Transmigrating with a Five Million Dollar Retirement Life

Chapter 180 Prefect Xiao Su

Within a quarter of an hour, all the thieves were tied together.

With guards carrying swords watching over her, Song Jiaojiao dismounted and walked towards the other side.

"Thank you for your help, brother." Song Jiaojiao bowed with clasped hands two meters away from the carriage.

As soon as Song Jiaojiao finished speaking, a man over fifty years old stepped down from the carriage. He was dressed in a dark green robe, had bright and piercing eyes, a small goatee, and exuded an aura of righteousness.

"No need for formalities, this is simply what I should do." A deep, resonant voice rang out, commanding respect.

Song Jiaojiao boldly raised her head, glanced at the man, and then noticed the Xiao character plaque hanging on the carriage behind her.

"This humble subject greets Prefect Xiao and thanks Prefect Xiao for his assistance." Song Jiaojiao boldly guessed that the person in front of her was Prefect Xiao Su, who was always on the move.

"Get up quickly, no need for formalities. Do you know these thieves, young master?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, these are the people who caused trouble in the prefectural city some time ago. Master Xiao searched the city from top to bottom but couldn't find them. I didn't expect them to actually leave the city and set up an ambush here early on."

Fortunately, I encountered an official who came to my aid today; otherwise, I fear I would have been in grave danger.

Song Jiaojiao bowed to Prefect Xiao again, and in doing so, revealed the information she knew.

"I see. It's their good fortune to have met me. I won't say any more. We need to take them back to avoid causing any trouble."

"Yes, sir, please take care." Song Jiaojiao quickly moved her carriage to the side to let Prefect Xiao pass.

After Prefect Xiao and his men had all gone far away, Song Jiaojiao boarded the carriage and set off.

Fei Hu jumped into the carriage, and Song Jiaojiao gave him a piece of osmanthus cake, saying, "You've worked hard, Fei Hu. It's good to have you."

He stroked Fei Hu's fur while thinking to himself.

"Mom, who was that old man just now?" Mu Xue asked curiously, appearing calm despite having experienced so much.

"That was the prefect. Luckily, I ran into him today on his way back to Nanning Prefecture." Song Jiaojiao glanced back, still feeling a lingering fear, and said.

Upon exiting Guantian Gorge, Prefect Xiao was greeted by his advisor, Master Xiao.

"Master, you must be tired from the journey!" Master Xiao said from the window as the carriage moved along.

"Hmm!" Prefect Xiao simply replied without saying anything more.

Knowing that his master was tired from the long journey, Master Xiao did not disturb him any further. Looking back, he saw the thief he had been searching for in the city.

His heart tightened, and his face instantly fell. He still had to think about how to tell her that the young lady had almost been kidnapped by thieves.

After passing Guantian Gorge, the road is mostly surrounded by mountains. On one side of the official road are high mountains, and on the other side are cliffs. If you are not careful, you may fall down the mountain. Fortunately, the official road is well-maintained and wide enough that a carriage can pass through.

“Madam, the Taihang Mountains are just ahead. Once you cross the Taihang Mountains, you’ll reach Kunzhou,” Zhou Dadan said from outside the carriage.

After what just happened, Zhou Dadan and Zhang Li sat in Song Jiaojiao's carriage. This way, they could spot any problems in time, and they could also take turns driving the carriage with Zhang Li.

"Hmm, how far is it to the next town?" Song Jiaojiao asked, looking at the map.

The Taihang Mountains stretch for thousands of miles, with an official road built along the Chunjiang River. The Chunjiang River is hundreds of meters wide, and its water is turbid and swift, so much so that it is dazzling to look at it for long.

"It's still a day's journey, but there's a post station ahead, so we should be able to arrive before sunset," Zhou Dadan said.

"Okay, let's not rest on the way. If we get tired from driving, we can take turns and try to get to the post station as soon as possible." Song Jiaojiao thought that it was better to get to the post station than to spend the night in the wilderness.

"Yes, ma'am."

As time passed, the sun gradually set. There were mountains on both sides, and the sunlight disappeared early on. Without the sunlight, the mountains were always damp and cold.

Only a faint light remained on the horizon, but thankfully, after turning this bend, we could see the faint light emanating from the post station not far away.

"Madam, we're almost there!" Zhou Dadan said.

Song Jiaojiao stretched and said in a tired voice, "Well, we've finally arrived!"

Mu Xue was fast asleep on the couch. She hadn't stopped the whole way, which must have been tough on the little one.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to choose this carriage instead of something fancy, and instead spent a lot of money to build it. Otherwise, I would have been exhausted by the end of the journey.

The carriage stopped in front of the post station, and Zhou Dayong went to knock on the door.

The people at the post station opened a crack and peeked outside. They saw two carriages, which must have been the merchant caravan.

"What's the matter?" the person inside the shop asked.

"Check into a hotel!" Zhou Dayong had traveled to many places and knew that post stations were also open to the general public.

"Show me your household registration?" It's no wonder the shopkeepers are cautious; in this desolate place, if you weren't careful, you would have lost your life long ago.

Zhou Dayong knew about this procedure and took out a document he had prepared beforehand to show to the people in the store.

After the people inside the store confirmed that everything was in order, they opened the door, and Song Jiaojiao brought Mu Xue, who had just been woken up and was still a little dazed, downstairs.

"How many rooms do you need, sir?" the waiter asked casually.

“Five rooms!” Song Jiaojiao estimated and stated the number.

"There are no five rooms left, only four!" the waiter said.

"Then let's have four rooms."

"Alright, come with me." The waiter led Song Jiaojiao upstairs and pointed to the row of rooms.

"These, these, and those two are your rooms. The inn doesn't provide food or hot water, but you can use the kitchen. The outhouse is next to the kitchen. Park the carriage in the stables at the back. If you need anything, please come to the front desk to find me." The waiter finished speaking and left.

Song Jiaojiao pushed open the door to the room in front of her. The room was very small, with only a 1.5-meter bed inside. A tea table and two chairs were placed by the window.

The bed was covered with a dark blue cotton quilt, which looked clean, but Song Jiaojiao still had someone bring the quilt from the carriage up.

"Mom, this place is so small," Mu Xue said, wrinkling her nose. It wasn't even half the size of her room.

"This is the only condition we have when we're away from home. Things will be better once we get to town," Song Jiaojiao said slowly.

"Madam, I'll go to the kitchen to boil some water," Shang Xiaoxiao said, putting the quilt away.

"Alright, call your brother and make dinner while you're at it. Just make something simple. There are plenty of buns in the carriage, so just heat them up to prevent them from spoiling later."

Thinking that it's best to keep things simple when traveling, Song Jiaojiao asked Shang Xiaoxiao to do a simple job.

"I understand, Madam." Shang Xiaoxiao nodded and left.

After Song Jiaojiao put her things away, she took Mu Xue to the lobby, where Zhou Dayong and the others were drinking tea.

"Young Master." Upon seeing Song Jiaojiao approach, Jinren stood up and bowed.

After Song Jiaojiao sat down, she said, "You all sit down too. Zhang Li, you and Shang Yu will share a room tonight. Dayong, you and your brother will share a room. The conditions here aren't great, so just make do for one night."

“Young master is joking. We’ve been to places with even worse conditions. This place is considered good. Some post stations are so dilapidated that it’s better to spend the night in the wilderness.”

Zhou Dayong smiled sheepishly as he thought about the places he had visited over the years.