Who Said Yamen Runners Couldn't Write Lyrics?

Heroine Chen's Great Sword still had quite a bit of intimidating power.

As the saying went, once you'd eaten someone else's food, your mouth went soft; once you'd taken their gifts, your hands went short.

He had already mastered the Yang Tian Jue.

Su Mo wasn't so stingy as to refuse to share a bit of cooking skill that could be learned anywhere at New Oriental.

He decisively thumped his chest and promised to teach her everything he knew.

Seeing Heroine Chen looking delighted beyond words,

Su Mo couldn't help sighing inwardly.

His old uncle really hadn't been wrong.

This girl was indeed a little foolish. Someone could sell her off, and she'd still help them count the money!

The plan to reform this foolish female knight-errant was a long and arduous road!

After breakfast,

Su Mo took the female knight-errant and the county magistrate's daughter to inspect the Eastern Market.

A towering structure rose from level ground.

This was the first piece of territory he had secured on his road to rising up. He couldn't afford to be careless.

Su Mo was having a grand time.

He was strolling through the streets with two stunning beauties who had both excellent figures and beautiful faces.

But in the rear residence of the County Yamen, things had already become lively before dawn!

Madam Wang wore a dark expression as she glared at Magistrate Xue, who was putting on his official robes!

Once the maids had helped Xue Shan put on his robe, she waved them away.

Then she finally couldn't hold back any longer and said through gritted teeth, "Yishu didn't come back all night!"

"Tell me honestly—where exactly did you hide her?"

Xue Shan said irritably, "I told you from the start, I didn't hide her!"

"I don't know where she ran off to either!"

"Besides, what are you worried about? Yishu has the Jade Sword Talisman protecting her. Who could possibly hurt her?"

Madam Wang let out a cold snort. "If you didn't hide her, then who did?"

"You think I'll believe you?"

"If you didn't do it, could you sleep soundly while our daughter was out all night?"

Xue Shan gave a heavy snort. "Didn't I already send people to look for her?"

"I have no time to argue with you. This official has to go to the yamen!"

Madam Wang blocked the doorway and sneered. "Sent people to look for her?"

"You sent people to hide Yishu even deeper, didn't you?"

"What was wrong with Jun'er?"

"He's not even thirty, yet he passed the metropolitan examination as a Second-Class Presented Scholar, made the palace list, and is waiting to be appointed to office by the court!"

"He's also Yishu's maternal cousin. Once they marry, our two families will become even closer, and the Xue and Yao families..."

Xue Shan flicked his sleeve and cut her off with a grunt. "When did I ever say there was anything wrong with Jun'er?"

"Can't you stop making a scene?"

"Truly, a petty man and a woman were difficult to deal with!"

Madam Wang laughed furiously. "I'm making a scene?"

"Fine!"

"Then answer me this: just who exactly is that Su Mo?"

"Should I send people over to arrest him and bring him here for you to interrogate personally?"

The moment Xue Shan heard that, his expression changed drastically, and the words escaped his mouth. "You dare!"

Madam Wang sneered at him. "What is there I wouldn't dare do?"

"Let me tell you—I already sent household servants over. Let's see where he can hide!"

When Xue Shan heard this, his face instantly went deathly pale. He trembled with rage and pointed at Madam Wang. "You... you..."

He stamped his foot violently. "You've ruined everything!"

He glared at Madam Wang. "Do you know who he is?"

"Call those people back at once!"

Seeing how violently Xue Shan reacted, Madam Wang couldn't help being startled. She hurriedly asked, "Isn't he just a lowly yamen runner?"

Xue Shan drew a deep breath and lowered his voice. "He's an Imperial Guard!"

Madam Wang instinctively said, "So what if he's an Imperial Guard?"

"Does being an Imperial Guard mean he can act with impunity?"

"Does being an Imperial Guard... mean he can abduct a virtuous unmarried woman?"

Her voice grew softer and softer, until at last she asked hesitantly, "Then what should we do now?"

"We can't let Yishu keep following that... Imperial Guard, can we?"

Xue Shan said irritably, "What else can we do?"

"Call them back immediately!"

"You truly don't know how the word 'death' is written. You dared go after an Imperial Guard!"

After a pause, he added, "I've thoroughly investigated that Su Mo. His character is acceptable. He shouldn't do anything excessive to Yishu."

Madam Wang snorted. "I don't care!"

"If word gets out, how will Yishu face people in the future? And how will she marry a good husband?"

"You must find Yishu today!"

"Otherwise..."

Xue Shan gave an angry snort. "Otherwise what?"

Madam Wang glared at him. "Otherwise, don't even think about returning to our room to sleep. You won't be staying in this side room either!"

Xue Shan flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "Then I won't stay!"

"You think I'm afraid of a shrew like you?"

"This official... this official..."

Magistrate Xue was incomparably brazen. "This official will sleep in the study. Let's see what you can do about it!"

Madam Wang stared dumbfoundedly as Magistrate Xue held his head high and strode out of the side room.

Who had given him such courage? How dare he call her a shrew?

That Imperial Guard, Su Mo?

Su Mo had no idea that Magistrate Xue's household was in turmoil. He was enthusiastically taking the two women around to inspect his territory!

He had even brought along a small notebook, personally inspecting one by one the brothels, taverns, gambling dens, and other establishments that paid the most in regular fees!

As they walked, he explained to Heroine Chen the matters she would need to keep in mind when she became an Assistant Servant and took charge of the Eastern Market.

