The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun

Page 310

Jiangning Road.

Prefect Chen smiled and said, "Young Master Jiang, you are too kind. I am no longer the Prefect of Hanzhong. My courtesy name is Qingyuan. If you do not mind, you may call me by my name."

While Chen Qingyuan told the sedan bearers to go back to the mansion to call someone to fetch the young girl, he invited Jiang Ning to a restaurant for dinner.

When did Mr. Chen arrive in Beijing?

As soon as they sat down at a fine restaurant, Jiang Ning asked...

Chen Qingyuan laughed and said, "I only took office in the capital two months ago, and I haven't been here long. I haven't even finished settling things in my residence yet."

Jiang Ning smiled and congratulated Mr. Chen on his promotion.

Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyuan replied, "Young Master Jiang, please don't flatter me. My promotion is thanks to you and the Huashan Sect."

Jiang Ning was puzzled.

Chen Qingyuan explained, “Two years ago, you and the Huashan Sect wiped out the mountain strongholds in Shaanxi, which greatly improved the security of Shaanxi. People no longer have to worry about being robbed on the way when they go out. In addition, many of the Jianghu people who surrounded Huashan last year were wanted criminals by the imperial court. After I and other officials from other prefectures reported to the court, the court thought we had made contributions and promoted me to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in the capital. Not only me, but other prefects in Shaanxi were also promoted.”

While speaking, Chen Qingyuan unconsciously used a respectful title for Jiang Ning.

Even though he is now the Vice Minister of Revenue, a high-ranking official in the court, he still used the honorific "you" when addressing Jiang Ning.

There was nothing else to it but that Jiang Ning was too ruthless, killing so many evil people that he had to be in awe of him.

The person sitting opposite him is a rising star of the righteous path and the nemesis of the evil path's fears.

Chapter 413: Riding a Horse in the Street

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Mr. Chen is too modest. I believe that the court promoted you because of your ability, not because of me or the Huashan Sect."

"hehe."

Chen Qingyuan laughed.

Jiang Ning was different from other martial arts figures he had encountered. Those martial arts figures were either cold and arrogant or distant when facing court officials like them.

Jiang Ning, on the other hand, was different. Chen Qingyuan saw no arrogance in him. When talking to him, he was polite and well-mannered, much like some of the young noblemen he had met after arriving in the capital. If Chen Qingyuan hadn't known his background, he wouldn't have believed that such a person was a martial arts expert.

"Young Master Jiang is truly a chivalrous man."

Chen Qingyuan exclaimed in admiration.

He was referring to Jiang Ning's selfless assistance to the young girl who sold herself into servitude to bury her father.

Jiang Ning smiled upon hearing this, but said nothing. Instead, he asked, "How has your daughter been lately?"

Jiang Ning refers to Chen Qingyuan's daughter, Chen Jin.

Two years ago, before Tian Boguang died, he committed several cases of womanizing in Hanzhong. He not only cheated on Chen Qingyuan, but also defiled his daughter. At that time, Chen Jin couldn't accept the blow and wanted to commit suicide, but was saved by Jiang Ning. After that, we don't know what happened to him.

Upon hearing the other party mention his daughter, Chen Qingyuan's face also showed a smile.

"Jin'er is much better now."

Time is the best medicine to heal wounds. After Tian Boguang was killed, Chen Jin's condition improved a lot. In addition, with the meticulous care of Chen Qingyuan and his wife over the past two years, Chen Jin also emerged from the shadows.

However, although the matter has passed, Chen Qingyuan is now worried about something else.

"Given Jin'er's current situation, it's likely she won't be able to find a suitable husband in the future."

Chen Qingyuan couldn't help but feel depressed.

Chen Jin is no longer a virgin, making marriage difficult. When Chen Qingyuan first arrived in the capital, other officials of the same rank were on good terms with him, and some even considered arranging marriages between their children. However, after learning about Chen Jin's situation, none of them took any further steps.

"Ugh."

Chen Qingyuan took a sip of wine, sighed, and said, "I've thought it through. Given Jin'er's situation, it will be difficult for her to find a husband. Even if she marries into a family, she will inevitably face discrimination from her husband's family. Rather than that, let's just let Jin'er follow her own heart. If she has someone she likes, as long as he is of good character, that's fine. If Jin'er doesn't want to get married in this life, her mother and I will respect her wishes. Anyway, her mother and I are still young."

Jiang Ning remained silent.

Even the daughter of an official like Chen Qingyuan could not get married after being violated by Tian Boguang. If that was the case, the situation of girls from ordinary families would only be worse.

Jiang Ning then inquired about the fates of the other women in Hanzhong Prefecture who had been violated by Tian Boguang.

"They are all doing well now."

Chen Qingyuan said, "They are also victims. I felt sorry for them, so I gave them some money to live on. I also told them that if anyone bullied them, they could report it to the government and the government would take care of them."

Jiang Ning nodded.

That's good.

"correct."

At this point, Chen Qingyuan laughed. "I wonder if Young Master Jiang remembers a constable surnamed Tan?"

Officer Tan?

Upon hearing Chen Qingyuan's words, Jiang Ning recalled the young constable he had encountered when he went to Hanzhong.

That constable left a deep impression on him.

"Remember, what happened?"

Chen Qingyuan smiled and said, "I heard that he knows you. That young constable has a strong sense of justice, works diligently, is capable and energetic. I made him the chief constable. Now the security in Hanzhong Prefecture is very good under his management, and there are far fewer thefts and illegal activities."

Jiang Ning was surprised to hear this, but nodded and said nothing more.

"It's just that the young constable was too straightforward and lacked social skills, often offending some noble children."

