The Sickly Magistrate from the Chief Escort's Household

A tough-talking, soft-hearted chief escort who takes care of everything like a father figure x a beautiful, sickly magistrate who plays the pig to eat the tiger

Lin Mingyu is a newly appointed top scholar, with a face as lovely as a peach blossom and looks to rival Pan An. Unfortunately, after offending someone, he is sent to the most remote and impoverished county, Qinghe.

On his first day in office, Lin Mingyu stands before the county yamen, half of which has collapsed, dumbfounded.

That very night, he falls seriously ill, and the shabby little house comes crashing down around him.

Fortunately, Yue Zhi, chief escort of the Jinding Escort Agency, has just returned to the village and pulls him out of the rubble. “You're the new magistrate? You want to suppress bandits, too? I bet they'd gobble you up in two bites!”

As Yue Zhi carries him through the wind, Lin Mingyu opens his mouth and throws up all over him. Yue Zhi's face darkens. He shakes the man in his arms. “Pay me back!”

The little magistrate's face is deathly pale. “I-I don't have any money... Would you let me wash your clothes clean?”

The little magistrate is as weak as a willow and clearly born to be pampered. He's set his sights on the chief escort's bed.

After rescuing him from bandits for who knows how many times, Yue Zhi says coldly, “You think you can suppress bandits like this?”

Lin Mingyu grins foolishly. “You're strong. I'm not afraid!”

“...I'll be waiting for you to run back to the capital!”

Who would have thought that before long, he would be leading the villagers in building roads, restoring farmland, and bringing in an instructor to teach the village's able-bodied men martial arts, all in preparation for taking down the bandits' den?

Yue Zhi: I paid for the roads. I paid for the farmland, too. And that instructor? You poached him from me!

The chief escort is so furious his teeth ache. He scolds Lin Mingyu for being an ungrateful little wretch. But at night, when he lifts the covers and sees Lin Mingyu waiting for him with his cheeks flushed, all his anger vanishes.

Lin Mingyu pats the bed. “Come on, I warmed it up for you!”

After the bandits are driven out of Qinghe County, the villagers are full of hope, and even their after-dinner chats become livelier.

“Chief Escort Yue may have a temper, but people say there's always someone who can tame you. The moment Magistrate Lin frowns, he goes quiet. They sure have a good relationship.”

“Of course! They're as close as brothers. They even sleep in the same bed!”

“Even if they're close, shouldn't they save the kissing for somewhere other than by the river?”

Reader's Guide:

1. Both leads are each other's first and only, with an older gong and mutual pampering.

2. Farming takes up a large part of the story, with a focus on romance.

Theme: Finding your way to each other, through mountains and seas beneath the stars.