Chapter 98

The fat man was overjoyed and respectfully kowtowed to Xu Qinglian, saying, "Your Excellency, I am Jia Dewang, from Nangmen Village, Ten Li Slope. I have an eighty-year-old mother at home and a pair of infants in swaddling clothes who are crying for food."

Xu Qinglian raised the wooden gavel and slammed it down with a bang, "You insolent rascal, how dare you deceive me? From your appearance, you look to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. How can you have an eighty-year-old mother? And how can you have two infants in swaddling clothes at the same time? Do you really think I am easy to deceive? A woman giving birth at fifty is indeed rare."

Jia Dewang cried out, "Your Excellency, I am wronged. Every word I say is true. My mother was fifty-three when she gave birth to me. I have seven older siblings, but they all died young. My two children are twins, so they are both in swaddling clothes. My family has fallen on hard times, and we are truly suffering!"

His words seemed reasonable.

Xu Qinglian snorted, "You dare to claim you have twins? Bring him in for twenty strokes!" Ordinary people wouldn't dare to publicly claim they have twins; the terms 'dragon' and 'phoenix' are not to be used lightly. Jia Dewang inadvertently broke a taboo and deserved to be beaten.

A group of bailiffs rushed forward like wolves, pushed Jia Dewang to the ground, and dragged him out by his legs. Poor fellow, he hadn't even explained the reason for today's incident when he was dragged away and beaten with twenty strokes.

Meng Ruiyan frowned and whispered to Hu Xiaotian, "He's really ruthless!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled faintly. He still didn't understand what had happened or why the fat man and the thin man had come to court. From the current situation, it seemed that Xu Qinglian was a strict and harsh official.

The thin man, seeing the fat man being beaten, showed a look of fear. When Xu Qinglian's gaze turned to him, he blinked and shivered.

Xu Qinglian chuckled, and his laugh was chilling. Xu Qinglian said, "You claim to be the aggrieved party. What is your grievance?"

The thin man was taken aback, "Your Excellency, I am Jia Liù, from Hou Mountain Nest in Lushui Town, Qingyun County. I make a living by herding sheep. This goat is mine. After it went missing, it was hidden by that Jia. Fortunately, I discovered it..."

Xu Qinglian said, "You claim the goat is yours. Do you have any evidence?"

Jia Liù bit his lip, "I naturally recognize the goat I raised."

Xu Qinglian said, "Does it recognize you?"

Jia Liù nodded.

Xu Qinglian said, "Alright, bring the goat in. Call it and see if it responds."

Jia Liù was completely stunned. At this moment, the fat man Jia Dewang, who had just been beaten with twenty strokes, was dragged back into the court. He couldn't even stand, lying on the ground and moaning. He no longer cried out for justice but called Xu Qinglian a corrupt official, which immediately touched Xu Qinglian's nerves.

Xu Qinglian raised the gavel and slammed it down with a bang, shouting, "Drag him out..."

At this moment, the clerk Xing Shan quickly approached and whispered something to Xu Qinglian, fearing that he might cause a death. After hearing him, Xu Qinglian changed his mind and coldly said, "You insolent rascal, roaring in the court and insulting an official of the court. You should be beaten to death on the spot, but since this is your first offense, I will give you a chance. Bailiffs, take Jia Dewang to prison and let him reflect on his actions." The bailiffs rushed forward, grabbed Jia Dewang, and dragged him out to the prison.

Jia Dewang seemed to have lost his spirit and no longer cursed Xu Qinglian, only crying out for justice.

Jia Liù was now pale with fear. When Xu Qinglian looked at him again, he sneezed twice, as fear can make one allergic.

The goat had already been brought into the court. Xu Qinglian said, "The goat is here. Call it and see if it responds."

Jia Liù looked miserable and shook his head, "Your Excellency, I won't sue anymore!" Everyone understood that the goat couldn't possibly understand human speech. Jia Liù's decision to withdraw his lawsuit was wise, but it was too late.

Xu Qinglian said, "You won't sue anymore? So the goat belongs to Jia Dewang?"

Jia Liù shook his head, "It's not his!"

"Then it's yours?"

The thin man swallowed, now too afraid to admit it. He kowtowed three times, "Your Excellency, I was wrong. I won't sue anymore."

Xu Qinglian coldly laughed, "You two rascals, you look like criminals. You must have stolen this goat from somewhere and are arguing over the spoils. You dare to come here to seek justice? Do you think I am foolish?" He grabbed the gavel and threw it, a habit of his. Xu Qinglian said, "Bailiffs, give him ten strokes, a fine of five taels of silver, and kick him out. The goat will be confiscated. I will investigate further and make a decision."