Chen Qingyuan continued, "However, this is also his duty. The government is responsible for maintaining the safety of the people under its jurisdiction and stopping all illegal activities. It's just that his martial arts skills are relatively poor. Not only him, but the other constables in the yamen are also not very skilled. They are fine normally, but if they encounter those Jianghu people committing crimes, the yamen will be unable to do anything about it. When I was the prefect of Hanzhong, I thought about sending them to the Huashan Sect to learn martial arts. That way, they would have martial arts skills to rely on, so that if they encounter Jianghu people committing crimes, they won't be able to get away with it."

Chen Qingyuan smiled wryly and said, "I was just about to visit your sect's leader, Master Yue, when I received news of his transfer from the imperial court, which delayed the matter."

"That's it."

Jiang Ning nodded thoughtfully and said, "In that case, I'll go back and talk to my master. It shouldn't be a problem. However, my master and the others aren't at Mount Hua right now, so they probably won't be back for a while."

"Then thank you very much, Young Master Jiang."

Chen Qingyuan was overjoyed.

"I will write a letter to the current prefect of Hanzhong in a couple of days, instructing him to have Constable Tan take the constables to Mount Hua to learn martial arts."

The current prefect of Hanzhong is his former subordinate and student, belonging to his faction. Now that he has received a verbal promise from Jiang Ning, it is equivalent to his student making contact with the Huashan Sect. The Huashan Sect is a major sect in Shaanxi. If any bandits cause trouble in Hanzhong in the future, they can ask the Huashan Sect for help.

Only after resolving this matter did Chen Qingyuan inquire about Jiang Ning's purpose in coming to the capital.

"Young Master Jiang, what brings you to the capital? If so, perhaps I can offer my humble assistance."

Jiang Ning smiled and shook his head: "I have been traveling around recently, and I just happened to come to the capital."

Chen Qingyuan nodded and then asked, "I wonder how long Young Master Jiang plans to stay in the capital? If you don't mind, how about staying at my residence for a while?"

Jiang Ning shook his head and declined: "There's no need for that. I'm just here in the capital for a few days, so I won't bother Mr. Chen."

Chen Qingyuan felt somewhat regretful upon seeing this.

People like Jiang Ning are no ordinary people, and it would be beneficial to get to know them better. However, since the other party was clearly unwilling, he couldn't say anything more to avoid upsetting the other party, which would be a loss.

Just as Chen Qingyuan was about to speak, a sudden commotion outside drew their attention.

The two were on the second floor of the restaurant, near the window. After hearing the noise outside, they looked out the window.

Someone was riding a horse recklessly in the bustling city.

"Get out! Get out of here!"

A man rode his horse recklessly down the street, constantly cursing.

Pedestrians and civilians panicked and gave way upon seeing this.

"Get the hell away from me!"

The riders on horseback continued to shout.

The man was dressed in extremely luxurious clothes, and the horse he rode was exceptionally fine; he was clearly wealthy and noble. Given that he dared to ride so freely in a place like the capital, he must be some kind of aristocrat.

Ok?

Jiang Ning had previously thought that the capital city was quite safe, but now he saw people riding horses recklessly in the bustling city.

Chen Qingyuan also saw the appearance of the horseman, and his expression changed.

Jiang Ning didn't notice the change in Chen Qingyuan's expression because he saw a civilian who couldn't avoid the horseman in time and was about to collide with him.

"roll!"

Upon seeing this, the rider immediately raised his whip and lashed it across the other man's face. Even the lightest lash would result in a laceration.

"Young Master Jiang, we..."

Chen Qingyuan was about to speak, but Jiang Ning flew out of the window the next second and landed in front of the commoner, reaching out to grab the whip that was being lashed out.

"Shut up!"

Jiang Ning grabbed the whip from the rider's hand, causing him to lose his balance. He quickly gripped the reins to steady himself and avoid falling off the horse.

"Who are you, daring to block my horse!"

The man on horseback was a middle-aged man, who angrily questioned Jiang Ning.

As Jiang Ning released his grip, he told the civilian behind him to leave quickly to avoid being implicated.

Hearing the middle-aged man's shouts, Jiang Ning narrowed his eyes.

The middle-aged man was still shouting angrily.

"Do you know who I am? You dare to block my horse? You don't want to live anymore?"

At this moment, Chen Qingyuan, who was running down from the second floor, turned green when he heard the middle-aged man's shouts.

Chapter 414: I'm saving your life!

The middle-aged man glared angrily at Jiang Ning, gripping the whip in his hand as if he were about to strike at any moment.

"Misunderstanding."

Fearing that Jiang Ning would start a massacre on the street if they hesitated even a second, Chen Qingyuan quickly stepped forward to mediate.

"My lord, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

Mr. Hou?

Jiang Ning looked the middle-aged man on horseback up and down.

No wonder he is so arrogant.

"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? And who are you? How dare you interfere in my affairs?"

The middle-aged man remained arrogant, especially after Chen Qingyuan recognized him.

……

"Sir, let's slow down."

On another street, a young man was looking around excitedly, with several people chasing after him.

"Sir, slow down, I can't catch up."

A servant-like man called out repeatedly.

The young man running in front didn't stop, and without turning his head, he said, "Hurry up, we finally got to come out here, how can we not have some fun?"

"Sir, please be careful. If anything happens to you, even a thousand deaths would not be enough to atone for it."

The servant was extremely nervous.

Another man said, "Sir, your stamina is amazing, we can't keep up with you."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Laughter from the young people rang out.

"Then you all need to exercise more."

"Sir, slow down, slow down."

The group was very nervous watching the young man run so fast.