He was naturally filled with grand ambitions.

Although he had never studied management in his previous life,

he had read plenty of webnovels, especially novels about transmigrating to ancient times.

He had decided to change the Eastern Market's situation.

For example, he would establish uniform standards for regular fees, improve the law-enforcement image of the yamen runners, eliminate illegal peddlers, optimize the trading environment, and crack down harshly on hooligans, bullies monopolizing the market, and similar behavior.

Once the rules were established,

the Eastern Market would become peaceful and prosperous, merchants' businesses would flourish, and the regular fees collected would grow larger and larger.

His official career would naturally proceed smoothly.

Wouldn't Magistrate Xue then have a reason to promote him to Deputy Constable?

Su Mo and Heroine Chen studied the Eastern Market's reform plan for the future.

Xue Yishu, meanwhile, was like a curious baby. Everything was new to her. She didn't even know what candied hawthorn was, and kept looking left and right while asking Su Mo questions about everything.

This often interrupted Su Mo's reform plans.

Still, her favorability was rising incredibly quickly.

It had shot up several points at once.

It was nearing fifteen percent!

Considering that she had a Spirit Severing Realm powerhouse behind her, raising this girl's favorability was the same as raising the favorability of an immortal-path sorcerer powerhouse.

Su Mo endured it!

After walking around for a while, Su Mo felt his mouth go dry, while his stomach began to rumble like thunder.

Because he had underestimated the two women's appetites, he had eaten at least half less than he normally would at breakfast. He really couldn't hold out any longer.

"Let's stop here for now!"

"Let's find something to eat and fill our stomachs. I know a steamed-bun shop around here that tastes pretty good!"

Su Mo swallowed and added, "After we eat the buns, we'll go to the dog market!"

Buying dogs to bite people was practically becoming an obsession!

Heroine Chen widened her eyes. "You really want to buy a dog?"

Su Mo rolled his eyes. "Obviously!"

"If I don't buy a few vicious dogs to guard the house, how could I possibly live up to my current status as a Regular Servant of the yamen?"

Su Mo paused, then clicked his tongue in admiration. "It would be even better if I could buy a goshawk!"

"As the saying goes: 'My old heart stirs with youthful madness; on my left I lead a yellow hound, on my right I hold a gray falcon, in a brocade cap and sable coat, with a thousand riders sweeping across the hills...'"

He had just shown off a little when he suddenly hit a blank, forgetting what came next.

He shut his mouth awkwardly.

He was about to call out to Heroine Chen and the county magistrate's daughter and satisfy their appetites at the steamed-bun shop,

when he saw Xue Yishu staring at him with wide eyes, utterly astonished.

Su Mo was briefly bewildered and instinctively touched his cheek.

There didn't seem to be anything dirty on it, right?

Seeing Su Mo suddenly stop, Xue Yishu actually asked urgently, "What comes next?"

Su Mo found it inexplicable. "What comes next?"

"You know this cold joke too?"

"There's nothing after that?"

Xue Yishu grew anxious. "How could there be nothing?"

"It's the 'My old heart stirs with youthful madness; on my left I lead a yellow hound, on my right I hold a gray falcon, in a brocade cap and sable coat, with a thousand riders sweeping across the hills' that you just recited!"

"Keep going!"

Su Mo blinked.

Who would have thought the county magistrate's daughter was a little lyric enthusiast?

With her staring at him so intently, Su Mo felt a little uneasy, but he managed to recall a few more lines.

"Mm... mm..."

"'To repay the citywide beauty who follows her governor, I shoot the tiger myself, so that Sun the Conqueror may see. With wine warming my heart and courage swelling my chest, I remain broad of spirit. My temples are touched with frost... touched with frost...'"

"Ah, I really can't remember!"

This was Su Shi's famous "River City: Hunting at Mizhou."

But the most famous part was the opening line: "My old heart stirs with youthful madness; on my left I lead a yellow hound, on my right I hold a gray falcon."

As for what came afterward, hardly anyone could recite it.

It was only because Su Mo had possessed a good memory in his previous life that he remembered so much.

Xue Yishu was so excited that her delicate body trembled. "What excellent lyrics! Truly excellent lyrics!"

Her breathing grew somewhat hurried. "May I ask Brother Su who composed this piece? Could you introduce me to Master Xue?"

Su Mo was a little displeased.

"Why does it have to be someone else who wrote it? Can't I have written it?"

"I wrote it before and just can't remember it now. Is that not allowed?"

Xue Yishu giggled. "Brother Su, don't joke around."

"It's not that I look down on you, Brother Su. It's just... it's just that given your identity, it's difficult for me to believe you wrote this piece!"

Did she take him for a three-year-old?

The opening was clearly "My old heart stirs with youthful madness"!

This Su yamen runner didn't look anywhere near old enough to be calling himself an old man, did he?

But the more she put it that way, the more unhappy Su Mo became.

He was just about to explain that he had used an advanced, creatively misaligned method of lyric writing, comparing himself to an old man and all that,

when the words had not yet left his mouth

before a burst of shouting, commotion, and smashing sounds suddenly came from ahead.

He looked over carefully and saw that, not far away, the steamed-bun shop where they had eaten last time had been overrun by more than a dozen local thugs and hooligans, who were smashing everything in sight!

The old man who ran the steamed-bun shop had even been kicked to the ground.

The old man's pretty young daughter threw herself forward in fury and grief, pushing away the thugs who were kicking and beating him.