"Sister! How many times have I told you not to call me 'Xiao Ming'? Call me 'Ming Xuan' or 'A Xuan'!" Lu Ming Xuan said, pouting, as he slowly walked out.
But the woman in red ignored him, pressing on, "Xiao Ming, why are you here? Weren't you looking for our Master?"
"Master has been missing for years, how could he be found so easily?" Fearing further questioning, Lu Ming Xuan quickly pushed his superior forward. "Sister, this is Young Master Lin. I'm currently working under Young Master Lin."
"Young Master Lin?" The scrutinizing gaze fell upon Lin Qing Ge. She gave Yan Cheng Yi a look, and the resigned Yan Cheng Yi was about to act upon the unlucky Fan Liu when his wrist was entangled by the whip thrown by the woman in red.
"No need. His mother trusts him. If he dares to say anything out of line, I'll skin him and make a kite out of his hide!" Hearing those domineering words, the trembling Fan Liu wished he could just faint.
Since the other party insisted, Lin Qing Ge was no longer coy. She signaled Ling Han to stand down and then introduced herself, "I am Lin Jing Xing, the newly appointed Prefect of Shuntian. I was passing through this area on my way to my post and was ambushed by Brother Fan and his men. I had no choice but to borrow the name of Heroine Lu."
"What? You are Lord Lin Jing Xing?" Fan Liu, who had been cowering in the corner, rushed over. He was stopped by Yan Ting Hao about ten feet away from Lin Qing Ge. He didn't seem to mind, only looking intently at Lin Qing Ge and saying, "Lord Lin, I truly had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai! Had I known you were passing through, I wouldn't have dared to have any ill intentions towards you, even if you gave me ten times the courage!"
??? Lin Qing Ge, bewildered by Fan Liu's sudden outburst, was momentarily stunned. Fortunately, Fan Liu quickly explained, "Lord Lin, it's like this. I am originally from Bashu. Years ago, I ventured out and was unfortunately framed in a lawsuit, which forced me to hide in the mountains and become a bandit. Since I was a criminal, I feared implicating my family, so I never returned home. Who would have thought that this year, Bashu suffered a severe drought, and my hometown was the most seriously affected. I couldn't sleep worrying about my wife, children, and mother. After much effort, I finally managed to get some news. I heard that my wife, children, and mother had left our home and gone to Changzhou County in Fengtian Prefecture. The county magistrate there not only sheltered them but also built houses and allocated land for them. At that moment, I knelt and kowtowed several times in the direction of Changzhou County to you, my lord. Later, I heard that a plague had broken out in Changzhou County, and the place where my wife, children, and mother were settled was the discovery site and a heavily affected area of the plague. I was frantic like an ant on a hot pan, but I was powerless. However, not long after, I heard that the plague had been brought under control. Afterwards, I asked someone to contact my wife. In a letter she had someone else write for her, I learned that it was Changzhou County Magistrate Lin Jing Xing who, not fearing the risk of infection, personally went deep into the epidemic area, organized the rescue efforts for the plague, provided free grain and medicine, and even taught my Tie Dan to read and write during his rare leisure time. Such great kindness and virtue mean we, the Fan family, owe you immensely! Yet I almost offended you, my lord, and committed a grave mistake!"
As he spoke, Fan Liu slapped himself hard twice. Lin Qing Ge, feeling it was unnecessary, recalled that during the plague, she had been the most idle and had taught the children to write out of boredom. While Lin Qing Ge was reminiscing, Fan Liu suddenly knelt down with a thud. "Lord Lin, ever since I received my wife's letter, I have built a shrine in our village and enshrined your memorial tablet within it, burning incense and offering sacrifices daily to thank you for saving my entire Fan family, young and old!"
…Lin Qing Ge, who genuinely appreciated the sentiment, felt her eyelids twitch. Although she could see the sincerity in his excited expression, she couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't repaying a debt of gratitude but trying to get rid of her on the spot.
At this moment, the woman in red, having understood the situation, kicked the tearful Fan Liu aside and said with a hearty laugh, "So it's the Prefect! My apologies, my apologies! I am Lu Hong Mei from Qing Ci Kou, and people in the know call me 'Third Sister Lu'!" After speaking, Third Sister Lu patted Lu Ming Xuan hard on the back, "Xiao Ming, you rascal, you're impressive! After a few years, you've become a subordinate of the Prefect. Just how high-ranking is a Prefect!"
The force of the pat sent Lu Ming Xuan stumbling, and he promptly fell to his knees before Lin Zi Mo. Taken aback by the sudden bow, Lin Zi Mo blinked his grape-like eyes and pulled a candy from his pocket to offer. "Uncle Lu, Daddy says he has ways to make money from money, so my lucky money is kept by Daddy. Mo'er has no money, so I can only offer Uncle Lu candy."
Compared to the speechless Lu Ming Xuan, Third Sister Lu looked at Lin Zi Mo for a few moments and said with a chuckle, "Oh my, whose little child is this? He looks like the golden boy in a New Year's painting, so adorable!" She then raised her hand, intending to pinch the chubby cheeks of the little child, but remembering her brother's constant complaints about her strength, she sheepishly put her hand behind her back.
After some conversation, Lin Qing Ge learned that the dashing woman in red was Lu Ming Xuan's elder sister and the leader of the bandit alliance in Ying Tian Prefecture. Simply put, all the bandits within a hundred-mile radius obeyed her, making her a true hero among women. It was said that Lu Ming Xuan and his sister, at a very young age, experienced a major upheaval in their family and were taken in by their master while sleeping on the streets. However, their skills differed. Sister Lu Hong Mei was passionate about martial arts and wielded her whip with incredible skill, while her younger brother, Lu Xiao Ming, or Lu Ming Xuan, learned tricks of deception and swindling. For this, Sister Third Sister Lu often chided him. As for Lu Hong Mei, citing Lu Ming Xuan's frail health, she forced him to practice martial arts. Fearing that he would eventually be beaten to death by his sister's strong hand, the timid and undisciplined Lu Ming Xuan left a letter and ventured into the martial world alone.
"Who would have thought, who would have thought that our old Lu family's ancestral graves would emit green smoke, producing a subordinate of the Prefect! Lord Lin, if you are promoted to Prime Minister one day, wouldn't Xiao Ming become the Prime Minister's subordinate?" Seeing the proud look on his sister's face, Lu Ming Xuan lowered his head guiltily. It was true that he was working under his lord, but he was an yamen runner by order of punishment to offset his crime. Once the year-long term was up, he would regain his freedom! However, the current problem was how to deceive them. Knowing his sister, if she found out that he used his looks and sweet talk to cheat women out of their money, skinning him and making a kite out of him would be considered a light punishment!