Prefect Qi remained noncommittal. These bandits could exist, but they couldn't be allowed to grow too rampant. If all bandits were truly eradicated, in times of peace, the higher authorities would reclaim part of his military power and might even discard him after use. Therefore, he would never agree to completely wipe out the bandits.
"This plan is too ruthless. Let's reconsider it carefully," Prefect Qi vaguely dismissed the proposal.
With the bandits running wild, as the commandery prefect, he couldn't simply stand by. If the situation escalated, the higher authorities would also be displeased. Prefect Qi decided to teach the bandits a lesson.
"Dispatch a deputy general with twenty thousand troops to attack Caomao Shan and deliver a heavy blow. These bandits are merely a disorderly mob. I had no intention of interfering much, but recently they've grown increasingly audacious, truly acting as if they rule the mountains!"
The subordinates were in an uproar. Sending twenty thousand troops to deal with a group of untrained bandits was truly overkill. In the past, at most five thousand troops were sent, enough to send the bandits fleeing in disarray. Now, with twenty thousand troops, wouldn't they completely wipe out Caomao Shan?
Prefect Qi had no intention of completely destroying Caomao Shan. He only wanted to keep the bandits within controllable limits. Once they exceeded control, he would show no mercy in suppressing them.
The twenty thousand troops set out in full battle array, surrounding Caomao Shan. In less than a day, they drove the bandits on the mountain into scattered flight. The nature of bandits is to plunder, so even while fleeing, they didn't forget to break into nearby homes to steal food and valuables, immediately filling the wilderness with cries of distress.
Prefect Qi ordered that the most vicious bandits be executed without mercy, while showing leniency toward those who were timid and fearful.
After Prefect Qi dealt a heavy blow to Caomao Shan, all the leaders were dead, leaving only some cowardly, petty thieves. Prefect Qi magnanimously spared them, allowing them to continue occupying the mountain as bandits.
"Sir, why not pursue the victory?" a subordinate asked.
Prefect Qi sighed, "They're just refugees who turned to banditry to survive. Why exterminate them completely? Let this matter rest here."
On another front, Qi Heng faced numerous obstacles in recruiting refugees. Just investigating their identities was no small task and couldn't be resolved in a few days. For now, Qi Heng had to attend to an important personal matter.
Jiang Nian was returning to her family home, and Qi Heng personally went to the storeroom to select the Hui Men Gift. When Madam Qi saw this, she felt displeased again.
"Look at your fine son. He's never been this attentive to me, his own mother. This son was truly raised in vain."
"Why are you so narrow-minded?" Prefect Qi retorted with a dark expression. "If your son hadn't married Jiang Nian, the grass on your grave would already be half a person tall by now."
"I…" Madam Qi was nearly choked by these words, forcibly swallowing her anger.
Jiang Nian rode in a carriage for her return to her family home. Shanzhu and Qingmei helped the Second Young Mistress into the carriage, while Qi Heng's personal guard Lin Chengfeng personally drove the carriage, with the two maids sitting side by side next to the guard.
Jiang Nian wore her hair in a Duo Ma Ji, dressed in a Luo Lan Zi Bai Die Chuan Hua Yun Jin Chang Qun. Her rosy face held a spring-like radiance, serene and gentle.
Qi Heng sat beside her, reaching out to pull her close. Jiang Nian asked him, "Is there anything improper about my appearance?"
"Extremely beautiful," Qi Heng replied, lowering his head to kiss her cheek.
Jiang Nian shyly turned her face away. "I deliberately dressed up nicely so that Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, and Mother would feel at ease when they see me."
"Wear this from now on. It's very beautiful," Qi Heng said softly, his fingers gently stroking her hairline, his eyes tender.
The journey from Ruyang Commandery to Yong'an Village took about two hours. Afraid she might get bored, Qi Heng had prepared some snacks and games. Jiang Nian ate Chestnut Cake while playing chess with him.
