Seeing Ye Zhinan standing there in a daze, Sister Hong thought she was scared out of her wits and quickly nudged her in the side.
"Scared silly? Hurry up then. Don't keep the prefect waiting impatiently."
Ye Zhinan nodded repeatedly, thanked Sister Hong, and then turned around to chase after her father and elder brother.
She ran out of breath. Only when she saw Ye Shenyan's figure did she heave a sigh of relief.
"Father, is this the news you mentioned?"
Ye Shenyan twirled his beard and showed a meaningful smile.
She immediately understood and followed the two of them quickly towards the prefect's mansion.
The prefect's mansion was not imposing. It was only slightly larger than the yamen. But when she walked in, she found that the furnishings inside were truly simple.
There was an old stone table in the middle of the yard, and there were no other items displayed in the hall. There were only simple office supplies.
Ye Zhinan observed the surrounding scenery and secretly sighed that the owner of the house was indeed an honest and upright official.
There were very few servants in the mansion. Only an old, white - haired butler welcomed the three of them in and brewed a pot of tea for them.
"Our master is still discussing matters with a friend in the study. Please sit down for a while. He'll be here soon."
Ye Shenyan nodded with a smile, but Ye Zhinan could see a hint of cunning in his eyes.
She never used to interfere in family affairs and had never heard that her father had any contact with people in the Northern Border.
But it seemed that things were far more complicated than they appeared.
Ye Zhinan pursed her lips and played with the teacup in her hand, thinking about many things in her mind.
It was not until she heard footsteps outside that she looked up.
Beside Qin Yihuai stood a gentle and handsome man in a crimson robe, with a polite smile on his eyes and brows.
When he saw Ye Shenyan sitting in the hall clearly, he quickly stepped forward, as if reuniting with an old friend.
"Brother Ye! Long time no see!"
Ye Zhinan was stunned. She blinked her eyes and turned to look at Qin Yihuai.
She needed someone to explain this to her.
Qin Yihuai secretly leaned over to her and whispered an explanation.
"The prefect and Senior Ye's family are family friends. The prefect was demoted to the Northern Border thanks to your father's kindness, which barely saved his life. So there's indeed a debt of gratitude."
Ye Zhinan nodded half - understandingly and watched the two people chatting merrily beside her, lost in thought.
She never thought that her father had done so many good deeds in places where others couldn't see. It was a pity that God was blind and their family had to suffer so much.
"I invited you here this time to discuss the matter of rehabilitating the mountain bandits. You're smart and probably guessed my relationship with the prefect."
She wasn't paying attention to Qin Yihuai, but after being reminded, she could piece together the scattered fragments.
Some things seemed to make sense.
"Shen Beiting! I was sent to your territory, but you didn't even come to see me. Instead, you let others bully me. If I can ever go back one day, I'll surely report you to your father."
Shen Beiting threw his head back and laughed, then pointed at Ye Shenyan and scolded playfully.
"You old eccentric!"
In Ye Zhinan's impression, Ye Shenyan was always cautious in his words and deeds. He usually sat upright, and it was rare for him to be so carefree.
Ye Shenyan waved his hand and beckoned the two of them over. Ye Zhinan stood obediently beside him and bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Uncle Shen."
Shen Beiting beamed with joy and repeatedly praised Ye Zhinan as a brave and resourceful woman. She seemed gentle and weak, but actually had a lot on her mind.
Ye Zhinan didn't know if it was a compliment or a sarcasm, so she could only force a few laughs.
She never thought that the prefect could also say things that made people feel embarrassed.
After some pleasantries, Shen Beiting put away his smile and looked at everyone seriously.
"The matter of the mountain bandits has troubled me for many years. It's just a thing of the past and there's no way to verify it. They're extremely wary of the government, so it might be difficult to get in touch with them."
Shen Beiting came to the Northern Border a few years ago. At that time, there were often mountain bandits causing trouble.
He had also sent people to attack them, but the bandits had declared themselves kings and had the help of the villagers at the foot of the mountain.
The villagers were not happy about the fight and even fought with their lives on the line.
"They're loved by the villagers, which shows that they're not completely bad people. A few years ago, when I was investigating the case files, I did see the conflicts in the Northern Border."
Ye Shenyan told what he knew in detail, uncovering the long - sealed secret from more than a decade ago.
"It's strange. The Northern Border is indeed a bit cold and bitter, but the land is vast and the population is sparse. Logically speaking, people shouldn't covet the land of the mountain bandits. But that year, they just took over their territory and almost caused a life - threatening incident."
After the incident, the bandits went to the capital to complain, but on the way, they were caught by the government officials and taken back.
With nowhere to vent their grievances, they could only place all their hatred on the government.
In any dynasty, hatred would continue indefinitely.
In the end, it even became their belief and principle.
"The person who tied the bell has to untie it. It's a pity that the former prefect has been killed by them. Logically speaking, after avenging their great hatred, they should put down their hatred. But what they want to do is not to let it go."
Ye Zhinan listened carefully and gradually found that if this matter wanted to be resolved peacefully, they not only had to untie the knot from that year.
They also had to start from the current situation and make the bandits trust the government.
"If this is the case, then war is no longer suitable. They've already experienced bloodshed, and they're all compatriots. They shouldn't fight against each other."
Ye Yingfeng had never fought a civil war, and his knife had never been pointed at his own people.
He had fought in battles and killed enemies, and his hands were indeed stained with a lot of blood.
But those were all for the purpose of recovering the border and attacking enemy countries.
He couldn't bear to harm innocent villagers for any reason.
"We also don't want to use force. The Northern Border is not taken seriously. I'm a demoted official and have no say in the court. The emperor still has misgivings about me and will definitely not send troops here."
Shen Beiting put away the smile on his face and lowered his head to take a sip of hot tea.
Only then did Ye Zhinan notice that there were more white hairs on his head than on Ye Shenyan's.
It seemed that he had also worried a great deal for the common people.
"Since we made a mistake first, we have to make up for it. Moreover, we have to offer some incentives to regain their trust."
The five of them talked all night long and finally made a plan.
As the sky gradually darkened, the Ye family father and son simply stayed in the prefect's mansion and prepared to start tomorrow's action.
Ye Zhinan didn't know if she was excited or overly worried. She tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
She stood up and paced around the room for a few times. Feeling stuffy in her heart, she simply went out for a walk.
As soon as she walked into the yard, she saw a familiar figure standing not far away.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Thinking about what you're thinking about."
The two of them looked at each other in silence, and then suddenly burst into laughter.
Their task was to go to the foot of the mountain to gather information. If they could win over the villagers first, it would be the first step towards success.
"It can't be called winning over. It's just that the villagers at the foot of the mountain are like a bridge, giving us a chance to communicate with each other."
She showed a smile and rubbed her frozen and stiff hands vigorously.