Chen Zhennan led Song Yunyang into the back hall of the county government office. His mind was not on resting, but on how to legitimately eliminate the governor of Jingzhou.

Suddenly, Chen Zhennan caught sight of a still-attractive woman sitting in the pavilion. Her composed demeanor contrasted sharply with the tense atmosphere around her.

"Madam, may I ask who you are?" Chen Zhennan approached slowly, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry.

The woman looked up, her eyes revealing a calmness that was unusual to others.

“I am Yang Sirui, the wife of Magistrate Sun Lei. The ones who died outside are my husband and son.”

Upon hearing this, Song Yunyang was somewhat surprised that Yang Sirui could remain so calm in the face of the deaths of her husband and son.

"You are the daughter of the governor of Jingzhou?" Chen Zhennan smiled slightly, not surprised by her identity.

Yang Sirui nodded, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes: "That's right, sir. I can take you to see my father. You have the courage and the ability. You should be the magistrate of Ji County."

Chen Zhennan smiled upon hearing this. This woman was truly remarkable; she actually wanted to sow discord between him and Xu Bin.

"No rush. With you as a hostage, wouldn't it be better to wait for the governor of Jingzhou to come to me in person?"

Yang Sirui nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned back to her room. Chen Zhennan then took Song Yunyang to a random room to rest.

After arranging for Song Yunyang to rest, Chen Zhennan returned to the county government hall and happened to see someone cleaning up the bodies of the Sun family father and son.

When Xu Bin saw Chen Zhennan come out, he walked up to Chen Zhennan with a questioning look on his face.

"Who exactly are you? How dare you instigate me to kill the magistrate's son? Who are you to kill the magistrate?"

Chen Zhennan pursed his lips and replied casually, "I'm just a passing merchant. As for courage, if you have it, why can't I?"

Xu Bin clearly didn't believe it, and shook his head with a smile: "Your demeanor is extraordinary, you are no ordinary merchant. The brothers who just came down from the county office hacked Sun Lei to death with knives. If they hadn't seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they would never be so calm. Your guard was even more composed, obviously he had seen corpses strewn all over the place."

Chen Zhennan smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying: "Who I am is not important. What is important is that you are now the county magistrate. Even if the governor of Jingzhou came, it wouldn't change that fact."

A hint of awe flashed in Xu Bin's eyes. Although he didn't know the identities of Chen Zhennan and the other two, nor did he know their names, since he had such courage, his status must be even more important than that of the governor of Jingzhou.

"Sir, please go and rest. I will take care of the affairs of the county government. I will send someone to deliver the information about Ji County to the governor of Jingzhou so that he can come and discuss it."

Chen Zhennan nodded slightly, then waved to Yan Shiyu who was standing to the side, and the two turned and walked towards the back hall of the county government office.

Xu Bin, on the other hand, found a brand new county magistrate's robe and put it on, and then began to exercise his powers as county magistrate.

...

Two days later, while Xu Bin was hearing a case, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the county government gate.

A group of soldiers in full armor surrounded the county government office, and the people were dispersed, creating an extremely tense atmosphere.

Yang Feng, the governor of Jingzhou, slowly walked into the main hall of the county government office. His eyes were sharp as he met Xu Bin's gaze, as if they were engaged in an invisible contest.

"Who killed my son-in-law?" Yang Feng's voice carried a hint of coldness.

Xu Bin sat in the county magistrate's seat, showing no sign of backing down: "It was me."

Yang Feng didn't care about his son-in-law's death at all. He slowly walked up to Xu Bin and chuckled.

"Boy, you've got some nerve. Not only did you kill the magistrate of Ji County, but you also usurped the position. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Xu Bin remained calm and composed in his seat as magistrate, replying indifferently, "Of course I'm not afraid. If I were afraid, how could I have killed your son and grandson?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Feng frowned; he disliked this feeling of being out of control.

"Killing the county magistrate is nothing, but you're not afraid of me, the governor of Jingzhou, that won't do."

Just then, Chen Zhennan slowly walked out from the back room, his steps steady, each step seemingly challenging Yang Feng's authority.

“Your Excellency, sometimes, whether you are afraid or not is not up to you to decide.”

Yang Feng turned his head, his gaze as cold as a knife as he looked at Chen Zhennan.

"And who are you?"

Yang Feng attempted to use this method to control the situation and regain the initiative.

However, Chen Zhennan did not answer. He strolled leisurely to Yang Feng, his face full of calm and composure.

Chen Zhennan's gaze was sharp as an eagle's. He narrowed his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of provocation: "Governor, do you want revenge?"

His words hit the nail on the head, giving Yang Feng a jolt.

Yang Feng had no intention of seeking revenge; he was more concerned with his authority. The attitude of these two men clearly showed that they did not take him, the governor of Jingzhou, seriously.

Yang Feng's face darkened, his voice revealing a suppressed anger: "Whether or not to seek revenge is indeed unimportant, but my dignity as the prefect is very important. You murdered the county magistrate, which is a capital offense. If there is no explanation, how can I face the other county magistrates?"

His words revealed an arrogance of power, as if he were the embodiment of the law.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan gave a long "hmm" and nodded, saying, "Alright, let's be frank. I had Xu Bin kill Sun Lei and his son. Name your price, how much would be appropriate for this county magistrate?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Feng couldn't help but narrow his eyes, and after a few seconds, a smile appeared on his face.

"That's quite direct. So, how much do you think the position of county magistrate is worth?"

Chen Zhennan clicked his tongue, a mocking smile curving his lips, and sneered, "In my opinion, the position of county magistrate? It's worthless."

At that moment, Xu Bin stood up, stared directly at Yang Feng with piercing eyes, and said coldly, "I have no problem with you treating your official position like a business, after all, I am just a small city garrison officer. But you can forget about taking a single penny of the money in Ji County."

Upon hearing this, Yang Feng's anger soared, and his face instantly turned ashen, like a volcano about to erupt.

He waved towards the gate of the county government office, and the soldiers at the gate stepped forward, drawing their swords and pointing them at Chen Zhennan and Xu Bin.

"The money of Ji County? I am the governor of Jingzhou. The finances of all counties are under my control. You think you can take it for yourself? That's wishful thinking."

Yang Feng's voice revealed an arrogance and disdain, as if he were mocking Xu Bin's overestimation of his abilities.

Chen Zhennan was surprised by Xu Bin's tough stance and couldn't help but feel a little admiration for him.

“Prefect Yang, it seems your son-in-law’s life is worthless to you, and Xu Bin is unwilling to give you the money from Ji County, so it seems I’ll have to pay it myself. Three thousand taels of silver, how about that?”

Yang Feng's expression softened slightly, and he gave a soft "hmm".

“That’s right. A son-in-law is not as valuable as a county magistrate. Three thousand taels of silver can’t buy the magistrate of Ji County.”