Seeing Prefect Liu arrive, Qin Fang put down the goods in his hands and stepped forward: “Lord Liu, I have met with you.”

Prefect Liu hurriedly replied, “General Qin, no need for such formalities. Yunxiang County has changed so much! You’ve only been here for a few months, and it seems like a different place compared to when I was here last. The atmosphere is truly lively due to the road repairs.”

Qin Fang responded, “It’s all thanks to the Emperor’s grace.”

This statement was merely a formality; everyone knew that.

After exchanging pleasantries, Prefect Liu said, “General Qin, may we have a word in private? Regarding the matters in Laiwang County, there are results, but…”

Qin Fang’s expression became serious: “Please, Lord Liu.”

The two moved to a quieter place, where Prefect Liu, looking serious and earnest, said, “General Qin, the situation in Laiwang County is not as good as we imagined. However, I believe this result is the best we could achieve.”

Qin Fang replied, “Please speak plainly, my lord.”

He had a decent impression of Prefect Liu; although he was a cautious person, he wasn’t a corrupt official.

There’s nothing wrong with being cautious in the officialdom.

Prefect Liu explained, “Your servant Fan’s son-in-law committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

The magistrate of Laiwang, Cheng, confessed to his crimes, stating that he sought the position of the county’s grain agent but was denied by the Qin family.

Out of resentment, he spread rumors about you. Now he has taken all the blame upon himself, and all evidence against you has been severed. According to my view, this matter can be closed.

Of course, we both know that Magistrate Cheng has someone behind him, but there are some people you may not be able to deal with.

Furthermore, it seems that Magistrate Cheng won’t confess. Even though you have Master Du backing you, Master Du’s two fists cannot match four hands.

The opponent can deal with you, which means they’re not afraid of Master Du, so… General Qin might consider biding your time.”

Prefect Liu’s approach to governance was all about patience.

After all, he thought, by enduring and conceding, his life would continue unaffected.

Qin Fang was not one to rigidly adhere to formalities.

On the contrary, he was quite clever.

He knew how to show sincerity in front of Du Ke and how to exhibit simplicity in front of the Emperor, so he naturally understood Prefect Liu’s words.

It was like the day he asked his teacher who was targeting him in the capital.

The teacher said he didn’t know.

But whether he really didn’t know, Qin Fang was unsure, and he didn’t intend to pry further.

Given his current status, if he pursued this matter, it would inevitably implicate his teacher.

He couldn’t allow his teacher to suffer because of his own troubles.

Thus, Qin Fang knew how to endure. He said, “This matter will be handled by Lord Liu, and naturally, you will decide the outcome.”

Hearing Qin Fang say this, Prefect Liu felt relieved.

He was afraid Qin Fang might take advantage of his relationship with Master Du to dig deeper into the matter.

If that happened, it wouldn’t be something a mere prefect like him could handle.

But since Qin Fang was willing to let it go, he considered it a favor owed to Qin Fang. “General Qin, if that’s the case, then I will go ahead and close the case.”

Qin Fang then said, “My lord, please wait. Since Fan’s son-in-law has passed, what about the relationship between Fan’s family and his wife?”

Prefect Liu replied, “That son-in-law committed many wrongdoings in his lifetime. Now, having been implicated in Magistrate Cheng’s case, even though he committed suicide, I can take the initiative to have him and his wife divorced. What does General Qin think?”

This was merely a matter of raising his hand for Prefect Liu, and he would naturally assist.

Moreover, divorces like this happened frequently among common folk.

As long as the government sanctioned the divorce, it would be valid.

“Then I thank you, Lord Liu,” Qin Fang said.

After reaching an agreement with Prefect Liu, Qin Fang didn’t rush back to the General’s Mansion.

Instead, he returned in the evening, together with the common folk.

While having dinner that night, Qin Fang discussed the matter with Yang Haiyan: “Currently, we’re in Yunxiang County and have no need to confront those in the capital. I also don’t want to implicate my teacher because of my issues. Furthermore, the other party doesn’t seem to intend to take my life and likely doesn’t want to create a deadly feud, so I plan to leave it at that for now. Once we have the ability, we won’t be afraid of such things anymore.”

Yang Haiyan had no objections to this. What was the point of rash bravery?

Learning to endure was the most important.

As the case regarding Magistrate Cheng drew to a close, those surface-level matters gradually faded, and Yunxiang County returned to its former tranquility.

Due to limited funds, road repairs were no longer as ostentatious as before.

Now, they were done village by village, without a monthly allowance, just covering meals.

The road repairs were overseen by County Magistrate Yang, while Qin Fang went to the horse farm every day.

Yunxiang County had built a super large horse ranch on government land, housing two rare horses known as the “sweat blood” horses.

Due to the precious nature of these horses, there were soldiers stationed at the ranch. Moreover, the person in charge of the ranch was extremely careful.

As a horse lover, he treated the horses like his own children, and the “sweat blood” horses were undoubtedly the most favored among them.

