The fat man, who claimed to be the magistrate of Linrou County, began to look around the houses in Zhao Family Village.

"There are indeed many bamboo houses. Is it really because they don't have the money to build houses?"

Why is it different from what I heard? I heard that your Zhao Family Village has built a lot of workshops.

Every household raises plenty of delicious pigs. How could they possibly be short of money?

The two brothers exchanged a glance, sensing that something was wrong.

This man claimed to be the county magistrate, but didn't reveal his name or anything, yet he seemed to know so much about Zhao Family Village.

Something must have been spooked.

Zhao Qingling suddenly spoke up.

"You said you were classmates with Lord Qiu. Are you referring to Lord Qiu Qingcang?"

The man in the car was taken aback for a moment, then immediately nodded.

"Yes, yes, it was that old bastard Qiu Qingcang who sent me."

They said your pigs are well-raised, and they sent me over to learn your pig-raising methods so our county can also become prosperous.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, and Zhao Qingling took the second baby out of Zhao Qingshan's stroller.

I put it in my two kids' stroller, then pushed the stroller home.

Not forgetting to call for help along the way, the people of Zhao Family Village quickly gathered together.

"Uncle, the man who came from the village entrance impersonated an official of the imperial court. He said he wanted to learn how to feed pigs and that he knew our village was rich."

He was trying to find out what was going on in his words. I had just tricked him by saying that our county magistrate's name was Qiu Qingcang, and he nodded in agreement.

Whether they were classmates or colleagues, it was impossible for them not to know the name of Lord Qiu.

Uncle, do you think we should send someone to report this to the authorities immediately?

Zhao Qingling asked.

"Of course, we have to report to the authorities. With such audacity to impersonate an official of the imperial court, we must not have come alone."

"Maybe this is just the vanguard, with who knows how many people are following behind. Do you think they could be bandits?"

Zhao Jinfa said.

"It's also possible that they want to use the excuse that he's the magistrate of the neighboring county to ask for our secret recipe."

Either way, impersonating an official of the imperial court is a capital offense.

Zhao Qingling added.

Zhao Jinfeng thought about it for a moment,

"Qingling, you have a horse. You should hurry home and send someone to take a detour through the mountains behind your house to report to the authorities."

I'm going to the village entrance right now to detain that big swindler.

Before anyone from the government arrives, try not to make a big fuss.

What if they really are bandits? Should we kill them or not? Killing them would bring bad luck, but not killing them would just cause more trouble.

Our Zhao Family Village is like a rough gem; we can't afford to mess with those broken tiles.

Zhao Jinfa's words amused the group who had gathered together to discuss strategies for dealing with the enemy.

"Uncle Village Chief, you really know how to flatter our village. You call it a rough gem? I'd prefer our village to be a piece of granite."

Xiao Jiu'er said.

"Why do you prefer granite?" Qingchen asked, puzzled.

"Hey, you're saying that raw jade is only good for making some jewelry, to make it look nice to wear."

Granite has many uses; it can be used to build houses, pave floors, and even make stone rollers.

"Don't you think granite is better?" Xiao Jiu'er talked on and on, and Qing Chen nodded seriously.

"Get out of here, all of you!"

Go and inform our village guard team, and all the men to be alert. As soon as the gong sounds, grab your weapons and get to work.

Zhao Jinfa interrupted the discussion between the two clueless young men.

Soon, the people who had been huddled together on the ground plotting something immediately crouched down and scattered.

Zhao Qingling naturally quickened his pace, as getting the child home first was the most important thing.

Upon arriving at Qingshan Xiaozhu, he summoned a guard, explained the precautions, and instructed him to report to the authorities immediately.

Then they pushed the three children into the main house.

Everyone was quite surprised when three babies were taken off a vehicle.

"Where is Erbao's father? Why are the three kids crammed into one car?" Huang asked.

Zhao Qingling recounted what happened at the village entrance.

Huang frowned.

"It's true what they say, 'People are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat.'"

It doesn't seem like that long has passed since the last time the refugees came to our Zhao Family Village.

Our village's reputation as a heroic village isn't for nothing; why would someone so blind as to come looking for trouble?

"How can you say they're blind? They clearly have eyes when they come to our village."

"They're after our village's secret recipe, and they're after our village's money," Zhao Qianci corrected.

She earned a cold shoulder from Madam Huang.

"Alright, even if we're not sure if there's anyone behind that person, we can't let our guard down."

He gave the order to increase patrols at Qingshan Xiaozhu and lock all the side gates.

"Children, come to my room, it's more convenient for meals. Consider today a holiday for you scholars."

Little Zhao Qingbei looked up and said, "Grandma, we had a day off yesterday too."

Zhao Qingyang pulled her younger brother over and covered his mouth.

"Don't talk. These two days are our rest days. I don't want to be given extra homework."

Zhao Qingyi nodded, indicating that she understood.

Indeed, Mr. Yun will be giving a lecture to everyone tomorrow.

If he doesn't take advantage of today to relax, when will he ever get another chance? He hasn't forgotten that he's only a novice scholar right now.

Zhao Qingshan chatted with the man at the village entrance, asking, "How should I address this esteemed person?"

"Yes, my surname is Liu, you can just call me Uncle Liu."

The fat man considered himself very approachable.

Zhao Qingshan expressed his disagreement.

"I'll still address you as Magistrate Liu. Magistrate Liu is just too approachable."

Magistrate Liu came to our village on a private visit. Why are you alone?

This technique cannot be learned by one person from a single glance.

People in our village are incredibly slow at learning anything. Even with a master who can teach them for three to five days, they might not be able to learn it.

It is said that God will not let a skilled craftsman starve, but a skilled craftsman might actually starve to death before learning a skill.

Magistrate Liu, how many times did you pass the imperial examinations back then?

"To be honest, Your Excellency, I have always admired scholars the most. Your Excellency's ability to pass the imperial examinations and become an official truly reflects the spirit of the God of Literature."

Zhao Qingshan praised him without reservation.

Magistrate Liu was extremely pleased with the praise.

"To be honest, I was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in three separate examinations back then."

My knowledge far surpasses that of your Lord Qiu. If my family weren't less well-off than his, I would have already secured a substantial post.

"That kid Qiu is such a snotty-nosed brat..."

Blah blah blah, a whole string of self-praise.

Zhao Qingshan almost burst out laughing. The Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were divided into three grades: the first grade was Jinshi Jidi (进士及第), the second grade was Jinshi Chushen (进士出身), and the third grade was Tong Jinshi Chushen (同进士出身).

What scholar would call himself a "three-time Jinshi" (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)?

This guy is clearly an uneducated fool who thinks the people of Zhao Village are ignorant bumpkins who have never seen the world.

Zhao Qingshan was embarrassed by the lie.

However, he had no choice but to play along, and soon Zhao Qingshan led the "Magistrate Liu's" carriage and people to the front of the ancestral hall in Zhao Family Village.

There is a large open space here. After the ancestral hall was renovated, in addition to enshrining the ancestors, a secret room was specially built inside.

They're used to store things normally, but can be used to imprison such wicked people in critical moments.