Hu Xiaotian now understood. Xu Qinglian's true goal was the goat. He wasn't afraid of thieves stealing but was afraid of thieves who had designs on something. If they had designs, it would surely lead to trouble.

The thin man was also beaten with ten strokes and fined ten taels of silver before being kicked out of the court.

The onlookers stared at each other, though they were unhappy, none dared to speak. The case was over, and the bailiffs escorted the onlookers out of the county office.

Hu Xiaotian and his companions left with the crowd. He had originally planned to meet Xu Qinglian, but after seeing the entire process, he decided against it. This man was a corrupt official! He beat the defendant and the plaintiff and even confiscated the evidence. He was greedy and shameless.

After the people left the county office, they all whispered in anger.

Hu Xiaotian saw a middle-aged man who looked agitated and approached him, "Brother, I'm confused about this case."

The middle-aged man said, "What's there to be confused about? Our Xu大人 has his eye on the goat. The plaintiff wants to eat, the defendant wants to eat, and he wants to eat the goat too! And the silver too!" After saying this, he realized he was facing a stranger and sighed, "Young brother, from your accent, you must be from out of town. Do you know that in Qingyun County, very few people voluntarily go to court? Because everyone knows that no matter how right you are, once you step into this government office, you will not only be beaten but also fined..." He felt he had said too much and smiled, "It's best not to talk too much about government affairs."

At this moment, two bailiffs threw the beaten Jia Liù out of the county office and slammed the door shut. Jia Liù lay on the ground for a long time, and though many people were watching, no one came to help him. Finally, Jia Liù got up, leaning on the wall and holding his buttocks, and left the county office with a grimace.

Because of this unexpected incident, Hu Xiaotian decided to delay reporting to the county office. He still had three days before his appointment, so he decided to find a inn to rest and familiarize himself with Qingyun County.

The three of them stayed at the Fulin Inn on East Street. The innkeeper, Su Guangju, was a middle-aged man with a kind and amiable appearance. The Fulin Inn was not luxurious, with only eight rooms, but it was clean and tidy. More importantly, the innkeeper was a good cook.

After settling in, Hu Xiaotian took a hot bath and went to the grape arbor in the courtyard. Liang Dazhuang had already set up the table, and the dishes and wine were fragrant.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian come in, Liang Dazhuang smiled, "Young master, the food and lodging here are very cheap. The silver we have left is enough for us to stay comfortably for half a month."

Hu Xiaotian sat down at the table, "It won't take that long. We'll start work in a few days."

"Start work?" Liang Dazhuang was confused by this new term.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and lowered his voice, "It means taking office, being low-key. We must maintain a low profile. I don't want others to know my identity for the next few days." This was because of his father's instructions. If not for this, Hu Xiaotian would have already used his father's authority to overpower these local officials. However, keeping his identity hidden for a long time was not easy. At least, Qi Qi already knew his identity, and the courtesans at the Huancailou in Xiezhou also knew. Thinking about this, he remembered he had written a promissory note for a thousand taels of silver and even stamped it with his official seal, which was quite a headache. He didn't know what trouble it would cause in the future.

Liang Dazhuang nodded mysteriously, "Young master, I understand, I understand. You are going to travel incognito and investigate the people's conditions. That's very wise!"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and put his finger to his lips, signaling for silence. He then noticed that Murong Feiyan had not come over and asked Liang Dazhuang, "Where is Miss Murong?"

Liang Dazhuang looked around and then lowered his voice, "I just saw her leave."

Hu Xiaotian was taken aback. Murong Feiyan didn't have many acquaintances in Qingyun County, so she must not have gone to visit friends or relatives. Perhaps she went to buy something. In this era, there were no instant communication tools like pagers, mobile phones, or walkie-talkies. If you wanted to find someone, you had to use your voice or your legs. Hu Xiaotian didn't want to shout in the streets, so he told Liang Dazhuang, "Tell Su Innkeeper to wait to prepare the hot dishes. We'll drink and wait for her."

Just as he finished speaking, Murong Feiyan entered the courtyard.

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "We were just waiting for you, and you came just in time."

Murong Feiyan said, "You don't have to wait for me. You can start drinking. I'll change my clothes and come over."

Hu Xiaotian's eyes followed Murong Feiyan's graceful back, and he noticed that Liang Dazhuang was also staring at her. He picked up a chopstick and turned to hit Liang Dazhuang on the forehead. Liang Dazhuang was in pain but didn't cry out, knowing he was in the wrong. He thought, "Everyone appreciates beauty. I just looked at her. It's not like I took a piece of her."