Jiao stepped forward and curtsied. Mrs. Zhou quickly and warmly helped her up.
Her eyes were filled with admiration. "You're already so beautiful. Standing in front of me now, you make my old face look even more unappealing."
Qi Jiao quickly said, "Madam, you're flattering me. You have such a noble and elegant demeanor. I should be the one feeling ashamed."
This compliment hit the mark. Mrs. Zhou liked it most when others praised her for her good charm.
After all, as one got older, who wasn't a beauty in their youth?
She mostly appreciated and liked outstanding young people and showed no sign of jealousy.
After greeting Mrs. Zhou, Qi Jiao was led to the plum grove in the back courtyard by the second young mistress of the Zhou family.
The plum grove was outside the greenhouse, and many people had already arrived.
The female guests were in small groups, either sitting or standing, enjoying the flowers or sipping tea. With their fragrant clothes and beautiful eyes, it was like a vivid picture of the "Ninety - Nine Cold - Dispelling Chart".
Qi Jiao was momentarily dazzled and didn't know whether to admire the beautiful women or the plum blossoms.
Suddenly, she heard a coquettish laugh behind her. She turned around and saw it was Fang Yunxin.
"I saw you as soon as you entered the decorated archway. You were looking around so much that I had to come and find you myself."
Qi Jiao quickly apologized with a smile. "Sister Yunxin is here. Forgive me for being so distracted by the beauty in the garden that I didn't even notice such a beautiful sister standing behind me. Please forgive me..."
Fang Yunxin snorted with a laugh. "I'll punish you to go to the greenhouse and warm some wine for me. I haven't seen you for ages. I wonder what you've been up to."
Qi Jiao walked into the greenhouse hand in hand with her, chatting about the recent interesting things. She also asked how Shuangjiang was and why she didn't come today.
Fang Yunxin took a sip of tea and said, "It's cold outside. She's still young. I'm afraid she'll catch a cold if I take her out. The wet - nurse is taking good care of her at home, so I'm at ease. I've been cooped up in the mansion for too long. I finally got a chance to breathe some fresh air. I'm not going to take her. You don't know. Shuangjiang is quite naughty at such a young age."
Although she said so, the corners of her eyes and brows showed the happiness of a new mother, gentle, magnificent, and bright, which made Qi Jiao can't help feeling envious.