Chapter 412 Born with a Bad Temper

The county magistrate stood in the square, shouting to stop, while the officials stood in front of him indifferently.

It was not until the Ding clan members took action and the county magistrate gave an order that the officials were able to suppress the chaotic scene.

Then came the thundering measures, issuing several orders in succession.

First, this year fifty students will be selected by drawing lots for free admission to the Ding Clan School.

Second, encourage other wealthy and powerful gentry to apply to the county government to open free schools.

Third, Ding will make amends by providing teachers for other newly opened schools.

Finally, from now on, all children who meet the requirements for two years of free enrollment will be admitted to the school without any further restrictions.

Of course, the prerequisite for the last point to be carried out is that the second measure can be implemented smoothly.

As soon as the four instructions were issued, the people cheered and said that Kaiyang County had a great judge who belonged to the people.

The noise outside did not affect Qin Yao and his wife in the carriage.

The two looked at Jinhua helplessly and sympathetically. Now it was up to the little girl's own luck.

Soon, the Ding family prepared a box for drawing lots and threw 285 bamboo sticks into it.

Fifty of the bamboo sticks were dotted with red, and the rest were colorless. Only those who drew the red stick could enter the Ding School.

All the students who had registered were present, with the county magistrate as the witness, and they lined up to draw lots.

Liu Zhong and Qiu Shi hurriedly took the children to line up, leaving only Liu Ji and Qin Yao in the car.

After all, the case is not innocent. Since the county magistrate is present, it is better to stay away to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Unexpectedly, before the two of them went over, County Magistrate Song looked over with an inquiring gaze.

To be honest, he had been curious about the carriage parked on the side of the road for a long time!

Wang Mawu's carriage was exquisitely made and at first glance it stood out from the ordinary carriages next to it, so it was hard not to attract attention.

If there are still people in Jinshi Town who don’t recognize this car, they will be laughed at.

Even though they were more than a hundred meters apart, Liu Ji felt like a thorn in his side. He hurried into the carriage and said to Qin Yao with a guilty conscience:

"The county magistrate seems to be looking at us."

Qin Yao had already noticed it, and said indifferently: "If he wants to watch, then let him watch."

Liu Ji said "oh" and lifted the curtain to see what was going on over there with Liu Zhong. Suddenly, a man in a green official robe came into view. He cried out "Oh my god!" and said nervously, "My lady! He, he's coming!"

"Who?" Qin Yao glared at Liu Ji, startled.

Liu Ji said in shock: "County Magistrate! He is coming, he is coming straight towards our carriage."

Liu Ji looked at Qin Yao helplessly. Could she be here to hold him accountable?

Qin Yao suspiciously lifted the curtain to look outside. The only people coming were Magistrate Song and an official. She waved her hand to signal the nervous Liu Ji to calm down. "I don't know about other things, but it's obvious that they are not here to arrest anyone."

As he was speaking, the person was almost approaching.

The other party had already seen them, and it would be rude to just stand there and not get off the carriage to greet them.

"Get off." Qin Yao gave Liu Ji a light kick. Liu Ji was caught off guard and fell off the carriage with a scream.

Fortunately, he was agile and he landed with a graceful spin, steadying his body.

County Magistrate Song raised his eyebrows suspiciously. What kind of strange way of welcoming was this?

Qin Yao jumped out of the car, took two steps forward, clasped her fists and bowed, "I am Qin Yao, honored to meet you, sir!"

Liu Ji also bowed and said, "I am Liu Ji, the humble servant, and I pay my respects to the county magistrate!"

Song Zhang smiled slightly and raised his hand to signal the two of them to excuse themselves.

The last time I met Qin Yao was when we were suppressing bandits.

Old Huang, who was pulling the cart at the moment, was also taken home by Qin Yao at that time.

Song Zhang took a look at the horse and found that it was no longer bald. Its fur was now smooth and shiny due to the care it received from its owner, which showed that it had been well fed.

Seeing that the county magistrate was busy looking at the horses without saying a word, Liu Ji took the initiative to ask: "Sir, come over, what can I do for you?"

Song Zhang glanced at him, then looked at Qin Yao, and said teasingly: "Madam Qin's husband is quite handsome. Everyone says that heroes are hard to resist beautiful women, and it seems that Madam Qin is no exception."

The couple's mouths twitched at the same time.

Liu Ji felt resentful that he was looked down upon by the other party.

Qin Yao also felt that she was insulted. She put away the smile on her face, hummed, and did not comment.

Song Zhang didn't say anything, and she didn't say anything either, to see who was more embarrassed.

In the end, it was Liu Ji who couldn't hold back anymore. He realized that Song Zhang's target was Qin Yao, so he took the initiative to ask if they wanted to go to the tavern in town to sit down and chat slowly.

Song Zhang then took a serious look at him. Apart from his appearance, he really couldn't see what was so special about this man that could attract both the great scholar and Qin Yao.

As for drinking, he didn't refuse, but he didn't have time today, and he would definitely drink next time.

"I heard that there are two nice teahouses opened in your Liujia Village. Next time I have free time, I would like to go and take a look." As he spoke, Song Zhang kept his eyes on Qin Yao, observing her reaction.

But before Qin Yao could answer, Liu Ji said enthusiastically: "That's great! On behalf of all the villagers of Liujia Village, I warmly welcome you!"

Song Zhang nodded politely and did not continue the topic.

He looked at the busy Ding Family Ancestral Hall and suddenly asked, "Haven't all four children of Madam Qin already been admitted to the Ding Family School? Why are they still here to join in the fun?"

Qin Yao said coldly: "It seems that the adults still don't know much. In fact, we have more than four children."

Having said this, he paused for a moment before adding with a chuckle, "We are connected by blood, so the children of our brothers and sisters are naturally our children as well."

Song Zhang smiled and said, "Since the family has been divided, each family will manage their own family. The children of brothers and sisters are also under the care of Madam Qin. Could it be that you are also in charge of the family of your brothers and sisters?"

"Not really, because I don't like to meddle in other people's business." Qin Yao looked into his eyes with a mocking tone.

Liu Ji raised his handsome eyebrows as if watching a play from behind, but he still pretended to scold, "Qin Yao, how can you talk to the county magistrate like that!"

Facing Qin Yao's murderous gaze, he apologized to Song Zhang, "The woman is dull and can't speak. Sir, please don't argue with her."

Song Zhang waved his hand with a good-tempered look, "No problem, Madam Qin is a person of good nature, not fussy about details. She can speak to me so bluntly, she must have regarded me as her own."

One of us?

Qin Yao looked up at the houses in Jinshi Town in the distance and snorted, "Your Excellency, you are overthinking. I just have a bad temper and I talk like this to everyone!"

Liu Ji could prove this and nodded frantically, she was indeed like that!

After nodding, he realized that he should help her explain and wanted to make amends, but Song Zhang had already raised his hand, signaling him to stop talking. It was annoying!

An official came over and told Song Zhang to go back and take charge of the situation. Song Zhang waved his hand to signal him to leave first, then turned to Qin Yao and asked seriously:

"The two Japanese officials who are harvesting wheat are about to go on a tour of the villages. When they do, they plan to go to Madam Qin's house and ask for a cup of tea. I wonder if Madam Qin will welcome them?"

(End of this chapter)