"I'm not very good at chess." Jiang Nian finished a piece of chestnut cake in two or three bites, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and casually placed a white piece on the board.
"No worries, just play as you like." Qi Heng held a black piece, also playing casually.
Hearing this, Jiang Nian truly began to play freely, arranging the white pieces into little white flowers on the board however she pleased. Qi Heng frowned, holding a black piece, completely unsure where to place it.
The carriage arrived at Shanghe Town, passing through a shaded path with dense trees on both sides, dappled light filtering through the leaves.
"Clang!" The sound of clashing weapons came from ahead. Startled, Jiang Nian gasped as Qi Heng tossed the chess pieces aside and pulled her into his embrace.
"Chengfeng, what's happening?"
Lin Chengfeng lifted the curtain and calmly reported, "Second Young Master, Second Young Mistress, bandits up ahead have stopped a carriage, blocking our path."
"Force our way through." Qi Heng had no intention of getting involved.
"Yes." Lin Chengfeng tightened the reins and cracked the whip. A maid-like young woman rushed over and knelt, pleading for help.
"Please save my young mistress! I'll kowtow to you!"
The maid kowtowed repeatedly with such force that her forehead turned red. Shanzhu and Qingmei watched with pity, while Lin Chengfeng turned to seek his master's instructions.
"Young Master, this maid is blocking our path, begging for help."
Qi Heng lifted the curtain and stepped out. The maid's eyes lit up with hope. "Please, sir, save my young mistress!"
Qi Heng glanced ahead where several dozen bandits were overwhelming the guards of a carriage. One bandit had scooped up a delicate young woman in pink robes, who screamed in terror.
"No! Help! Somebody help!"
With the road blocked, Qi Heng's carriage couldn't pass. He signaled to Lin Chengfeng with his eyes.
"Take care of them."
Lin Chengfeng drew his sword and leaped forward, moving deftly among the bandits. With a few swift strokes, all the bandits lay dead.
The rescued woman, trembling like a startled bird, hid behind a tree by the roadside. Her maid ran to her.
"Young mistress! Are you alright?"
Lin Chengfeng moved their carriage aside, then returned to his own carriage and prepared to depart. The frightened young woman rushed over.
"Heroes, please take us with you! Once we're safe, I will reward you handsomely!"
"No!" Qi Heng gritted his teeth. He knew better than to get involved. "Chengfeng, let's go!"
"Yes!" Lin Chengfeng cracked the whip, urging the horses forward. As they passed the two women, they nearly collided, forcing the pair to scramble aside.
"Young mistress, what shall we do? This area is remote—we might encounter more bandits."
The maid was frantic with fear. Watching Qi Heng's carriage disappear into the distance, with no village in sight and the danger of more bandits, she feared the worst for them.
"Follow them!" Qiao Qin'er boarded her carriage and ordered her two remaining guards. "Hurry! Catch up with that carriage ahead."
"Yes."
The guards and maid climbed aboard and urged the horses to pursue. Qi Heng lifted the curtain to look back, snorted coldly, and let it fall.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Nian asked softly, moving to sit beside him when she saw his dark expression.
Qi Heng's expression softened. "Nothing. Were you frightened earlier?"
"No." Jiang Nian shook her head.
After leaving Shanghe Town, the carriage continued to Yong'an Village, with the other carriage following closely behind.
The maid behind the carriage lifted the curtain and glanced out, "Miss, isn't this the village where you grew up?"
Qiao Qin'er drew back the curtain, her eyes wide with astonishment. How had they ended up here?
Qiao Qin'er was the daughter of the magistrate of Nanyang County. As an infant, she had been accidentally switched with a child from a farming family in Yong’an Village. She lived in Yong’an Village until the age of twelve, when her true identity was discovered. The magistrate and his wife reclaimed her, and since then, she had never returned to Yong’an Village. This time, by some twist of fate, she found herself back again.