Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Chongzhou, Shangyu County, and Canglan District were all adjacent to the Northern Borderline frontiers.

The Northern Borderline did not have much produce. The b*stards were horse bandits that broke into and looted houses of their silver, jewelry, or rice. If a rather young and pretty lady was caught, it was near impossible for her to escape. Qiguan Rang’s mother was raped by those men, and she got pregnant.

At that time, the Northern Borderline was deterred by the might of Dongqing. They were meek.

When Qiguan Rang’s mother was sent back, she was three months pregnant. She lost her chastity before marriage and got pregnant… The neighbors judged her, and her elderly parents blatantly refused to acknowledge her. Her only choice was to marry Qiguan Rang’s father. Thereafter, they settled down in Shangyu County.

That was how the last 20 years had gone… But that was how things were back then. There were few that acknowledged the existence of situations similar to Qiguan Rang’s.

The minority population in the Northern Borderline did not acknowledge their existence. The people in Dongqing were ashamed of them. Akin to a mouse entering a bellow, they were bullied on both ends.

Ever since three cities in Shangyu County fell into the hands of the Northern Borderline, the people living at the frontiers had an even harder life. All the houses shut their doors, the women did not dare show their faces, and there were countless bandits that came as they willed. They changed locations frequently, and it was hard to bring them to justice.

All men fended for themselves; the people were suffering bitterly.

However, such situations had changed for the better in recent years.

In the past, no one dared to come to Chongzhou as a government official, thus the bureaucracy divided like scattered sand. The officials were deaf to the pleas of the people.

Some years back, Hu County Chief Liu She was promoted to the head of Chongzhou. The people finally had a dependable person at the helm.

After Liu She assumed the role, he spent some time and effort pinning down the horse bandits.

Initially, he wanted to progress sequentially. However, after he sought Jiang Pengji’s counsel, he changed his stance.

“Dishonorable people have dishonorable nature. The Northern Borderline is so shameless, so why should we give them face?” Jiang Pengji replied to Liu She’s letter with menacing laughter. “It is unbelievable that these horse bandits are what they claim to be. Are average horse bandits able to acquire so many high-quality breeds of horses? Are average horse bandits able to accurately discern different geography and routes? Even wild horse bandits are often home-bred. If they did something wrong and were captured, we could blame it on the horse bandits. That sounds more politically correct than asserting that the troops of the Northern Borderline did it.”

In other words, killing the horse bandits was less of an offense than killing generals from the Northern Borderline. They did not have any face to stand up for the “horse bandits.”

Liu She seriously weighed his options, after which he decided to adopt Jiang Pengji’s views.

Kill! Kill each one you arrest. If two are arrested, kill both!

Once a horse bandit was caught, they were killed––regardless of their criminal offense.

The official statement was announced throughout all counties. Once the people saw any traces of horse bandits, they were to report it immediately. If the sighting was verified, they would be well rewarded.

It was a known fact that all things were more difficult in the beginning. When the order was first publicized, very little happened.

The “horse bandits” did not care about the order, and the people at the borderline did not dare to trust their officials. Thus, the effort to buckle down on the horse bandits did not make much progress.

Coincidentally, at that time, Qiguan Rang brought his new wife back to Shangyu County to pay his respects to his mother’s departed spirit.

He proposed his own ideas.

Qiguan Rang mentioned, “Chongzhou had nobody at the helm for some time. The hearts of the people are as divided as sand… They are even more doubtful of the officials. If we want to unite with them again, we must put in the effort. There are some old officials from the previous government whose trust can be won. If you visit them, we might make some progress.”

Find a way to gain the trust of the people? Liu She readily opened his heart and arranged for his underlings to begin their preparations.

If people saw others report the horse bandits and receive material benefits, then they would feel compelled to do the same.

After some preparation, there was an improvement, and the horse bandits’ lives became unbearable.

In regards to the horse bandits, Liu She’s method for dealing with them was consistent: Kill the man and keep the horses.

After catching a few groups of horse bandits, Liu She discovered that, except for a few wild horses, the majority of them were good colts that were well-trained.

He was confused as to how regular horse bandits had managed to acquire colts of such good quality.

Thus, the identity of the “horse bandits” was brought to light.

Liu She saw through their antics, but he did not give things away. He acted according to standard procedure.

Those deserving of death would be killed; others would be detained, their heads displayed in public. The officials from the Northern Borderline had faces as black as the bottom of a wok, but he turned a blind eye.

A year had passed since Liu She implemented the new policy, and the county near the Northern Borderline frontiers had changed dramatically.

They may not be rich or living comfortably, but it was much better than the days that they lived trembling in fear.

Qiguan Rang brought his wife to pay her respects to his mother who passed away, and he visited his teacher along the way. He learned from his teacher that the daughter of the Liu mansion was marrying into the royal family.

“The daughter of Liu mansion is marrying into the royal family?” As the news hit him, Qiguan Rang stopped fanning himself with a peacock fan momentarily. His expression changed slightly.

He had grown a beard, and his face was naturally solemn. At that moment, he looked much older than his actual age.

Qiguan Rang’s teacher nodded his head and said, “I heard people talk about this wedding some time ago. They expressed their desire to give the magistrate manor some local products.”

The people had always been afraid of government officials, who were as greedy as wolves. But now, they rejoiced over the marriage of magistrate Liu’s daughter. It was evident that Liu She had won the people’s hearts.

Of course, rather than say that Liu She did well, it was more appropriate to say he did better than his predecessor.

“At a time like this?” Qiguan Rang asked again, his brows slightly raised.

His teacher asked, “Do you think it is inappropriate?”

Qiguan Rang’s teacher was like a father to him; he did not keep anything from him.

“It is very inappropriate. Liu Langjun is in trouble,” Qiguan Rang said, “Shangjing is currently a dangerous place… One may go and never return.”

Over the past few days, Qiguan Rang and his teacher had discussed matters regarding the powers in the world. They analyzed Dongqing’s political situation in detail.

Upon hearing what Qiguan Rang said, his teacher paused. He replied in surprise, “What you mean is…”

“I am afraid so.” Qiguan Rang nodded.

His teacher frowned, saying, “I remember you said once that you were indebted to the Liu manor. Is there a solution to this?”

“Have no fear.” Qiguan Rang suddenly smiled. “Shangjing may be dangerous, but it is incapable of detaining Liu Langjun. But… I thought of something. Time is short, and I must depart in a few days. I cannot be by your side to exercise filial piety.”

“What is the matter?” Qiguan Rang’s teacher asked.

Qiguan Rang answered, “I once promised someone… When a person needs me most, I will be there to help. The opportune moment has arrived.”

“The opportune moment?”

“When Shangjing is defeated will be the opportune time.”

Two blooming flowers were unique in their own way.

With the protection of 5,000 troops, the bridal party escorted the bride into Shangjing peacefully.

“Many years have passed. This place is still so lively, and it’s flourishing… After all these years, not much has changed…” Jiang Pengji said with emotion. She was speaking to the audience in the live streaming room.

Toudu Feiqiu: “I remember my hometown. I left home for college. By the time I graduated and went home, I almost couldn’t recognize the roads. All I can say is that society progressed so quickly. Changes happened rapidly. My hometown continues to change every day…”

Laosiji Lianmeng: “#propschin. This is expected. In ancient times, it was a society of farmers. Productivity was low. This is an undisputed truth.”

The people living in ancient times and the audience members in the live streaming room were different, which wasn’t how it was in Jiang Pengji’s world. The progression and changes seemed to stop. Buildings would not have changed much, even after twenty or thirty years.