"Your kindness should be accepted, but my family is very worried about us, so we should go home early." Lu Qiyan said, "And those bandits are probably still looking for us nearby. It would be inappropriate if I cause trouble for you, so I'll take my leave now."

Seeing this, the old man nodded and said, "Then it's up to you."

Someone had already brought Lu Qiyan's horse over, and Lu Qiyan and the other two once again thanked everyone solemnly.

Then Lu Qiyan sent Xia Mingyue and Zhuang Cui onto the horse, and he led the horse and Wu Jin out of the village.

The villagers watched the group go away and finally looked at the old man.

"Everyone go back and rest. Add two more people to patrol at night. Be sure to be vigilant." The old man said, "Every household should be careful these days and don't go out alone. Especially young ladies, you must be more cautious and not go out."

Everyone responded, and after arranging the people for the night patrol, they went home.

Zhao Sanlin supported his elderly father and walked slowly back home.

Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, the old man said, "If you have something to say, just say it."

"I dare not say." Zhao Sanlin lowered his head.

"Are you trying to say that, with the world in such a mess nowadays, we shouldn't get involved with those desperate criminals in the mountains just for two innocent people?"

The old man's question made Zhao Sanlin bow his head even more. After a long time, Zhao Sanlin raised his head again. "I know I seem a little selfish, but my father also said that when you are poor, you should take care of yourself. At this time, you need to consider the safety of the village first."

"That's true." The old man sighed, "But I always feel that most of the time, we still have to do what we should do, just like today when we took in these two ladies and saved their lives. I feel like if someone in our village gets into trouble in the future, maybe they can be saved by others."

"I said the same thing. If everyone only cares about themselves, who will help the world? The bandits are so arrogant, isn't it just that each village is busy with its own business? Sigh..."

The old man sighed, "For things like this, just follow your heart, and for the rest, leave it to fate."

Zhao Sanlin thought about it and finally said nothing, but just reminded the old man to pay attention to his feet.

Here, Lu Qiyan was leading the horse and walking slowly.

Wu Jin followed behind, jumping up and down happily, and barking from time to time to express his excitement.

Lu Qiyan reached out and touched Wu Jin's head, "Wu Jin has done a great job today."

"Woof!" Wu Jin wagged his tail excitedly.

You know what, today's conspicuous bag actually said something sensible.

And the performance is good too.

"When we get back, we must reward Wu Jin well." Xia Mingyue tilted her head and thought for a while, "Make Wu Jin some pork ribs and steamed rice!"

Black Gold likes to eat meat with bones, and his favorite staple food is rice. The improved version of pork ribs steamed rice with less seasoning will not cause too much burden on the dog's body and is also Black Gold's favorite.

"Woof woof woof!" Wu Jin barked excitedly again.

Lu Qiyan smiled and looked at Xia Mingyue. Speaking of which, did he also make a great contribution today?
that……

Xia Mingyue coughed lightly, turned her head away, and pretended not to see Lu Qiyan's ambiguous expression.

Lu Qiyan smiled and quietly held Xia Mingyue's hand.

The way back was all small paths and narrow paths, quite rugged, but the good thing was that it was inconspicuous.

When we arrived at Jinqiu County, it was already bright.

The journey was safe and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, the county magistrate Pei Chenghe was already waiting at the city gate. Seeing Lu Qiyan and others return safely, he hurried forward to greet them.

"I sent people out to look for them, but to no avail. Fortunately, Commander Lu and Lady Xia returned safely." Pei Chenghe bowed his hands to apologize, feeling extremely ashamed. "Bandits have appeared in Jinqiu County and kidnapped civilians. This is really due to my incompetence as a county magistrate. I am extremely ashamed!"

"The border is in chaos, and many places are plagued by banditry. Jinqiu County is not the only one with this problem. In addition, over the years, it is mostly the border garrisons that have taken the initiative to send troops to suppress the bandits, so local officials dare not act rashly on this matter. County Magistrate Pei is no exception. This matter is not the fault of County Magistrate Pei." Lu Qi Yan said.

Pei Chenghe saw that Lu Qiyan had a very thorough understanding of the matter and had also touched upon what was on his mind. He couldn't help but feel deeply moved and sighed.

When the new dynasty was established, there was peace on the surface and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, but the struggle for power never stopped.

Especially when the new dynasty was still in a state of continuous war, military officers increasingly controlled power and vied for merit and rewards. Things like suppressing bandits became a matter of merit in the military, and local officials were not allowed to interfere too much.

Therefore, when Pei Chenghe knew that bandits were rampant and even had a plan to suppress them, he had to shelve the matter because he was afraid of the power of the military.

But this also made his role as a county magistrate seem extremely cowardly.

Pei Chenghe's sigh was both a feeling that Lu Qiyan could understand the difficulties of being a county magistrate, and a feeling of resentment about this matter.

"But since County Magistrate Pei has great ambitions, he doesn't need to be too timid about many things. He should grab what he needs."

Lu Qiyan lowered his voice and said, "The An family is now acting arbitrarily, and the court is dissatisfied with this. The Wen family also wants to take advantage of the opportunity to find some leverage. If County Magistrate Pei can stick his head out, this credit will definitely not be taken away by others."

"If he can be promoted, Lord Pei will naturally have more land to exact revenge. Even if he cannot, this is still a practical thing Lord Pei has done for the people. No matter what, it will be recorded in the book of merit."

"If Lord Pei doesn't mind, I'd like to go with you. I've investigated all the bandit dens in Jinqiu County thoroughly, so I think I can help you."

Send out the government runners and city defense soldiers to suppress the bandits...

It is indeed as Lu Qiyan said, whether or not one has made meritorious service and received an award, it is beneficial to oneself and the people. Even if one is defeated, as long as the action of suppressing bandits is there, the people will still support and understand it.

Pei Chenghe thought carefully about what Lu Qiyan said, and then nodded vigorously, "As the county magistrate of Jinqiu County, this matter is naturally my duty. I wonder when Commander Lu thinks it is best to go and suppress the bandits?"

"It is better to go now than to choose a good time." Lu Qiyan said, "But if you want to be able to suppress the bandits effectively, Lord Pei needs to listen to my command."

Pei Chenghe was born a civil servant and knew little about fighting bandits. Even though he had read some military books, they were only theoretical and without any experience. Naturally, he could only rely on Lu Qiyan. He immediately bowed and said, "Everything will be done according to Commander Lu's arrangements!"

Seeing Pei Chenghe agreed to this, Lu Qiyan ordered him to go and check the number of people and wait for his arrangements. He personally sent Xia Mingyue and Zhuang Cui home first. (End of this chapter)