How could he not be cautious?

As January’s weather turned colder, Yang Haiyan, who was over four months pregnant, was starting to show.

Given her naturally slender figure, it was even more apparent.

However, Dr. Li checked her pulse every half month, ensuring her health was excellent.

Despite this, the elders at home remained quite concerned.

One day, the family was basking in the sun in the courtyard when Aunt Fan brought out several plates of freshly made pastries.

Since the death of her son-in-law and the divorce of her daughter, Aunt Fan had relaxed considerably.

Because her daughter was a widow, it was unsuitable for her to live in the General’s residence, so Yang Haiyan suggested she go to the imperial grain processing factory.

The factory needed female workers, and Aunt Fan’s daughter was a perfect fit.

Aunt Fan’s granddaughter lived in the General’s residence, sharing a room with Aunt Fan.

In the mornings, she attended classes with the family’s teachers, and in the afternoons, she learned embroidery.

“Madam, a guest has arrived outside,” Aunt Hong entered the inner courtyard and greeted Yang Haiyan. “He claims to be from the General’s hometown and says he is the General’s uncle.”

Yang Haiyan responded, “Please invite him in.” She had been thinking about the arrival of Qin San’s uncle and wondered how things were at the Ding family.

She was relieved they had finally come.

Grandma Qin remarked, “A Fang’s maternal grandparents have always cared for his uncle. After such a long time, the Ding family must be worried. I wonder if they are here to take someone back?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Grandma, there’s no need to worry. We have Aunt here.”

Even so, Yang Haiyan still stood up to greet the guest.

Ding Dashu really didn’t want to leave his hometown and come to Yunxiang County, but it was all due to the trouble caused by the Ding’s Third family.

His parents were worried about Third Uncle Ding, so he had to make this trip.

As for the his wife, she were quite unreasonable.

A few days prior, they had mentioned going to the mother-in-law’s house, but they didn’t take it seriously.

However, after several days without seeing them return, everyone began to wonder.

In these times, food was precious for every family; what kind of family could afford to support the Third family indefinitely?

Eventually, the Third Uncle family’s wife returned home, but neither Third Uncle Ding nor Tadpole had come back.

At first, she claimed they were staying a few more days at her mother’s house, so nobody thought much of it.

But as the days dragged on without news, the Ding’s Third family’s wife could no longer hide the truth and revealed that Third Uncle Ding had brought their child to Yunxiang County.

This infuriated Ding Dashu’s parents.

They had been ill for several days, and once they recovered, he set off to find them.

However, upon entering the General’s residence, Ding Dashu felt a bit out of place in such a grand setting.

He felt restrained and awkward.

After being led to the hall, Ding Dashu saw Yang Haiyan.

Although he had only met her once in March of the previous year, he still remembered her well.

Seeing her now, he felt a sense of relief. “A Fang’s wife.”

“Uncle is here! Please have a seat. I’ve sent someone to fetch my mother; she will be here shortly,” Yang Haiyan welcomed him.

Although she didn’t have a strong impression of Ding Dashu, she appreciated that aside from the troublesome Ding family, he was a relative worth welcoming.

People are social creatures, so it’s natural to not exclude relatives.

Ding Dashu sat down, and the servants brought some food.

He didn’t eat right away but instead inquired about Third Uncle Ding: “A Fang’s wife, has Third Brother and his child come here? That rascal didn’t even bother to let us know he was leaving, causing everyone back home to worry. My parents were so worried they fell ill…”

Then, Ding Dashu rambled on about the family’s situation.

The journey had not been easy for him, and now that he had finally arrived, he wanted to scold Third Uncle Ding.

Yang Haiyan comforted him, saying, “Third Uncle and his child are working at the farm, and Mother is looking after them. Fortunately, Grandpa and Grandma are fine. Otherwise, this would have escalated badly.”

Having such a brother caused Qin Dashu to worry as well. “Indeed.”

After chatting for a while, Yang Haiyan asked someone to take Qin Dashu to freshen up and rest.

He had traveled a long way, riding in various carts and walking, so he was genuinely tired.

When Qin Mother arrived from the imperial grain factory and learned that Qin Dashu was already asleep, she decided not to disturb him.

Instead, Yang Haiyan shared the news about the Ding family with Qin Mother.

Upon hearing that her parents had fallen ill from worry, Qin Mother was so furious she felt like going to beat up Third Uncle Ding again. “Your third uncle has finally learned to work. Ultimately, it’s still your third aunt’s fault. As the old saying goes, ‘Marry a wise wife.’ The Ding family’s misfortune stems from marrying into this calamity.”

Yang Haiyan found it hard to respond to that. “Mother, what if Uncle wants to take Third Uncle back with him?”

Qin Mu thought for a moment. “Third Brother is better off here under my care. If he returns home, knowing my parents’ temper, he will surely revert to his old ways. It’s better for him to stay here and receive a monthly allowance. Yan Yan, what do you think?”