Chapter 8

The inspector of the naval academy, the censor of the Southern Zhili region, Xie Tingjie, and the attached student of the county school, Wang Fulin!

When such a signed warrant was placed on the table, whether it was the capable and fiery Wang Erniang or the mischievous Wang Xiaomei, they all felt anxious and disoriented. Wang Fulin, however, remained calm, asked the three swift couriers who had come to the door to wait a moment, and after returning to his room, quickly packed and came out with Jinbao. Seeing her brother about to leave with these officials, Wang Erniang finally couldn't hold back and rushed forward, grabbing his sleeve.

"Brother, I'll go with you into the city!"

"Nonsense, you and Xiaomei stay and watch the house!" Wang Fulin turned around and saw that Wang Xiaomei had also followed Wang Erniang, her eyes brimming with tears. Given the presence of outsiders, he couldn't fully explain the situation, so he could only nod and comfort them, "Wait for me. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

Today, three swift couriers from the She County government had come: the chief courier Xu Jie, the deputy courier Ma Neng, and the assistant courier Liu San. The chief courier was on the official roster, known as a regular official, while the deputy and assistant couriers were approved additions, akin to the difference between a regular employee and a contract worker. This was similar to the distinction between the county school's regular students and the additional students—regular students were senior scholars who received monthly rations, and regular officials received monthly pay, while additional students were waiting to become regular students, just as deputy and assistant couriers were waiting to become regular couriers. Besides them, the county government also had many unregistered helpers and assistants who relied on various informal fees to make ends meet.

On a normal day, for such a good assignment in the countryside, more than three people would be sent, and a dozen or more unregistered helpers would be brought along, causing a great commotion. The target of the warrant would be squeezed dry. However, today's situation was different. The warrant was not issued by the county magistrate but by the newly arrived censor of the Southern Zhili region, Xie Tingjie, who only borrowed them to escort the person. Since the person being escorted was a scholar with a degree, they naturally had to show him the appropriate respect. However, thinking of the rampant rumors and the attitude of the chief examiner, some believed that Wang Fulin wouldn't pass this test.

Therefore, when they were about to leave, and seeing that the Wang family had not even made a gesture, Liu San felt unhappy and muttered some inappropriate words. Wang Erniang, who was already in low spirits, suddenly came to her senses. Although she was fiery and strong, she knew that dealing with officials was tricky. She suddenly left her brother and returned to the house, and soon came out quickly, silently handing three strings of coins to the three couriers.

"This is a twenty-mile journey to Huizhou City. Please take care of my brother!"

Hearing her words and seeing the few dozen coins in his hand, Liu San sneered, "We will handle things by the book and won't make it difficult for young Master Wang!"

Seeing Wang Erniang believe him, she secretly slipped a handful of loose silver into her own pocket. Wang Fulin knew she didn't understand the intricacies of dealing with these officials, but he wasn't afraid. Over the past few days, he had been waking up early to exercise, going out in the afternoon to greet and chat with neighbors, and Wang Erniang often shared fresh food with the neighbors. As a scholar, his humble demeanor had won him the goodwill of the villagers. He had also made some preparations in advance, and when the officials came, he had Wang Qi inform the neighbors.

Sure enough, when he followed the three couriers out, he saw that a crowd of about twenty people had gathered at the door.

"Brother Lin is just following his parents' wishes and focusing on his exams. What did he do wrong to be treated like this!" The first to speak was an old man with a cane, who stomped it angrily and said, "In the past three years, our Songming Village has produced only one scholar. Who did he offend?"

"Brother Lin, we will go with you to Huizhou City and ask the chief examiner for justice!"

Seeing the angry crowd of ordinary farmers, the chief courier Xu Jie, who had been quiet until now, finally stepped forward to mediate. "The chief examiner is just summoning young Master Wang for questioning. Fellow villagers, please calm down. We will escort young Master Wang to Huizhou City and do our best..."

Liu San, the nephew of the household clerk Liu, had skipped the unregistered helper stage and become an assistant courier directly. Seeing Xu Jie being so polite to a bunch of peasants, he was puzzled and asked Ma Neng, "This little guy's degree is about to be revoked. Why is Chief Xu being so humble to these villagers?"

