Chapter 24

With the sound of roosters crowing, drums were beaten in the Shangwu Hall of Beidi County, and horns were blown to wake the people.

The horn’s sound called the people to arms, a serious signal that made them quickly get up, get dressed, and go to the military camp. Soon, many people gathered, pushing and shoving each other.

Ying Yue and others in the County Magistrate’s Mansion were heading toward the Shangwu Hall.

At first, Jia Xu, Zhao Kuo, Huo Qubing, and Cai Yan followed the young girl. But as they neared the Shangwu Hall, they suddenly split from her and kept their distance, making it hard to tell they were together. Only Shen Shutan stayed with Ying Yue.

— It was better for no one else to be with Ying Yue to avoid stealing the spotlight.

As the two girls approached the hall, people on both sides of the path started talking.

“It’s the young lady!”

“Why does Miss look like she’s just come from a disaster?”

“Hey, who’s that beautiful girl behind her?”

“Is this a fairy from heaven?”

“So it was Miss who ordered the horns, not the county governor?”

After pushing through the crowd, Miss Shen and Ying Yue reached the stage of the Shangwu Hall. From the high platform, they looked down at the people below.

Miss Shen raised her hand and waved toward the drum. At her signal, the men dressed as Beidi County soldiers stopped drumming.

Similarly, the officers blowing horns also stopped.

Miss Shen then addressed the crowd, saying, “Everyone! Shu Tan had people beat drums and blow horns to gather you all here today. She has something to say!”

She started explaining how she had been “kidnapped by bandits.” “A few days ago, I was captured by bandits from Black Wind Village and nearly became food for the Turkic barbarians ^[1]are nomadic people from the north.. But, the night before the bandits’ deal with the Turkic people, I had a strange dream where an immortal saved me from danger.”

“And the next day, I was saved for real.”

She adjusted the timing as Jia Xu had suggested. Without this adjustment, it would seem strange that she still wore the same clothes after so many days.

“And the one who saved me was the girl next to me.”

Miss Shen stepped aside, revealing Ying Yue fully to the crowd.

There was a gasp from below as they saw her beautiful face.

— What a stunning beauty!

— This must be a fairy from the heavens!

Some people believed Miss Shen’s words immediately because she had hinted that Ying Yue was a divine being.

Being stared at by thousands of eyes, Ying Yue felt overwhelmed, her heart pounding, and she couldn’t see anything. She felt empty, but her face remained calm, showing no emotions. Her beauty made her appear otherworldly, almost divine.

Jia Xu, watching from a distance, remembered something he had forgotten earlier.

It wasn’t a big deal, but he realized he had missed something important. It was a small detail, but it bothered him. He remembered that when the system asked the girl if she wanted to draw a card, she had assumed that it would be a character card, making her nervous.

He thought this was unusual. He liked to keep things stable and not let his mind wander too much.

The little girl’s good luck made it easy for others to forget who she really was.

Seeing that the crowd was mesmerized by Ying Yue’s beauty, Miss Shen continued her story. “On the day I was rescued, I had another strange dream. In the dream, an old man with a fairy-like appearance told me that Beidi County had been poorly governed by my father for many years, so a heavenly fire came to punish the officials. But, this fire also brought noble people to our county, which will now thrive.”

Miss Shen choked up as she spoke, saying, “I didn’t believe it at first, but after rushing home, I found my father was seriously ill. Then, the sky fire really happened in Beidi County, but only in public places, not affecting the villagers.”

She continued, “Because of the dream, my father decided to give the position of county governor to Miss Ying. So, after I returned home, I didn’t even change my clothes. I sent soldiers to gather everyone to announce this news.”

As Miss Shen spoke with heartfelt sincerity, Zhao Kuo couldn’t help but think how complicated women’s emotions can be.

He wondered if his young master might end up like this too someday.

The young man suddenly shuddered, realizing that continuing to daydream about it would be too scary.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, “Even though you’re the kind eldest lady, how can we trust you with this?”

Hearing the doubts and confusion from some people below, Shen Shutan smiled slightly. “Why would I lie to you? I am the daughter of the county governor. What benefit would I get from giving the position of county governor to someone irrelevant for no reason?”

“Also, it’s true that the thieves from Black Wind Village have been killed, it’s true that the sky fire burned public land, and it’s also true that my father is now sick. These three things can be confirmed anytime! Is this something I can do alone?”

Immediately, the noise among the crowd reduced significantly.

She then turned to Ying Yue and said, “Miss Ying, could you tell the people of Beidi County about the strange and amazing thing you have?”

Ying Yue nodded gently and spoke slowly, copying the clear voice of Cai Yan, and said clearly: “I have ten kilograms of cotton seeds that can produce 300 kilograms per mu. Cotton can be made into cloth, which is more durable than linen, and is softer and more comfortable. If made into cotton clothes or quilts, it can protect you from the cold in winter.”

Ying Yue’s words sparked interest among the people of Beidi County. They were amazed and couldn’t imagine what the cotton she described would look like.

The sun had just risen, and the light shone brightly on Ying Yue, making her seem almost divine and untouchable, like a person from the heavens.

As the crowd fell silent, Miss Shen seized the opportunity to speak again, “If you still don’t believe us, why not wait a year and see what Beidi County is like? I guarantee you, with Miss Ying and myself here, we won’t leave. I promise with my life that Miss Ying, the governor of Ying County, will bring new hope to this place.”

After she spoke, the crowd was silent for a long time.

Then, Zhao Kuo, a man among the crowd, pretended to be a commoner. He raised his hand and shouted, “Okay! We will believe you this time! County Magistrate Ying, don’t disappoint us!”

Following Zhao Kuo’s lead, others in the crowd began to cheer for Ying Yue as the new county magistrate.

At this moment, the position of county magistrate, which had long been abandoned by the government, was finally given to Ying Yue.

_

However, compared to the common people, who were easily convinced by Miss Shen’s endorsement, the officials in Beidi County knew that something was wrong.

The most obvious sign was that the original county magistrate’s confidants had all disappeared without a trace overnight. This wasn’t normal.

But now, although they realized something was off, they didn’t dare to speak out.

They were worried because they knew that County Magistrate Wang didn’t have many trusted people, but enough for it to be concerning when so many people disappeared.

They were afraid that they might be next to “disappear.”

They started thinking that they should quickly show loyalty to the new female county magistrate, who appeared gentle but might actually be ruthless.

However, just as the officials were considering how to show loyalty to Ying Yue, it turned out that her plans for the day didn’t involve the government office at all.

After the matter at Shangwu Hall was finished, Ying Yue and Miss Shen returned to the County Magistrate’s Mansion. On their way, they met Jia Xu and others who had parted from them earlier.

“I will rest at the county magistrate’s mansion for now and after recuperating, I will take over the affairs of Beidi County.”

On the way back, the little girl nervously asked Jia Xu how she had performed.

Hearing Ying Yue’s question, Jia Xu smiled slightly and praised her: “You did very well. It would be great if you keep doing this in the future.”

Ying Yue smiled at his first compliment, but her smile faded when she heard the second part.

She puffed up her cheeks and said nervously, “I was so scared and panicked, I didn’t know what I was doing… I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest.” That’s why she asked Jia Xu; she was worried about messing up.

When Jia Xu heard this, he smiled and said, “When you experience this more often, you won’t be so nervous.”