Ma Neng, who usually had a smiling face, was known as a smiling tiger in the She County government. He glanced at Wang Fulin, who was helping Xu Jie persuade the villagers, and said with a forced smile, "Is this your first time in Songming Village in Qianqiu? Compared to Xixi Village across the river, there are fewer people here, but they are just as tough! Do you see those houses in front of Songming Mountain?"

He pointed to the neatly arranged estates and said meaningfully, "It's said that Mr. Nanming might be reinstated. Before he was dismissed, he was the governor of Fujian. Once reinstated, he will be at least a governor-general, not lower in rank! Otherwise, why would only three of us come today? For a scholar with an ordinary background, if the chief examiner personally issued the warrant, there would have been a dozen or more people swarming here!"

Liu San, whose uncle was a household clerk and could act arrogantly in the countryside, had been planning to take advantage of the situation in Songming Village. Hearing the word "governor," he was startled.

The county magistrate, the chief clerk, and the county deputy were just formalities, but above the household clerk was the county magistrate, and above the county magistrate was the prefect. The prefect was far from the governor! Seeing the neatly arranged house and the hundred acres of land, he knew the Wang family was well-off. But for a twenty-mile journey, he only got a string of thirty or forty coins, which made him feel very unsatisfied.

"Even if they are from the same village and the same clan, they may not be that close. Besides, he is just a retired official. And the little guy has committed a major taboo. It's said that when the chief examiner came to Huizhou City, he didn't go to the prefecture but to the county, and his face was very grim!"

Ma Neng stopped there, sensing that Liu San still wanted to make some money. He simply folded his arms and said nothing.

At this moment, the villagers were gradually being persuaded to leave, leaving only a few. Liu San approached Xu Jie and said, "Chief Xu, we only came with three people today, and there was no big commotion. Why did so many people gather? If we delay the chief examiner's schedule, we will have to report it truthfully, saying that someone incited the people to resist the government!"

The remaining few, who had decided to accompany Wang Fulin to Huizhou City, glared at Liu San. Liu San, however, didn't care about these ordinary villagers and was about to add more when Xu Jie saw several people carrying an empty sedan chair approaching.

When they got closer, a middle-aged man stepped forward and bowed to Wang Fulin, saying, "My master instructed us to carry the sedan chair to send young Master to Huizhou City, as the twenty-mile journey is difficult!"

Seeing more people joining, Liu San's face darkened. Before he could ask who the master was, an older man among the remaining villagers shouted, "It's Mr. Nanming's servant! I said it, Brother Lin is a scholar, and Mr. Nanming wouldn't just sit by!"

"Mr. Nanming is a senior and an elder, and he is thoughtful!"

Xu Jie, a seasoned swift courier, didn't want to cause trouble in Songming Village. He was quite unhappy with Liu San's talk but didn't want to quarrel with him, as he was the nephew of the household clerk. He quickly tried to calm things down, bowed, and confirmed that the people were indeed sent by the feared master. This made him even more uneasy.

The recent events in Huizhou City were not just about a small scholar causing trouble. Those who were well-informed knew it was more serious!

Jinbao stood behind Wang Fulin and, seeing the most respected elder in the village sending people to escort him, was both excited and happy. He whispered, "Father really has a way, to get Mr. Nanming to support us."

Don't praise me, I'm still confused!

Wang Fulin's lips twitched. He wasn't worried about meeting the chief examiner in Huizhou City but feared the twenty-mile journey from Songming Village. After all, he had been injured by a sedan chair bearer before. So, he had made friends with a few kind-hearted villagers and asked them to escort him, but he had no way to reach Mr. Nanming. Why would he offer help?

Could it be because of the same clan, and they didn't mind our family's isolation, so they reached out?

Not thinking about what he couldn't understand, he quickly thanked the people but didn't ask about the reason. After getting into the sedan chair and being lifted by two strong servants, he waved to his crying sister and younger sister and focused on the road ahead.

Goal: Huizhou City! The battle to defend his degree is about to begin!

PS: Fourth update!

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